Good Jiu-Jitsu conditioning is equally crucial for competitive & casual Jiu-Jitsu players. You can’t afford to gas out in the middle of competition or even your training. Having Good BJJ endurance allows drilling at the higher intensities & for longer time intervals.
A grappler must have the ability to make it through the match while engaging different muscle groups with varying degrees of eccentric, concentric & isometric movements. Developing endurance for BJJ in different forms by performing regular cardio. Running a long marathon won’t make a bigger difference if you’re unable to make it through grappling.
For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, endurance can be defined as the capacity of the muscles that can withstand intermittent sessions of intense active & passive work for a specific period. In a grappling session, your muscles work in different modalities, BJJ endurance is more about muscular endurance.
Energy systems working in the human body are complex & one can’t be completely isolated from others. However, through certain ways, you can train them effectively. In this article, we will explore what BJJ endurance is and you can train it.
What is BJJ Conditioning?
Fundamentally, conditioning is a process of enhancing the body’s ability to utilize aerobic energy sources. There are 3 basic ways by which your body gets the energy for different activities & biological processes. Those systems are glycolytic, creatine phosphate, & aerobic metabolic. Each of them is utilized to different degrees during physical activity. The degree of reliance on each system entirely depends upon the activity you are doing.
Glycolytic System
The energy system of your body majorly relies on glucose as the primary fuel source. It’s primarily utilized in intense workout sessions that last up to 10-30 seconds by a process known as anaerobic glycolysis. Utilization of glucose in the absence of oxygen present generates lactate
compound. Lactate molecules aren’t themself responsible for the burning sensation you experience during exercise bursts like Jiu-Jitsu guard passing in BJJ.
However, the feel of burn is a result of the glycolytic system. The glycolytic system is significant for BJJ-Gi games as it supplies energy for medium-length bursts. High-Intensity scrambles & the rest of the grappling exchanges largely rely on this system.
Creatine Phosphate System
This energy system relies on the chemical compound known as creatine phosphate for fueling muscles rapidly. It’s primarily utilized during intense activity sessions that last up to less than 10 seconds. For intense heavy squats & explosive lifts largely rely on this energy system, it can be used for increasing the intensity you exert.
Explosiveness can be extremely useful for Jiu-Jitsu, the creatine phosphate energy system is of least importance for jiu-jitsu conditioning. This doesn’t imply that you should not lift heavy weights for BJJ strength & conditioning.
Aerobic System
Activities that last more than 30-60 seconds rely on aerobic energy symptoms for energy supply. As in glycolytic energy, the aerobic system utilizes glucose. The main difference between glycolytic & aerobic energy is oxygen utilization for metabolizing glucose. Aerobic systems provide energy for longer periods than the Glycolytic System.
Better aerobic conditioning allows a sustained high power output with no dipping of the glycolytic system. If you & your opponent exert equal energy, the one relying on anaerobic glycolysis will get tired earlier.
A well-maintained glycolytic & aerobic system is the main key to having adequate conditioning for Jiu-Jitsu. If you have these systems highly trained, they will enable you to have a sustained and higher power output before you are tired.
What Affects the Endurance In Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu?
There are a lot of factors that affect jiu-Jitsu endurance. You should prioritize the method which is specific to your goals, for putting Jiu-Jitsu games together. First there comes individual factors. Such as genetics, age isn’t possible to influence, but that must be taken into account. Your Genetics doesn’t just determine how muscular you are, but muscular fibers that are predominant.
The remaining Factors that can be changed are lifestyle, environmental & psychological ones. This includes nutrition, recovery, hydration, mindset, training schedule all these factors have the potential of leveling up your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experience, etc. But every single one of them plays a role if you are looking to hype up your game.
Building up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Endurance
Building a Brazilian jiu-jitsu endurance routine should be initiated by a self-assessment you can take the help of a professional coach in this matter as well. Find out your fitness level, and your game skills so that the correct aspects can be incorporated into your routine for developing muscular endurance. As mentioned earlier all of your energy systems play a major role in determining how you can train endurance for your Jiu-jitsu game.
Start working out with an aerobic phase. This training should last for a couple of months, not less than a month if you want to notice improvements. It’s time to develop an aerobic base or “cardio” in the puzzle. In other words, you get to boost up capacity in a gas tank that helps fuel the duration & intensity of the muscular fibers enabling you to work along.
Consider doing the run, but long rolls and swimming are recommended. The structure of the aerobic program should involve individual factors we discussed earlier. This means it will be different for everyone.
Another phase is interval training as you begin working more specifically often used in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The phase should be up to two months. Intervals allow your body to push its muscles harder for a certain time. Then, you start recovering as you move less but do not stop completely. To put it in different words, you push yourself Jiu-Jitsu endurance in a certain way you match.
The difference is that you usually do it by using the fitness trend, rather than rolling. Develop the routine, consider the specific tasks, like looking to do many armbars in one round. Doing longer rounds than those you will be competing in is a good idea.
Lastly, there will be a two-month phase – for jiu-jitsu specific endurance. It’s that phase in which you lift kettlebells & medicine balls & keep your focus on rolling.
You have an amazing aerobic base & descent of your whole endurance level. It’s finally time to tailor your needs & your Jiu-Jitsu game. Your rolling pace should be at the highest level.
Training Methods For BJJ Conditioning
HIIT: It’s the primary method of improving the glycolytic system for high-intensity interval training (HIIT). It’s typically performed by using various duty cycles & rest time intervals of the same length.
Less: Less training is a low-intensity workout. The type of training incorporates exercises like long-distance cardio workouts. The type of training incorporates exercises like long-distance cardio workouts. It’s a way of improving your cardio endurance.
Conditioning Routine for Jiu-Jitsu: It’s a simple yet effective option for jiu-jitsu conditioning.
HIIT Intervals: Doing HIIT, at least twice a week, make sure you carry all the essentials in the BJJ bag, for getting the best of your session.
