Most of the time we talk about mixed martial arts training and what if means to be an elite fighter. However, what do most people do to workout if we don’t aspire to be MMA fighters but rather just want to take Brazilian Jujitsu, submission wrestling or pankration for recreation and just to keep in shape?

Even though Stephan Kesting is a black belt in BJJ, he is almost 40 and is still in incredible shape. So what can we do outside the gym to stay fit to enhance our grappling game? In the next couple of weeks Stephan will explain some of his workout routines that we can all do to stay in shape outside of our gyms and in our own time.

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Sweaty and Tired at the Firehall

I got some good feedback from the Denis Kang workout email, but some people actually wanted to know what Stephan Kesting does to stay fit (despite the fact that I'm NOT an MMA fighter and that I'm almost 40 years old...). The answer is that I do a lot of different things, and my routine changes a depending on what I'm experimenting with and what I'm trying to accomplish.

I will tell you what I did today, however. This week I'm actually doing a lot of conditioning, because between putting in a few extra shifts at the firehall (which is my job in real life) and some family commitments there is just no way that I'm going to get onto a mat this week. I'm not complaining, though, because I realize that being able to work out for an hour while at work is a privilege that few people have!

My philosophy is that if I can't train in grappling for a little while then at least I'll work out, so that when I return to the mats all I'll have to work on is timing and not conditioning per se. Plus it will hurt less.

Here is the workout I did today.

Cardio: Tabata sprints (slow and steep).

With the treadmill set at 6 miles per hour and a 15% incline I did 10 sprints, each sprint lasting 20 seconds and taking only 10 seconds of rest before getting back on the treadmill. This feels easy for the first couple of repetitions, but then it really starts to suck towards the end!

Circuit 1: Complex Pulling

My first circuit consisting of pullups with 30 lbs of extra weight (four reps), then ten medicine ball slams, and then 15 plyometric reclined pullups. For this last exercise I grabbed a thick rope slung over a bar, laid back almost horizontally, and then pulled myself up towards the bar 15 times, as fast as I could, using a bouncing action at the bottom of the movement. I repeated this circuit 4 times.

Circuit 2: Complex Pushing

My second circuit was simpler and consisted only of two exercises:
Benchpress using dumbbells (of various weights and repetitions) followed by 10 clapping pushups. I repeated this four times, resting for a minute or two between circuits.

I often finish my workouts by working on my abdominal and lower back regions. Today I did:
- Hanging Ab knee raises, touching my knees to my wrists, 12 reps
- Back Hyperextensions, 30 repetitions, holding a 20 lb dumbell in each hand
- Crunch sequence: 25 x straight legged crunches, 20 x bent legged crunches, 15 x straight, 10 x bent, 5 x straight

I think that this is a nice mix of slow and fast exercises for both the pushing and pulling muscles of the upper body. Give it a try and see if you can kick my ass (especially on the Tabata sprints, given that I am not a very fast runner at the best of times).

Hopefully this information is of interest to some of the Grapplearts readership. Shoot me a quick email (by replying to this newsletter) if you want me to let you know what I did for conditioning the rest of the week that I'm stuck at work.

Stephan Kesting
www.grapplearts.com

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