Why it matters
The goal isn't to go as hard as you can in every round. It's to get as good as possible on the mat, get as strong as possible in the gym, and then put the two together.
Putting them together is a coordination problem, and it's one you build. Technique first, then intensity: trying to get skill out of intensity almost never works. So your strength work happens in the gym and your Jiu-Jitsu sessions stay technical. And a good aerobic base never hurt anyone. You can do this at either level: a basic program you run yourself on Show Me, or a strength coach who tests you and builds the program around your Jiu-Jitsu on Pro. Even just going for runs makes you better.
The standard
Non-negotiable
- You don't leave the gym until the program is finished. Every set, every time.
- The gym is for the program. Catch up with friends once the last set is done.
- Warm-up and prehab every session, slow and controlled.
- Show Me minimum: gym twice a week for 30 to 40 minutes, and runs two or three mornings a week.
- Stretch after every gym session. Stretching counts as strength and conditioning too, even though it's traditionally a recovery item.
- Learn to lift from a professional before you load anything up.
The finish rule was mine in camp. On some days I was so cooked that a session took far longer than planned, and I still finished it. I'm not recommending marathon sessions. I'm telling you the level of follow-through I'm looking for.
How to do it
Learn the lifts from someone qualified
On the Pro version a strength and conditioning coach tests you and builds the program around your Jiu-Jitsu load (for me, Ethos Performance). On the Show Me version you have options that cost little or nothing:
- Join a parent's PT sessions.
- Find a basic beginner plan online, or ask an AI to build one, and follow it.
- Use the starter program below, after a qualified coach has checked your form.
Whichever you pick, take notes on your phone every session: weights, sets, how it felt.
Warm up and do your prehab, slow and controlled
Warm-ups and prehab count as training. Bands and bodyweight, done slowly, really building the connection to the muscle. By the time you finish them you should already feel worked. Then do every exercise after that the same way: slow, controlled, owning every rep.
Every session, 8 to 10 minutes: shoulder circles and band pull-aparts, ankle rocks, glute bridges, clams, bodyweight squats. If you've got a niggle, use this time to warm it up properly.
Run the Show Me starter program
A simple starting point covering the basic patterns: squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull and carry. Stuff you can do in any weights gym. Learn every movement from a qualified coach before you load it up.
| Session A | Sets x reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 3 x 8 | Full depth you can control. Chest up. |
| Push-up (or dumbbell bench) | 3 x 8 | Chest to the floor, body in one line. |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 3 x 8 | Hips back, flat back, feel the hamstrings. |
| One-arm dumbbell row | 3 x 8 each side | Pull to the hip, pause. |
| Plank | 3 x 30 s | Squeeze everything. |
| Session B | Sets x reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse lunge | 3 x 8 each leg | Slow on the way down. |
| Pull-up (or lat pulldown) | 3 x 8 | Use a band or the machine if you can't do 8 yet. |
| Glute bridge or hip thrust | 3 x 8 | Pause at the top. |
| Dumbbell overhead press | 3 x 8 | Ribs down, no arching. |
| Farmer carry | 3 x 30 m | Heavy, tall, slow. Great for grip. |
- Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
- Progress when every set feels smooth with good form: add a little weight next time.
- If your form breaks, the set is over. Lifting past your form is the most common way young lifters get hurt.
- Finish with a 10-minute stretch (the list is on Recovery).
Morning bodyweight routine. For mornings you're not running or lifting. Three rounds. It isn't meant to be intense or leave you sore. It primes your body for the day and builds the habit of a morning routine.
| Exercise | Each round |
|---|---|
| Push-ups | 10, full depth, controlled |
| Wall sit | 60 seconds |
| Chinese plank walk | 30 seconds |
| Pull-up hold | 3 holds of 10 seconds |
| Clams | 10 each side |
| Pogo jumps | 10 |
| Tall landings | 4, land soft and still |
Build your engine: zone 2 and sprints
Buy a heart rate monitor for about $30, then do zone 2 runs and some sprints. A bigger aerobic base means you recover faster between rounds and between sessions.
- Zone 2: 30 to 40 minutes at an easy, steady pace.
- The talk test: you can speak in full sentences. If you can only get out a few words, slow down.
- Rough heart rate guide: about 60 to 70% of your max. A common rough estimate of max heart rate is 220 minus your age, so for a 16-year-old zone 2 sits roughly between 120 and 145 beats per minute. It's an estimate, not a test. A coach can give you a better number.
- Sprints, once a week: warm up with 10 minutes of easy running, then 6 to 8 sprints of 10 to 15 seconds, hard but in control. Walk back slowly between each one (60 to 90 seconds) for full recovery. Grass or a track if you can. Stop if anything pulls.
Find the pockets in your week
Up at 6, training by 6:15, showered by 7:30, and you still have time for breakfast before school (block 45 minutes for each session: see the example week in Schedule & Study). Ask yourself where you can actually find this time around school, study and Jiu-Jitsu. An example Show Me morning week:
| Day | Morning (6:15 to 7:00, then shower) |
|---|---|
| Mon | Zone 2 run, 30 to 40 min |
| Tue | Gym, Session A |
| Wed | Zone 2 run or morning bodyweight routine |
| Thu | Gym, Session B |
| Fri | Sprints plus an easy jog |
| Sat | Rest |
| Sun | Competition, or rest |
For reference, in my camps I did three sessions a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings (one conditioning, two strength) with a stretch on the end of each, on top of my Jiu-Jitsu and a full-time job. The full week is on Focused Training.
Push hard at a level you can hold
Too hard is a real thing. Intensity you can't sustain ends in tendinopathy and overtraining injuries, and a broken body before your big goal arrives. Push hard, but at a level you can hold for the whole of your long-term plan. That's how athletes actually get good (I learned it the hard way: see Recovery). These rules come from my strength and conditioning mentorship at Ethos:
- Traffic-light your sessions. Red is the hardest. Avoid red sessions day after day, and never two reds in the same day.
- Make it a wave. Ups and downs make the week sustainable. A lower day after a hard sparring day.
- At least one full rest day a week.
- Usually no more than two sessions a day (three is for full-time pros), and generally no more than two hours in a session. When I did triples alongside a full-time job, I was pushing to the limit in a way that wasn't sustainable.
- Count everything. School sport, footy, PE, a big weekend: it all adds to your load.
- Cut the junk. Sessions that don't serve the goal are just fatigue.
Show Me and Pro
Show Me You Mean It
Basic plan, done every time
About $30 for a heart rate monitor
- A parent's PT sessions, or a basic beginner plan from online or an AI, followed properly.
- A basic program for the key muscle groups, in any weights gym.
- Gym twice a week, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Runs two or three mornings a week, 30 to 40 minutes: zone 2, plus sprints once a week.
- Notes on your phone every session.
Pro
A strength coach and real testing
About $300 to start, then about $70 to $100 a week
- A professional strength and conditioning coach tests you and builds the program around your Jiu-Jitsu load.
- Three sessions a week: one conditioning, two strength.
- Your S&C coach and your physio talk to each other and adjust the program when something flares up.
- Strength and muscle blocks need uninterrupted time for the results to show, and your strength coach sets how long. You taper only for the big competitions you've planned with your coaches (see The Long Game).
- What the cost covers: the initial assessment and consult, then weekly planning, coaching and gym access. Those are estimates, not quotes: prices vary between coaches, so do your own research and get a couple of quotes. More in Going Pro.
Same difficulty, different resources. The Show Me version proves you'll turn up and do the work. The Pro version makes the work smarter.
Common mistakes
- Treating the gym as a social outing. Chatting, scrolling and mirror checks between sets. Do the program, then go.
- Leaving with sets undone. The program isn't finished until it's finished.
- Rushing the warm-up. Slow and controlled. It's where the muscle connection gets built.
- Lifting past your form. If your form breaks, the set is over.
- Doing your conditioning on the mat. Going flat out every round to "get fit". Strength and conditioning belongs in the gym.
- Red sessions every day. Make the week a wave, and take a full rest day.
- Forgetting what else counts. School sport, footy and PE all add to your load.
- Skipping the stretch. Ten minutes after every gym session.
Checklist
Do this