Last weekend I got the chance to go to a Josh Hinger seminar. I don’t know why but I really like him and his jiu jitsu. Maybe it’s because he could be competing in the Masters class but still enters and wins the Open class, showing all the younger dudes that old men can still bring it.

Maybe it’s because his special arm-in guillotene, a.k.a. The Hingertene, is a devastating weapon that I’ve personally been having a lot of success with. The great thing about it that it opens up a lot of other submissions as people defend it, which makes it a great go-to move to set up a lot of other things if it doesn’t work.

Either way, I found out that he was going to be in Salt Lake City so I drove the 4 hours to learn some more ways to use the Hingertene. And after 3 hours of Monoplatas and Hingertene details and follow ups it was well worth the effort to make.

Another thing that I really like about Josh is his commitment to training both on and off the mats. He knows that the only way to perform at his best is to balance BJJ with strength training and the results speak for themselves.

If you’re looking for a workout to help you on the mats then I’ve put together a new workout of the month for you. You’ll see I incorporate some unique training tools and methods like Ramping Isometrics and the Steel Mace into these workouts. I do provide some alternatives if you don’t have some of the training tools I do but it’s a good way to see how to use these things in a workout.

You can download the workout by clicking the link below. No emails or anything needed, just click the link and download the PDF to your computer. Each exercise has a link to a video demo so you have everything you need to get going.

Click Here to Download This Month’s Workout

Remember to start your workout with some sort of mobility routine. It’s important to be moving well before you start training, otherwise you’re just laying fitness on top of dysfunction. You can check out this blog post for a follow-along demo of a good routine to use if you need one.

Hope you enjoy thing month’s workout and that it helps you get even more out of your training. Plus, being fit helps you have more fun on the mats and that’s what the ultimate goal should always be.

Until next time…

Roll Strong,

James Wilson
BJJ Strength Training Systems

A few weeks ago I shared a post on Glute Training for Total BJJ Hip Development. In it I shared some recent lessons I had learned about the importance of training all of the functions of the glutes.

The glutes have three main functions, which include 1) Hip Hinging, 2) Hip Abduction and 3) Hip Rotation. And while you can go down a rabbit hole of exercises with each one of these, one of the easiest ways to start training the glutes is to add in a Hip Band circuit at the end of your workout.

I’m using the term Hip Band as a generic term to refer to products like the Glute Loop and Slingshot Hip Circle – large bands that are placed above the knees and used for a variety of glute enhancing movements.

My favorite way to do this is to pick six movements and do each of them for 30 seconds. This comes out to three minutes of work (6 movements X 30 seconds each) and really targets areas of the hips you didn’t know you had.

In this video I share the circuit I use the most often, although there are a lot of different movements you can use with this training tool. The important thing is to get started with some specific glute training like what I show below:

On the mats this circuit has helped by making it harder for my opponents to pin my knees together, plus it has helped to relieve some low back pain I would get after one too many hard rounds. Having strong, functional glutes is important for both performance and staying healthy, making it a must for your BJJ specific program.

If you want to learn more about glute training I suggest checking out Bret Contreras, a.k.a. The Glute Guy. He’s done a lot of great work in helping to show the importance of glute specific training and while most of his work is with people who just want to look good, he’s worked with Team Attos in San Diego and gotten good feedback from them as well.

Glute training is going to be a big part of the future of BJJ specific strength training but you can stay ahead of the curve and start using it today. If you don’t have one already then invest in a Hip Band and start using circuits like this one a few time a week and see how much it improves your movement and strength on the mats.

Until next time…

Roll Strong,

James Wilson

As a jiu jitsu athlete and strength coach I’m always looking for ways to improve my results. Which is why an ad on Instagram for a training tool with a funny name caught my eye a few months ago.

While I almost never pay too much attention to things advertised on the ol’ social media channels, this one looked interesting enough for me to actually order. After a few days it arrived and I got my first chance to use what would become a favorite new training tool.

The Angles90 is a simple training tool that really helps improve the feel and functional carryover of some key exercises, most notably the Pull-Up/ Chin-Up and the Deadlift.

By allowing for a more natural rotation of the elbows and shoulders during these exercises it lets you get more out of each rep and train a very important BJJ specific movement skill. It also allows for a variety of grip options, giving you some different ways to train it as well.

Another benefit to using the Angles90 is that they take a lot of stress off the wrists, elbows and shoulders compared to using a fixed bar position. I’ve personally found them to be much easier on my elbows and wrists during Pull-Ups/ Chin-Ups and I can feel my shoulders staying in a better position during Deadlifts.

I shot this video to show you the Angles90 and why I now use them for all of my Deadlifts and Pull-Ups/ Chin-Ups.

I’ve also found it useful for KB Swings and for Steel Mace Counter Rows. If you use these training tools then check out this video for how to use them for these exercises.

They cost less than $50 and I can’t recommend them enough to help you get better BJJ specific results from your Deadlifts and Pull-Ups/ Chin-Ups. You can find out more and order a pair for yourself at their website www.angles90.com.

You can also use the coupon code A90WILSON10 to save 10% on your order. Great training tools that actually deliver results and don’t cost a small fortune are pretty rare, which is why I’m glad to be able to share this one with you.

Until next time…

Roll Strong,

James Wilson