Ysgol Judo

http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/blog/the-search-for-meaning

How have you combined BJJ training and kettlebell sport training (ie how many BJJ sessions/KB sport sessions do you do a week, do you do both on the same day etc)?

Yes its the meat of my training, time is tight, so with the short KB sport workouts its fits in great with my grappling training. I train kettlebells in the morning or early afternoon and then grappling in the evening. On off days I do a variety of cardio, functional training. I like to train Sport at least every second day.

via Iron Edge – Our Blog , Archive » BJJ & Kettlebell Sport: Interview with Misty Shearer » Iron Edge – Our Blog.

If you want to make sure you function well during a period of extreme stress, or if you are an endurance athlete looking for tighter times, you may well benefit from Rhodiola rosea. Researchers at Zhejiang University have discovered how Rhodiola rosea works. If you read their article you’ll find the stuff twice as interesting too.

via So that’s how Rhodiola rosea works.

Abstract: Aging is commonly associated with a loss of muscle mass and strength, resulting in falls, functional decline, and the subjective feeling of weakness. Exercise modulates the morbidities of muscle aging. Most studies, however, have examined muscle-loss changes in sedentary aging adults. This leaves the question of whether the changes that are commonly associated with muscle aging reflect the true physiology of muscle aging or whether they reflect disuse atrophy. This study evaluated whether high levels of chronic exercise prevents the loss of lean muscle mass and strength experienced in sedentary aging adults. A cross-section of 40 high-level recreational athletes (“masters athletes”) who were aged 40 to 81 years and trained 4 to 5 times per week underwent tests of health/activity, body composition, quadriceps peak torque (PT), and magnetic resonance imaging of bilateral quadriceps. Mid-thigh muscle area, quadriceps area (QA), subcutaneous adipose tissue, and intramuscular adipose tissue were quantified in magnetic resonance imaging using medical image processing, analysis, and visualization software. One-way analysis of variance was used to examine age group differences. Relationships were evaluated using Spearman correlations. Mid-thigh muscle area (P = 0.31) and lean mass (P = 0.15) did not increase with age and were significantly related to retention of mid-thigh muscle area (P < 0.0001). This occurred despite an increase in total body fat percentage (P = 0.003) with age. Mid-thigh muscle area (P = 0.12), QA (P = 0.17), and quadriceps PT did not decline with age. Specific strength (strength per QA) did not decline significantly with age (P = 0.06). As muscle area increased, PT increased significantly (P = 0.008). There was not a significant relationship between intramuscular adipose tissue (P = 0.71) or lean mass (P = 0.4) and PT. This study contradicts the common observation that muscle mass and strength decline as a function of aging alone. Instead, these declines may signal the effect of chronic disuse rather than muscle aging. Evaluation of masters athletes removes disuse as a confounding variable in the study of lower-extremity function and loss of lean muscle mass. This maintenance of muscle mass and strength may decrease or eliminate the falls, functional decline, and loss of independence that are commonly seen in aging adults.

via Chronic Exercise Preserves Lean Muscle Mass in Masters Athletes | Physician and Sportsmedicine.

The subjects in the study did eight weeks of heavy weight training — using only one leg (their dominant one). As you can see, they dramatically increased strength in both legs. This effect is well known, but I still think it’s pretty cool! The goal of this particular study was to try to figure exactly how this happens, using magnetic pulses to the brain to help assess the role of the nervous system. They did indeed find a significant reduction in “corticospinal inhibition” in both legs, suggesting that the training improves the transmission of the signal from the brain to the muscle, and this improvement applies to both sides of the body.

Training one limb to strengthen the other.