anyone have any ideas?

BostonBadBoy · 06-15-2009, 08:58 PM

So here's my dilemma. I'm 25 and an electrician in new jersey and ive been training at renzos new gym for about 1 month. i just moved here from boston and was training at sityodtong before. now that ive got down here things have gotten a little more hectic. i moved down with my girlfriend and got a good job (i'm an electrician) and i work 8-10 hours a day.
When i first moved here (8months ago) till now i've been just lifting weights.(bodybuilder style routine) cuz i want to be jacked, kill me. but since ive started jiu jitsu 4 times a week with 4 lifting sessions a week, ive noticed doing both is VERY tiring during the week, like to the point i am falling asleep on teh couch after work, and missing jiu jitsu. Not to mention i have a 9 month old pitbull who needs exercise AND i have to fit in girlfriend/errand time.
My whole goal was to do jiu jitsu and lift and have a happy medium. But now i'm feeling run down, my conditioning is suffering, and im feeling like i want to stop one or the other. After lifting and eating so much, i went up to about 210. Benching 315, squatting 405, and deading 500. But i feel very out of shape at jiu jitsu. Unflexable, even though i stretch a lot 30 minutes a night. Should i give up the bodybuilding bullshit and just run/do jiu jitsu and get in crazy shape? Any input woudl be greatly appreciated. Also, after trying to live like a bodybuilder for a while, these guys CAN"T be healthy.....My new goal is to go down to 170. Should i stop lifting and eating like a bodybuilder? and just do jiu jitsu and running? THANKS!!

PowerHungry · 06-15-2009, 09:05 PM

Sounds like a pretty standard case of overtraining. Bodybuilding routines by nature, because they are gear toward the pump and muscle exhaustion, are prone to wear you down. If you go hard enough at a bodybuilding routine by itself, you can overtrain. Add in the jiu-jitsu and work and you're bound to be exhausted.

I'd say switch to a PL routine that focuses more on compound movements no matter what. If you are more interested in jiu-jitsu, then focus on technique and, if you choose to keep lifting, make sure to keep the volume and intensity in check, otherwise you're headed for more overtraining. If you want to focus more on strength and lifting, then dump the jiu-jitsu and lift as hard as you want.

All that being said, I'm far from an expert. Just throwing in my two cents based on my experience.

$ick Money! · 06-15-2009, 11:27 PM

Bodybuilding and sports do not really work well together. BB is geared for aesthetics, not performance. Check the S&P forum for some good routines. I wouldnt recommend dropping the weights all together.

paolo27th · 06-16-2009, 04:16 AM

Why do a bb routine? If you do bjj 4 times a week just lift twice and you`ll be cool. There`s a nice 2 days split in the s&p forum I`ve followed for a while. You could add one more day if you really wanted to but then it depends on what your goals are.

Gary Peters · 06-16-2009, 04:44 AM

You have a decent level of strength right now. I wouldn't be too concerned with improving it that much more.. atleast not for BJJ. Take Paolo's advice and use the 2 day split in the Strength & Power FAQ. You can easily maintain or even improve your strength if you eat enough. If you still have that itch for bodybuilding you can even throw in some bullshit curls or w/e after a BJJ session during the week.