Disclaimer

The exercises and information contained within this book may be too difficult
or dangerous for some people, and the reader(s) should consult a physician
before engaging in them.

The author and publisher of this book are not responsible in any manner
whatsoever for any injury which may occur through reading and following the
instructions herein.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. I am aware that Beyond Grappling Fitness & Conditioning and its member
Matthew D’Aquino, is not a medical doctor and does not qualify to determine
a participant’s physical capability to engage in strenuous exercise.
2. Medical clearance from my physician may be required prior to participation
in any exercise program and/or engaging in any of the exercises contained
within this manual.
WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY:

(Read carefully before performing any exercises in this manual)

I understand and acknowledge that there are risks involved in participating in
any exercise program and/or any exercises contained within this manual. In
consideration for being allowed to utilize the information within this manual, I
agree that I will assume the risk and full responsibility for determining the
need for medical clearance from a physician and obtaining such clearance, the
safety and/or efficacy of any exercise program recommended to me, and any
and all injuries, losses, or damages, which might occur to me and/or to my
family while utilizing the information in this manual and to the maximum
extent allowed by law I agree to waive and release any and all claims, suits, or
related causes of action against Beyond Grappling Fitness & Conditioning,
Matthew D’Aquino or their employees, or affiliates for injury, loss, death, costs
or other damages to me, my family or assigns, while utilizing all information or
partaking in the exercises contained within this manual.

I further agree to release, indemnify and Beyond Grappling Fitness &

Conditioning from any liability whatsoever for future claims presented by my
children for any injuries, losses or damages.
Copyright
Matt D’Aquino’s Workouts for Judo

A Matt D’Aquino Book/Manual 2010

All rights reserved.

Copyright © Dec 1st 2010 by Matthew D’Aquino

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

means, mechanical or electronic, including recording, photocopying, or by
any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publisher.

Email: [email protected]

Websites: www.beyondgrappling.com

www.beyondgrapplingandfitness.com
Section 1
About Me
My name is Matthew D’Aquino. I am 25 years old and am passionate about all
forms of grappling. I have been studying Judo for 19 years and have
represented Australia at 8 Continental Championships, 3 World Championships
and competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. I have also competed in
various World Cups, Grand Slams and Grand Prixs all over the world. I have
trained in some of the hardest dojos in the world, including Yong Inn University
in Korea, Tokai University in Japan, INCEP in France, Pollymunka in the Czech
Republic and Sankaku Club in Slovenia.

My best results include:

- Being the first and only Australian Male to win the Pac Rim
Championships in 2009
- 1st Place St Gallen Tournament in Switzerland
- 3rd Place USK Cup Prague, Czech Republic
- Multiple Oceania Champion
- Multiple Australian champion
- World Cup Champion
- 17th 2010 World Championships Tokyo

I also compete in Freestyle Wrestling and Brazilian Jujitsu competitions in and

around Australia. My best results include:

- 1st No-Gi Purple-belt Submission Grappling National championship -67kg

- 1st Royler Gracie Cup Purple belt 2009 -74kg
- 2nd National Freestyle Wrestling Championships. -60kg
My Philosophy:
I am passionate about teaching and passing on my knowledge and experience
to others. My philosophy is simply “If I haven’t done it, I won’t teach it.” I
believe this is a crucial element to my teaching. It means that in everything I
teach, I am familiar with and have a deep understanding of how to complete
each exercise, workout or technique.

The reason why I have been so successful in my Judo career is due to the fact
that I have significantly better fitness and conditioning than my opponents. I
put this down to the demanding workouts I put myself through week in, week
out. I train using a variety of bodyweight exercises as well as barbells,
kettlebells, tyres, rowers, dumbbells, ropes, bands and medicine balls in order
to be as physically prepared for each competition that I can be.
Why this manual?
I wrote this manual because I love educating people. I have a passion for
teaching people how I train, what I do and the workouts I have completed in
order to achieve maximum results for training and Judo competition. I studied
and obtained a Certificate 4 in Fitness and have been working in the Australian
fitness industry for 6 years. During this time I found that many Judokas’ don’t
know how to train for Judo. I saw many Judo players completing bodybuilding
programs for strength or running long distances as part of their cardio training.

In order to attain the best results you must train specifically for your sport.

An example of this is Olympic and World Champion 100 metre sprinter Usain
Bolt. Bolt would never run any further than 500 metres in training. Therefore,
when he competes he runs 100 metres, running too much further than this
distance in training would not benefit him in competition; in fact, it would
actually be detrimental to his conditioning.

If we take this approach and apply it to Judo, we can see how running for one
hour will not be as beneficial as 3-5 rounds of an intense Judo specific workout.
What does this manual include?
These workouts are tailored for the recreational or competitive Judoka. The
workouts are between 5 and 10 minutes in length using equipment found in
most commercial and home gyms.

Below are all the pieces of equipment you need to complete each workout:

 Medicine Ball
 4 – 6 Cones
 1 Barbell
 40 – 60 kg weights
 15-25kg dumbbell
 Stopwatch
 1 Skipping rope
 1 Aerobics Step
 Clock or stop watch
 1 Rowing Machine (or exercise bike)

Judo matches utilize both the Anaerobic and Aerobic energy systems (See table
1 below.) The workouts I have designed for this manual target both systems for
complete, well rounded conditioning.

It is important to point out a few aspects of this manual that will enhance your
understanding of my terminology.

Exercises

Are individual exercises such as pushups, burpees etc

Workouts

Workouts are 3-6 exercises put together in circuit style

Training sessions

Are simply 3-6 workouts put together to form a training session. A training
session also includes a warm up and cool down.
Anaerobic and Aerobic energy systems
Aerobic means ‘with air.’ This means when you are performing aerobically your
muscles are receiving enough oxygen to supply them with the energy it needs
to function. In doing so this stops the onset of lactic acid and muscular fatigue.
You use your aerobic system when working at low intensity such as jogging.

Anaerobic simply means ‘without air.’ When you are competing or training at a
high intensity your body will switch from aerobic to the anaerobic energy
system. This means that your body is creating energy (glycogen) without the
use of oxygen. The consequence of this is that lactic acid settles into your
muscle tissue, resulting in your muscles being unable to perform at maximum
capacity. In order to remove lactic acid the muscle must receive oxygen to
flush away the lactic acid and begin to create energy aerobically.

Competing in the Aerobic or Anaerobic energy system simply comes down to

how intense you are training. If you are training at an intensity level where
your muscles are receiving the necessary amount of oxygen then you will be
training in the Aerobic energy system. This is usually in low to moderate levels
of intensity, for example jogging.

As soon as you start increasing the intensity of the exercise and your muscles
start to become deprived of oxygen means you will start to be training
anaerobically.

Table 1:
Time Anaerobic Aerobic
(Secs) (%) (%)

30 secs 80 20
60 secs 70 30
120 secs 60 40
240 secs 40 60
Powers, S., and E.Howley. Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance.New York:
McGraw Hill, 2001
The above table is a general guideline to how intensity and duration impact
which energy system an athlete will utilise at any given time. It is very
important to remember that with all forms of grappling there are times when
athletes will be using 80-100% of a particular energy system for a short period
of time.

For example during competition an athlete may be using 95% of their

Anaerobic energy system and then during a position change or referee
stoppage the athlete may have a quick rest and while breathing deeply and
restoring vital oxygen stores he may decrease his Anaerobic usage to 70%
before beginning again.

Therefore from a training and exercise point of view we must complete an

exercise regime that will be swap and change between the 2 energy systems.

Above: Throwing my opponent with a Sumei Gaeshi (sacrifice throw) at the 2010 Tokyo Judo
World Championships.
 What do Judokas need?
This manual contains 30 workouts designed by a Judoka for Judokas. Each
workout consists of a number of exercises focussing on improving many
aspects of your Judo game. These include:

Anaerobic threshold:

Your anaerobic threshold is simply your body’s ability to perform at a high

intensity before the onset of lactic acid.

Aerobic ability:

Is the ability to recover in between ‘mattes’ and supply working muscles with
oxygen resulting on removing lactic acid.

Upper body Speed:

Is essential in grip fighting (kumi kata) as well as pulling your opponent off
balance (kuzushi).

Lower body Speed:

As well as the breaking of your opponents balance, the speed of your entry is
crucial to the success of the throw. Lower body speed is a must in all workouts.

Agility:

Agility is needed to evade attacks and if needed, escape attacks to avoid being
thrown for Ippon.

Co-ordination:

Co-ordination is a huge part of Judo. You must be able to know where your
body is positioned in order to attack, defend and adjust techniques quickly.

Upper body strength and power:

Needed to break your opponents grip once they have grasped your gi as well
as being able to explode out of pins (Osaekomi waza).
Lower body strength and power:

Lower body strength and power is crucial in nearly all Judo throws. Techniques
such as Seoi Nage and O Goshi require you to explode upwards and forwards
from a squat or half squatting position to complete the technique.

Rotational strength:

Nearly all Judo throws require you to rotate in order to complete the
technique. It is crucial that all Judokas have rotational strength to finish throws
and drive through any resistance you may encounter from your opponents
defence.

Core strength:

Core strength is essential for a number of reasons. These include protecting

your spine from injury, transferring strength from lower body to upper body,
as well as assisting your balance.

Back strength:

Back strength is crucial in order to stay upright and fight with great posture. A
strong back will stop your opponent pulling your head down as well as assist
you in pulling your opponent off balance.

Hip power:

Hip power is vital when defending throws. In addition to defence your hips will
assist you in generating a lot of power when throwing and escaping pins.

Concentration:

Concentration is required by every judoka at every training session, randori

and competition. As a training session or fight goes on and you become
fatigued, you don’t just physically stop working, but you mentally begin to
make bad decisions. The fitter you are and the more oxygen you have in your
body, the better you can concentrate. This results in you making better,
quicker decisions in the midst of competition.
Mobility

Mobility and joint stability is of significant importance to all Judokas. Being

mobile and flexible will greatly assist you in many areas of your Judo. It will
help you evade techniques, as well as increase the range of your sweeping leg
which is great for throws such as Uchimata, Tai Otoshi and Osoto Gari. Being
mobile will also assist in injury prevention.

Joint stability:

By keeping these joints supple you will have stable joints that will help when
throwing your opponent. For example while performing a Harai Goshi or
Uchimata, having stable ankles and knees will greatly improve your chances of
maintaining balance and throwing your opponent for a score.

Joint stability is also important in reducing the risk of injury in training or

competition.

Balance:

Balance is a fundamental aspect of Judo. Judo was designed to be a game of

unbalancing your opponent using a variety of techniques. Therefore it is
essential that balance is always a part of any serious Judokas training.
Section 2 - Exercises
Skipping
1

Exercise Description:
Begin skipping. Skip from foot to foot rather than both feet at once.

Benefits:
 Upper and lower body co-ordination
 Ankle stability
 Lower body speed

Tips:
 Make sure you have a rope that is the right size. To measure what size
rope you need, simply stand in the centre of the rope. The handles
should be at the bottom of your armpits.
 Skip by only rotating your wrists, not using your whole arm to swing the
rope.
 Always be on the balls of your feet, never on your heels.
 Skip on a soft surface to reduce the impact on knee joints.