The Full CJI Wrap Up
Learn all about Matheus Diniz's Training & Nutrition.
It’s been some time since I checked in here on the Substack, but I’m not coming empty handed:
As many people know, I spent the entire summer preparing Matheus Diniz for what became the biggest jiu jitsu event of all time, The Craig Jones Invitational (CJI). The dust has settled and jiu jitsu as a spectator sport has certainly changed forever since that event. What stood out to me, however, was the class of athlete who will compete on the biggest stages, is also changed forever.
It used to be that jiu jitsu professionals were typically also school owners and full time instructors as they found their way to the bigger stages of the sport. Sometimes, they did other things entirely to make a living. These days are all but over. There will be outliers, sure, but the class of jiu jitsu athlete I found at CJI and ADCC that weekend in Vegas was akin to the professional athletes of other major sports: they were full time athletes.
Originally, I had started writing a bit of a journal, which I may publish at some point, but that “journal” became the two long articles on DiSalvo Performance Training’s website, which are both available to read now. If you enjoyed the event, or any of the insights above, I encourage you to read those two articles below. Part I chronicles what was the most successful aspect of Matheus’ prep: his weight cut down to -80kg.
READ: Road to the Craig Jones Invitational Part I (Weight Cut & Nutrition)
READ: Road to the Craig Jones Invitational Part I (Training in the Gym)
My biggest takeaway is that we’re in a new era. When money comes to sports, the preparation and the seriousness of it increases as well. If you’re an aspiring professional, you need to be training supplementarily in the gym and ideally with a strength coach. If you’re in the developmental phase and aspiring to be on the big stage one day— the stage for you will be the biggest it’s ever been. The opportunities to earn will surpass even what we’re seeing now. That’s a wonderful thing— so prepare accordingly!
New DPT Hoodies- On Sale Now!
We also have a new hoodie available at the DiSalvo Performance Training for the Fall/Winter ‘24/’25 season. It’s different than any we’ve done before in the fact that they’re oversized, heavyweight and “lower key” than the usual branding and style, as you can see above. They turned out great, and we hope to see them around this winter!
You can buy yours by clicking here. This is a pre-order and pre-sale, and you must purchase before Friday if you’d like one (we’re only making what is actually pre-ordered). They’ll ship directly to you in 2 weeks or so.