How to count your sports in the conditioning protocol

[Maxrip13]

My current focus is getting to as many BJJ sessions as possible at the gym.
I also need to be able to perform at work.
BJJ covers a bit of HIC and E for me, but doesn’t really tick the box fully. I treat it as completely different to all other training.

My plan to get around this is the following:
BJJ 3+ times a week (1.5 hr classes)This may include 2x day if I have a day off or doing extended open mats to get hours up. Whatever it takes to get 3-4 hours + on the mat a week.

TB fighter/OP I/A with squat/press/weighted pull-up cluster + HIC finisher. 2x a week
Sprints,swings,loaded carries focused HICs.

Long run/walk unloaded or loaded. 1 - 2 times a fortnight.

I will be keeping the sport stuff as seperate but limiting my other session training volume and exercise selection due to my sport.
E.g I will probably do weighted pistols instead of back squats as they are easier to recover from.
Sprint based HIC as BJJ doesn’t involve much running.

The main thing is to be able to train and also work without it causing me to not be able to function in day to day life.
If my focus was to improve my HIC conditioning I would have a very different approach.

[WallBilly]

My current focus is getting to as many BJJ sessions as possible at the gym.
I also need to be able to perform at work.
BJJ covers a bit of HIC and E for me, but doesn’t really tick the box fully. I treat it as completely different to all other training.
. . .

Hit the nail on the head, and I pretty much came to the same conclusions a couple of years ago. I am on the record, more than once here, as calling my sport "half-assed HIC combined with half-assed E."

I got excited about the HR monitor data, but it was fake hope, and KB was right again.

The rest of your plan makes a lot of sense, and I would follow it if I was 20 years younger. For sure, I am going to include real TB E and HIC with sports as much as I can from now on.

[Maxrip13]

My current focus is getting to as many BJJ sessions as possible at the gym.
I also need to be able to perform at work.
BJJ covers a bit of HIC and E for me, but doesn’t really tick the box fully. I treat it as completely different to all other training.
. . .

Hit the nail on the head, and I pretty much came to the same conclusions a couple of years ago. I am on the record, more than once here, as calling my sport "half-assed HIC combined with half-assed E."

I got excited about the HR monitor data, but it was fake hope, and KB was right again.

The rest of your plan makes a lot of sense, and I would follow it if I was 20 years younger. For sure, I am going to include real TB E and HIC with sports as much as I can from now on.

I am 26, but I am a very high mileaged athlete. I started my training very young and then followed that with an extended time in the Army. Add to that being LE and the shift work that comes with that and I feel your pain RE: Recovery and "age".

I definitely find it hard to balance everything and can only really focus on two attributes at a time including my sport.

The biggest hit for me training wise is my strength work so I pick exercises that are easier to recover from when I want to do sport regularly. I can't squat or dead lift heavy and train the necessary volume needed for improvement in strength and BJJ. I can do weighted pistols, bench press, weighted pull ups and a short finisher followed by a BJJ training session at moderate intensity. I definitely struggle for a few sessions when I return to those heavy exercises, but I find the above lighter cluster has me covered for 85% of the strength I need to maintain my big lifts. I then do a quick 3-6 week cycle and I am picking hitting over double body weight on those big lifts with minimal effort.

Don't get me wrong squats and dead lifts are amazing exercises, but they aren't the best option during sport seasons. Sub in some single leg/Unilateral variants to allow you to recover easier and I reckon you will find you can push those HICs and E and recover easier.

With the HIC I find that the running sessions are best as I don't do much running in my sport. If I get out there and do heaps of conditioning circuits I get sore and my sport suffers.

With E I think running is king, however for recovery I find loaded walks, cycling or swimming to be the best to recover from. If I do a lot of rowing and running I found everything else starts to suffer and my body gets beaten up much quicker.

Hopefully this makes sense as I am trying to give people options.It's not directed at anyone particularly, however I am putting this out there from my own personal experience and what I have found works to allow me to train for sport. Plus typing this out reminds me of what works for me personally and might force me to actually listen to my own advice