Today one of my training partners at Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) earned the fourth stripe on his brown belt. If you’re not particularly familiar with BJJ, that’s one tiny step away from black belt, a journey that averages roughly a decade.
Seeing our coach recognize his progress got me thinking about the similarities between lessons I’ve learned in BJJ and those learned in the gym. Here are a few.
Sometimes you’re the hammer
There are two major parts to the BJJ learning process, both of which are used regularly. The first, “drilling”, is when you learn the actual steps to perform a specific technique. The second, “rolling”, is when you try to successfully execute techniques against a training partner while simultaneously trying to prevent him/her from doing the same to you.
During rolls there are sometimes days when you can do no wrong; everything seems to work exactly as planned. These days are similar to days at the gym (road, trail, pool, yoga mat) when everything that you pick up feels a bit lighter than it should; the road or water seems to fly by beneath your feet, tires, or strokes; or your muscles feel like rubber that could stretch all day.
These days feel good. They remind us that we’re making progress, and we should use them as motivation and keep them in a special place in our minds because…
Sometimes you’re the nail
There are also days when nothing seems to work right during rolls, and you leave practice feeling like roadkill. These days are similar to training days when everything that you pick up feels heavier than it should, the road seems to only go uphill, the water has a nasty current going in the wrong direction, or your joints and muscles feel like the Tin Man before he gets his oil can.
You might expect me to say that these days feel terrible, but that really depends on our mindset. If we don’t expect these days or realize that they are a normal part of the process, we will likely feel terrible when they occur.
On the other hand, accepting that we had an “off” day and recognizing that “regular/good” days are coming can help us learn from the experience and tweak our future actions to improve our results. That makes these days feel not so bad.
Long-term progress requires faith and patience
A common BJJ adage says that “a black belt is a white belt who didn’t quit”. And a decade (or more) is a long time to not quit. So if your goal is to earn a black belt, you’ll have no choice but to exhibit patience with the process and believe that showing up consistently and following a proven path will get you there.
The same goes for training. Beyond the beginner stage, we won’t see progress after a single session. We can and should certainly see small amounts of progress from week to week. But to accomplish our larger goals, we need to show up day after day and just put in the work following a plan which is largely the same as that from the day before. Sometimes that can be boring. Progress, however, is worth it.
Lack of progress means you’re probably doing something wrong
In the beginning stages of BJJ training, lack of progress often occurs simply because of applying techniques incorrectly. But just like learning correct lifting, running, swimming, or stretching technique, this is fairly easily overcome with consistent practice.
In the later stages of BJJ training, lack of progress often occurs when you spend too much time practicing what you’re already good at doing and not enough time working on parts of your game that you find more challenging. When it comes to our fitness goals, this equates to pretty much the same thing:
- Spending too much time doing cardio training when a little strength training might be in order or vice versa
- Skipping leg day, cardio, stretching, or using heavy (for us) weights because it’s uncomfortable
- Not appropriately prioritizing our nutrition, sleep, or stress management/self care activities because “getting in a good workout” seems more important
In any case, experiencing stagnation should indicate the need to re-evaluate the plan that you’re following and determine what might need to change.
Putting it into practice
These lessons may not seem to have a practical daily use, but they just might give you a little dose of hope or inspiration when you happen to have a bad training day, are low on motivation to train, or feel like your results have been a bit stagnant. And during those times, hope and inspiration can make all the difference.