5 Things I Did To Get STRONG for BJJ

After a BJJ roll, I often get a backhanded compliment...

"Wow, you're so strong."

Which is then immediately followed up by a question...

"What do you weigh?... What? No way, I thought you were 20lbs heavier."

In some cases, the climax of this post-roll encounter ends with me getting on the scales for proof. 

Why does this happen to me so often??

...Because I've put in the work to get damn Strong for BJJ. 

Today, we'll discuss the five things I did to get STRONG for BJJ.

The list is not exhaustive, but these five elements impacted the mats most. 

If you work hard and implement everything on this list, I can guarantee you will get these "compliments" from your training partners.

ONE: LIFT WEIGHTS 2-3 TIMES PER WEEK... CONSISTENTLY

THE PROBLEM:

Getting strong and building muscle takes time and consistent effort. 

People often fall into one of these categories:

• Don't lift at all and train BJJ or, 
• Try and lift 5-6 times per week and train BJJ
• Lift <4 times per week but are still looking for real results.

All of these approaches suck, and here's why. 

The problem with not lifting at all is you're at an increased risk of injury (50% greater risk shown in research), and you're not getting any stronger. 

The problem with lifting too often is that it will result in 'non-functioning overreaching' unless your program accounts for your grappling training (and let's face it, it probably doesn't). 

If you consistently lift around 2-3 times per week but are not seeing any results, try implementing all of the elements in this article. Your training program is probably the issue. 

The Solution:

The immediate solution is to implement a training program designed explicitly for grapplers 2-3 times per week. 

This will immediately reduce your training load and, together with the other four elements on this list, will enhance your grappling training, not detract from it. 

TWO: FOCUS ON COMPOUND LIFTS BUT DITCH THE POWERLIFTING

THE PROBLEM:

Imagine yourself in this scenario:

You just started training jiujitsu, and you're hooked. You start watching Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu on YouTube and researching ways to get stronger and improve your performance on the mats.

Your Google search history is flooded with:

"Best powerlifting program to get strong quickly." 

"How to get strong for BJJ" 

"Why am I so weak and bad at BJJ"

You download a powerlifting program and start following it excitedly. 

After weeks of suffering, you see no results, you're sore all the time, you're skipping workouts, your rolling has gone to shit, and now you're wondering why you suck so much. 

This scenario is more common than you might think. 

The problem isn't you; the problem is that a powerlifting program is the wrong tool for the job. It's like trying to paint a fence with a hammer and wondering why you now have holes in your fence, and it still needs to be painted!

THE SOLUTION:

Ditch your powerlifting program.

Powerlifting training programs are great for powerlifting... Not for grappling. 

BJJ is a different sport and requires a different approach. 

A well-designed strength program for grappling will take some of the elements of powerlifting and reject the rest. 

Some take this too far and remove all compound movements from their training program, which is a terrible idea.

Compound movements incorporate multiple muscle groups and move you through different "planes" of motion. 

A grappling training program must consider your overall training load for the week and include other essential movement patterns that powerlifting often lacks. We will discuss these next. 

THREE: INCORPORATE CORE, GRIP, CARRY & ROTATION 

THE PROBLEM:

Jiujitsu is a dynamic sport, it demands a lot from your body, so you must demand a lot from your training program. 

Many training programs lack an emphasis on core strength, grip strength and endurance, carry movements, and rotation, which is the most neglected. 

THE SOLUTION:

I often refer to the 'four horsemen' of core/grip/carry/rotation, but the idea is to include these exercises throughout your training program or as supersets at the end of your workouts. 

Check out my training programs here if you want a done-for-you program incorporating all these elements. 

FOUR: WORK IN EXPLOSIVE POWER TRAINING

THE PROBLEM:

Power is your ability to exert your maximum force in as little time as possible.

You cannot go from 0-100 instantaneously, it takes time.

Having explosive power in jiujitsu is essential, think about:

• Shooting for a double-leg take down 
• Escaping a bad position
• Holding someone down in a pinning position

...and so many more examples.

THE SOLUTION:

Ballistic training develops your ability to achieve peak force with maximal velocity.

Some examples of ballistic training are plyometric training; medicine ball throws and slams, Olympic Weightlifting and their derivatives, speed barbell movements and resistance band movements.

To learn more about developing power for jiujitsu check out 'How to Get Explosive Power for BJJ' episode of the BJJ Strong Podcast.

FIVE: RPE AND WAVE LOADING

THE PROBLEM:

One of the significant problems with traditional strength training and hypertrophy programs is that they need autoregulation.

Without some form of autoregulation or 'scaling' of your workout, taking into account your training load, you can be in a state of overreaching and overtraining. 

Autoregulation reduces this risk. 

THE SOLUTION:

Autoregulation is about listening to your body and adjusting your training based on your recovery.

It's about recognising that mood, sleep, nutrition, stress, and even where you are in your menstrual cycle all affect your readiness to train and your recovery status.

One popular approach to autoregulation is RPE-based training. This concept uses a scale to quantify how hard you feel you're working during exercise.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

You do not need every element on this list to become strong in BJJ, but they will all help. 

If you want to become explosive and powerful in BJJ and reduce your risk of injury, check out the programs available at BJJ Strong Online here.