Forca Method Ambassador
Dr. David Kenny, D.O.
Osteopathic Physician & Founder, Forca Method
I am an osteopathic physician and a Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner. I started Forca Method because I could not find a pre-workout that was actually designed for grapplers — so I built one.
The articles in the Journal are written from both perspectives: the clinical evidence base I work from as a physician, and the on-the-mat reality of someone who is still figuring out the sport.
Background
I trained as an osteopathic physician — D.O. stands for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, a full medical degree with a particular emphasis on the musculoskeletal system and the body as an integrated whole. That training shapes how I think about performance: not as isolated ingredients hitting isolated targets, but as interconnected systems under stress.
I started BJJ as an adult, which means I came in without a wrestling background, without childhood mat time, and without any illusions about how long it takes to get competent. What I did bring was a clinical habit of asking why something works before deciding whether to use it. That habit is what drove the Forca Method formula.
Most pre-workouts are built for lifting — high-rep sets, well-defined rest periods, one dominant energy system. BJJ doesn't work that way. You're in isometric holds, explosive scrambles, repeated sprints with incomplete recovery, and sustained cognitive load all in the same round. No generic pre-workout addresses that combination because none of them were designed for it.
I spent time working through the published research on each ingredient I considered — not industry white papers, but peer-reviewed studies in journals I already used clinically. What came out of that process is Explode & Roll: a five-ingredient formula with a specific rationale for each component and nothing added for marketing purposes.
Why I Write These Articles
The supplement industry has a credibility problem. Claims are inflated, mechanisms are misrepresented, and the research cited is often cherry-picked or misread. As a physician who practices BJJ, I am in an unusual position to address that: I can read the original studies, I understand the physiology, and I am also the person on the mat finding out whether any of it matters in practice.
The Journal articles are my attempt to bridge that gap — to explain what the evidence actually shows, where it's strong, where it's weak, and how it applies to the specific demands of grappling. I write them in the same voice I'd use explaining something to a patient: direct, honest about uncertainty, and focused on what's actually useful.
Articles by Dr. Kenny
- L-Tyrosine for BJJ: The Brain Chemistry Behind Performance Under Stress
- Betaine Anhydrous: The Overlooked Ingredient That Earns Its Place
- L-Theanine: The Calm Focus Amino Acid
- Citrulline: The Blood Flow Amino Acid
- Beta-Alanine for BJJ: What the Research Actually Shows