Arm Endurance

**money** · Posted On: 5/21/2007 11:31pm

So now that I'm getting more experienced in BJJ, I find myself somewhere other than bottom every once in a while. Now, I can play the guard game all day long, shooting for the occasional triangle or armbar, and my legs never seem to get tired.

However, while I think my strength is okay it seems to take about 30 seconds of top work before my arms are just worn out. Trying to break someone's guard or pass a half-guard is just murder because my arms just become noodles. Do you have any suggestions on exercises to improve my arms endurance? I'd prefer some sort of body weight exercise; I do have a pullup bar available.

**LI GUY 1** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 12:44am

Pullups helped a lot for me. Actually I was having problems of my upper body getting fatigued so I started doing pushups/pullups/divebombers. It worked great as my muscles no longer tire like they used to.

**money** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 7:33am

Would I be correct in assuming that I go for as many as I can in a certain period of time, rather than doing x amount as I'm doing now?

**Phrost** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 8:53am

Dive bomber pushups don't do a damn thing for me for some reason. I swear I could do them all day long.

But pull-ups are a bitch. What about dips too? They hit your pecs more but you're still using the tricep "push" motion. I'm no fitness guru (especially since getting out of the Army), but I've fond that if you're going to do one set of an exercise targeting a certain muscle or set of muscles, it helps to follow it with one that works the "opposite" set. So biceps/triceps, chest/back, legs/uhh... neck?

**SFGOON** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 10:40am

If you can afford them, start training with clubbells or kettlebells. That'll fix your wagon.

**money** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 11:06am

I've got 1 26lb kettlebell, but I've been afraid of it ever since getting tennis elbow a few years back, lol. I've been trying to stick with bodyweight exercises just because I've found I'm less likely to hurt myself than if I'm using weights.

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 11:37am

Healthy, flexible, strong grips and wrists that can withstand torque along their natural range of motion are the basis for arm strenght and endurance.

Originally Posted by Larptastic

Would I be correct in assuming that I go for as many as I can in a certain period of time, rather than doing x amount as I'm doing now?

When it comes to pull ups (IMO), one should try to go to failure as fast as possible. Doesn't matter if you can do 20 or 2, the max effort is what counts, several sets per workout with little break in between sets. What matters the most in grappling is to have support grip (the ability to grip strongly for long periods of time) as opposed to crunch or pinch grip:

What helped me the most with that were towel pulls up and using ropes around dumbbell handles:

Levering exercises also help - I'd suggest you take a look at the combat grip article in www.grapplearts.com.

Be mindful however, not to overtrain your grips, wrists and forearms. Everytime you are working your chest, back, triceps or biceps, you are pounding the **** out of everything between your elbows and your fingers. Thus, it's easy to overtrain them.

From experience I can tell you it is very easy, and it takes a long time for them to recover. So I'd suggest you train them only once a week, preferably on a day in which you do not train grappling. Always stretch your hands and wrists and massage your forearms appropriately.

**Equipoise** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 4:48pm

Improve your technique. That'll cut down on your need to go all out to break the guard, etc.

**Nid** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 5:04pm

?

No **** your legs arne't going to get tired from triangle and armbar attempts. You're laying on your back! Why would you think that's a testament to leg fitness?

?

?

And yes, when you're subjecting your arms to opening a guard like a douche-bag, they get tired. Don't do that.

It's easier to say one's endurance is lacking because it points to a physiologial defecit which implies: "Maybe it's a problem with a solution other than practice."

No. No such solution in this case.

Not that a general exercise plan doesn't have other helpful benefits.

**money** · Posted On: 5/22/2007 7:13pm

Settle down brother, we're all friends here. :eusa_eh:

I use my legs a lot and they don't get tired. I use my arms a little and they do. That says to me my legs are in better shape than my arms, which is a reasonable assumption seeing how my arms are twigs.

I'm not opening the guard like a douchebag, I'm using a methodical guard pass taught to me when someone is giving me a lot of difficulty with a closed guard, which is most always. I make some distance with my hands at their arm pits, then use my arms to work my way down their chest till I can get a good position locked in on their hips.

I'm not looking for an easy fix, or a crutch for bad technique. I have 2 days a week available for Jiu-Jitsu, so I try to make the best of my time. If my arms give out, I can't work on that part of my game. If I can toughen up my arms a bit, I can work more on my technique.