Time to Start Working Out
So my diet is pretty much dialed in now thanks to my pesky gallbladder issue. I've lost over ten pounds since the surgery. Now it's time to start easing back in to some kind of workout routine. I'm not ready to get back to rolling yet, but that's the goal. And I absolutely cannot afford to injure myself. I need to get back to BJJ as soon as humanly possible! Hey, it keeps me sane.
I pretty much laid around the house for two weeks after my surgery, and while I am back to work this week, I'm still moving pretty slow. So I obviously need to rebuild my strength and cardio. I also need to include a pretty hefty joint mobility, stretching, and movement component to oil my rusty hinges and make sure that I don't injure myself while rebuilding.
Things to Consider
If I were to take the traditional route, I'd hit some kind of strength training for about 30 to 60 minutes anywhere from two, working up to four days per week. I'd also need to do some cardio starting out at 20 minutes a day 3 days a week, building up to 45 minutes a day 5 days a week. Then I'd probably add in 10 minutes of joint mobility each day as a warmup, and 10 minutes of stretching as a cool down. Next thing you know we're up to 2 hours for a workout and we haven't added in any movement work yet. I don't know about you, but I have a day job, a wife, and kids. I can barely make it to Jiu-Jitsu 2.5 times per week. I don't have time for 2+ hour workouts four to five days a week. So what to do?
What to Do?
Well luckily for me, I love trying new exercise programs, and have tried more than I can count over the years. Taking all of the above requirements into consideration, and bouncing them off of the laundry list of programs I've tried over the years, I've decided to dust off an oldie but goodie.
It’s called YRG (which stands for Yoga for Regular Guys). YRG is a combination of yoga, isometrics, calisthenics and isokinetics (using your own muscles to produce your own resistance). YRG was developed by Diamond Dallas Page (DDP), a former pro-wrestler. He ruptured a couple of discs in his spine during his pro-wrestling career, and the doctors told him he would never wrestle again. He was so desperate to return to the squared circle that he was willing to try anything… even yoga. He added in some of his rehab exercises and some calisthenics. It apparently worked pretty darn well. He eventually wrestled again, winning the heavyweight title.
I’ve used YRG many times in the past. I don’t need to reference the book anymore. I have the routing memorized. YRG has always given me good results, and it’s never injured me. In fact, the only reason I switched to other workouts is because I enjoy variety. I like trying out new and different workout programs. Kettlebells, weights, calisthenics, animal movements, high intensity interval training, you name it. I do it all. But if I’m really honest with myself, I’ve felt the best and been injured the least when I’m on YRG.
You’re not going to be able to out-muscle a power-lifter by doing this program. You won’t outrun a marathon runner, out-sprint a sprinter, or win the next Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contest. But I don’t need all that just yet. I just need to get healthy enough to get back to BJJ. I figure if this stuff can get DDP back to wrestling after losing two discs, it should be able to get me rolling again in no time!
If you're interested in learning more about YRG, it's undergone some rebranding since I started doing it back in 2008. It’s now known as DDP Yoga.
Here's a video showing just how much DDP Yoga can accomplish:
Enjoy!
- Big Mike
