Hey Folks!
Sorry for the paltry offerings with regards to writing of late. In addition to my usual work we moved out to the Lazy Lobo Ranch (small farm) about a year ago and we have been busting our humps getting a legit permaculture operation going. I’ll do a separate update on that but in addition to that process being a ton of fun it’s also consumed just about every last shred of time I have. I’ve had a few folks ping me about where my training, chow etc are currently, so let’s dig in!
Training
If you follow the blog and podcast at all you are likely (painfully) aware of my love/hate relationship with Brasilian Jiu-jitsu. I love the process, other than the activity tends to kick my ass. I’ve found it challenging to fuel for BJJ, a highly glycolytic (read carb demanding) sport, while also producing my best cognitive function, which seems to be eating on the lower-carb side of things. I’ve fiddled with a lot of variables and what seems to be working well is a low carb breakfast, sometimes using a decent amount of MCT/coconut oil. If I feel like I need some carbs I tend to go for cashews or small amounts of fruit. 20-40g of carbs for brekie (max) generally seems to work well for me. I tend to do either BJJ or my S&C work around 1-2 pm and I follow up that session with the lion’s share of my carbs for the day. I find i do best with things like yams, squash or certain types of fruit like bananas. In a pinch I’ll do some corn tortillas as I seem to do pretty well with those. I base the carb amount on my volume and intensity for the day and that PWO carb feed can be anywhere from 50-200g of carbs, although I’d say that top-end is pretty rare and only when I’m knackered. I’ve fiddled with white rice and potatoes and they work ok so long as I keep the amounts relatively small. If those are my PWO options I tend to cut my carb intake about in half or I feel like crap. I finally started doing some post meal blood glucose monitoring and it was jaw-dropping how much higher white rice pushed my blood sugar vs say corn tortillas or yams. Not earth shaking stuff but here are a few take-aways:
1- Post workout is a good time to take in carbs
2- Dial in carb amount based on volume and intensity of work.
3- Keep an eye on individual differences…some foods will NOT work as well for you as other people.
Dinner tends to be low glycemic load veggies (a lot of them) protein and fat. I still tend to get 20-30g of effective carbs at dinner, but it’s from a metric-ton of veggies. I’ve really been into beets lately which has a spectacular effect on my pee and poo! I’m probably getting in 130-150g of protein per day and I seem to have found a good middle ground between optimizing my cognition and my performance doing BJJ. If I broke down my macro ratio it’d likely be in this neighborhood: Protein 20-30%, Carbs: 20-30%, Fat: 50-60%.
Although I’m going to spend a decent amount of time talking about how I structure my training to support BJJ, you can find insights into how to tweak your process, regardless of your goals. So even if grappling is not your thing, there are good lessons here. I’ve finally set up a schedule that allows me a decent number of BJJ sessions each week. I do a private on Mondays, and after a year of hounding my coach to set up a “drills and skills” class this has finally happened two days per week. I’ve seen a similar problem with BJJ schools as I saw in Crossfit type gyms and that’s when ego overrides common sense. People need to spend time not only developing their fundamentals but also their metabolic engines. Folks are launched into these highly competitive settings and are (IMO) exposed to far too much intensity, too soon. They do not hone and develop non-attribute based fundamentals and what this does is select for only the strongest, youngest and toughest. If that’s how folks want to orient their programs, that’s fine, but I notice a lot of people complaining about how few clients they have yet they ignore the fact they have had hundreds, perhaps thousands of people roll through their doors, only keeping a tiny percentage of these folks. This drills and skills class can change all that:
We warm up by having folks do 2 min drills in each of the major positions in BJJ (Back, side control, mount and guard). We hit the SAME fundamentals each time and folks work in a progressive resistance format. At first one person is providing minimal resistance to allow the partner to get in some good reps. Then, the resistance is slowly ratcheted up with lots of feedback between the partners. This allows for a warm-up that is actually sport specific, not a bunch of jumping jacks and low-skill activities people can do on their own. You are getting quality reps on the thing you actually want to get good at (BJJ). About every ten minutes I lead a mobility drill that is aimed at addressing the common problem points for folks doing grappling: Neck, shoulders, hips knees. We then hit our “focus” section where we take a particular piece of the BJJ game and again work that in a progressive fashion for 2-3 min rounds. Here are the benefits of a class like this:
1- Folks gets lots of quality reps in all the key positions as part of the warm-up. This builds work capacity but also reinforces the basics. I have found this process to be incredibly helpful as people will often go months without seeing a particular position if they are going to “regular” class. If you miss the week that back control is the focus, you may not see that again for months, which means you never really develop fundamentals in the basic positions, or if you do it takes a looong time and it tends to be pretty hap-hazard.
2- Structuring the drills in a progressive fashion defuses the ego. If people are being a shitty partner or a spazz they get called out and instructed to be helpful, not a pain in the ass.
Everyone wants to “win” and if the format of a class is “here are three techniques, ok let’s live roll…” the ego’s come out and new/old/small people get smashed and decide their time would be better spent doing just about anything else. People only use their “A game” as the rolling can be a near-death experience if you do not watch your ass. It does not, and IMO should not be this way. It’s not good for the business, nor the students.
3- People build technical proficiency. We drill a lot of the same basic stuff, again and again. We focus (when I have some sway on things) on concepts, not techniques. People who are gifted movers can do well by seeing a technique once and then live rolling. 99.999% of people do not do well with that. If you want to get good at an instrument, a language or just about anything you need to practice, be progressive and focus on the big-picture commonalities, not the ten million bits of minutiae.
4- People build work capacity. We do our best to keep the work rest intervals and intensity in ranges that are mainly “aerobic” in nature. Grappling is a highly intense sport and can push into the glycolytic range very easily. If you want to progress in the art you need to develop that engine, but smart exercise training builds an aerobic base before dropping people into a lactate hell. Tough/young people will hang in on the glycolytic hell, older/deconditioned people will bounce. Again, I know a lot of facilities that scratch their collective heads wondering why more people do not “sign-up” when they have chased off hundreds of people by beating them down and making the process uninviting. The folks at Straight Blast Gym have an amazing grasp of all this and I’m modeling a lot of what I’m talking about around the way they roll out curriculum. Another person who is at the top of this process is Henry Akins. Henry received his black belt from none other than Rickson Gracie. I did a three day seminar with Henry last year and it is likely the reason I stayed in the BJJ game. Henry has a very paired-down, simple, non-attribute way of teaching BJJ. By “non-attribute” I mean that you do not NEED to be strong, explosive, flexible nor have massive cardio. If you have those traits, great, it’ll be an advantage, but the techniques are not BUILT around attributes. I’ve seen a lot of BJJ that is incredibly attribute dependent…lots of movement and if you are, again, young, strong and tough, this may work for you. But as you age, as those attributes wane, you will need to modify your approach or get frustrated enough to quit. I highly recommend Henry’s online training program. Yes, some of the upfront ad-copy is a bit over the top, but trust me, you will love the curriculum.
“So Robb, about that $50 you owe me…”
S&C
Now that I’m rolling a fair amount, I have neither the time nor the inclination to do much in the gym. Our garage is cold, dark and for me lifting is pretty damn boring at this point. That said, I do appreciate the benefits a smart S&C (strength & conditioning) program can provide both for athletics but also injury prevention and effective aging. I was thinking about how to streamline this process and I thought back to a technique Art Devany uses called “a-lactic sets.” You warm up with a given weight or movement and then get a load that you can do for a few good reps. You do a set, rest 5-10 seconds do another set etc. I will use a load that I can get 5 GOOD reps with (bar speed is fast, no grinding) and I’ll do say 5 reps. Rest a few moments, do 4-5 more reps. Rest. do 3-4 reps. I keep doing this until i get about 20-25 total reps and then I’m DONE with that movement. So, a session of front squats might look like: 5,5,4,3,3, 2,2,1. I never grind on a rep, the movement speed is always reasonably fast. This allows for a stimulus, but tends to not smash me. I do this process 2x per week and do a lower body movement and then some kind of pressing and pulling movement, so I do three groups of these “cluster” sets (talked about by Charles Poliquin) in a given session. The whole workout tends to take less than 20 min and I actually enjoy the process. I tend to stick with a given load until I can get 5 sets of 5, then I increase the weights or change the movement. I have no idea how long I’ll run with this but given it’s time efficiency it’ll be a tough one to beat. I’m not going to set any power lifting records doing this but one can get plenty strong on a program like this while devoting a minimum of time.
On the conditioning side I’m still fiddling with aerobic intervals, using a variety of gadgets like rowers, airdynes, versaclimbers and jump rope to keep a nice steady heart rate while getting in 30-60 min of “cardio.” This has been a game-changer for me as I’ve never devoted much time to developing my aerobic base and well, that was pretty clear given how I’d be smashed from rolling. If I miss a day at BJJ I will do my best to get in some time indexed circuits that push into the glycolytic realm a bit, but I’m really careful to leave gas in the tank, no matter what I’m doing. A really heroic day will leave me smashed for several days, which means my technical training suffers and I increase my risk of injury or illness. Not worth it. Again, younger people may have more latitude on this, but I’ve found most people benefit from more quality and really picking the days when they are going to seek the “White Buffalo in the Sky.”
Other projects: The Next Book
So, I’ve been fiddling with an outline for a 2nd book for about three years. I was never too sure If I’d tackle another project but some fantastic research has lit a fire under me to get back into that fray. The broad brush strokes of the book include the neuroregulation of appetite as well as methods for dialing in one’s individual nutrition. I’m going to be a bit vague on details as my stuff tends to get pinched (and not well attributed…) but I’ll flesh out details as we get closer to release, which is looking like spring of 2017.
In working on the book I’ve discovered a work process (I refuse to call it a “hack”) that I’d like to share with y’all. A few caveats on that:
1- I’m not saying you should do this, just sharing my experience.
2- If you DO fiddle with this, please do let me know what your experience is.
3- Please do not lose your shizz over what I’m about to share. Read the attached articles before you launch into a knee-jerk reaction. I’ve studied the toxicology and health implications pretty rigorously. I’m wide open to questions but I’ll tease people mercilessly if they are freaking out and clearly have not researched this topic.
Ok, all that out of the way, here goes:
I find I do my best work early in the morning. The low-carb brekie tends to help that. My two additions to the writing/work process are:
1- The Brainwave app. These “binaural beats” apps are pretty damn cool. I put mine on “creativity boost” and I’ve got to say it provides a remarkable degree of focus. I goose that process with:
2- Nicotine gum. I researched nicotine about 6 years ago when I started doing speaking gigs for the military (Naval Special Warfare) and what I found was pretty striking. Nicotine’s main problem appears to be delivery system. Tobacco is bad, be it smoked or chewed. Bill, over at Calories Proper has done a few posts on nicotine and makes the point that were it not for the potential to alter the reward centers in the brain, nicotine would be “a vitamin.” Discover magazine had a solid piece on nicotine that you can check out as well. WebMD did apiece on nicotine gum, and after several pages of going back and forth between the dangers of tobacco and the fact the gum is not tobacco, here is one of the closing thoughts from a doctor interviewed for the piece:
“If the gum were something we knew to be harmful, I’d get upset about its chronic use, and insist that they get off it,” adds Hughes. “But it doesn’t seem to be harmful.”
I use a 2mg piece of gum every few hours and my focus and productivity are nothing short of amazing. I have messed with every nootropic imaginable and for ME they have all paled in comparison to what I get from the nicotine gum. I know people will not take the time to actually “read” those links so I’ll tackle a few things here:
1- Tobacco is a carcinogen (or more accurately is home to many carcinogens) but nicotine as a pharmacological agent is not a carcinogen.
2- Gum and lozenges CAN be addictive and habit forming. So are coffee and tea. You need to balance your risk reward matrix with that in mind, but for me, it’s a pretty clear choice.
I’ve noticed the gum has helped my digestion and my productivity is better. Again, use your best judgement, but this has been a serious game changer for me so i felt compelled to share it with y’all.
Ok! That’s it for this year, and I’ve likely destroyed any and all credibility with that last piece, but hey, there is always coconut farming! Perhaps I’ll come out with a nicotine gum line that is “mycotoxin free” and folks will think I’m a genius…
Let me know if you have questions about the training, chow etc.
PS-
I’ll be at this event with Joel Salitin and the folks from Singing Frogs Farm on April 23rd. It’s be great to see you there! http://tarafirmafarms.com/events/
I’ll also be at this event with Henry Akins on April 30-May 1. In addition to the two day Brasilain jiu-jitsu seminar I’ll be giving a talk on performance optimization and there will be a dinner Saturday night which is included in the price.
“If I eat Paleo will I have Heyuge Gunz??”
Robb,
how your daily meal plan look like, you eat 3 meals per day, what kind of supplement you take?
You maybe know how much calories per day you eat?
As i remember in last year you have mention about some gut problem, but i can’f find how you solve problem with gut issues…
Tnx for answer
Thanks for this post. You’ve dropped tidbits of this in your podcasts, but it’s always great to see it written up like this.
I too have been trying to focus on more non-attribute BJJ… And am just getting smashed by those with more attributes. Oh well, as Jocko likes to say, BJJ is infinite… So I’ll just enjoy the ride.
I’m moving to the Sacramento area in the next few months, would love to swing by Reno and get some old man BJJ in with you sometime!
Hi Robb
We are both 44 years old.
I train gymnastic bodies foundations.
Here is a challenge
Try to pass foundations 1 thru 4
Rings 1 and 2
Handstand 1,2 and 3
Stretch and movement
All by 50 years old
Roger
I was SOLID on the GST for about a year but we are doing a remodel, so my gym access is really limited. i’ll be in a globo gym for about 4 months. I’m “in” for this though! 50 and jacked!
Thanks for sharing Robb – your podcasts, especially with Coach Sommer, really helped me dial in my training regimen (which is pretty stacked with GST, Judo, Krav, and Crossfit – on top of a full time corporate gig). I’d love to give you some of my experiences with nutrition, as I’m in the same “damn I need more carbs” boat on high intensity days.
On a sidenote – what are your thoughts on the “anti inflammatory” cocktail – i got this info off one of the users on Coach Sommers website – I take turmeric, powdered ginger, a raw apple cider vinegar, and mix it with water, and down it every morning (i also take DHEA and am starting Krill oil). I have to say, I went from raging tendinitis to infrequent flare ups – and they’re only from doing a ridic amount of muscle ups or something like that. Any experience with corcumin and anti inflammatory properties?
Also the part about nicotine gum – spot on. I smoked for years (from high school to a few years after college) and nicotine gum was what helped me kick the habit. But I did notice that when I was working (corporate gig) if I popped a piece, i slayed my emails and workload. Definitely something there.
The cocktail sounds good…that is all solid stuff. I’m doing a turmeric extract and tend to make a hand ground, ginger tea just about every day!
Thanks Robb,
I’m also 44 doing old guy Jiu jitsu. I’ve finally gotten to the point of being able to perform in mild ketosis wih weekly carb back loading as well as ketone salt supplementation. It was not a fun process getting to this point but it’s paying off now.
I love the skills and drills day you’ve set up. My school doesn’t do this so me and a couple of the guys will probably implement an off site day to get these reps in.
I’m lucky to have my S&C program put together and run by Mike Robertson’s team. It’s an absolutely crucial element of my overall game.
Awesome!
That’s really interesting Robb. It just points out how people react to different Macro’s under different situations, and actually be willing to adapt, instead of getting stuck thinking they ” Have” to stick to certain amounts of carbs in this case. I know Steve Maxwell was following a Low Carb diet for years ( but has changed this last year) but it didn’t seem to effect his Jujitsu, and there’s some others doing highly glycolyctic training and following a low carb diet and thriving, and it really makes you think
One interesting difference with Steve is he has been a black belt for years, so I’d argue he’s much more efficient than I am at a blue going on purple belt. THAT can buy some room on the glycolysis piece. I honestly have not seen anyone doing “well” on a ketogenic diet and legit glycolytic sport…who are you thinking of in that regard? Technically i’m certainly low carb, i think most people my size are doing at least twice what I’m doing.
Hey Robb, good point about Steve, and the efficiency aspect. Plus i know that his mentor that got him into low carb diets while he’d talk about levels at about 75 grams a day he would also talk about amounts of carbs up to 25%. And Steve has mentioned he eats up to the mid 3000 calorie range, which if he was following that amount, would put him closer to that 200 grams also, which which while low carb isn’t Keto.
What i was trying to convey yesterday, was that some people that promote Keto diets aren’t too willing to deviate from what they promote, and basically say ” You just have to be patient and fat adapt”. Where others like yourself are willing modify to get the best results.
Also you have most definitely interacted with a larger group of people following Low Carb diets. And what made me comment, was i think, looking at a few outliers, like a guy who claimed he won his Crossfit competition following a Keto diet, and reading yesterday before i read your article, a article on the training and diet James White the Gym Jones affiliate from South Africa had some people on. His training methods are very Glycolytic, but they were basically eating meat eggs and vegetables and a little fruit. I was surprised they could complete the workouts let alone thrive, but they did. But that was just for a 6 week period, and then maintenance after that.
Interesting read, always been a fan of your work. I am from Santa Cruz originally and listening to your podcast, hearing your voice accent reminds me of people where I grew up. Kiefer wrote a book a few years ago called nicotine declassified, I haven’t read it but it comes to mind after I read your post.
Thanks Ian!
Thanks for the update. I’m looking forward to the book!
I started experimenting with the nicotine gum after listening to Kiefer’s podcasts, his take on it is very similar to yours, have you two spoken about it? Maybe in one of the coming podcasts?
It does work for me for focus/concentration at work in the mid afternoon (2-3pm), and to overcome cravings for the out-of-mealtime snacks.
I also gave potatoes and ‘safe’ starches a serious try and it did disregulate my lowcarb eating and esp. hunger/appetite control. I also do feel best on a lower-carb side.
I’m going to claim “first to print” on the nicotine gum gig…I’ve been talking bit about it since 2009, although have largely kept quiet about it as folks tend to freak out on the topic.
Trying it as we speak. Thanks.
How do you feel on the days that you don’t chew any?
Fine. I don;t think i’ve built up much, if any dependancy. I DO like chewing some after most meals. Stuff does help my digestion.
Thanks Robb. Update: I ate lunch and popped a piece at noon. Now 14:30. For the first 20-30 mins a felt a bit weird…slight buzz almost. After that the focus and clarity clicked in. From 12:30-14:30 I felt great…much like I do in the morning after a no-carb breakfast and shot of MCT/Coffee. Way more productive at work than I normally am in the block of time.
Regarding the topic of your next book: I’m absolutely fascinated by appetite control but also quite perplexed. I can totally control my food intake in the morning and during the day, I can skip meals, control amounts of different foods, etc. My energy levels are perfect regardless of what and how much I eat. And then in the evening all the control breaks and I’m likely to overeat in most stupid ways.
Would you consider inviting some experts in this field for your podcasts?
Absolutely and Stephan Gueyenet is releasing a book in september called (I believe) the hungry brain. THAT will be a goody.
Wow, I feel like we’re living in parallel universes. Just a little older (47 yo) and doing No-Gi, but all the observations are exactly the same as mine.
Been struggling with not smashing myself at BJJ. Experimenting with carb intake. Cutting back on strength work – it’s not what’s holding me back in BJJ. Really only trying to push my grip strength – which is not surprisingly, easy to recover from 🙂 Spending a lot more time on ‘cardio’. Avoiding the BJJ classes where we end up spending half the class on cals – I can do that at home, you’re wasting my time (and energy)!
For cardio, been doing mostly stuff based on Jamieson’s Roadwork 2.0. It’s kinda Crossfitty, but done at 130 bpm instead of puke pace. Runs, Rows, Prowler, Jump Rope, KB Swings, Wall Balls, Burpees, in couplets or triplets in a circuit for 30-60 min. Don’t know if it works better, but it is far less tedious for a fast twitch guy like myself. Some of that is steady state and some (like burpees) is high/low like 5 reps, rest to 130 bpm, 5 more.
Keep fighting!
That is exactly what I’m doing! If i get stuck at the globo gym I’ll do 5-10 min on a piece of equipment but if I can get this done at home it’s “aerobic circuits.” I know this is having the desired cardiovascular effect, still curious as to things like mitochindrial biogenesis which seems to come with the monostructural work. I THINK the ideal here would be 30-60 min of flow rolling where you never stop, all subs are “catch and release” and no one holds a dominant position for more than a few seconds. “scrambles” are mellow and controlled. Takes a GOOD training partner to pull this off.
Or lacking that kind of relationship with a training partner I think you have to be super humble about tapping. If you get got, you tap. No point in playing out the string on a sub. If you gas, you tap. If it’s just a matter of time before you go get got, then why waste energy on the inevitable? The glycolytic struggle is VERY expensive for a 40 yo.
Luckily, my BJJ group is universally pretty cool. I feel comfortable stopping any free roll session and asking for on the spot training about whatever technique I’m getting beat with. People I can beat, I give them side control or mount and work from there. Lately, I’m giving guard to everyone just so I can practice breaking it or at least not getting triangled right away. So, you can make it work with anyone who’s not an a-hole.
But takes a lot of wisdom to realize that winning in practice is not the same as getting better.
Hey Robb,
Any chance for another post/update regarding testosterone? Were you able to get your levels up higher since your 2011 post with Mr.X, ect.
I’ll tackle this in a future post. Short answer is yes, but it took a long time.
Thanks for the article. I’m 44, and have been studying BJJ for about a year. I’m always looking for info on how to avoid injury, especially with my hands, since i make my living as a musician. It seems the further I get into it, the potential for injury increases. I’ve heard people say “not to think about it” and it;s less likely to happen. I had that approach when I studied Karate about 15 years ago, which ended in my having to have plastic surgery after I suffered a knee to the face.
So perhaps I’m injury prone, which is why I’m always taking great care and where my hands go when I fall. But still I practice with the constant fear of breaking a finger, wrist, etc….
Any advice?
Good partners and drilling are your best hedges here IMO. Something goofy can happen at any time, but it’s more likely when it’s live rolling. Even in the live rolling, pick your partners if you can…and on your side, don’t be a spazz! Your energy dictates to a large degree how your partner will move.
Great thanks Robb!
I’d recommend occasionally playing a game of “no-gi gi”. No grabbing sleeves, pants, or collars – you’re only allowed to grab an entire wrist, ankle, or neck. Since your opponent is allowed to grab whatever he wants, you’re at a distinct disadvantage. A couple things will happen – less wear and tear on your fingers, and your game will become a lot better the 1-2x per week where you allow yourself to use your gi grips
Remember, JJ Machado was born without fingers on one hand. He just simply managed to adapt to BJJ without fingers and ended up becoming a legendary grappler.
Robb,
Did you have to build up to 2 grams, or did you start there? I tried about .5 grams to 1 gram at one point and just felt really weird and almost nauseous. I’m interested in trying the gum again, but don’t want to feel this way. Thanks for sharing this information!
2mg I’ve always been fine with. I tried 4mg once (early on) and I was nauseous, room spins…it was bad. So, it’s reasonable to assume the gum may not be for everyone and even for the folks it works for, you need to get the minimum effective dose.
Thanks Robb!
Great blog. Thanks for the SBG shout out. Ironically we are gathered in Athens, GA this weekend for our Spring camp. We spent today working on and refining our training methods.
Adam! Hoping to get out to a camp this year!
Great writeup, thank you. Could you possibly expand on the “mobility drill that is aimed at addressing the common problem points for folks doing grappling”? Movements, patterns, reps, etc?
If words fail you could always do a demo YouTube vid featuring you in neon lycra & spandex. No? Too far?
Hey man! Check out these two previous training updates for some specifics. REALLY looking at a lot of thoracic mobility.
http://robbwolf.com/2014/09/17/training-42-ish/
http://robbwolf.com/2015/06/11/my-training-at-43/
Great article, Robb!
When I train BJJ consistently, meaning I go to class two to three times a week, this is exact protocol I follow. Whenever I try to be low-carb when I’m training more than three times a week, I age thirty years after the first five minutes of class. I have zero pop or fight. That said my most productive writing hours are when I’m low carb. In other words, if I don’t train hard and eat less carbs, then the next day I tend to be less scattered and I can maintain focus for longer periods of time. But the joy I get from BJJ is far more important than the extra 30 minutes of perceived productivity (IMO). The bottom line is I feel great after some post workout yams and I’m pretty much useless after a hard session of BJJ so writing is out of the question anyways.
Thanks for the recommendation Brainwave recommendation. I’ll have to try it out.
I’ve been on the Nicotine gum kick for a while and love it. What kind of Nicotine gum do you chew?
In addition to that, I’ll set a timer and make sure to take a short—like one minute—movement breaks every thirty minutes. This prevents me from zoning out and hanging out in a static position for too long and removes distractions during the “work window.” I’ve been messing around with light music, which is sometimes helpful and sometime distracting. All depends on my mood (http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-music-for-productivity-2015-7).
Hope we can get together and train soon. Thanks Robb!
Do you have a specific brand and flavor of Nico gum?
Piping in to say +1 on the nicotine gum. I’m a software engineer, I think it does good things, been doing it for a few years. You can 100% guarantee a shocked response whenever you tell people that you do it.
I just got back from a week long vacation, while on vacation I did zero nicotine and had no desire to.
I’ve asked current and former smokers about their experiences with the gum…the general theme is that the gum is just as addictive as a cigarette and even though they quit smoking, they couldn’t “get off” the gum.
On the other hand — people like yourself, Robb, and others who are using the gum for other reasons than to satisfy a cigarette craving say they don’t feel enslaved to it, and do not feel any withdrawal symptoms after not chewing for a few days.
Wonder if there is something to that distinction.
Hi Robb,
Great post! How often are you rolling per week? It is once on Mondays and 2 skills/drills classes? I’m literally just starting out with jiu jitsu and I’m trying to determine the right volume for me. I’m pretty busy and would like to keep it at 2 fundamentals classes a week with maybe an occasional 3rd day on the weekends. Do you think that this would be adequate volume for a beginner to learn and grow? I’m not looking to be a world beater or anything, but I would like to improve of course.
Thanks,
James
So cool that you managed to convince your instructor to start a drills-only class for high-volume, high-quality reps. As opposed to 20 minutes of burpees, pushups, and “okay, do 100 armbars with shitty form, but do them fast. Not fast enough…faster!”
When you finally open up the mat room on the coconut farm, let me know if you need a training partner.
Hey Robb,
Big fan of your writing and break down of things. Two questions:
1. What is your take on the PWO window timeframe for nutrition ? I’ve read different articles saying 2 hours max, and other saying up to 24 hours. Which side of the coin are you on ?
2. The binaural beats plus nootropics work well for me, but I’m interested in experimenting with the gum. What brand do you use ? (obviously not an endorsement haha)
Much appreciated Robb!
Hey Robb,
Big fan of your writing, podcast and these yearly breakdowns of what you are up to. I have two questions:
1.) What is your take on the window for PWO nutrition ? I’ve seen people talk about two hours max, but have also seen studies say up to 24 hours. Which side of the coin are you on ?
2. I’ve had good success with binaural beats and some nootropics. I’m interested to try the gum but don’t know anything about which brands have better quality control. Is there a brand you trust or like ?
Thanks Robb!
Thanks
I am 46ish and doing old man BJJ twice a week, and 2 strength days per week of TGUs(sometime add in some pushing/pulling). I really want to add another BJJ session but the recover just isn’t there. I am going to try adding a day of easy “roadwork”.
What do you think of working with a grappling dummy for drilling technical proficiency? Conditioning?
Robb,
how your daily meal plan look like, you eat 3 meals per day, what kind of supplement you take?
You maybe know how much calories per day you eat?
As i remember in last year you have mention about some gut problem, but i can’f find how you solve problem with gut issues…
Wow! First other person I’ve heard who has a positive experience with nicotine gum. Much better than caffeine for me.
Rob,
Thanks for the info on the binaural beats and nicotine gum. I just bought the app for the beats. My wife and I agree that the beats sound theoretically like a non-concrete version of essential oils, of which she is a huge fan.
I am going to look into some nicotine gum. I currently wake up several days a week at 4am to get a few hours of some philosophy and apologetics grad work done before starting work at 9. I also fit in ~ 5 days of 45ish mins of S&C in the mornings. This is kettlebell based, which teaches strength as a skill, so any additional help with concentration is great.
I will update If I get any noticeable results, good or bad.
-James
Did you just say, “knackered”?
Are we going to have to learn British to read this blog?
Just wondering.
Thanks for the blog post Robb! You touched on just about everything I’ve experienced as a 51 year old BJJ practitioner and CrossFitter. The “Drills and Skills” training focus is spot on and i hope the idea catches on in all BJJ schools.
Hey Robb – experimenting with the nicotine gum and brainwave app this week. It is working great, I’ve been extremely alert, productive and creative in the morning. I have always struggled with morning alertness – even with a good night’s sleep, and coffee causes issues for me so had to cut it out. Thanks for the tip!
Unrelated question: you mentioned the political podcast on the latest Paleo Solution show. I thought this was discontinued?
Thanks for all that you do.
Yo Robb! A little late to this discussion. Got a quick question not related to training, but you briefly mentioned you’ll be at Singing Frog Farms this month.
I signed up for the event, and was wondering if you’ll be speaking on any topics in particular (or if you’ll just be there to lower the credibility of the other event speakers 😉
Cheers,
Matt
Cheers Robb awesome article.
Just a quick question. I to do some old man BJJ. Member of a small club in Wanaka, New Zealand.
What has the feedback/ numbers been like at your club with that structure. Do people get it?
Thanks for all your work. Aaron
Thanks for the article, Robb! Could you give some guidance on brands of nicotine gum to look for? Maybe which ones don’t have as many junk “other ingredients?” Thank you!
Really interesting post! I too tend to focus more when eating lower carb, higher fat. I can’t say I notice any difference with MCT oil as opposed to any other fat…wish I did, as I am trying to get a lot of writing done lately too. Completely agree that early morning is best. I’m with you on the beets…totally obsessed…not ready to try the nicotine gum but cool that it is working for you.
Great post, really appreciate the insight!
Does anybody know or has anybody found (and I apologize if I missed this above) a nicotine gum that doesn’t have any colors, dyes, inks, sweeteners, ect…? Really interested in trying this out and giving it a shot, but I know Nicorette gum will be a literal punch to my stomach.
Thanks everybody!
Robb, thank you for sharing such intimate details about your training and your life my man! Following your work since 2008 and you never disappoint with your authenticity, relatability, and just genuine bad ass candor. In regards to the nicotine gum, were there any specific nootropic stacks you tried before replacing with the gum, or in combination with, to help increase your focus? Thanks for all you do Robb! – Josh Trent
I’m very much looking forward to read/hear/see more about what you guys have done on your property with regards to permaculture!
Thanks for still being here, Robb.
Just looking for a recommendation on a nicotine gum. Always looking to avoid poor ingredients.
Cheers.
Robb,
Thanks for the awesome post. I’m a BJJ guy as well and have started using the alactic sets for strength and I’m loving it. In terms of the nicotine gum I’ve also found that it is super efficacious in helping me study without keeping me up until 4am (coffee) if I use it after noon. I’m currently in med school so whenever I tell anyone I use it I get the same berzerk reaction because we’ve briefly looked over some in vitro (I know… not concrete) studies on nicotine disregulation of apoptosis in epithelial tissues, gingival fibroblasts, and kidneys. It’s hard to know what the real effect of 2mg/day will do to tissue and a lot of these studies don’t do a great job outlining their dose level to the specific tissue, but I’d love to hear your take on this. Thanks!!
G
Hi Rob, I have a similar BJJ schedule as yourself, and i wanted to ask, im starting the ketosis eating plan, should there be a period of acclimation before i apply the carbs like you do? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Brian C
Interesting about the gum, heard a few people mention that as the best nootropic going
Hi Robb,
I got very excited about the idea of using nicotine as a nootropic but came across some articles claiming that nicotine on its own can promote tumor growth. Thoughts?
Matt
Robb
You mentioned here that if we fiddled with nicotine to let you know how it worked out.
I’ve been off and on it as a performance enhancer for years. It probably started 10 years ago. Not continuously, but more if I had a heavy lift at work: massive blog post to write or board meeting or something like that.
I’d do the gum and the mints, 2mg dose.
The major upside was that it works for creative thinking and production and just fricking getting amp’d. Nothing better when you look at your computer and realize you have to plow through 100 emails. I also started to get into using it during workouts, though my blood felt like it was rushing so fast at times it would come out of my skin.
Downside(s) for me:
– I noticed my resting blood pressure was higher with it.
– Mild neuropathy in my hands. Weird, right? But I’d take some and my hands would go numb. I’ve since read some Dr. Robert Cywes where he talks about nicotine causing vascular damage. Makes sense.
– Irritation in my mouth and throat. At times I’d get a little hoarse, have some kinda rash on my tongue. I noticed if I switched from gum to mints I could mitigate this.
– Biggest downside: dependency. I got addicted. What initially was an experiment so I could bang out some writing ultimately became a daily habit. And the daily use (2mg 3-4 times a day) ended up causing all these other downsides (more throat irritation, more nerves getting numb, more mild headaches and nausea on it).
The worse part has been the late-night freak-outs “Am I giving myself mouth and throat cancer” followed by crazy googling and finding nothing conclusive. Only some random mouse study from 2009 tying nicotine to FOX expression.
Those freak-outs ultimately led me to quit for good after numerous attempts.
So all in all, yes it worked. If you can control it, great. But I had some issues with it. Today every time I get a damn sore throat I’m freaking out that I’ve given myself throat cancer from years of periodic use.
Are you still using it? Able to control your use?
Thanks–
Paleo Marc
Here’s some new (ish) research on Nicotine increasing genetic instability. Curious if you pay it any credence? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24947164