PEOPLE OF PINNACLE

Jollirine Co, on being Relentless

Relentless. It is the trait that sets world-class athletes apart from everyone else. This is how Coach Gelo Abendan best describes his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete, Jolly. Growing up, Jolly has been very inclined to sports. She has tried Gymnastics, Ice Skating, Volleyball, Badminton and Track in field but it was only Jiu-Jitsu that she really pursued.

Jolly looks back at how she began training in 2013, “I was looking for an activity that will help me get in shape as I was very thin and I was not at my healthiest during that period. I was not very serious about it at first, but I got addicted eventually.” Jiu-Jitsu is a form of martial where the main objective is to force your opponent into submission by using strength as well as weight distribution to control your opponent’s movements.

In her seven years of training, she considers being part of the National Team training pool as her biggest success. She says, “Being able to represent our country on the international level is really an honor for me. And training side by side with our country’s best athletes is something that I am very proud of.”

In May 2019, Jolly decided to join Pinnacle Performance to help her prepare for competitions by increasing her strength and endurance, and to maximize her training volume. As Jolly’s Lead Coach, both Jolly and Coach Gelo worked to create a goal—to ensure Jolly makes it to her competition weight category, and to qualify at her peak form.

Although Jolly’s training and competition schedules kept her from visiting the facility often, they made sure to stay consistent by doing remote coaching and programming. Coach Gelo used Pinnacle’s Engineered Strength and Conditioning methods to provide her a tailor-fit program. Jolly was able to hit specific targets while Coach Gelo regularly tracked her progress even when she was out of the country.

Coach Gelo notes, “With fighters, the easiest way to know that your program is working is if they can stay injury-free post-competition. With the aggressive nature of the sport, if Jols comes out of the competition without any tears and/or dislocations, we’re happy.”

Early this year, Jolly set her eyes on a number of competitions, one of which is the Worlds 2020 in Long Beach, California.

As Jolly puts it, “Preparations were going great and I was at my strongest ever until the lockdown was imposed. And for a Jiu-Jitsu athlete the most challenging part of being on lockdown is the change of training style. Unlike other sports, Jiu-Jitsu is best practiced with a partner.” Jolly struggled because of the big change in her daily routine, and the pandemic. She shares, “I got demotivated because of the lockdown and the pandemic. I got anxious not knowing what's going to happen next. So, I turned to cooking and baking to keep myself busy which resulted in weight gain. After a month, I felt very unhealthy. I needed a reset to boost my immune system and feel strong again.”

Coach Gelo encouraged Jolly to resume training with Pinnacle to use the lockdown to her advantage and continue her preparations for future competitions. He shares, “Everyone was in uncharted waters and definitely had to adjust to having to stay at home. Jolly went up to 55kgs at the start of ECQ. We hopped on a call, planned her schedule out and like the dedicated and relentless athlete that she is, she worked her way back down to her now walking weight of 48kgs.”

Pre-lockdown, Coach Gelo was tracking Jolly’s strength in relation to her bodyweight for compound lifts. Now, they track her frequency of training and how quick she recovers. Since competitions can restart anytime, their main objective is to keep her close to her fighting weight while in peak condition.

Jolly is averaging 16 sessions per cycle on top of her Jiu-Jitsu trainings with the National Team. She shares about her recent experience, “Having Pinnacle in my daily schedule has helped me maintain the physical activity that I need, emulating the training that I used to do before in the confines of my own home. I am able to do metabolic conditioning in the morning, Jiu-Jitsu in the afternoon and lift weights in the evening, without the worry of overtraining. Pinnacle helped me regain my strength and confidence. And now that I'm back on track, I'm looking forward to improving my consistency in heavy lifting. I have been avoiding it for too long and now is the time to learn and progress.”

We’re looking forward to seeing you back on the mat, Jolly!