The Grappling Doc
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I help grapplers develop relentless cardio and train without the fear of injury
Low back pain is a looming plague in the sport of jiu jitsu
Everyone knows a training partner who had to take an extended time off due to a low back injury
As a rehab professional- back pain is certainly one of the more complex injuries to treat
Not because it's "hard", but because it varies so much from person to person
We've seen grapplers respond well to strengthening their hips and posterior chain
Others maybe need to do some extra hip mobility work
And some may just need to take time off and stop getting stacked on their necks
It also doesn't help that social media makes it seem like there is a "magic bullet exercise" fix for back pain
At The Grappling Doc, we make sure all of our athletes undergo a thorough evaluation process to determine what could be the root cause of the pain
And then we create a personalized program to address the determined issues
Dealing with back pain that holds you back from training?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC and we will reach out with more info about our training programs for grapplers, written by grapplers!
We've worked with ~300 combat sport athletes and we found that those who are able to follow a plan see the best results
Not the most physically talented or gifted athletes
But those who have the discipline to stick to a plan or communicate effectively if the plan needs to change
There is no magic bullet to getting stronger or improving your gas tank on the mat
It comes with time and consistent effort
Looking for a sports performance team that will be checking in with you every step of the way?
Tired of rigid programs that don't take into account your busy work and training schedule?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC to learn more about our training programs for grapplers, written by grapplers!
Grappling Doc athlete .11 shares his experience as a competitor looking to level up his performance on the mat
Since we started working with one another, we have seen Juan's numbers jump considerably
As a feathweight 155lb athlete:
His 1RM on the back squat used to be 225lbs
Now he's repping out 255
He recently hit 405 on the trap bar deadlift which is a 25lb PR
Juan has been tearing it up in the regional comp scene and is gearing up for No Gi Pans in October
Can't wait to see more highlights coming from our man in the future!
If you are a competitor who wants to improve your strength and gas tank for the mats like Juan
DM us GRAPPLING DOC to learn more about our training programs for grapplers, written by grapplers!
More grapplers need to be jumping off the mats
One of the biggest requests I get from my athletes is to do "sport specific" training for jiu jitsu
To me that just means getting strong, fast, and flexible
Jumping is a great way to tick off all three of those boxes
And it requires minimal equipment
The hurdles or boxes that you see on social media videos are just accessories
You can increase your vertical or max distance without them
For our athletes, we tend to program these jumps early in the training session so they can reap the benefits with minimal fatigue
After the jumps, they are more than warmed up for their lifts
Want to learn more about sport specific training for grappling?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC to learn more about our training programs for grapplers, written by grapplers!
09/18/2026
Q) How often should BJJ athletes be testing their 1RM?
A) It depends
For the average BJJ hobbyist who doesn't prioritize the gym as much as jiu jitsu, they may never test their 1RM or even try to hit heavy singles
And that's okay if your goals are lifting for general health and longevity
For our competitors and athletes who are SPECIFICALLY looking to improve their numbers in the weight room
We do 1RM testing at the beginning of the program to get strength benchmarks
Then another round of testing 8-12 weeks out to ensure progress is being made
Conditioning assessments are done more frequently every 4-6 weeks as long as we manage fatigue
Even if you don't track your 1RM- tracking average weight lifted or training volume is useful to determine whether or not you are seeing progress
Want to learn more about strength and conditioning for combat sports?
Looking to improve your max strength and gas tank?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC and we will reach out with more info about our training programs for grapplers, written by grapplers!
Neck spasms are super common in grappling sports
Whether its from a front headlock/guillotine
Face planting on the mat
Or you jamming your neck shooting for a takedown
After working with a bunch of necks, I've found the following to work well for these injuries
1️⃣ Manual work to relieve tension and pain in neck
2️⃣ Cervical and thoracic spine mobility exercises
3️⃣ Direct activation of the muscles supporting the neck and scapula region
Neck spasms suck, but they resolve reasonably quick if you actually make an attempt to address the issue
Struggling with neck pain that holds you back from shooting for takedowns?
Tap early in the front headlock?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC, and we will reach out with more info about our training programs for grapplers, written by grapplers!
The problem with getting your exercises off social media is the lack of context
Christian McCaffrey is an elite athlete who has spent years if not decades of his life lifting heavy, sprinting, and jumping
At this point of his career- he can do these exercises to try and squeeze out any advantages possible
Most of us mortals are not anywhere close to his level of fitness and readiness
The average combat sport athlete would see MUCH more benefit hitting intermediate strength benchmarks than doing single leg balance on a bosu ball
These are fun exercise that you can throw into your rest days
But make sure you are focusing on the big needle movers in your training
Lift heavy, lift fast, jump, and sprint if you can
Want to learn how you can build strength for the mats?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC and we will reach out with more info!
Progression to follow when getting back on the mats after injury:
1️⃣ SOLO DRILLING
Safe and controlled environment since YOU are the only person dictating the action
2️⃣ TRADITIONAL DRILLING
Minimal resistance resistance via a partner, but they are being compliant and allowing you to dictate the action still
3️⃣ CLA/Situational Live
Introduce some chaos and randomness into the action but still limiting the extent of how far you can go. This needs to be done before unrestricted sparring
4️⃣ Sparring/Live Rounds
No constraints and restrictions, should be the LAST step
Most BJJ grapplers will skip steps 2/3 and go straight to 4 and wonder why they keep getting re-injured
We run our athletes through this progression to make sure they are confident and pain free when they back get on the mats
Struggling with a knee injury that holds you back from training?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC and we will reach out with more info about our return to sport program for grapplers!
All grapplers need to be doing some form of horizontal pushing in their training programs
Whether that be with a barbell, DB, or even weighted (or unweighted push ups)
This movement pattern translates to posting on the mat, creating frames, and just getting the hell out when stuck in bottom side control/mount
The DB incline bench offers a more shoulder friendly variation compared to the traditional barbell at the cost of less weight lifted overall
The incline bench also offers a deeper stretch at the bottom of the lift which is a stimulus for growth if that is your goal
Getting overpowered on the mats by your training partners?
Scared to train with grapplers younger and heavier than you?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC to learn more about our training programs for grapplers, written by grapplers!
Anterior knee pain is common in grappling and off the mats
Generally, the issue is due to overactivity and too much load/intensity to the knee
I've seen this happen when someone goes on a super long hike that they haven't really prepared for
Ramping up their running volume without doing the necessary strength work
Or doing a lot of grappling/wrestling and not strengthening their knees at all
These injuries respond well to a combo of reducing stress on the knees while strengthening the quad
The tricky part is how to load the quad without pi***ng off the knee, but thats where the creativity in our field comes in
Dealing with knee pain that prevents you from running, jumping, or shooting for takedowns on the mat?
Tired of copying exercises that you see on IG?
DM us GRAPPLING DOC to learn more about our training programs for grapplers, written by grapplers!
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