In early 2016 I set the goal of medalling at the 2016 IBJJF World Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships. I began training with Coach Ben at Australian Strength Performance in early 2016 to ensure I was in the best possible physical condition for the tournament in June.
Specifically, I was looking to improve my conditioning to be able to maintain my intensity over fights of eight minutes; optimise my strength for my weight class; and improve my nutrition to help with overall performance and assist with recovery from the additional training.
Having been a division one college basketballer in the US many years ago, I knew what it took to be in peak condition for my current sport…and I knew I had a long way to go to get anywhere near where I needed to be.
I was far from competition shape, with excess body fat, and poor strength and endurance. On top of that, over the prior year I had suffered through a number of injuries — one being a quite chronic and debilitating rib injury.
It was important that I found a coach who knew what they were doing, one who would get me in top notch condition, help rehabilitate my injuries, guide me to safely make competition weight, and not compromise my jiu jitsu training.
After doing my Bioprint, I stuck to my nutrition plan, and was seeing changes within days. My energy and concentration was better than ever before.
The results were immediately noticeable. Despite waking up early to train at the gym, my energy, recovery, and concentration noticeably improved. Week after week I was dropping body fat, all while adding lean muscle, resolving physical imbalances, and ultimately improving my jiu jitsu specific strength and conditioning.
A major benefit came from cutting inflammatory foods from my diet, such as sugar and bread, which improved my recovery and significantly reduced the constant pain from old injuries I had become accustomed to.
By the time I left for California a week out from the tournament, I was walking around at my fighting weight!! This meant that I avoided the stress that other athletes had around cutting weight and worrying about the scale in the important week of the competition.
Being over weight can be both mentally and physically exhausting and a major distraction when you should be focussing on strategy and mental preparation.
In the past I have made these same mistakes myself: cutting a lot of weight in a short time, causing me to feel weak and unable to focus during the fights. This time with the help of Ben, I competed at the 2016 World Championships at my strongest, most focussed — all the while at a lean 9% bodyfat.
My energy levels were high and my focus and concentration was on point, allowing me to make smart decisions, even when tired after multiple matches. I medalled with Bronze, and while it wasn’t gold, I couldn’t have been better physically prepared.
In the bigger picture, the process entirely changed my approach to training and nutrition along with my specific competition preparation. I can’t thank Coach Ben enough for all that I learned.
Meagan E
2016 IBJJF World Championships – Bronze medallist
To see more RESULTS, CLICK HERE!