My Weekday Workout: Freeborn & Peters' Robert Stines

Stines is a partner in the firm’s litigation practice group and focuses on contract disputes, legal malpractice, unfair trade practices, employment agreements and shareholder disputes.

How often during the week do you work out? Four to six days a week.

At what time during the day or evening do you work out? Between 7 and 9 p.m.

What’s your go-to routine? Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). I am a blackbelt in BJJ. It’s like mixed martial arts or UFC, but without the kicking and punching. It’s primarily a submission grappling fighting style focused on ground fighting, chokes and joint manipulation.

How long does it take? An hour to 90 minutes.

Why do you like this routine? It doesn’t feel like a workout or exercise, which can be boring or a chore. A BJJ training session is always hard but fun.

What does regular exercise do for you? I’m a litigator who has to deal with the stress of an adversarial practice on a daily basis. After a stressful day, BJJ becomes my physical and mental therapy. Nothing releases stress like defending against someone who is trying to break my arm. After a training session, most of my stress melts away.

How long have you been exercising regularly? Since I was 10. I’ve been in sports, professional dancing (modern, hip-hop, jazz, ballet), the U.S. Military and I’ve done marathons and triathlons.

In what ways have you changed your routine over the months or years? As I get older, my recovery time after a hard workout is slower. Also, old injuries are plaguing me. Because of this, I’ve had to pay more attention to getting a good night’s sleep (I try for seven hours). I’ve also had to do a better job of listening to my body with the aches and pains, watching my diet and adding strength training to my routine.

How do you convince yourself to work out when you don’t want to? I never regret working out. I always regret skipping a workout. So, on days I don’t want to work out, I tell myself to just drive to the gym and get through the first five minutes. After that, I’m glad I decided to show up.

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