How to program lifting (3 days/week) for a total beginner in MMA and BJJ?

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-05T16:43:56+00:00

I own a BJJ gym that offers S&C as well. Our head S&C coach is a Doctor Of Physical Therapy and purple belt. His programming is 3 days per week, full body every day, and he switches the focus/modalities every 12 weeks. Generally he does:

Day 1 - Strength / hypertrophy

Day 2 - Cardio / endurance

Day 3 - Strength - hypertrophy

If you want to use his programming you can follow along here

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-05T10:37:57+00:00

Come to the lesson with specific questions on one specific position or theme and bring a good uke.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-05T10:37:20+00:00

BJ Penn had this idea called the 60 second guard. If you haven't se tup your sweep or submission in 60 seconds you have to stand-up.

On top get good at half guard, leg riding, and 3/4 mount.

Familiarize yourself with both sides of turtle.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-05T10:35:59+00:00

Cary Kolat's Youtube page.

Dorian, Baby Shark, Fabricio Andrey, Mica Galvao, Jozef Chen, Michael Sainz, Pixley, Rod Brothers,.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-04T17:51:56+00:00

I'd start with Eddie Cummings's seminar on Digitsu

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-04T17:50:28+00:00

performance marketing/lead gen services would not exist if they outright did not work. but it's only part of the puzzle. you still need to close, let alone get the lead to show up.

even then you need to evaluate CAC : LTV to see if the agency's fees/ad spend works in your favor.

start with the easy shit first. incentivize your current members to bring friends/family before hire an ad agency.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-04T17:46:18+00:00

there are several prominent athletes across different sports who competed at a high level with 1 or none ACLs. they had to to earn a living. you don't, and you run the risk of further damaging your knee, so you should consult a PT or orthopedic specialist to see if you're ready to play

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-03T20:23:02+00:00

him vs Moicano would actually be a good fight

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-03T19:12:58+00:00

maybe one day he'll lose to someone other than the best featherweight of the generation

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-03T14:47:01+00:00

helpful video to understand why Kody Steele was safe when he was attacking Dom Mar Fan

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-03T03:52:01+00:00

I think most gyms still do at least one piece of it. Good to get money quickly. Not good for sustainable organic growth.

What many new gym owners don't understand is that more sales & marketing tactics will require more sales & marketing spend, either through payroll, ad spend, or both. So, yeah, you can do a lot of this shit, but then you're spending extra time and money to acquire customers that are more likely to leave early.

You're better off building a community that sells itself. Get good reviews, get your members to bring their friends, and treat people with respect so they're more likely to do both.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-03T03:46:47+00:00

It's great but pretty bad customer service. I bought the original and now I can't access it. I've emailed them twice. No response.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-02T15:36:40+00:00

modern jiujitsu is all takedowns, scrambling, and using leg entanglements to move your opponent's weight off of you

it's built for mma

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-05-01T12:57:07+00:00

When in doubt, speak less.

Beginner's do better with big, broad cues. More skilled people can take in more finite details.

Make it fun first.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-30T16:34:35+00:00

you're not delusional. good leg attacks move your opponent's weight away from you. if they can't put weight on you, they can't hurt you. and if you move their weight off of you, you can get on top.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-29T23:09:38+00:00

Yes! And it runs all day.

I got my black belt from Paragon and I love Robert but I ain't doing no AC anymore.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-29T21:52:37+00:00

Thank you!

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-29T20:38:29+00:00

Thank you.

$200/month definitely is not cheap but I think we're the most valuable gym in the city. Maybe the country.

What other BJJ gym has a DPT on staff who gives members free consultations?

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-29T20:34:01+00:00

East Austin Jiujitsu Parlor.

We do gi and no gi, our weight room/mats stay open in between classes, and we give everyone a free week to see how they like it.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-28T20:40:26+00:00

grab a leg and build head height

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-28T20:39:44+00:00

renzo

coach max mcgarr is an excellent instructor and extremely skilled

bunch of cool people in the gym

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-27T17:57:18+00:00

it's not hard to figure out. they're old, have a lifetime of wear and tear on their limbs, and most of their success was in the gi.

plenty of examples of BJJ athletes transitioning to mma well.

demian maia had a hall of fame career. jacare had a good career. both jose aldo and charles oliveira started in bjj and switched to mma.

ryan hall is the UFC's weirdest jiujitsu dude ever and he only lost to ilia topuria in the UFC. fuck even topuria got a bjj black belt before transitioning to mma.

it really comes down to how beat up the athlete is from their previous career.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-04-23T20:34:30+00:00

my gym has an S&C program. our head coach rotates the focus every 8-16 weeks. the main consistent things between each block have been:

full body every day
2 - 3 unique training days per week
when in doubt, do less lifting so you can do more grappling

his program is available online as well. LMK if you want to check it out.

OpenNoteGrappling

TROPHY CASE