Strength training for grappling

[Scrofula]

Figured it was about time I started one of these. I do jacket grappling (SAMBO, jujutsu or judo, depending on who at my club you ask), and realized a couple of strength workouts a week would do me good. I did a brief linear progression last year, but injured both my ankles in quick succession on the mat, and had to stick to chins, dips and such for a while.

I can do the standard lifts again, so I'm back on linear progression, around my old working weights. Some recent embarrassing form check videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IVHM824V8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IzDrYZ-oTM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Etn5q4g9dc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0CxKdMTp8

My most recent workout (23 Feb):
Press:
105lb: 5,5,5

Squat:
195lb: 5,5,5

Power clean:
130lb: 3,3,3,3,3

Current bodyweight: 135lb (at 5'5"ish). Increasing slowly, but I'm not in a hurry.

I alternate this with press, squat, deadlift. I'd like to throw in some trunk work, chins and dips, time permitting, but haven't done much of these things recently.

Oh, and I average two intense grappling sessions a week. No additional conditioning work.

[BigJavs]

I'm interested to see how the added strength adds to your grappling game. When I took judo, I didn't do any strength training but I was just a lot bigger than guys in my class so when we rolled, I could pretty easily get guys on their backs. Of course, I was one of two white belts in a room of brown and black belts so I eventually got choked or arm barred. I wonder how much more I couldve muscled guys around if I had decent strength levels. Anyways, looking forward to seeing your progress!

[Scrofula]

Yeah, being one of the smallest people in my club, I often end up on my back, playing guard. This has become slightly less true recently, but that might have more to do with more aggressive tactics than increased strength. It's hard to separate the psychological effects of being stronger from the actual strength.

Anyway, today's workout:
Press:
107.5lb: 4(F),4(F),2(F)
95lb: 4 (directly after the last failed 107.5 set)
Lousy form. I'll give this another shot next week, and then consider a change of tactics. I'm already gaining weight as quickly as I'd like to, so 'eat more' is not a change of tactics.

Squat:
200lb: 5,5,5
Benefited from taking the time to tighten up before unracking and before each rep. Could stand to emphasize 'knees out' more.

Deadlift:
240lb: 5

BW: 136lb

[Scrofula]

Press:
107.5: 3,3,3,3,3
Decided to try this. I like it. Nice, intense work, but I think I have a few weeks of linear progress in me. I'll probably alternate with a lighter 5x5 for a while, because I could probably use the volume. When that stalls, I'll go to something more Texas methodey.

Squat:
205lb: 5,5,3F
This is what I get for squatting on a rumbling stomach. It's still 1.5BW and a 5 rep PR; this is further than I got before my injury. I should be able to get it next time, if I recover reasonably.

Power clean:
135lb: 3,3,3,3,2F,3
The failure was stupidity: I let go of the hook too early, and lost the bar. The weight felt pretty light, so I did another (ugly) triple. Also saw something fit for the 'things you saw in your gym' thread as I wrapped up.

BW:135lb
Yeah, bad week for recovery, and looks like next week will be no better. I'll try to get some extra food to make up for the lack of sleep. Off to the burger place with me.

[Scrofula]

Completely out of it today.

Press:
107.5: 1(F)
100: 4,4,4
Dang. By the end of this, my shoulders were making ominous clicking noises and the bar was rising unevenly.

Squat:
205lb: 5,3(F)

BW: 136lb

Called it a workout before I hurt myself. This wasn't completely unexpected, I guess. Work-related stuff has thrown recovery out of whack. The next few days are going to be at least as bad, so my plan is to try and get a short, intense damage-control workout in the middle of the week, and get back on track next weekend by repeating my last successful workout.

[Scrofula]

Finally back under the bar. I feel rusty. The week was pretty much as expected in terms of missed meals and sleep. I wasn't sure how much strength I'd lost, so I took a few pounds off the bar. The plan is to build a little momentum and train hard for the next few months -- I have some time before the next major deadlines/travel.

Press:
100lb: 5,4(F),4
Tried to rush through with minimal rest. Bad idea, even with a weight I should have little trouble with.

Squat:
195lb: 5,5,5
Almost failed halfway through the third set, before I realized how stupid that would have been. Also experimented a bit with stance width. A narrower stance felt good in warmups, but I ended up at my regular width for work sets.

Deadlift:
240lb
Actually pretty easy.

For a change, I actually had time for a bit of accessory work at the end. Did some weighted dips and chins, and played around with L-sits.

BW: 135lb

I have some catching up to do, both here and on the mat. As long as I don't overtrain or injure myself, I anticipate some good progress over the next few months.

[Scrofula]

Press:
102.5lb: 5,5,5
My trunk got all squishy in the last rep of the last set, but the bar went up. Time to make ab work a regular thing, not something I throw in if I have the time.

Squat:
200lb: 4,1(F)
185lb: 5,5
This was a bloody mess. Just couldn't find the right spot for the bar today. Even with the two light sets, it felt like I was going to lose the bar over my head.

PC:
135lb: 3,3,3,3,3
Right where I left off. Probably could have increased the weight.

Weighted sit-ups:
25lb: 40
I couldn't remember the recommended weight/rep scheme for these, since the sit-ups were a spur-of-the-moment response to the squishy press. So I just picked up a plate and did sit-ups till I was tired. Obviously, this isn't a real plan, so I'm going to do some homework before my next workout.

BW: 134lb
Ah, now we've gotten to the real problem. I've lost two pounds in ten days, so these aren't random weight fluctuations. Of course, I'll have to fix this right now. Off to get dinner. Well, first dinner.

[cervicornis]

Dude, you need to lower the weights you're using across the board and get on a true linear progression. Your squat weight has decreased over the course of the last 2 weeks, for Christ's sake. That isn't training.

Lower your squat to 135 lbs. or something like that, get your form/technique issues worked out, and progress 5-10 lbs. each workout.

As far as grappling is concerned, I don't think a lack of strength is your issue. It's your weight. At 135, you would need vastly superior technique to handle someone who outweighs you by 70 lbs. Eat big and train hard and get yourself to 160+ and you will see a huge difference in your game. I've been training BJJ for 3-4 years and I believe that size and strength are often overlooked in terms of their importance. The Gracie philosophy is all about good technique over size/strength, but the reality is that most people never approach the level of technical proficiency where superior technique can be used to dominate an adversary who also has experience in the sport. Sure, you can probably manhandle a 225# white belt whose never been attacked from the guard, but if you give that guy a year's training, I see him giving an experienced 135# purple belt a lot of problems.

[Scrofula]

Thanks for the thoughts, but I'm going to hold off on the deload for now. Technique feels a bit rusty, yes, but that's because I've been spending too much time in front of a desk and not enough time doing physical things. Happens to my grappling too, and usually resolves itself after one or two workouts. The real problem right now is recovery, not technique; notice that my squat and press went down with my bodyweight, which went down with my food and sleep. This was due to a busy period which I knew was coming (happens a few times a year), and the goal was to lose as little strength as possible in this time.

I've spelled out my thoughts on weight gain in a previous post. I think it'd be useful to be a few pounds heavier, but I'm taking it slow because I want to see how my conditioning is affected on the way. It's also a weight class sport, so I don't feel the need to be large for my height. Strength is obviously useful, but I think you might be overestimating the benefits of size (going by my experience with larger opponents, and not just new guys).

[PVC]

I think it'd be useful to be a few pounds heavier, but I'm taking it slow because I want to see how my conditioning is affected on the way.

This isn't slow, it's glacial. Slow is 1lb/week. You've gained -1lb in 3 weeks.

Strength is obviously useful, but I think you might be overestimating the benefits of size (going by my experience with larger opponents, and not just new guys).

I think you might be overestimating your body's ability to gain strength without gaining size.