My first official jiu jitsu tournament was last Saturday (two days ago).
I was excited for the tournament for a long time!
On last Tuesday, though, in jiu jitsu class we were supposed to wrestle. This big guy threw me to the ground and I pulled a hip flexor 🙁 I took it easy for the rest of the week, and was still excited for the tournament, but a little weary and cautious. Saturday morning I got into fight mode! I did this by getting my hair braided 😉
Sorry da pic is lopsided! Turn your computer sideways ;P
I did it not only to pull my hair away from my face, but also to feel confident and hopefully intimidate my opponents!
There were six of us girls competing, and we were randomly matched up. I was paired up with an experienced wrestler! She defeated me by points. She ended up defeating every opponent thereafter, and ended up taking first place! So at least I got beat by the #1 chick ;P
My lack of experience was no match for her extensive experience! I did my best though and got my feet wet! Good times.
After the tournament, I decided though that I will take a week break from jiu jitsu and lower body training/cardio so that I can heal my hip flexor. I don’t want it to turn into a lingering injury! It’s been almost a week and I still feel it, so time to bring in the reigns and get it better ASAP.
I am working on resting it as much as possible by avoiding running/stepping/squatting/etc and instead focusing on upper body strength training, essentially alternating one day pushing and one pulling. I am also icing my hip flexor, using STEM, applying arnica, stretching, rolling it, and will also do some glute work to help stretch the anterior chain and promote activation of the posterior chain, which can help in maintaining pelvic stability, which in turn will help balance my kinetic chain and heal me up faster! Once I establish pain-free range of motion, I will begin gentle strengthening of the hip flexor such as standing or seated bent leg raises, then eventually move on to resisted exercises and proprioceptive work.
In the meantime, I am becoming reacquainted with my old friend, the weight room! It’s been fun to hit weights hard, and I’ve been getting my heart rate up with handbike intervals. Thank goodness for the handbike! I love my gym.
A quote I just read to leave you with: “Life is a pure flame, and we live by an invisible sun within us.“
~Sir Thomas Brown
Love, kale, and dumbbells <3
FEB