Your Holistic Guide to Jiujitsu Recovery

Ever thought about how well you bounce back after an intense BJJ training session? How well do you restore your energy and soothe those hard-charging muscles and aches?🏋️‍♂️

Recovery is more than just a protein shake. It's a blend of sleep, hydration, mobility, and regulation of stress levels and CNS activity!

Here are a few recommendations on how to take your recovery game to the next level.

💤 Dream it to Believe it (lol)😴

Sleep is the MVP of recovery. Want to stay sharp after grueling session on the mats? I highly recommend you get 8-9 hours of sleep opportunity each night, and if you can squeeze in a nap during the day, even better!

There’s a big difference between restful sleep and the amount of time you spend in bed, but that’s where tools like the Oura Ring or Whoop band can help. Tracking your sleep quality can be a useful way to assess your recovery and with the help of algorithm and body wore devices it’s becoming easier.

Here’s an old screenshot of my Oura ring data from back in January of 2021.

🧘 Stay Mindful

Consider adopting a daily mindfulness meditation practice to keep stress at bay. A modest start of 5-10 minutes, building up to 20 minutes a day can make a world of difference. Headspace and Waking Up are the two apps that I personally love. They're perfect for beginner meditators. 

What are the real-world implications of meditation and mindfulness for recovery? Well meditation has been shown in studies to reduce stress and cortisol levels (the stress hormone), the lower your cortisol, the lower your inflammation, the lower your inflammation the better your recovery therefore meditation = recovery. 

💦 Hydrate More you Thirsty Animal! 💧

Thirsty after a workout? Don't just grab a water bottle - go for the jiujitsu hydration protocol. Beyond training sessions, aim to drink 3L of water a day to keep those hydration levels soaring. 🚰

If you want to learn more about hydration for jiujitsu check out the 🧠Brain Gains & Resources section of BJJ Strong Online.

🤸‍♂️ Mobility and Warm-Up Matters! 🏃‍♂️

The right mobility practices, foam rolling, warm-up, and cool-down routines can significantly boost your recovery. That’s why I created the “The 30-Day Jiujitsu Mobility Challenge”. It's an excellent resource, crafted specifically for BJJ folks like you. 

Or if you're after a mobility-specific training program specifically for grapplers, then BJJ Strong Online has got you covered. 

👑Nutrition is King 

You only get out what you put in.

The better the fuel you put into your system, the more you can demand from your system. Adequate amounts of carbohydrates, protein and fats combined with the right TYPE of food and meal timing is the most important aspect of recovery on this list.

Everything else is a bonus.

If you want to learn more about how to level up your nutrition check out BJJ Strong Online.

Remember, recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Small changes can lead to big gains in your performance on and off the mat. Give these tips a try and let us know how they work for you!

Until next week, remember to train hard, roll safe, and recover smarter!