BJJ AND WEIGHTLIFTING

In the modern era of combat sports, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has emerged as one of the fastest growing ground fighting Martial Arts. BJJ is an extremely dynamic form of combat that incorporates elements of strategy, resilience, tenacity, strength, speed and technique. Nowadays as BJJ has become so popular around the globe, there is an influx of new competitors finding their feet in the competition arena. As the numbers are steadily rising, athletes are combining different conditioning workouts with their BJJ, so they can stay ahead of all their competitors.

What This Article Covers:

• Maximizing BJJ Efficiency 
• Training with Weights
• The Cohesion of Weight Lifting and BJJ
• Great Weight Lifting Exercises that Get Athletes in Shape

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athletes are regularly training for bjj competition matches, as the thrill of winning tournaments can become an obsession. Even though the art was designed 100 years ago, for a smaller weaker person to defeat a larger and more stronger opponent, competitors these days are stacking on the muscle. Now that the bigger and stronger athletes are learning the same intricacies of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the need for all athletes to combine strength training with bjj workout routines is crucial.

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MAXIMIZING BJJ EFFICIENCY 

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an extremely complex Martial Art that involves athletes to utilise strategy and technique, to achieve their objective. Many BJJ athletes often find themselves gassing out in the middle of a competition fight, or struggling to even make the next division. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions are not a walk in the park, as they require athletes to train extensively in grappling technique, and bjj conditioning workouts. Athletes will need to maximise their efficiency on the mats if they are serious about being a successful grappler. 

For athletes to maximise their efficiency they need to cut out all of the unnecessary distractions. Getting to training is half the battle for most students, as inconsistency can creep into even the most enthusiastic of students. It is important for students to maximise their time while they are training on the mats. This means not to waste a second, and put in a significant amount of effort into each aspect of BJJ. This may mean when it's time to learn the technique, to keep practising, rather than stopping after a few goes, and waiting for further instruction. It is also a good idea for students not to waste rolling time, as what can commonly happen is students will start socialising during the open mat. While there are many athletes rolling on the mats, this is the time for a student to battle test many of the techniques, and pick the minds of all the other higher belts in the gym. Be sure to ask as many high belts as possible for rolls, because they will ultimately help a student with their overall direction. If a student can maximise this time inside their jiu jitsu dojo, then efficiency will begin to maximise their performance.

TRAINING WITH WEIGHTS

The most popular place for people to work on their health and fitness is at a gym. Some of the most effective workouts for BJJ, athletes will find at one of the mainstream gyms in their local area. The significance of lifting weights to increase power, strength, and endurance has become a crucial element of strength and conditioning. There are some important factors to consider when an athlete begins strenuous weight lifting programs. First and foremost, posture means that a student must keep their spine in alignment, with their neck in a postured position. Keeping this postured structure will enable students to maximise any potential weightlifting exercises. Breathing exercises is another extremely important facet, as the human body needs a sufficient amount of oxygen cycling through the bloodstream, as this will enable it's most efficient output. Sometimes athletes will be too focused on panting rapidly, and forget to lower their heart rate by slowing down their breathing. Athletes should inhale through their nose at the same speed as they exhale out through their mouth. A good breathing technique can contribute to rapid recovery, and will enable athletes to last longer, while maintaining efficiency.

It is important to know the different kinds of muscle workouts that athletes will need to work through. The big one is muscle power, and this is how athletes will develop explosive power, which can be advantageous to a BJJ athlete. Training an athlete's explosive power will benefit BJJ athletes, as they are constantly looking to drive through and take their opponent to the mat. Explosive power is trained by using larger muscle movements like squats, power cleans, or weighted jumps, which engages an athlete's fast twitch muscle fibres. The only downside to training explosive power, is that an athlete's muscles may take longer to recover. 

Building up significant muscle strength is extremely important for BJJ, as students will look at adding this overall strength. The benefits of adding size and strength to a BJJ athlete is crucial in their overall quest for dominance. A great form of strength training is when an athlete does a bjj kettlebell workout, as there are a multitude of different exercises that can be performed. Using kettlebells can give an athlete a significant advantage over their competitors, as they will be able to use them for squats, deadlifts, swings, presses, lunges, and various other exercises. Another important element of strength training is building up an athlete's endurance muscle. When an athlete trains their slow twitch muscle fibres it will help them build a longer lasting durability.

THE COHESION OF WEIGHT LIFTING AND BJJ  

The competitive element of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be extremely brutal, as the high intensity grappling combat can wear down most athletes. One of the biggest problems that athletes may experience is running out of energy, or muscular strength, during a competition match. There is an upside, as most BJJ practitioners will also add significant strength and conditioning, cardio based, and bjj core workouts to their training program. Some good advice would be for students to find a good balance between training in their BJJ, and adding significant weight training sessions. Students should always start off with light weights, and build up slowly so they are not putting too much stress on their muscles, or joints. This is also a good way to find out how much weight a student can actually lift, before trying to improve on those attributes.

The most important factor for adding weight training into a BJJ athlete's training schedule is functionality. There is no use training a certain exercise that has no relevance toward some of the elements involved in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. A smart play would be to try and mimic many of the movements that an athlete will use during their training. There are many highly recommended programs that have been specifically designed to help BJJ athletes develop power, endurance, and strength throughout all areas of the body. For example;a BJJ athlete needs to have strong hips, so they can create angles in order to escape, or advance their position. A common exercise is to do weighted hip thrusts, where the athlete posts on their hands and feet with their hips towards the ceiling, as they thrust high while holding a kettlebell. Every movement that a BJJ athlete trains needs to be functional, it needs to help them achieve a certain goal, otherwise their strength training will be misguided and a waste of time.

GREAT WEIGHT LIFTING EXERCISES THAT GET ATHLETES IN SHAPE 

Finding the right exercises to incorporate the functionality of BJJ, is how athletes will get in shape fast. Understanding the different strength components that are needed in BJJ, will help athletes specifically target the right exercises they should be using. In BJJ athletes should aim for areas like grip strength, overall core strength, muscle endurance, and explosive power. Finding the right balance between these different strengths is the difficult part, as students may struggle in combining all these elements safely. Below are some of the more common and functional weight lifting exercises for BJJ athletes.

There are many different training programs that play a vital role for some of the World's best combat athletes. Bulletproof for BJJ is one of the best, as the legendary designers Joe Worthington and James Tomlinson have built a legacy. In this functional strength workout, the pair provides a range of different options. It's always good to start with a warm up, as Bulletproof for BJJ suggests two sets of 12 reps for three different exercises. The first is a cossack squat, followed by a seated rotation and then a table top press. Athletes should not have any rest periods during these warm ups, so they can get the blood flowing throughout their body and warmed up ready for a more intense workout.

Performing supersets will help athletes get in shape fast, as they will soon develop an incredible functional strength. The first superset starts with a Romanian deadlift, which starts with an overhand grip holding the bar at the athlete's hip level. Keeping their shoulders back, and their spine straight, the athlete will push their hips back and slowly lower the bar towards the floor. This exercise is to be performed at 8 or 12 reps with no rest period, before moving straight into a set of 8 to 12 push ups, and this is repeated for at least four sets. The second superset involves using kettlebells, as the athlete will start with a kettlebell deadlift, lifting sets of 8 to 12 reps. With no rest, the athlete will move straight into a set of 8 to 12 reps of the overhead press. These exercises should be repeated for four sets, as this is the best way for a maximum benefit.

It is extremely important to finish off a weightlifting program with core and grip strength workouts. Some of these exercises may include hanging off of a chin up bar and lifting themselves up slowly. Sometimes athletes will tie weights to themselves, this is for extra strength training. Another good way is to throw a Gi over the top of a chin up bar, and grip hold of both sides of the lapel, the athlete can then use this to hang, and to pull themselves up. Doing a straight arm hang, and then lifting your knees to your chest, is another great way to activate the core, while working on grip strength. One of the most functional grip strength workouts is the rope climb, which can be grueling to an athlete. The battle ropes are another popular choice, which are full of high intensity movements that are designed to burn out an athlete's grips, arms, and core muscles. Using the battle ropes for one minute intervals, will add a significant amount of strength into the core, and the grips of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete.

One of the best ways to train explosive power is through sprinting. This age old sport of running has been around for centuries, and is now one of the modern day combat athletes' most formidable training concepts used daily. Athletes can structure an interval sprinting program, where they can sprint on flat ground, or up a hill for 45 seconds of intense running. This will be followed by 15 seconds of rest, before repeating the process several times. Training in this method is how athletes will get used to being extremely exhausted, all while trying to find the power to use explosive muscle. This type of sprinting will mimic exactly what will happen to a BJJ athlete in the middle of a competition match, as they can often gas out after pushing their bodies too hard.

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CONCLUSION

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a dynamic Martial Art that takes a heavy toll on an athlete's body. This is why training in functional BJJ strength and conditioning workouts, can be the best combination with BJJ itself. Athletes need to build a strong core and powerful muscles, in order to execute many of the techniques involved in the art. It is also extremely important to ascertain all of these attributes, so that the athlete has a greater chance at avoiding injuries. BJJ is a Martial Art that is all about long jeverdy, so an athlete needs to take care of their health and look to minimise as many of the risks as they possibly can. Training with a purpose, and a functionality, will keep athletes focused on their goals, as they look to build themselves into all rounded athletes.

If you enjoyed this piece, consider checking:

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• BJJ AB Workout
• Going Back to BJJ After a Long Break
• Is Jiu-Jitsu a Good Workout
• Balancing BJJ and Weight Training
• Pre-Workout Before BJJ
• Does Jiu Jitsu Build Muscle
• Hardest Jiu Jitsu Move
• Does Jiu Jitsu Use Weapons
• Jiu-Jitsu Street Fight
• Jiu-Jitsu Olympics
• Gi vs No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu
• Jiu-Jitsu vs Karate
• How Many BJJ Black Belts Are There
• How to Become a Black Belt in BJJ