Fitness & BJJ: Rest and Recovery

Rest and Recovery

My name is Lee Ann Urban, I am the Founder of “UrbanWind” Fitness Coaching in Austin, Texas and I have been involved in the Fitness Industry for the last 20 years; my background includes training and competing in the sport of competitive body building (5 years). 

In January of 2008, I became a student of “Vandry Brazilian Jiu Jitsu” (BJJ).

The articles that I will share with you will include all aspects of fitness and how I see that fitness relates to BJJ.

Rest and Recovery is vital to your training, it is as important as the training itself.  To avoid injury, the body must recover.  Listen to your body; it gives you information all the time.

Below are some recommended moves that I like to use as a warmup for both rolling and lifting; they feel amazing and are a great way to give back to our bodies.

Elastic Exercise Bands

Pec / Shoulder Opener

• Stand with your feet hip width and with good posture; secure one end of the band under your left foot and hold the other end of the band with your right hand, palm facing down.
• Fully extend your arm at chest height.
• From this position, begin to pull the band up over the head and slightly to the right.  (You will feel the stretch in the connective tissue between the pec and shoulder.)
• Return to the starting position, continue to do 10–12 reps and then repeat on the other side.

Thoracic Spine

This is the area of your spine located in your upper back between your shoulder blades. 

• Stand with your feet hip width apart and with good posture; hold the elastic band palms facing down with your arms fully extended at chest height.
• Slowly pull the band in a horizontal direction allowing your arms to move out to either side.
• Slowly release back to the starting position and continue for 10–12 reps. 
• Pull with your shoulder blades and not with your hands.

Thoracic Spine Twist–Wooden Pole

• Kneel on the floor.  (If you need to, use a cushion to support your knees.)
• Place the wooden pole behind your neck and on your traps, NOT on your neck.
• While keeping your lower body stable, gently rotate your torso to the left and slowly around to the right.  (This is a very gentle move so please do not hurry though it.)
• Continue moving left to right doing 12–15 reps.

Below you’ll find a few more recommendations, I would encourage you to implement as many of these as you can, as often as you can. 

The more you recover, the more prepared your body will be to perform to the level in which you desire.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial Release is a technique that releases the connectives tissue allowing for better transportation of blood and oxygen to the affected area.  It is very intense, but I highly recommend this.

http://www.myofascialrelease.com/mfr/mfr_what.asp

Deep Tissue Massage is another way to release built up toxins and speed the recovery process.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefits-Of-Deep-Tissue-Massage&id=425061

Yoga

I cannot emphasize this enough, it helps realign the body, and it is a great compliment to BJJ.

Chiropractic Care

Dr. Jeff Snow

I believe that when we have muscle ache it is because the skeleton is not being used properly; it is important to have our bodies realigned on a regular basis. 

Dr. Snow may provide you with some neck and trap exercises as well; I have found these to be very helpful.

In a previous article Dr, Snow talks about the R.I.C.E method to assist in the healing process.

http://www.austinbjj.com/node/29

Train hard…train smart!!

Lee Ann Urban
Personal Fitness Coach
Office 512-372-9756
Mobile 512-508-2178
leeann@urbanwind.com
www.urbanwind.com

Vandry BJJ Academy: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) & Muay Thai Boxing, Austin, Texas.