The Shintaro Higashi Show - How Strong Do You REALLY Need To Be? w/ Vinnie Mancuso

Episode Date: April 21, 2025

Do big deadlifts = better judo?In this episode, Shintaro sits down with wrestling coach and grappling veteran Vinnie Mancuso to talk about lifting for combat sports, what actually helps on the mat, and what’s just ego. They share training insights, injury prevention strategies, and how to structure your back day to support grappling performance, not break you down.

They're strong powerlifts are strong people who are competing in deadlift that could pull seven eight remember this guys Yeah, everybody was watching this we were grappler. We did judo. We wrestle right? We have to be strong Like you could be strong at that list not strong on the mat. Yep hundred percent you need to be like Really strong like without fooling yourself. Yeah, because I always thought heavier my deadlift the better my judo People think of a physician. Yeah disclaimer Vinny is not a physician nor am I Yeah, it's like that disclaimer like hey, this is not medical advice. You should probably put that up in the beginning Yeah, this is not medical advice period

Alright I put that up in the beginning. Yeah, this is not medical advice, period. All right, Shintaro Higashi show. I'm here with my friend Vinnie Mancuso. He's coaching Bergen Catholic, which is a great program. One of the best programs in the country. You're the heavyweight wrestling coach, right, for the kids. Yes. You wrestle with the kids physically.

Of course. And then you are a Sambal national champ, Sambal Pan-American champion. You went to the senior worlds recently in Sambamba. We wrestled together back in the day. He took second in the US Open or third Wrestling yeah third third there's the US Open I was a little slower and grappling you don't have your grappling world silver medalist and seniors not veterans seniors I like how you made that Alright, so very legit first and foremost. Thank you to our sponsors

We have a whole patreon thing where you can actually chat with me and learn from me one-to-one mentorships and all that So check it out. My editors gonna put patreon whatever it is here link down below. Thank you very much a John He's my editor video guy There's a job. Yeah, bitch. You're tall. It's super professional super professional makes your time look super professional. Super professional, because you know most of the time I'm not hanging out, wiggity wiggity. But yes, thank you Jason, thank you Levan, thank you Drew, Hacween.ai.

If you have business, you have churn, Drew will solve your problems. And Elijah, thank you very much for supporting this podcast. We're gonna talk about lifting today. Okay. Yeah. You lift weights? Of course. Of course. I've been lifting weights. Remember, I grew up wrestling as did you. Okay. Yeah. You lift weights? Of course. Of course. I've been lifting weights. Remember I grew up wrestling as a kid. Yeah. Yeah. I mean

probably started lifting around like 12-13 years old when you wrestle in this country. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I remember my first time I've ever lifted weights. I was a freshman in high school, right, and then I was on the football team and we were on the worst football team on this planet. But I was on the line. I was like tackle and all Like I was uh, I was offensive tackle defensive tackle, you know, I'm not that huge of a guy Yeah, they're like, all right, you guys gonna have to get that age. Oh, yeah, well chubby maybe not the tallest guy But you're pretty happy that guy's perfect. Yeah, that's great But I never forget man, we're doing squats dude, and they taught us how to spot each other

Yeah, and then the first time I've ever got another barbell squat did we do box squats We had to catch we had one guy on each side in the guy behind you like this 315 three plates it Wow. Yeah first time I think it's just from judo. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was pretty strong I think I you're just like, you know, yeah Could not do a pull-up back then Asian stereotype to have like the strong legs like yeah, I'm sorry those Chinese weight lifters I've been told and like a lot of like just Asian people to especially like huge calves and stuff Yeah, and you've lifted your whole life. Yes ever we wrestled back then so, you know, but you've never stopped

No, and you've been on the same program this whole time hasn't changed I wouldn't say I wouldn't say the same program yeah I have a couple I tell people I actually have like some things I have a lot of stuff like written out like I have like maybe like three or four kind of like pro I would say that they're all pretty similar but I probably have three or four things written out. But there's certain things that are just kind of constant I guess. And I personally I would say like to do the body part more than once a week. I'm not really into that. So there's staples. Heavy deadlifts. Squats. Yeah. But the deadlift heavy I do usually like a stifflegged deadlift.

Not like an actual, not like usually like from the floor deadlift, usually that much. Just because I'm so strong at it. Not like saying like a power of world record strong, but pretty damn strong that like, I think it's just safer and it could get like a little more out of the hamstring. Nice. I do it in the safer that and make it get like a little more out of the hamstring. No, I don't the stiff-legged Yeah, I feel like just a regular deadlift definitely is good Yeah, but it's more or less gonna just tell you like how strong you are deadlift as opposed to like the best thing to like Develop your hamstrings glutes lower back. Yeah

Okay, I'm saying it's definitely safer. Yeah. Yeah, that's really interesting how you said that, you know Because there's like Olympic lifters strong power lifts are strong people who are competing in deadlift that could pull seven eight remember this guys Yeah, everybody was watching this we were grappler. We did judo. We wrestle night We have to be strong Like you could be strong at that lifts not strong on the mat. Yeah, 100% you need to be like on the mat. Yeah, 100%. You need to be like really strong like without fooling yourself. Yeah, because I always thought heavier my deadlift the better my judo and actually looking back at it now it was actually detrimental. I was trying to get that 600 deadlift you know and I was 565 was the max I've ever done and I would keep getting injured trying to and you know it would be stupid things right like I do like you know crazy I did GVT you know German Bible yeah 10 by 10 I'll do that like high school but yeah and

certainly about one rep max and then you're just absolutely fatigued you're fried and you go to judo and then you tweak something you know that you know it's like oh I'm doing five by five strong lifts you know and you got four plates on you're cranking through the thing and then alright Let me just do like a burn out set with like really lightweight to kind of just like like superset it And you throw out your back or something, you know It's like you put so much tax on your body and ultimately there's no difference between meet deadlifts in 405 and 565 I think there's a point of diminishing returns when it came to being

strong on the deadlift you know well the thing is too you the stronger you get like you can't necessarily have like a guy that's like starting out was not that strong doing the same type of program on a guy who's already strong hmm it's like Charles like gonna be these is you know naturally good in the squat deadlift, right? Maybe his pressing's pretty decent, nothing crazy, maybe compared to squat, deadlift would probably be pretty good, you know?

Yeah, overhead stuff can't do anything. Yeah, so like, you gotta, you gotta know how to control your reps, I feel like. If you don't control your reps, that's when, that's obviously the most dangerous. Yeah, for sure. It doesn't have to be dangerous. Like anybody can get hurt doing anything.

Sure. Put that out there. But lifting's pretty controlled and you have control over how controlled that can be. That's really insightful, man. That's really insightful. Because all these guys who are on the internet, obviously like, whoa, you gotta go full range of motion and and then bar balls are better than the machines and this and that and then it's not necessarily

You know, yeah. Yeah, so like something with the bench for example, if you like the bench I kind of cringe when I see people go like total full range of motion on the bench Yeah, cuz everybody gets hurt down here. Yeah. Especially, like, especially, you know, I see some of these, like, football players, they're going for, like, their max, and it's like they're lowering it, and they're, like, dropping it down. Yeah, yeah, and then bouncing off the chest. Or you see the guy that, like, when he gets lower, it's, like, almost like he pulls it

off so he can bounce it off. Yeah. Like, that's a great way to screw up. Or even like a huge, that ridiculous arch that they're, like, kind of, like, just doing that kind of stuff, that can't be good for you. I mean, you're not really activating it. I mean, you're better off really just taking it to, like, maybe, like, kinda like just doing that kinda stuff, that can't be good for you. I mean, you're not really activating. I mean, you're better off really just taking it to like, maybe like on a flat, like a straight bar,

maybe like 90 degrees and just like go back. 90 degrees, huh? Keep the tension on the packs. Yeah, I mean, there is research. Might actually get better results. I'm just saying that particular exercise. Well, there's research that suggests like, the more you load it in a stretch position the better activation better growth

I'm just saying for that particular exercise. Maybe you should do that with a different exercise. Let's just say for example It's been on a person right if you bench 225 for reps, no, it's really that, it's nothing great. It's okay, whatever. You're probably not gonna get hurt in a full range of motion with that, but what if you do three plates, three and a half plates, and you're doing that week in and week out all the time, don't you think something's gonna happen at some point? 100%, I know so many guys now my age, our age,

guys who are towing their pack. That's a devastating injury. No, sir a Lot of like bodybuilders as I've seen yeah, like, you know in New Jersey Like there's nothing a lot of like bodybuilders in like Steve's box like plenty of guys like from totally pro Jersey is the worst. I'm sorry. I'm like a pro bodybuilders or whatever Yeah, and like you won't even see those guys really touch a flat bench. Because they might be so strong at lifting. They may not, like, lifting is what they do.

Like they're so strong at a lift that it might take them, I don't know, what if they have to do 405 on the incline bench to get a great workout? Well that's a little risky. Risky, yeah. So, like, I see a lot of those guys, they might do, like, the hammer strength incline instead. I love the hammer strength incline.

You know? Huge bet. And the hammer strength is awesome. Yeah. And, like, so the guy does 405 on the incline, which is crazy. Yeah. So he does, so do five plates on the hammer strength. If you fail at six, seven reps on the hammer with five plates and you fail up six seven reps with the incline at four or five

What's the difference? Yeah, perhaps don't know. Yeah No, and sure they say yeah, and what I like about saying hammer strike. I know what you're about to say Can I say it the handles? Yeah the handles you you have this you have this grip So then I can't do it anymore. Just let it slip the whole thing the angle Yeah, the angle of the handles. Oh, yeah, they're nice. You're not like not on this Yes, a little bit more elbows talked and it doesn't have to be like there's a lot of there's actually a lot of brands now That make nicely these like plate loader machines are pretty good. Yeah, but I'm just saying hammer screws It's like I don't know what Coca-Cola right? Yeah, but for back

I think they like you use the thumb in the bar like this No, you don't grab the ball when you do the hammer, right? You go you go over like this. No, that's what I was talking about I like this sometimes because then it could slide off. Oh slide. Oh, no. No, I know. Oh, yeah Yeah, yeah, actually when I do it, I actually I feel like it kind of goes up to here My hand my thumbs almost like free. Yes. Yes. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about Yeah, yeah, cuz then you could really push yourself to failure. You know my biggest fear is benching like I can't write and then some I

Don't want to say the R word, but some person that's not Intellectually on our love again you bump it into the weight and then I think falling out God biggest fear, dude So it's like I get really annoyed when I'm like benching or doing dumbbell like inclines or something and people walking close especially like these like you know people try parts filming in the gym that doesn't bother me so much because you do it like that yeah let me check my floor yeah no but I mean like you know you get these like people not who are not paying attention, walking around, texting on their phones.

Because if you're inclined here and then they knock into your thing and it goes this way, your shoulder's done. I know. You know? See, I don't think, you just have to listen. There's a lot of tools to gem.

We have barbells, we have dumbbells, we have cables, we have camera strength, we have plate-loaded machines, we have select-arised machines. They all could work. They all could work. And a lot of times too, with those pieces, those pieces were designed like a special way.

And you see all the, like some people just use them all. Like they're in there and they're like, yeah, you know? You gotta take advantage of the, it has a nice stretch here. And then like at the top, like the thing squeezes the hell out of you Yeah, like do you lock out or not when you're on the heaven's run? I like to lock out of that cuz it has a good squeeze on the top. Oh, but you contract like with our contract. Yeah

Usually yes, I also like I think like the back type machines that have a very good I think they're very good for like judo, especially you know, the ones the chest plate and then you Wait, right load it. You can do one-handed or two-handed. Oh and what's good about that If you're doing like one-handed if you're one-handed safe, say you were gonna hold that it's just like you'd like pulling some sure Do you like this group with this group for that one? Oh, I actually both I mix it up if I'm doing two arms at once. I actually like this one Yeah, if I'm doing it one arm, I actually like this cuz then it's like doing a dumbbell But here's another thing right a lot of if I'm in a gym and a dumbbell like I could one arm around a lot of weight

Yeah, yeah, so like if the gym only has 120 pound dumbbell. Well, it's not gonna help me very much. That's crazy So if I could do if I did they have that hammer machine, I could load a bunch of plates on there I could yeah, do you hold the chest plate like this this this or we do the other hand doing one-handed? Yeah, yeah, because you got to hold yourself in place. Yeah, no cuz it'll slide like this usually I'll put the leg. Yes the leg that I'm But the leg that I'm pulling with yeah, like the side of pulling I usually put that leg out in the front Yeah, and this one way back here. I just keep staying I love love that machine. How many weights, how much plates you put on there? You know my gym has like a really old-fashioned version of it and the

weights actually like stack on top of each other so you can't do as much. Some of the newer gyms they have the newer version and the weights go on the side. Yeah my gym got those. The one that goes on the side I could do a lot of plates. How many you put on your side? Probably like five or something but but the one but the one at the gym I go to have an older one where you can like stack them like this on that one only maybe like three nice Because it feels so heavy. Yeah, the weight is like on the front. Yeah, I'm pulling it's on the front not on the side I love that one man. I do like I put three plates on each side You know yeah, it's so good, dude, and you could do that a lot of ways to you do it the way I was

Showing you like holding it right or Like you don't have to worry about your lower back Yeah on it So you could do if you want to do it like faster you could just do it faster and like pump that way And then put it down maybe do like I don't know like a 30 second break and then do it again Yeah, and if you did like I don't know like four of those in a row Yeah, 30 second break you'd be pretty toasted would you mix like barbells? Free weights and yeah. Yeah. So what are your free weight exercises that you like?

And then what are the ones you go to for machine? I like Rose Bar Rose and a rose and the rose but over I like rows with a bar. Rows with a bar? Yeah. Bent over rows? Bent over rows. I like overhead presses. How do you do bent over rows? You do like this way or this way?

Overhand. Overhand? Yeah. Nice. What's your angle of your back? So there's two ways I do it. I do one way that's like a little bit more upright and I'll let the belt go like pretty heavy.

Yeah. And another way I do it is like all the way down and I'm bringing the weights almost down to the floor. Ah. And it's a lighter weight and I actually don't even use a belt for that because it kind of like all the way down and i'm bringing the weights almost down to the floor And it's a lighter weight and i actually don't even use a bell for that because it kind of gets in the way nice I like that i like weighted pull-ups And maza maybe dumbbell row so what is your split right now It's been for a while i always like to kind of like that push pull like Yeah you were such a push-pull like now It's actually kind of popular, but I was doing it when it wasn't fun

See this was something that was really popular like before we were born yeah And then like everybody you know of course when we were younger we did like one body part once a week Yeah, the chest by strike shoulders. Yeah, I always did better and of course I've done that too But I've always done better when I put body parts together and did Them a little more frequently. I'd rather do like less sets for the body part and do it more times in the week. Also For any grappling you don't really get like sore body parts True. So wouldn't wouldn't you rather do like six sets for your quads and go to judo at night? like say six for quads six for ham hamstrings, and like say four for calves,

then do like 16 sets for your quads and then go to do more in Duri. And you can't do it. Makes no sense, right? No sense, makes no sense. And you're sore, this way you'd never be sore. By the time you got to practice, you'd feel like loose limber, you wouldn't even.

That's true, that's true. Especially because like, yeah, the body building's completely different, you know? But this is a great way to build your body too. It is and body builders did grow their body like that. That's years ago That's where I got the idea from. Yeah, for sure reading old books Yeah, I'm like you do like a small isolated muscles like bicep only. Yeah That's why another reason why I do the push-pull like thing is because I don't want to go to the gym Just to do like biceps and triceps. I wouldn't be that excited.

No, no, no. Yeah, for sure. And plus, I'd rather do my triceps when I'm warmed up. I did chest and shoulders. My elbows feel warm. Everything's warm. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're not going to use as much weight because you're already fatigued.

So you don't need to risk tearing your bicep. What if you were fresh? Oh. Totally fresh. You just worked at your desk for eight hours all day long and you're all pent up. You just want to get to the gym. You're like, whatever. You're not even warmed up and now you're just going like this.

You're like, ah. Now you tell your bicep. I used to go to the gym. I'm going to lift arms today and then start light warm up and then throwing up 50s and then working negatives down. Especially a lot of us too. We're always like this yeah like it's normal like if you talk about doing like a 50 some of the guys are probably like a 50 pound dumbbell

like oh my god just for arms yeah like yeah like we're like this all the time like that's like we could use a lot of dumbbells we like really want to start heaving we'd try to like crazy amounts but it's better for me and to do back and then just have 30 and you're already there. Yeah Yeah, no concentration curl and I like and especially me too with biceps I especially like to do something with like, you know, like maybe some kind of preacher curl I like concentration curl where the elbow is on Support on something. Yeah, I feel like that's really good Oh, she's like a straight bar curl if you like put your back straight up against the wall. Yeah, that's good

I like that. Yeah, so what was your last workout? Like do you do six days a week with one rest day or how do you? So it actually comes usually that's like five days a week just because I'm mixing in like judo wrestling whatever. I said, give me your regimen Push pull legs you go back to back three days in a row. Not necessarily. I usually If like for example, say like Saturday is like a really heavy training day. We train a lot, we do a lot of wrestling, some of stuff like that. Really tough guys, really strong guys. I won't lift at all that day. I don't want to lift and then try to go with some of these guys who are really good. I don't want to do that. So like definitely

that'll be a day off no matter what. Right. And then some people like to take have their weekends free and like not go to the gym. I'd rather would go to the gym on the weekends. Yeah. Like during the week is like so busy. Yeah. I love Saturday Sunday lift and then I love it. I just love that. You know Saturday Sunday Tuesday Thursday would be my ideal. You know. So this is will be my ideal You know So this is the thing about your legs because you do push pull legs is three days And then if there's a food you just kind of skews everything a little bit. I love that. No, no It doesn't have to be like let's just say just because you did push on a Monday doesn't mean the next Monday

You have to do push. I know I know so I could say do push pull Tuesday take off Wednesday Yeah, then go again Thursday and Friday I'm gonna take off Saturday and then go again on Sunday and then just keep repeating it from where you left off So what was the last time you were in the gym? Yesterday, what was it yesterday? What did you do yesterday? chest shoulders and triceps Push today. Yeah. All right. So tell me about that workout from yesterday

It was pretty good, I guess. I just did some basic chest presses, incline. Machine? I did some barbell. Nice. And then I did my hammer strength, incline. Yeah. What is the sudden rep range that you did?

So the reps weren't, I wouldn't say they were high, but the time on the tension was high a lot because I was squeezing and holding. Okay. I was squeezing at the top and pausing at the bottom. I was trying to do it with like literally no momentum. Oh, that's pretty good. Yeah. Time on the tension, yeah, that's a good one, man. And then I did some cables. I think cables are pretty valuable. What kind of cables and exercises do you do for the pecs? I, how do I do those? best? I Height a little is it it was actually it was actually realized a free motion machine Yeah, so I was able to kind of like set it in a comfortable area I was just able to like take it from the sides

Yeah, yeah, I was just able to take it from the sides and just just do a basic Basic like hands meeting in the center. Oh like that low. Yeah Yeah, some people go back here then they go Yeah, nice. Yeah, yeah, some people go back here then they go again I got a strong with us again with a squeeze No, yeah, usually on chest wounds. I usually try to like I try to do a lot of negatives and stuff Yeah, like they didn't go heavy yesterday. What I mean heavy. Yes, of course heavy. It would be heavy for you I'm a person. I was yeah, but um, yeah, then I went on my shoulders. Yeah, I did shoulders on the hammer strike Nice because you could really load shoulders up yep in there and Then I went on my shoulders. I did shoulders on the hammer strength. Nice.

Because you could really load shoulders up in there. Again, I was doing like a pause out of the bottom. I was pausing at the bottom of every rep. Nice, with tension. Yes. That wasn't putting the weight down. Yeah, I was holding it in that place and then going up. So it was just kind of good for explosiveness.

See, some people think that you need to lift the weight really fast to get explosive, and you're just retarded. Yeah. Right? It's just like, if you lift the weight too fast, what ends up happening is you end up with no, how many times did you do something really fast and you end up really with no tension on your muscles?

You were just using your bones and stuff to like just kind of yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I used to bench like You know obviously 225 reps is the you know gold standard. You know what I mean? Like everyone? Yeah So you do that? Yeah, I used to do it for like 12 at the most right which is not like great But you know, I'm not good on that motion But it would be like I would you know bounce it off my chest and then let the momentum to carry it up And then I would let my like shoulders lock out and then rest a little bit. Yeah me and then oh And then it's like there's not a lot. Yeah, so the way I would go Yeah, the way I would be doing it is that's the wrong way. I would take it off and I would I'd be lowering it

very slowly and then and Just and then bringing it back up. I usually I usually on bar stuff I don't lock out. What are some of your max lifts that you're like all right these numbers I'm proud of? For me it's the deadlift 565 I did that you know and squat I wasn't so strong I would do you know reps at 405 and then you do the calculator is like theoretically it's like a 465 is your one rep max for the squat. Bench 315 I did that before that was it you know so that's my those are my numbers not great if you're a weightlifter my yeah my best lift I've always was the deadlift that I did like 625 on the deadlift yeah that's a nice one um I was actually not that much more than

I've always thought that maybe I could do like seven or something but yeah I don't think so I would have thought that you'd be maybe I could honestly here's the thing too with's the thing to it the deadlift. I feel like I was just good at it I don't feel like I ever did something that like I felt like I couldn't do so maybe there was room for more Yeah, but I was always kind of cautious. Yeah, my my 565 deadlift You know seeka shred that guy like shared my video. Yeah, yeah shared my deadlift video Like it does that let's work for judo whatever was it was. He does a lot of judo stuff that guy Yeah, maybe does you know nobody I feel like in the last year He's been doing like some judo videos pop up cuz it's true. Yeah, but yeah that

Rep came up pretty quick You know what? I mean, of course, I'm doing like I feel like I've I feel like Bailed like I was felt like I've picked weight that I could do. Yeah. So. You ever do rack pulls? Rack pulls, I don't like them. But I like to do a rack pull movement without the rack.

Ah, okay. I like to do that. So you don't go all the way to the floor? No, I'll go to like the bottom, where like the bottom of my knee meets like the top of my shin. You know, cause the lower, it's to stop it and'll go to like the bottom where like the bottom of my knee meets like the top of my shin You know cuz the Lord's to stop it and then go back to all the way. I just yeah Yeah, I don't like that. That's just taking the tension off and then pulling it put it back on

I feel like that other looks a little risky. Do it. Listen. Yeah, I may lift some heavy weight and stuff But it's all stuff that I can handle. Yeah, it might be heavy like somebody get over God, But it's all stuff I can handle trust me. I'm very cautious. Like I love to lift weights I love to like train wrestle do judo. Yeah, like if I get like an injury Well, let me tell you something that you out of all the people that I've ever met who grappled Knock on wood the most in free. Oh my god. Yeah No, but you have no shoulder issues. You have no knee stuff. You have no back stuff, right? I feel pretty good I've never heard you complain once like oh, I'm banged up. I Feel pretty pretty good. Yeah

Let's just change the subject Yeah, down with man, that's all I know. It's a risky movement. I think but you said you do mostly stiff-legged nets. Yeah Yeah, so you don't even you go heavy on that or I Would say like I'll go on Romanian deadlifts. I'll do 500 pound Romanian deadlifts. That's crazy What about on just like, you know, rub a little bit past the knee straps and I'll shut up. Yeah Yeah, I love straps. Why don't you use straps? Yeah, what you use straps. It doesn't make a difference. Listen, I was doing a back workout.

I remember like two weeks ago, I forgot my straps. I didn't have them. And like, I was doing like, it was a great exercise too, like the chest support of T-bar row. Oh, I love that one. Because think about it, we're real strong guys. We have a lot of pull strength.

So like, we can't be spending a whole workout like bent over, like bracing our back. No, no, back. You know what I mean? Our backs would burn out before, our lower backs would burn out before. So I love that move. But I was doing that, I was doing like, I think I did like that and like the hammer strength pull down. I did some cables, like you know, regular pulldowns and rows. And I was still like using the same weights. So like you still have the same grip. So in terms of progressive overload, do you plan it out, you write it out,

all right, I'm gonna increase this, this is my rate of perceived exertion, all that stuff, do you do all that stuff or not really? I don't like to complicate it. No? No. So how do you know when to go up and down and wait, I'm gonna focus on time on the table today, you just get in and get it done?

Yeah, you kinda could feel it, but it takes experience. If I was a guy that was just like You know like beginner intermediate lifting. I probably would Do something like remember you're saying the 10 by 10 5 by 5 isn't if I was like newer at lifting I would pick some core exercises and do like the 5 by 5 Yeah, and that would train you to keep track. And after a while, you'd learn how to keep track

in your head. Five by five are like strong lifts you're talking about, right? Yeah, well that's a good example, something that's out there. Yeah, like a bench day, squat day, deadlift day kind of a thing? Something like that.

Or I think one time I had one where it was a four day one. I think it was a bench and over I had one it was like a four day one it was like I think it was like a bench and over a military you know squat and a dead and then like I think I might have did like squats with a leg workout and then I did like the deadlifts with like some back and hamstrings I did shoulders and then the other day was like a chest you know yeah you listen today yeah yeah I think I'm gonna lift today because push no I'm up the back pull oh you push yesterday oh so nice man I lifted that for sure what do you take

afterwards and before do you take pre-workout no just eat hmm just eat afterwards you don't take button change no that's crazy yeah I have a Russian wife who cooks yeah you were telling me that. I thought that was really interesting too. So you don't take creatine or anything like that? No. No? No.

You take creatine. Listen, the only things that I take, like supplement wise would be vitamins. Certain vitamins and minerals that I think are important. Vitamin D. D, yes, D3 and K2. T. I'm gonna use D.

I'm gonna use D. I'm gonna, D3 and K2. T. I'm gonna use D. Thyroxine. You don't take any creatine. I don't take creatine, but I think creatine is pretty good. What about pre-workout? But I eat a lot of red meat, so I feel I don't really need to create. Yeah, what about, you don't take pre-workout? I don't take pre-workout. I like coffee. Yeah, coffee's good, man. All right, but you don't drink protein shakes after your workout? No, not usually how many grams of protein you think you did there? Considering my body weight not as much as you would think I'm not having grass Between 2 and 250. That's pretty good. Yeah, that's not bad.

Let's just say 4 times. 4 times a day? Yeah, maybe let's say 50 to 60 grams. I don't think you need to eat remember like the whole 6 times a day thing? Yeah, I did that for years. That's so stupid. I did that for years and got fat.

Oh me too. Worst advice. Worst. They tell you to eat like this, eat brown rice, it doesn't look good fat. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Trash, trash, no good, no good. How many calories do you think you eat a day? I don't count.

You don't count? No. No? No. You ever count? I don't count them at all. Never? No.

But you know exactly how much rice you eat. Like you have like, all right, this much, that much. I'll eat more rice. Well, if I have rice, if I have rice, and a tip if anybody wants to eat rice, you should have a rice cooker. It's the only way to eat rice. Obviously, Shintaro is going to say he's a Japanese guy.

It's obvious, right? But usually those rice cookers, usually you keep like a cup or something, or you have like one of those things that you like put it On the cup so you know what a cup of rice looks like Yeah, even if you don't use the cup and you like put it on your plate, you know Come you know what? It sounds a fish. You know what a cup of rice I feel like if I'm eating rice in that meal a cup of rice would be pretty good

Actually, my favorite carbohydrate is a potato. Oh, yeah keeps you more full longer. Is that why yeah, but the thing is with the potato That's a lot of minerals You just give it I do not eat the skin peeled. That's where the skins got those minerals on them Sure, the skins got a lot of things that are like what you don't want in there Really like all those oxalates and filates all that stuff that bothers your stomach. Yeah, the part that turns green after a while You know, no, you know what that you don't want the roots coming out. No, you want that listen green after a while. You know what that you know what the roots coming out No, you want that listen potatoes have a lot of potassium All right potassium contain

Has insulin like action really yeah, so it helps you put Those carbohydrates into the cells into those muscle cells, but without you having You're obviously gonna produce insulin you're eating right yeah, but without you having, you're obviously gonna produce insulin because you're eating, right? But without so much insulin, if you can get the carbs into the muscle cells as glycogen, make the glucose turn the muscle glycogen, without the use of so much insulin,

that's essentially gonna get you pretty lean and jacked. That's very true, that's very true. Whereas rice doesn't really have those minerals, not that it's a bad thing, just the same minerals. So if you're having stuff like potatoes or even bananas right there. You ever do a deload week? No. You just never take off from lifting? Ever. The only time I take off from lifting is if I go travel to a competition. Yeah. Interesting. How long would that be? Yeah Interesting how long would that be? However long I'm in that country for how long are your workouts?

Our 15 minutes, maybe nice you do a full pop and warm up and all that stuff mobility exercises scapula freaking retractions such and such No, not like that. I like basically like a say basically judo warmup. Yeah No, yeah, well your head around all your shoulders. Okay, it's not like a real full-blown, you know hips, you know, yeah Well down shoulders hips knees Ankles and then uh, maybe a little stretch like whatever body part I'm gonna do that day I like to statically stretch the body part that I'm gonna do that day. Some people are not into stretching I think you should know yeah, I mean especially especially for legs. Yeah I mean people theorize like all dynamic stretch is better whatnot blah blah

Let me tell you something the the push pull legs protocol that you do might be great for you But do you think that's a good one for most people watching who are like, let's just talk about the average viewer of the podcast You know well who grapples. I'll tell you this the push pull leg workout also works good if you're a free time week guy, too Yeah, yeah These are Let's just say you're on free time week guy too. Yeah? Yeah. Yeah. You think so? Let's just say you're on the mat every day. But weekends you have a little extra time. Average guy's not on the mat every day.

Not on the mat. So let's say you go Saturday, Sunday. Yeah. To the gym. Yeah, he'd do push and pull. And then whatever day he doesn't go to practice, he could go do leg workout during the week. Yeah.

You do that. That's true. That's a good one. You could start getting into upper lowers, total bodies and all that, but dude, if you have to do a total body or an upper-lower, that's a lot of body parts. You have to get warmed up. Because remember when you're doing the push-pull leg thing, all those muscles work together. So

if I already did all my chest, my shoulders already warmed up. I only need like one or two warm-ups. You know what? You're absolutely right with that. Yeah. We'll waste time here. Yeah. warmed up I only need like one or two more you know what you're absolutely right with that yeah waste time here yeah I have a hard time sometimes when I go heavy incline press and then I go to the overhead press my shoulders are already fried you know maybe the interior Delta kind of take it over on my I think it keeps getting used to motion motion gets getting used to yeah but you don't necessarily like you're not gonna be able to use the same weight on shoulders as you would if you came in fresh and good shoulders yeah yeah you know the like sometimes like people should do a total body crossfit like like just burn as many calories as possible

Like that might be good for someone that's maybe like somebody introductory to beginner. Yeah, listen, this is this is another thing You do judo let's say you do whatever Go to the gym to get stronger and build your body and get muscular. Take care of your technique and your stamina and your endurance on the mat, which you should be building from doing live. Rendezvous, live wrestling, rolling.

Listen, that's where you're gonna get in shape for this. You're not gonna like, I don't know. I don't see running around the block to get in shape for this. You're not gonna like, I don't know. I don't see like running around the block to get in shape for the Judo Nationals for example. You wouldn't do sprints? Sprints? Maybe uphill. Yeah, up hills again, yeah.

Up hill. I think if you sprint all the time, like listen, world class sprinters, do you know, I'm not exactly sure, but do you know how many times they actually sprint during the time, like listen, world class sprinters, do you know, I'm not exactly sure, but do you know how many times they actually sprint during the week? Not that many, five, ten? Probably not that many.

You know, my aunt is a world level track and field lady. Yeah, she has a world record with, well, so this is the thing, she used to do marathons. Oh really? Like freaking banging out, you know, 26 miles, all that stuff, and now she's doing a lot more short distance now She's doing sprinting stuff. You know, she blew me and Eugene away on the 400 meter. Really? Yeah She probably knows how to run it. Yeah, you probably just I guess stupid

Yeah, I like bolted and I was so tired. I feel like the first 200 meters like I got but she's an animal You know like think about it though. How many of them sprint sprinting? No, dude sprinting is like a lifting workout. Yeah, so it requires like resting Yeah stuff like so if you don't know how to manage your sprint thing, yeah It doesn't matter. I don't care if you're 18 or 38 you run the risk of like tearing hamstring or something Oh 100% yeah, that's why I said the up hills by a little bit better Yeah, you're on the knees to a lot of these guys or like maybe That's why I think you see a lot of these teams out there like, you know

Like my saying like, you know, cuz it doesn't really happen in America Let's wrestling a little different because they do have these kinds of things But like you see like these training camps and the guys are like doing a buddy carry up the steps or I think that's pretty good That's good. That's really good. Cuz listen, you're probably not gonna get that hurt. You could either do it or you can't yeah Yeah,'t. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure. Yeah, yeah. And it's fully concentric.

Yeah. It is, it is. Man, I love listening to it, man. Just the bicep curls, dude. I'm a big fan of the curls, you know what I mean? I know everyone says like triceps are two-thirds your arm. You gotta work your triceps more, but there's just nothing like yeah

Especially especially like that like that pull. Oh, yeah, actually like actually like the like Just the single Handle for the cable no bicep because you could just kind of concentrate it Yeah, no, and you just stand there and just kind of like yeah pump your arm What do you do for your triceps you do a lot of overhead tricep motions? In theory, like it's supposed to be better with up here with the stretch. Yeah, I do it. So I do that with cable.

Yeah, cable. Yeah, with the rope usually. It's anchored behind you. But I like close grip bench for the triceps. Yeah. I like close grip bench. I like dips. Close.

Yeah. And also like they have that like, you know, like the hammer like dip close. Yeah. And also like they have that like you know like the hammer like dip machine. Yeah. It's pretty good too. Dips hurt my shoulder. Because that thing you can kind of control like it kind of holds your legs in and you're like pushing it and you kind of like kind of go like you kind of like end it where you want it to end. We do that more for triceps or pecs?

Triceps. I've seen different models of it too. Yeah. Dep don't know a little bit better than like a lean and stuff like that Yeah, or whether I usually would start with something like that, and then I usually go to cables. What's your favorite rep range? Six to ten and six percent nice Do you ever get the ten to be like I gotta go up and wait next week this weights to go up the next set Hmm, I would just go up the next set. Yeah, okay Cuz in my in my in my opinion, yeah, you're not gonna get hurt probably with something that you could do for 10 reps Yeah, so if you control ten reps, everything's controlled, bro. Everything always controlled. Listen, if you want to build like

It's not even just like Everything performance physique. Whatever you need to control the reps, you know, we should do we should make a workout video I mean you're gonna the gym put it on YouTube. What do? We should make a workout video. I mean, we'll go to the gym, put it on YouTube. What do you think? I think it was pretty successful, the video that we did. Yeah, I like that. Yeah. That way they can kind of see what I'm talking about.

Yeah, yeah. And then we'll give some tips, pointers, you know? I think so. You'll embarrass me in front of the world. Especially with some back, I think some back would be good. And I think back would be- We'll do the both, right? I think, listen, I think back would be good

because old, old-school guys have pretty strong backs. And I can even tell you this, in COVID, me and Sensei Kamal had a place that we could work out at. Nice. And he was working out with me. And you know he's pretty banged up. He had a lot of really bad back surgeries. I mean, the guy had a ceiling collapse on him, had a fire.

His back was like, he had like, odd screws, terrible. But like, in certain positions, like on the right machines, like as long as his back was supported and he could pull, like he was pretty damn strong on my back. Nice. And he had like all those issues. What gym do you go to though?

Well, I go to Strong and Shapely, New Jersey. It's like a pretty well-known place. Is it? It's been there for 40 years. And good machines? Yeah, they actually call it like the Disneyland of gyms because it's enormous. A lot of guys record themselves with it in there? It's not over the top, but it's a good amount. Nice, okay, so it's not like a thing.

It's not crazy. Yeah, the gym I go to, this is a lot of people everybody that goes Yeah, I feel like it's like Has been there for so long. Everybody knows each other really well nice nice. Yeah, your friend there. Yeah. Yeah for sure I'll be there. It's a it's kind of like a pretty it's not a commercial gym Mmm, it's more like a tighter kind of like yeah community. It's not like people are there like it's not like a pickup place So you have a lifting friends like the same bodies that you train with Um, are you still a lifting guy? I always was like kind of a solo lifting guy

Yeah, there have been times in my life. Yeah Where I've had partners like Frankie I've had he told me he was going to generally he's like I I go to my friend review by moving in Oh, dude, he does like two weeks No at one point when I was living close to the gym before me and my wife bought our house I was living close to the gym had another one of my good friends that I grew up with was living like right the same Neighborhood. Yeah, and it was a good like walk around It's a that Jim is a good like walk around type neighborhood and we were working a similar shift

yeah, so he worked out with me a couple of years every day and he got in like pretty good shape. And another guy, you know Kenny, the guy that works out with Glick. So when he was in like college, he's a little younger than us, when he was in like college, I was working, I didn't go to work till like three o'clock at the time and he didn't have class till then anyway. And he was just in college, needed to get to get in shape whatever he used to come and meet me at the gym like every day religiously nice and he got him like really good shape awesome he gained like probably like ask him like well because he's like pretty strong right yeah like he all the strength that he got like in that time like he like

retained all that like from those years I saw like yeah you got you got some good Good training and those you listen to music where you live to know whatever they have in a gym listen personally The gym's a great place to like talk to people too. So it is yeah Why would you want to listen to music? I hate some of these like newer style gyms and have this place blasting It's like a club. No, I'm like things like how many like Relationships you make look at the gym like just like oh, yeah sure I mean I like the kind of the commercial gym I go to like a super commercial gym right now, and I got a cycle

There's three gyms in there you have equinox super high-end you have like New York's post club Which is mid-end and I go to there's a shittier one, you know, but the 24-hour fitness is huge. It's vast Yeah, right probably really well equipped Well equipped but their maintenance is I wish they do a little bit more maintenance. A lot of these machines are freaking broken They don't bother fixing it. No, so like I don't love that, but it's 24 hours So I could go after judo late at night. I could go in the morning. I have more flexibility there The 24 hours now is becoming a lot more prevalent. Yes, it is Yeah, 24 hour gym like 20 years ago, probably 10 years ago,

there's probably like three in the tri-state area. Yep, yep. But this is the thing, right? It's not that kind of a gym for me because majority of the people that work out there aren't in great shape. You know what I mean? So it's like you get the newbies

and there's nothing wrong with that, but there's never a guy that I would want to interact with. Yes, there's jack guys there there but I'm gonna walk off to him like yo what's up man like what are you doing for your thing? You know sometimes like hey can you help me spot whatever it is? Yeah. But for me it's like in and out one hour so it's like I have headphones in usually you know but I've been in Jim's like pumping iron back in the city where it was like you knew these guys gonna be there at 10 a.m. Oh

yeah of course and so it's like you're all part of that clique and then that was a little bit more like hey come here let me show you how to freakin you know you don't need to you know put the weights together up here those are the best places because that's where you really learn yeah but they always try to sell you steroids too you know like you know it means it's like you're kind of always spending off like you know the evil you know that like you know it means it's like you're kind of always fending off like You know the evil You know that thing you know what it means is like and you know a lot of these guys

Selling this stuff back in the day. Yeah out of their freaking gym bag. You have no idea where it came from Sometimes I'm trying to say stuff that's already been opened. Well. Yeah, you know that's crazy stuff Well, that's good common sense. Yeah, right. Yeah, I mean it is, you know, but when you're young and you know You don't know how it's really supposed to not know and that's like a very like ever so changing It's like some stuff that's the same about of some stuff that's different, but It's just so more much more like out there. Yeah, you have been like women now even doing things. Yeah. Yeah more like out there yeah you have been like women now even doing things yeah yeah women are taking things and compounds and also taking this stuff

like to lose weight also yeah so that's kind of like open the whole new yeah feel a lot of women are kind of I feel like that's giving them a push no more showing up at the gyms and they're like oh what else is out there you know yeah how can I fast-track this thing yeah no let's make a video workout video one of these days no do you want to go to 24 hour fitness or do you want to go to a your place what do you want to do right now there yeah we can work out actually I got a doctor for me one but yeah maybe one of these days. Thank you, man. Thank you for being on the show.

Really appreciate it. If you guys like Vinny's stuff, you can find him on Instagram, Vinny Mancuso. V-I-N-I-E. I finally found that out after 20 years of knowing you. I don't push it. Yeah, it's wild. I think you're on my phone as NNY. Actually, maybe. I probably have for a lot See oh no you see I spelled it right Vinny. Oh, yeah Well, thank you very much for being here and then stay tuned guys let us know in the comments

How jacked Vinnie looks on camera? What's like a jack? I'm not somebody can see yeah Thank you guys, did I think my sponsor on this thing already? I think I went into the other one. Thank you Elijah, Jason, Levan, and Drew for sponsoring the show. If you are watching, you could also sponsor this show by going to Patreon. Now we have a chat with me feature. You can chat with me, ask me questions.

Yeah. Thank you guys for watching and thank you for reading it