What's Actually in My BJJ Bag (And Why Hydration Isn't an Afterthought)

 Hello Everyone,

People assume the hardest part of training BJJ at 49 is the joints, the recovery, the getting-off-the-mat-without-groaning part.

It's not.

The hardest part is showing up prepared. Because if you roll dehydrated, everything else falls apart faster than it should — grip strength, decision-making, gas tank, temper. You gas out mentally before you gas out physically.

So here's what's actually in my bag before I walk into Vital Brothers.

The gi and the basics. Not going to bore you with that part.

Phormula-1 (Clear). This is the one people are always surprised by. Most protein shakes feel like a meal — heavy, thick, sitting in your stomach while you're trying to move. Clear Phormula-1 doesn't do that. It's built to drink like a refreshment, not a meal replacement, which matters when you're training in the middle of the day and can't afford to feel weighed down for the next round.

Phormula-1 Clear | Clear Protein Powder | 1st Phorm

Hydration Sticks. This is the piece most people skip entirely, and it's the one costing them the most. You're not just losing water when you roll — you're losing electrolytes and minerals, and water alone doesn't replace those. One stick, 16oz of water, done. I mix one before I get to the mat and keep a second in the bag for after.

Hydration Sticks | Mixable Hydration Packets | 1st Phorm

Here's the part that connects back to everything I coach: this isn't a "BJJ hack." It's the same principle behind 2688. The people who get the best results aren't doing more in the gym. They're managing the hours around it — what they eat, how they hydrate, how they recover — better than everyone else.

The training is 4 or 5 hours a week. The rest of the week is where it's actually decided.

LIVE YOUR LIFE. BE FIT.

Coach Rafael

Disclosure: The links above are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use.

Back to School = Back to YOU

 

Hello Everyone

Back to school.

Back to routines.

Back to schedules.

Back to packed lunches, practices, work, meetings, traffic, alarms, calendars...

Back to everything.

 

But maybe this is also the perfect time to get back to YOU.

 

Over the years, I’ve noticed something interesting:

We often get more traction during Back to School season than we do around New Year’s resolutions.

 

And I think I know why.

January is full of pressure.

New year.
New goals.
New promises.
New diet.
New workout plan.
New you.

 

But August?

August is different.

Summer is winding down.

The kids are going back to school.

Vacations are ending.

Schedules start becoming more predictable again.

 

And people start returning to their real lives.

 

That makes this one of the BEST times of the year to stop saying:

“I’ll start when things calm down.”

 

Because for a lot of people...

 

This IS when things start calming down.

Not perfectly.

Not completely.

But enough to create structure again.

 

And here’s the part I really want you to think about:

December 5th is 16 weeks away.

That’s exactly 2,688 hours.

 

Now...

 

Maybe stepping on a WBFF stage has absolutely ZERO interest to you.

That’s fine.

 

The stage is not the point.

But what would happen if you used those same 16 weeks to get ready for YOUR life?

 

Holiday parties.

Family pictures.

Christmas dinners.

New Year’s Eve.

That dress you want to wear.

That suit you want to feel good in.

 

Walking into a room and not immediately thinking about what you look like.

Having more energy.

Feeling stronger.

Being proud of what you’ve done instead of telling yourself...

“January 1st, I’m starting.”

 

Imagine getting to January 1st and realizing:

You already did it.

You already built momentum.

You already changed your habits.

You already got stronger.

You already feel better.

You’re not starting over.

You’re continuing.

 

That is exactly what 2688 is about.

Not putting your life on hold for 16 weeks.

Not living like a full-time bodybuilder.

Not skipping dinners, birthdays, celebrations or everything that makes life worth living.

 

It’s learning how to make fitness part of the life you already have.

Because fitness isn’t a phase.

It’s a lifestyle.

 

And once you accept that, you stop obsessing over how fast everything needs to happen.

 

So maybe “Back to School” doesn’t just mean back to the kids.

Maybe this year...

Back to School = Back to YOU.

 

You’ve got 16 weeks.

What could we do with them?

 

LIVE YOUR LIFE. BE FIT.

 

Coach Rafael

 

P.S. If you’ve been thinking about getting started, reply to this post with “2688” and I’ll show you what the next 16 weeks could look like for you..or go to https://2688.life/ 

Have you eaten perfectly for weeks and the scale won't move?

 

Hello Everyone Have you eaten perfectly for weeks and the scale still won't move? Here's what's actually happening and it has nothing to do with willpower. The stress your body doesn't know is "just life"   Your nervous system doesn't distinguish between a saber-tooth tiger and a full inbox. To your body, stress is stress. And most of what's stressing a busy adult out never even registers as "stress"  it just feels like Tuesday: The 6am alarm after five hours of sleep Back-to-back meetings with no buffer to actually eat lunch A commute that eats an hour of your day, twice Kids' schedules, homework, forgotten permission slips The 9pm scroll that's supposed to be "unwinding" but keeps your brain lit up until midnight Money stress that never fully turns off in the background The relationship conversation you've been putting off Traveling for work, eating out of hotel gyms and airport terminals Caregiving for a parent while still raising your own kids The quiet pressure of just... running your whole life None of these feel like "stress" in the moment. They just feel like your normal week. But your body is keeping score.   Chronically elevated cortisol does two things that sabotage fat loss directly: it drives your body to preferentially store visceral fat (the stubborn stuff around your midsection), and it blunts insulin sensitivity meaning the same meal that used to process cleanly now gets handled less efficiently. Your nervous system is overriding the math, even when the math looks perfect on paper.   Which brings us to the second problem. "I ate perfect this week" ... did you though?   Here's an experiment we run with new clients constantly: we ask them to write down what they think they ate for the week. Then we compare it to what they actually logged in real time.   It's rarely the same list.   Not because anyone's lying because remembering is hard. The handful of almonds while making dinner. The "just a taste" of your kid's mac and cheese. The extra glass of wine that felt like "the same as always." None of it registers as data. It just registers as normal life, the same way the stress does.   "Eating perfect" isn't a feeling. It's a documented, trackable behavior, plan vs. actual, written down, checked against reality.  Most people are running on memory. Memory is where diets quietly fail.   Why the scale gets all the attention The scale is one number. It's simple, it's fast, and it feels objective. So it's natural to fixate on it.   But the scale can't see your cortisol. It can't see your sleep debt. It can't see the difference between what you planned to eat and what you actually ate.  It just reflects a system with dozens of moving inputs and when one of those inputs is a nervous system stuck in threat mode, the number stops meaning what you think it means.   The process the stress load, the actual documented intake, the sleep, the recovery is where the real answer lives. The scale is just the loudest thing in the room.   This is exactly why we built The 2688 Challenge   Most programs coach the 4 hours a week you spend training. We coach all 2,688 hours, the sleep, the stress, the travel, the real documented intake, the life happening around the workouts.    Because that's where the scale actually gets decided. If you've been doing everything you know how to do and the number still won't move, it's not a discipline problem. It's a visibility problem. We built 2688 to fix exactly that. [See how 2688 works →]    Coach Rafael                                                           -

 

Today, we start 2,688 hours.

 

Happy Monday Everyone For almost 30 years, the way I've coached people has continued to evolve.   But one thing has never really changed: The plan has to fit the person. Not the other way around.   That's why our clients have always sent us their meals, weights, pictures, workouts, questions, schedule changes, bad days, good days and everything that happens between one workout and the next.   Because the transformation isn't happening during the 4 or 5 hours you spend exercising each week.   It's happening during all the other hours. That's the idea behind 2688. 16 weeks. 112 days. 2,688 hours.   And today we're officially beginning something new. Lais is 2688 Challenger #001.. Today marks exactly 16 weeks until her birthday. Over the next 112 days, we're going to document the entire process, not just the workouts and the highlight reel.   Nutrition. Training. Recovery. Daily decisions. Schedule changes. Meals out. Progress. Setbacks. Adjustments. The things that work. The things that don't. And we're going to use this first 2,688-hour journey to continue building an even better way to coach everyone who comes after her. Part of that evolution includes AI. We've been experimenting extensively with AI behind the scenes, and I think there's a tremendous opportunity here.   Not to replace the coach. Actually, almost the opposite.   AI can help us analyze information, recognize patterns, organize check-ins, prepare nutrition and training options, track progress, identify things we may want to look at more closely and eliminate some of the repetitive work surrounding coaching.   That means Rafael and Lais get to spend more time doing the part technology shouldn't replace: Knowing you. Talking to you. Understanding what is actually happening in your life. Making decisions. Changing the plan. Holding you accountable. And being there when things don't go according to plan.   AI can help us process more information. It can't care more. We can. That's the upgrade. And 2688 isn't only for competitors. Maybe your destination is a bikini stage. Maybe it's a professional photoshoot. Maybe you've always wondered what you could look like if you finally went all-in. Or maybe you simply want to be in the best shape of your life without making fitness your entire life.   The destination can be different.   The next 2,688 hours are what we manage together.   We've rebuilt the website to explain the program and where we're taking it. Visit 2688.life   And if someone came to mind while you were reading this, especially someone who's ever said: "I'd love to do a bikini competition or transformation photoshoot someday, but I wouldn't even know where to begin..." Forward them this email.   We're looking for a small group of people ready to find out what's possible over the next 16 weeks.   Coach Rafael & Lais 2688 Challenge A 16-Week Body & Lifestyle Transformation The Body Is The Receipt.                                                                               -

 

Today marks the end of the first half of 2026.

Hello Everyone,

Today marks the end of the first half of 2026.

 

Six months are behind us.

 

Six months are still ahead.

 

Most people will spend today doing one of two things:

Celebrating what they accomplished.

Beating themselves up over what they didn't.

 

I don't think either one is particularly useful.

 

I think the better question is:

What does the scoreboard say?

 

The scoreboard doesn't care about motivation.

 

It doesn't care about intentions.

 

It doesn't care how many Mondays you planned to start.

 

It only reflects what actually happened.

 

Your strength.
Your habits.
Your health.
Your finances.
Your relationships.
Your character.

 

That's why I often say:

The body is the receipt.

 

Not because your body defines your worth but because it records your behaviors better than your memory ever will.

 

The good news?

The scoreboard isn't permanent.

 

Today's score simply tells you where you stand before the second half begins.

 

There are still 184 days left this year.

That's enough time to:

Lose the weight.
Build the strength.
Repair relationships.
Start the business.
Read the books.
Learn the skill.
Become someone your January self wouldn't recognize.

 

You don't need six perfect months.

 

You need one decision, followed by another tomorrow, and another after that.

 

Small actions become undeniable proof.

---

My Youtube series 50 Weeks to 50  "Becoming Undeniable is exactly about that, using 50 weeks until this milestone and sharing the process.

 

In it, I explain why I'm publicly documenting my own journey toward becoming undeniable by my 50th birthday and why I believe we all need a better scoreboard than simply looking at a number on the scale.

 

If you haven't watched it yet, you can click here for episode 1

And subscribe to my channel because episode 2 drops tonight.

 

---

As you head into the second half of 2026, ask yourself one question:

If someone only saw my actions for the next 184 days, who would they conclude I'm becoming?

 

That's the person you're actually building.

 

Let's make the second half count.

Coach Rafael
Mind, Body & Proof.

Root Beer Float and Orange Dreamsicle Phormula-1 are back for a limited time.

 Root Beer Float and Orange Dreamsicle Phormula-1 are back for a limited time.

Creamy vanilla melting into fizzy root beer sweetness ... every sip of Root Beer Float takes you straight back to the glass you grew up with.

Then ... there's the smooth, citrusy cream flavor of Orange Dreamsicle you remember from peeling back the wrapper on a hot summer day.

These nostalgic flavors will take you right back to your childhood.

Here is your Link to Phormula-1 that you can use and share!

https://1stphorm.com/products/phormula-1?a_aid=rafaelmoret

This Weekend Only

 

Head on over to the website right away and grab any products, apparel, and limited-time flavors you need before they're gone!

https://1stphorm.com/pages/new-releases?a_aid=rafaelmoret