• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Creatine
      • AG1 Review
    • Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Changing Up My Training (Athlete Journal 32)

Injuries, illness, tournament struggles, and all the other obstacles I faced earlier this year seem like a distant memory now.

James Kearns

Written by James Kearns Last updated on August 13, 2014

I’m thankful for how well my training has been going lately. In the beginning of 2014 I was getting so frustrated due to poor performances in competitions, dealing with injuries, and not being able train how I wanted to. Now it all seems like a distant memory.

I have been fortunate to avoid any serious injuries and I have stayed consistent with my training. Hopefully this continues.

Changing Up My Training

This week may have been my best training week yet. I got five days of BJJ training, including a trip up to York, Pennsylvania to train with Daniel Beleza and his guys. Daniel, who is famous for his ridiculous guard game, went over nothing but submissions from standing. There were some techniques that I will be drilling on Sunday and trying to add in my game.

I also did some no-gi on Thursday morning while helping someone get ready for the Pan No-Gi Tournament in September. This was the first time I’ve done any training without the gi in a while, so I caught myself looking for grips that weren’t there quite a few times. I’ve said this before, but I would like to add some no-gi training into my schedule on a regular basis. I just don’t know where I would find the time. I’m already training with the gi four to five times a week, so I’m limited on the time I could give it.

A Growing BJJ Program

During the summer, classes always get smaller and this year has been no exception at Tactical Combat Academy. However, even though the classes have gotten smaller, they are still averaging around eight to twelve people. Over the winter we were averaging around 16-25, so this is a good sign.

Our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program is growing and this has also contributed to my improved training. Even when rolling with beginners I can work on things in my game. It gives me a good opportunity to implement techniques that I just learned and it gives me more guys to roll with. So even when someone has only been training for six months or so, they are important to my growth as a competitor and a practitioner of BJJ. Then when they have been training for a couple years and are kicking my ass I can say, “Hey, remember how nice I was to you when you first started?”

I finally got my diet back on the right track and now I don’t even have to think about it. Right now I weigh 205lb, which is right where I need to be for the Boston Summer Open in two weeks. My strength and conditioning program continues to go well and my small groin pull from last week seems to be all healed up. I’m just going to continue to work on getting as strong and explosive as I possibly can in preparation for Masters Worlds in November.

Sunday – BJJ

Competition Drilling

Monday – Strength and Conditioning

  • Power Jerk (kg) 75×5, 77.5×5, 80×5, 82.5×5
  • Squat 325×5, 330×5, 335×5, 340×5, 345×5
  • Close Grip Bench Press 135×10, 145x2x10
  • Alternating Dumbbell Curls 40x3x10
  • Core Work

Monday – BJJ

Drills Technique, Rolling

Tuesday – BJJ

Daniel Beleza’s – Drills, Technique, Rolling

Wednesday – Strength and Conditioning:

  • Deadlift 325×5, 330×5, 340×5, 345×5
  • Dumbbell Step Up 45x3x10
  • Chin Up 21, 15, 10
  • Core Work

Wednesday – BJJ

Sweeps, Rolling

Thursday – BJJ

No-gi, Rolling

Saturday – Strength and Conditioning

  • Hang Cleans (kg) 75×4, 80×4, 85×4, 90×4
  • Dumbbell Incline Press 90x5x4
  • Farmers Walk 55 Yards x3, 105lb dumbbell
  • T-Bar Row 145x3x10
  • Core Work

James Kearns is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every week.

James Kearns

About James Kearns

James Kearns is a Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and former United States Marine who began training martial arts in 2005. Starting in Taekwondo and boxing in his hometown of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, he would eventually begin training and competing in mixed martial arts. This is when James first started to train in no-gi jiu jitsu. Then, two and a half years ago, he reluctantly borrowed a gi and tried the Brazilian jiu jitsu class. James has trained in no other martial art since.

After successfully competing at the rank of blue belt for the last two years, earning six gold medals in IBJJF events and finishing the year with a gold medal in the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials adult division, James earned his purple belt in December 2013. Having set his goals high for 2014, he plans on competing six to eight times this year, including the IBJJF Masters World Championships.

Along with being an active BJJ competitor, James also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting. Having a passion for the health and fitness industry, James is a certified personal trainer and the strength and conditioning coach at Tactical Combat Academy in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, where he focuses on individual and group program design for combat sport athletes. James is also a full time student, working on his B.S. in Sports Management.

Although training in Brazilian jiu jitsu and Olympic weightlifting, being a strength coach, and being in school keep James pretty busy, he still spends most of his time with his wife and four kids (who keep him even busier).

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

screenshot2014-12-30at113049am
Varying Squat Stance for Quad Development (Athlete Journal 121)
On the Other Side of a Belt Promotion (Athlete Journal 64)
screenshot2014-12-23at22546pm
Extreme Effort Is Only Temporary (Athlete Journal 120)
jess papi
Building Confidence as a BJJ Practitioner (Athlete Journal 63)

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

20 Best Home Gym Equipment Essentials for Cardio, Strength Training, and More

Hunter Labrada Looks Shredded Before Taking on 2023 Texas Pro and 2023 Tampa Pro

Lat Pulldown vs. Pull-Up: The Battle for a Bigger Back

2023 Strongest Man in Iceland Results — Kristján Jón Haraldsson Repeats

Latest Reviews

Breaking Muscle Best Protein Powder

17 Best Protein Powders for Weight Loss, Muscle Gain, and More

Athletic Greens AG1

Athletic Greens AG1 Review: Is This Greens Powder Worth It?

Best Adjustable Dumbbells

9 Best Adjustable Dumbbells for Home Gyms of 2023

Best Creatine

11 Best Creatine Supplements For Building Muscle, Cutting, and More

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About