BJJ Caveman

Supplementation for BJJ Marathon Sessions

Posted on February 15, 2016May 9, 2017 by BJJ Caveman

The highlight of my week is Friday evening. Not because I go clubbing or drinking or bar hopping or whatever it is the kids are doing these days. It’s because of something special that happens at my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym.

Here’s what the typical Friday evening schedule looks like.

6:00-6:30: Open Mat
6:30-7:30: Fundamentals II
7:30-8:30: Marathon Roll

Marathon Roll is only for blue belts and above. White belts can participate, but they have to be individually invited by one of the instructors.

It consists of 10 sets of 5 minute rounds with 1 minute rest in between for a total of 60 minutes of pure BJJ happiness. … Read More

Can Meditation Gadgets Really Help?

Posted on January 29, 2016January 31, 2016 by BJJ Caveman

The Wall Street Journal published an interesting article in the Technology section about meditation gadgets last month. The author who is a technology editor describes his experience with trying to aid his meditation with biofeedback devices.

He writes briefly about the NeuroSky MindWave device ($99) and the Emotiv Insight device ($659), but settles on the Muse Headband ($249) which he says offers the ‘most pleasant experience.’

Incidentally, this is the same headband that I have (check out my review here).

It took him a while to get used to it but one he did:

…it didn’t take long for me to notice a greater sense of awareness spilling over into everyday life.

Fish Oil Helps Burn Fat

Posted on January 27, 2016January 23, 2016 by BJJ Caveman

Ben Greenfield tweeted out a link to the the press release for this study, where they state:

Researchers have found that fish oil transforms fat-storage cells into fat-burning cells, which may reduce weight gain in middle age.

Since I’m currently stuck in the middle of the storm of the century here in Northern Virginia (why did I ever leave California), I figure I have the time to hunker down and read through the actual paper itself.

Press releases are notorious for misrepresenting what is actually stated in the paper. … Read More

Successful Treatment of Osteoarthritis with Curcumin

Posted on January 25, 2016January 23, 2016 by BJJ Caveman

I honestly didn’t expect to be writing so much about curcumin but when I came across this study I couldn’t help but read through it. I recently wrote about a study demonstrating how curcumin can help tendon healing, but because the test subjects were rats, my enthusiasm was somewhat tempered.

Once I saw that this study done in humans, my curiosity was piqued.

This was published in the Alternative Medicine Review journal in 2010 and is titled:

Efficacy and Safety of Meriva, a Curcumin-phosphatidylcholine Complex, during Extended Administration in Osteoarthritis Patients

I actually learned a lot more about curcumin, after reading through this paper. … Read More

Jocko Podcast: My New Favorite Podcast

Posted on January 22, 2016January 21, 2016 by BJJ Caveman

I first came across the name Jocko Willink through the Tim Ferriss Podcast.

To read through his resume is to understand what a true badass he is. Pulled directly from his bio on Echelon Front, his consulting company:

Jocko spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, starting as an enlisted SEAL and rising through the ranks to become a SEAL officer. As commander of SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the “Ready First” Brigade of the US Army’s First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city.

The Importance of Blue Light Reduction

Posted on January 20, 2016January 23, 2016 by BJJ Caveman

*Image found here

I was pretty excited when I saw the blue light reduction feature being added in to the next iOS (9.3). For those new to the scene, blue light at night has been found to be extremely detrimental to our sleep cycles.

Modern humans are now surrounded by screens everywhere. TVs, tablets, smartphones, computer screens etc. These screens have even wormed their way into our bedrooms.

In the natural world, blue light = day time.

The more we stare at these screens at night, the more we’re telling our brain that it’s day time. … Read More