5 Exercises For Jiu Jitsu Strength

5 Great Exercises For BJJ By Malcom Gwilliam

How much time off the mats do you dedicate to improving your jiu jitsu? If you are new to the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu scene, or have very little experience on the mats, you might not realize that it is also important to focus on strength and condition to improve your game. Yes, you will hear jiu jitsu sometimes ironically called the “lazy man’s” grappling. This is because good technique allows you to do a lot more with a lot less. But that is not to say that  there will be times when it comes down to all out who is stronger and who has more explosive energy. Can you actually bump a 240 pound man off of you while he is slowly caving in your lungs, denying that sweet breath of air you so desperately crave? Of course, the little guy stuck on bottom is going to need effective technique to get out of this situation. That technique will not come into play though with out the ability to explode and fight for your life!

And what about recovery? We all know jiu jitsu takes a toll on your body. It is physically demanding, and can be hard on your joints and muscles. By exercising in the gym you improve your body’s ability to recover more quickly, especially when paired with a healthy diet. There is a reason the call it the “jiu jitsu lifestyle.” The lessons of martial arts go far beyond the mats, and that includes your exercise routine.

Do you know who's jacked, tan and all swoled up? ... and kicking ass in no gi submission grappling? Gordon Ryan. He's got some of the best exercises and workout plans for getting jacked, strong and kicking ass.

LEARN MORE

What all that in mind let us take a look at 5 great exercises for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by Malcom Gwilliam and Bernardo Faria. If you have never heard of Malcom Gwilliam before, he is a physical conditioning coach as well as nutritionist. Many consider Malcom Gwilliam to be one of the best physical conditioning coaches in the world, having developed excellent conditioning programs for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Check out the video below and then we will discuss it.

Grip Strength Exercises

Having good grip strength is crucial in BJJ whether training gi or no gi. There are a few different grip exercises that Malcolm shows here. You can improve different aspects of your grip strength by working with a couple of different methods to lift a suspended weight. By strengthening your pinch grip and your oscillating grips you will great improve your BJJ game.

Chin Ups With Towel Exercise

Chin ups are one of the best ways to increase pulling strength. Malcom shows an advanced variation of a neutral grip chin up. Neutral grip means that your palms face each other. Malcom uses towels as the method for something to hold onto. By doing this you work your grip but you will also be working the muscles in charge of your pulling strength. This exercise will have a direct result on the mat. Bernardo Faria compares gripping the towel to gripping the gi.

Neck Exercise

Training the neck is often an overlooked muscle group for many sports, but is a necessary requirement for combat athletes to prevent injury, to improve posture, and stability. Malcom shows neck extensions by using an elastic band wrapped around the neck. Using the elastic band to do neck extensions will greatly improve your posture in BJJ and will help with preventing common injuries.

Squat Exercise

The squat can be considered the most important exercise out of all the ones demonstrated due to its simplicity and versatility. The squat is a great way to improve conditioning and strength. The goal of the squat is to increase the flexibility and mobility of the hips, and improve stability in the ankles and legs. Keep in mind there is good posture when doing a squat, which is what Malcom emphasizes here.

Bicep Exercises

The last important exercise for BJJ is the supinated bicep curl. Bicep curls are important for connecting that part of your arm to the shoulder structure. By training using the supinated bicep curls we strengthen our shoulders, which is very important for preventing injuries. Malcom explains that shoulder injuries are the most common in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Strengthening the bicep also helps develop your pulling power.

There are a lot of great strength and condition techniques in these 5 simple exercises. Use this video as your training tool the next time you are in the gym. By spending more time training off the mats you will great help improve your performance while in rolling or in competition.

In under just 18 months Gordon Ryan went from an "in shape" grappler weighing 163 lbs to a 232lb monster and then DOWN to 194 lb and looking JACKED. Gordon tore through ADCC and is now considered one of the best grapplers in the world. He just released a new DVD / On Demand Series called "Getting Swole As a Grappler". It gives you his exact program, tips, diet advice and more on how to achieved jackedness and be a complete bad ass on the mats.

BUY NOW