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Sensei Keiko Fukuda Recieves 10th Dan Black Belt in Judo

August 9, 2011 By Yael Grauer Leave a Comment

Sensei Keiko Fukuda has become the first woman to achieve a 10th degree black belt in judo. She is 98 years old. Fukuda becomes one of only four living people who have earned this rank, which only sixteen people have ever achieved throughout history.

She began practicing judo in 1935 under founder Kano Jiguro, who encouraged her to learn English to spread Judo internationally. Fukuda’s rank was frozen at 5th dan for 30 years due to an edict preventing women from achieving higher rank. She received her 6th dan in 1972 when a women’s division was created.

Fukuda still teaches judo three times a week at a women’s dojo in San Francisco.

Below is an excerpt from the documentary Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful.

Minnesota Women’s Grappling Camp (It Was Awesome!)

July 25, 2011 By Yael Grauer Leave a Comment

“What’s grappling camp?” asked a prospective client on the phone last week, reminding me that people do, actually, read this blog. And I’m sure some of you may be wondering as well. What happens when over twenty female Brazilian jiu jitsu players gather in a hot, sticky gym to train for five days?

Before you get any crazy ideas,let me start out by telling you what Women’s Grappling Camp was not. First of all, it was not easy. No modified push-ups or Swiss ball crunches for us. Emily Kwok, who lead most of the (brutal, prolonged) warm-ups, is more drill sergeant than yoga instructor. And although training with these women was a blast, there ain’t nothin’ easy about 2 two-hour grappling sessions, drillin’ and rollin’ like banshees in a hot, sticky gym with no air conditioning. Second, we did not sit around and talk about how we hate men. I think it’s virtually impossible to get to a high level in jiu jitsu without the support and guidance of predominantly male instructors and training partners. There are a lot of different reasons women might want to train with other women…man-hating wasn’t one of them! And finally, Women’s Grappling Camp did not resemble bikini mud wrestling, so get your mind out of the gutter!

Camp was a great opportunity to get together with female grapplers of all levels, learn technique and roll. We even got a survey ahead of time so we could choose which areas we’d like to have covered. So, under the guidance of BJJ black belts Emily Kwok and Val Worthington (and several guest instructors), we worked on all sorts of techniques including stripping grips, sweeps from butterfly guard and spider guard, passing butterfly guard and spider guard, and escapes from side control and transitional side control. In the evenings, we had roundtable discussions about various issues that come up in training. And there were some great raffle prizes.

The instruction was really great. Emily, who trains with Marcelo Garcia in addition to running her own academy (because she is Superwoman) helped build on some technique we’ve been working at in my gym in our Wednesday afternoon class (which is MG-inspired). A lot of what she showed I had seen in that very class. And it was SO COOL meeting Val after reading her blog for many years. Plus I got a private session with Val, where we got to go over all the things I messed up in my last tournament. It is hard sometimes to even find people to watch tourney footage and give detailed feedback, let alone work on the very specific techniques that need workin’, so that was a very special bonus.

But for me there were more specific benefits beyond just learning some great skills from talented BJJ technicians, and getting to train with women. I don’t have the opportunity to roll with women that often, and it’s a very good gauge for me of where I’m at. Yes, that sweep I can never land on bigger, stronger guys is a lot easier on women my size. Oh, that position I keep getting stuck in and assume has to do with weight and size? I’m still stick there, and I’m rolling with a gal I outweigh by 30 lbs. Working with women is a good reality check for me, as I have been surprised in competition how different it is. Camp also gave me the great opportunity to work with smaller women who were extremely technical, showing me by example how someone can use leverage, skill and technique to overcome strength and size advantages. And troubleshooting on the fly with new-found friends was really helpful.

I also had some very frustrating moments of being told I need to work on things that I already know I need to work on (and in some cases have already been working on), which I guess is another reality check–shows me just how much further I still need to go.

We also spoke a bit about training for competition, taking responsibility for your own training (a concept near and dear to my heart) and even a bit about jiu jitsu as a reflection of where we’re at in life. For me, I notice I’m not following through on various techniques (sweeps, takedowns, submissions, etc.) and it’s making me wonder if there’s areas in my life in which I give up too easy or do not follow through due to lack of confidence in my success. So that’s just one example that I’ve been mulling over in my mind. Or not following through and then overcompensating, like when I let something go or don’t correct something until it’s out of control or I’ve had enough and then I overreact but to no avail. Responding appropriately and retaining consistency are two concepts I’ve been pondering over the past few months and years.

So I’m returning to my gym this week with new techniques to try, new drills to work on my own and a new-found vigor for the sport I love…but also a strong feeling of being part of a greater community of women who train, and a clearer perspective to light the way.

Anyway, I’m attaching a video my friend Lacey put together. We thought it’d be cool to showcase people (male and female) overcoming strength and size disadvantages–whether it’s someone winning a fight at the highest level or simply someone scoring points in the absolute division of a local grappling tournament.

Bodytribe Brutal Recess Clinic in Minneapolis on May 31

May 23, 2011 By Yael Grauer Leave a Comment

I’m pleased to announce that Bodytribe instructors Chip Conrad and Tyler Welch will be conducting an awesome 2.5-hour clinic in Minneapolis on May 31st from 1:00-3:45PM at the Athlete Lab (3225 Country Drive in Little Canada, MN).

The clinic, which is $40 at the door, will be chock full of new and old information about movement, strength and play. Topics to be covered include:

foundational movements to establish range of motion and release tension patterns

how to stand: balance and movement playtime that works great as a warm up or even within a workout

how to sit: bodyweight squats and variations for strength and mobility, as well as tension assessment.

how to crawl: the importance of planks, pushup and animal movements

creative bodyweight and kettlebell workouts

intensity doesn’t mean volume. The better > more concept.

practice makes permanent: what are you practicing

Change directions, change the world: let’s show your body some new ways to go.

This will be a fun and informative clinic with lectures and hands-on lifting and movement. BE THERE!

MMA Conditioning

April 12, 2011 By Yael Grauer 3 Comments

Yesterday, I wrote about my Paleo experiment, and I’ve talked about the importance of sleep. Now I’d like to touch upon a workout program I’m playing with, which is based on the book Ultimate MMA Conditioning by Joel Jamieson, the former strength and conditioning coach for Pride.

Block periodization

The book has a fair amount of theory on the energy systems used in mixed martial arts and protocols to develop them. The training approach is based on blocks. Block periodization (also known as conjugate sequence periodization) is nothing new. It was formed and tested by Verkhoshansky in the Soviet Union and has been used by Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong’s coach.

In this case, there are five 8-week blocks for general endurance, general strength, explosive speed and power, power endurance and fight preparation. Each block emphasizes a main quality and then you can pick a secondary goal as well. There is a 7-10 day deload period between blocks, and two 5-week phases with two weeks of overlap.

My Reasons

Why would I do this program when I’m not an MMA fighter? Several people have asked me that already. Here’s my reasoning. First of all, even though I’m not a fighter, the blocks emphasize areas of fitness I’d like to develop. Who doesn’t want to be stronger, more explosive and have better endurance? I like that I can work some of my secondary goals (pull-ups, kettlebell work, etc.) within the framework of this program and that there is such ample opportunity for individualization. And I like that it is so comprehensive and that each block builds on the next.

Second, I’m so psyched to experiment with conjugate sequence periodization. I’ve done tons of programs emphasizing linear periodization that get stagnant and boring (and lead to overtraining), and I’ve done programs that are so randomized that they may be interesting but don’t really cause improvements. This system appears to be so much more advanced and elegant than complex or concurrent periodization for various reasons, and I like the idea of adapting in a particular area and a secondary focus, while maintaining other areas–and working adaptations which don’t interfere with each other, and developing different areas in a way where they build on one another.

Third, my sport of choice is Brazilian jiu jitsu–which emphasizes many of the same pathways as MMA. Now granted my technique is not developed enough to require peak performance (as I learned so painfully this past weekend when I lost *three* BJJ matches at a tournament in a minute or less), but I still am holding out hope that I can get there one day. And forth, as a fitness enthusiast (read: geek), I like keeping up to speed with what’s out there and trying different things.

The Details (Equipment and Goals)

My only equipment for this program is the book, fitness equipment and a heart rate monitor. For the latter, Joel recommends the Polar RS 100 for its lap function, which can track average heart rate and heart rate recovery. It’s not cheap (around $110) but it’s incredibly comfortable with lots of features I haven’t figured out how to use yet.

I’m starting on the general endurance block. Pre-testing can include your resting heart rate, your heart rate recovery (you want it to get to 130 or below within a minute of training), or running as far as you can in 6 minutes and tracking your average heart rate, distance and speed. VO Max and lactate threshold are other expensive tests you can run.

I personally despise running and have the goal of completing this entire program without it, so decided to focus on the resting heart rate which should drop by 5-10 beats per minute during this block. 49-54 beats per minute is excellent for a male athlete between the ages of 26-35, and for a female athlete, 54-59 is considered excellent. I am currently at 63 and would like to get in the excellent range.

General Endurance Block, Phase A

As mentioned, phase A and B last for 5 weeks each, with 2 weeks of overlap. The first phase focuses on cardiac output, and you can choose a secondary goal (tempo, HICT, low volume HRI, etc.) while also emphasizing technique. (Phase B focuses more on work rate, but I’ll write more about it once I get there.)

When I did Joel’s Bioforce testing, my strength and explosive power were my strongest points, with muscular endurance and aerobic fitness at the lowest, and anaerobic somewhere in between. So I’m letting that guide which protocols I choose.

The program says that 3 days of training is sufficient, assuming you are training in your sport as well, but otherwise with cardiac output you may need a bit more than that.

Protocol Selection

Cardiac output will be my main emphasis: 3 days a week of biking, bag work, etc. (jogging, swimming, jumping rope, etc. is also acceptable) with my heart rate between 130 and 150. Since I’m only 32, I’d like to work towards the higher end of that. I’d like to eventually get to the higher end time-wise as well. I am starting out with half an hour and trying to get to an hour and a half. (90 minutes at 150 beats per minute 3 days a week is my ideal, but I am starting at 30 minutes at 130-ish beats per minute 3 times a week).

For secondary goals, I can choose from the tempo method, HICT and low volume HRI. These complement the endurance cycle but also increase different metabolic pathways.

The tempo method entails 3-4 exercises, with 3-5 sets of 8-10 reps and 6-8 minutes rest between sets. The exercises are pretty standard ones (squats, bench presses, deadlifts, pullups, rows) but the timing is different: two seconds concentric and 2 seconds eccentric per rep, with no pause at the top or bottom (so 4 seconds total).

HICT (high intensity continuous training) helps recruit higher threshold muscle fibers. It involves 1-2 sets of hill lunges, hill bike rides, spin bikes, Versaclimber, etc. at a low speed (20-30 RPM on the spin bike) for 10-20 minutes per set. There is a 5-10 minute rest between sets and your heart rate should be in the 150s or low 160s.

And HRI (high resistance intervals) are your hill sprints, sled drags, spin bike, etc. with 10-12 seconds per rep and then resting until your heart rate is back down to 130-140. This should be done under the anaerobic threshold with only 15 to 20 reps.

What This Looks Like

Because you’re only supposed to do tempo 1 day a week and HICT two days a week, but can do as much cardiac output as you want, my weekly programming could look a bit like this:

Day 1 Tempo, HICT, cardiac output

Day 2 HICT, cardiac output

Day 3 low volume HRI, cardiac output

This will obviously be changed around depending on timing and what else I have going on in each given day. For example, I only did cardiac output yesterday so will have to do HICT today in addition to BJJ training.

Still, here’s what a sample first week might look like (keeping in mind that it will increase in the latter weeks):

Monday:

30 min bike ride (HR at 130-150)
10 min hill bike ride (HR 150-160)
3 sets, 8 reps, pullups/deadlifts/rows/squats at tempo–8 min between sets

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

30 minute workout: 10 min each bag work, jumping rope, jogging (HR at 130-150)
10 min hill bike ride (HR 150-160)

Thursday:

Friday:

30 minute bike ride (HR at 130-150)
hill sprint, 15 reps, 10 seconds each, rest ’til HR at 130-140

Saturday:

Anyway, there’s a great thread on Joel’s book on the Performance Menu forums, and Joel’s website (8weeksout.com) has a forum as well. But I’d be happy to do my best to explain anything that’s unclear. I’ll also post updates as I progress through the different phases, so expect the next one in 3-4 weeks when I’m starting phase B of the general endurance block, and another one at the end of the block when I assess the results. 8 weeks of programming times 5 blocks with a week in between is almost a year’s worth of programming, so keep checking back!

Wrestling Documentary “Veritas” Now on Hulu

February 17, 2011 By Yael Grauer Leave a Comment

Last Monday, I watched an amazing wrestling documentary called Veritas. It is a feature-length film which documents Lehigh University’s wrestling team (’04-’05) and Jon Trenge, an amazing wrestler who was striving for his dream of becoming a National Wrestling Champion. Trenge suffered from detached and torn retinas, undergoing numerous surgeries and continuing to wrestle although the doctor told him this could lead to a permanent loss of eyesight.

Trenge’s father makes him protective goggles, which he wears while he wrestles. Unfortunately, many of his opponents intentionally attack these goggles, and Trenge gets disqualified from several matches for retaliating. The film focuses on what he’s learned in the process and how it helped him build character and get back on the mat with a new perspective.

This documentary was released in 2007, but the story is quite powerful and is now available for free on Hulu. Check it out below (or, if for some reason the video doesn’t post, go to this link.