DadandZachonRecumbents.com

4/27/2026 Day 9

I feel excited and nervous before class today. I have read two books about jiu jitsu, Breathe and surviving the first 6 months of jiu jitsu. I want to apply some of the learning from the 6 month book. I particularly think I should do a head nod or a bow before I go on the mat and off. I am trying the thing where I eat carbs 4 hours before lessons but I could not eat under 1500 calories before today’s class because of how I felt. I had to have two granola bars and one protein shake. My back was aching a lot on the car ride I took today, but when I sat up with my posture it randomly went away. Maybe I need to sit up straight more often. I think the pain is from the yoga and guitar I have been doing. My legs are sore from riding a trike 12 miles on friday. 

Today’s class will be a smaller bjj class with Allison as the coach, and I don’t know who my partner will be, but I hope it is Charlie because he is good(and crushes me!)  and will let me take breaks. I usually don’t mind who I need to work with, because they are forced to have to go slow if they are with me anyway because of my overweight/out of shape body.

It is 3:35pm right now and I am typing this to fill time before the lesson. I am listening to the Trivium album In Waves. I like the band because the singer Matt Heafy is a jiu jitsu black belt and that is cool to me that he got into metal because of his martial arts.

I don’t know why I get so nervous around this time. I took ibuprofen for my back before going and I should have the strength to make it through the lesson. I seem to get close to injury level soreness if I trike and practice near the same days.

Things that I learned that can help with the nervousness: Breathing through nose and diaphragm breathing. Deep and calm breaths. Focus on something else until the time to go, distractions. Remember that I survived all the other days I have gone in. The hardest part is getting through the doors. If it is too hot again today I will be taking off my undershirt in the locker room and if I need to I will open my gi out of my belt. I have a sweat rash on my chest. I don’t think it is an issue, it is just a little red. 

The deep diaphragmatic breathing through the nose and slow exhale is helping right now.

Instructor: Allison

Partner: Charlie, some other classmates

We started doing the same thing we did on Thursday but this time was about coming down onto our hips into reverse side control, and pushing up their arms and inching our right leg up and out of their wraps with their legs around the right leg. 

The continuation of the first part we would get out knee up and out then push it over their stomach and have a weird not quite full mount then bringing the leg out of the wraps and gaining side control then into full mount.

Charlie likes to do continuation moves that he knows and will put me in armlocks and try to get different offensive positions during our exercises. Today, I tried to survive his attempts and conserve energy and get my own positions if I could. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work.

At the end, Allison had 3 people line up on the floor and the rest against the wall. Then we would get into the position we practiced all class and the top would try to get control and the bottom would resist depending on size and skill levels involved. I participated in this today and I think I did 3 rounds on the top and maybe 2 on the bottom. Not everybody in the class is my size so I was not about to go against the women that were attending. I waited for Charlie or the higher belts to do the exercise.

At the end I saw Jordan, my partner from the heatwave class on Thursday (it felt like a heat wave but my cardio is a lot better because of it). I also felt a lot better this class because I ate carbs before class to have energy.