Why it matters
Show Me proves you'll do the work on your own. Pro puts a team of professionals around that work, so you can hold it, and build on it, over the long term.
Is it essential? No. There are athletes in Russia training in caves without the bloods or the DEXA scan. But modern professionalism and medical research help a lot. Knowing "I'm low in vitamin D, I'll take a supplement" is far more useful than struggling for four months without knowing why.
Pro isn't a requirement to start. It's where we go once your discipline is warmed up.
The standard
The deal
- Eight weeks of Show Me You Mean It first, on your own, logged every day. If I see it in training and in your tracker, and your parents see it at home, we invest. If not, no drama: we stay at this level until you're ready.
- Baselines before the plan: DEXA scan, full blood panel, dietitian, strength coach.
- One big goal and a long-term plan built with your coach and professionals, at an intensity you can hold.
- 10 to 12 sessions a week, strength work included, without wrecking sleep or study.
- Physio every second week, booked ahead.
- Plan and budget agreed by you, your parents (if you're under 18) and me.
How to do it
Check you're ready
- You've done eight weeks of Show Me with honest logs (see the 8-Week Tracker).
- You have one big goal and you're ready to follow a long-term plan towards it (see The Long Game).
- You, your parents (if you're under 18) and I agree on the plan and the budget.
- Your week has room for 10 to 12 sessions without wrecking sleep or study (see Schedule & Study).
Set up in order, and start early
Before you can compete at the highest level, you need documented baselines. This is the order it works in:
- Step 1Strength coach. They assess you and send you to the dietitian. I went to Ethos Performance.
- Step 2Dietitian. A combat sports dietitian, such as The Fight Dietitian. Expect them to ask for a DEXA scan and your bloods.
- Step 3DEXA and full bloods. Body composition and a full blood panel (through your GP).
- Step 4The plan. Weight, body composition and goal weight set the diet. Session intensity, quantity and timing go back to the strength coach, and the training plan gets built.
- Step 5Physio and mindset support on the team. Physio booked in advance and connected to the strength coach so they update the program together. An accredited sports psychologist if it's in the budget.
Allow time. The setup takes about six weeks, so start early. A slow setup eats into the time you have to build towards your goal.
Use my camp as the reference
This is what my Pan Ams and Worlds camps looked like as a brown belt, the closest I came to going pro. It's the top end. You build towards it.
| Area | What I did |
|---|---|
| Data | DEXA scan and full blood panel before the plan was written. |
| Diet | A combat sports dietitian, followed to the gram. One cheat meal a week. See Diet. |
| S&C | Ethos Performance. Three sessions a week: one conditioning, two strength. I didn't leave the gym until the program was done. |
| Jiu-Jitsu | Pro sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with world-champion-level athletes. Every weeknight at the School, teaching and drilling with my Students. Sometimes triples. |
| Week | Monday, Wednesday, Friday weights gym. Saturday complete rest. Sunday comp or a second rest day. A comp every two or three weeks. |
| Recovery | Physio every second week from the first niggle. A stretch after every weights session and 10 to 20 minutes after every morning session. |
| Sleep | Phone locked from 10pm to 10am: ten hours of sleep plus an hour either side. Analog alarm clock. See Sleep. |
| Mindset | Mindset, the Ryan Holiday books, philosophy. Five sessions with a sports psychologist. A lot of the writing we use today came from those camps. |
| Technical | Three focuses the whole camp (for example single legs, guard retention, upper body guards). Studied skill acquisition and designed my own games. |
Full details are in Focused Training, Strength & Conditioning and Technical Empowerment. Pro doesn't make it easier. It makes it sustainable. Read Expect the hard weeks before you start.
Hold an intensity you can sustain
Pro for you is a long-term plan at an intensity you can hold while still pushing yourself, not a short sprint that ends in injury. Holding a lower intensity for longer gets you further (more in Recovery).
That doesn't mean easing off. The goal is to push hard and recover enough to stay healthy. You'll be sore, angry and tired almost every session, and feeling flat on its own isn't a reason for a recovery day. Push, then let your physio and your sleep do their job.
Budget for it
Going pro isn't cheap. These are rough estimates for Sydney in 2026, rounded, to help families plan. They aren't quotes. Prices vary by provider, location and time, so do your own research and get quotes before you decide what's right for you and your situation.
| Item | Rough estimate | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Strength coach | About $300 for the initial assessment and consult, then about $70 to $100 a week for planning, coaching and gym access | Weekly, ongoing |
| Sports dietitian | A combat sports package (consult, meal plan, one to two months of check-ins) is about $800 to $900 upfront, then about $20 to $30 a week for ongoing support. Diva Arun (APD) charges about $150 an hour; the first consult is usually around two hours, plus a meal plan | Weekly check-ins; worth keeping if you're an adult making weight |
| DEXA scan | About $100 to $150 | At the start, then every few months |
| Full blood panel | Often bulk-billed through your GP. Allow up to about $100 for a gap fee or a test Medicare doesn't cover | At the start, then as advised |
| Physio | About $150 to $200 a session. The longer 45 to 60 minute consult sits at the top end | Every second week |
| Sports psychologist | About $250 to $350 a session, often sold in packs of 3 or 5. A single session can cost more. A pack of five is roughly $1,250 to $1,750 | A pack of sessions during a camp |
| Instructionals | Submeta about US$20 to $25 a month; one-off instructionals about US$100 to $200 | Monthly, plus one per focus block |
| Kit | Lock app, alarm, tripod, heart rate monitor: under $100 if you didn't buy them for Show Me | Once |
Here's how those totals add up, using the low and high end of each estimate:
Rough setup
- Strength coach assessment and consult$300
- Dietitian package$800 to $900
- DEXA scan$100 to $150
- Bloods (bulk-billed or a small gap)$0 to $100
- First physio visit$150 to $200
SetupAbout $1,350 to $1,650
Rough typical month
- Strength coach, 4 weeks at $70 to $100$280 to $400
- Dietitian support, 4 weeks at $20 to $30$80 to $120
- Physio, 2 sessions at $150 to $200$300 to $400
- Psychologist, a five-session pack spread over a three-month camp$400 to $600
MonthAbout $1,050 to $1,500
Without the psychologist, about $650 to $900 a month.
If those numbers aren't possible right now, that's okay. Show Me You Mean It still works. The discipline is the hard part, and it's free.
Show Me and Pro
| Pillar | Show Me (8 weeks) | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Diet | One dietitian consult. Same breakfast and dinner every day. You make and buy it. No cutting under 18. | DEXA, full bloods, sports dietitian with regular check-ins, weekly weigh-ins, supplements only from your bloods. |
| S&C | A basic program for the key muscle groups, zone 2 runs and sprints, a $30 heart rate monitor. | A professional strength coach. Three sessions a week. Blocks long enough for results to show, planned around your comps. |
| Training | Locked in every session. At least four sessions a week, with adults classes and open mats. | 10 to 12 sessions a week including S&C. Doubles. The focuses in your plan, held as long as it says. |
| Recovery | Sleep routine, no phone first and last hour, stretching, device-free recovery. Small niggles: tell your coach and modify. | A physio straight away for any niggle, then every second week, booked ahead and connected to your S&C. Phone locked overnight. |
| Mindset | 10 minutes of reading a night. Mindset first. A short training log after every session and one weekly reflection. | An accredited sports psychologist (roughly $250 to $350 a session, often in packs of 3 or 5). A book a month. The same writing as Show Me, plus any exercises your psychologist sets. A rehearsed pre-match routine. |
| Technical | $15 tripod, two sessions recorded and reviewed a week, the free Worlds blocks. | Every session recorded, Submeta, one instructional per focus, match and opponent review. |
Common mistakes
- Paying for Pro before the eight weeks. Show the discipline first. The professionals only help if the habits are already there.
- Starting the setup late. DEXA, bloods and the dietitian take about six weeks to line up. Start early.
- Taking supplements on a guess. Take what your bloods say you need.
- Paying for professionals, then not following them. If the physio says rest the shoulder, rest it.
- Running Pro as a short sprint. Plan for the long term at an intensity you can hold.
- Keeping your professionals apart. Connect your physio and your strength coach so the program updates together.
Checklist
Do this