Inverted Gear Blog
Tag: Fitness and Mobility
Stop Falling for “One Weird Trick” - 7 Good Habits to Build Instead
We all want to discover the “secret” to quick gains. That’s why we buy DVDs, go to seminars, and get private lessons. That’s how fitness companies sell us workout gizmos and dietary supplements. And if we’re being honest, that’s probably why you are reading this article. Let me share a story about a guy I used to train with. He was always telling me how he “finally figured it out”, whether that was a new workout, a new diet, a new BJJ routine. This month it was a special blend of pre-workout powder. Next month it was a variation on the 5/3/1 lifting program. The month after that, those would be out the window but he’d tell me “this time...
Ten Exercises for Guard Players
Upgrade the power of your guard with these 10 exercises from Panda Nation’s Alexander Sterner.
Finger, Wrist, and Elbow Self-Care for Grip Fighters and Keyboard Warriors
They tell me jiu-jitsu is the gentle art, but the jiu-jiteiros I talk to are always complaining about something hurting. Perhaps the most common problems are grip-related issues, like jammed fingers, pinchy wrists, and tweaked elbows. Today, we’re going to learn what we can do to counteract that.This is not a grip training guide and I will not be giving finger taping tips. Instead, we’re going to learn to take care of our fingers, wrists, and elbows using stretches and mobility exercises.We can also consider this an extension to my ongoing series of articles on Functional Range Conditioning. We will be assuming you are familiar with FRC and some of its terms from previous articles. (You can read parts one,...
Where to Begin Your Mobility Training?
When starting a mobility program, you can quickly get overwhelmed figuring out where to start and what to do. No ready-made routine will work for everyone, but we can lay out what goals are common to almost everyone, especially BJJ practitioners, and what to start working on. To get all caught up on this mobility series, you can read the previous articles here: Laying the Groundwork for a Mobility Practice Myth Busting Stretching Starting a Daily Mobility Practice: Controlled Articular Rotations In a hurry? That third article about Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) is the most important one for what we’re going to do below. Not in a hurry and want to learn about Functional Range Conditioning, the system this mobility...
Tips for a Kickass Comeback
Time off the mats does not need to be time wasted. Nelson tells the story of how a few surprises (like the early arrival of his son) took him out of training for 3 months, but he found a way to make the most of it. Good inspiration if you're currently sidelined.
Starting a Daily Mobility Practice: Controlled Articular Rotations [Part 3]
You can start improving the joint mobility today without any special gizmos or crazy poses. In his latest blog post, Matt breaks down Controlled Articular Rotations and why you should be doing them every damn day.
Myth Busting Stretching [Part 2]
Matt separates truth from fiction in the latest post in his on-going series on mobility training for BJJ athletes. Read it today and enlighten yourself.
Laying the Groundwork for a Mobility Practice [Part 1]
Are flexibility and mobility the same thing? When and how should you stretch for BJJ? In this first post in a new series on mobility training for BJJ, Matt answer these questions and clears up common confusions about stretching.
Breath and Rib Training for BJJ
Samantha Faulhaber, FRCms, FRAs, is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and mobility specialist, and she’s back with a new article and video on breath and rib training!
Building a Bigger Engine for BJJ
I often hear high level practitioners recommend against conditioning outside of BJJ, that the only thing you should be doing to improve your cardio for jiu-jitsu is more jiu-jitsu. While there is some truth to this if you are training with 5-6 times a week with training partners of equal or higher level...