70’s Grappler PT. 1 - 3x Day BJJ Strength and Bodybuilding

Based on Alexander Bromley’s 70’s Powerlifter. The percentage progression is all from Bromley. I liked the 70s Powerlifter program so much, that I wanted to adapt it to a program for grapplers that are rolling 3-4x week and feel that some extra meat on their bones and strength could help their game. 2 High Volume Upper Body days focused Strength and hypertrophy. 1 Lower Body day that is focused on knee injury prevention and low volume strength work. This is part 1 in a 2-part 18 week series. Upper Body days are Hypertrophy focused with a massive focus on the Chest, Shoulders, and Arms. The bigger your upper body is, the harder it will be for someone to get good collar grips on you in a Gi. Incorporate fat bars and fat grips into your pulling and curl movements every chance you get. This will help not only your grip, but will seriously eliminate your elbow and forearm tendonitis pain almost instantly. I’ll start a training session, and once I finish my burn out on fat grip EZ-bar curls, 99% of my forearm and elbow pain goes away immediately. This program incorporates Knees Over Toes elements to our lower body day such as a backward incline treadmill walk, backwards sled drag before every lower session and ending with Slant Board steps after every lower session. Main movement Lower body reps will remain in the 3-6 rep range with some accessories such as seated good mornings, shrugs and slant board steps in the 10-15 range. Lower body days are focused on injury prevention and strength skill development. Massive legs are cool, but they can make getting into certain positions difficult. Overly big legs can hinder your game, and we don’t want that. This program is brutal, but if you follow it as it’s laid out, you will get SERIOUS gains. Also, on your diet (because people always mess this up). Keep it extremely simple. I like following Jim Wendler’s advice he gives for people following an intense program and it’s always worked for me. Below are non-negotiables. You can do whatever you want on top of your diet, but this is the staple. 1. Eat 1lb of Beef EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. You can get leaner cuts like 93% lean if you’re cutting. 2. Eat 6-12 eggs EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Now here are some of my recommendations on top of that. 1. Drink a liter of fat-free - 2% Fairlife or Kroger Carbmaster milk every night. The fat free milk has like 400 calories and 80g of protein. It’s extremely refreshing to drink, especially if you rolled that night. 2. Eat an entire small bag of FROZEN fruit every night. Pairing this with the milk is a chefs kiss recovery cocktail. Plus the frozen fruit will lower your core temperature and help you get a better nights sleep. I prefer the Walmart tropical blend with pineapple, Mango, peaches and strawberries for $2. 3. Hydration salts. Use these every time you feel like trash. I personally use LMNT, but as long as they are salt based with a good amount of magnesium and potassium you’ll be good to go.