Whenever new people join the martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you often hear them moan about how sore their muscles are after training. In brief, muscle soreness is common, especially after your first ever session. However, muscle soreness also occurs months into training and sadly for most it never really goes away.
Typically the sorest areas of the body include the ribs, back, neck and fingers – but also sore ears and throat can occur which is a little different. Whilst somewhat inevitable, the good news is that you can prevent and combat soreness through various methods.
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Why we get sore muscles
BJJ is not unique in this sense. In fact, if you do any form of exercise for the first time then you can expect soreness. For example, if you took years away from swimming – if you returned one day and did a 45 minute swim then you can expect to have aching legs and arms afterward. This is because your body isn’t used to working out these muscles.
Even more experienced swimmers will get sore muscles after a tough session. Similarly, soreness is actually encouraged when weight lifting as it is meant to lead to muscle growth and is a sign that a workout has been successful in working the correct muscle groups.
What is unique about BJJ however, is that it often targets all of the body’s muscles. Unlike a sport such as soccer which is mostly leg work, BJJ hits everything. You may have toned arms but the chances are your neck and wrists may not be as strong. As a result, you can expect to ache after training. This does get better in time, however don’t expect immediate success. Even months into your training, you will still feel sore and it takes years of regular training to fully condition your body to BJJ. By then however, the years of training may have hit your body harder than soreness ever could though.
Low energy BJJ leads to less muscle soreness
One underated method to reduce soreness is to play ‘lazy’ Jiu Jitsu. Also sometimes referred to as ‘old mans Jiu Jitsu’, this means less dynamic and physically exhausting movements. For instance, you could get deep half guard into a fairly simple sweep and then slowly advance on your opponent. This would take up significantly less effort than a technical stand up sweep.
On the top, you could opt for slow pressure passing as opposed to a cartwheel pass or an aggressive torreando. Similarly, if your fingers ache then you can switch to nogi for a while and avoid death grips or playing spider guard. The point is, there are certain moves that will use more energy than others. Similarly, when pinned, you shouldn’t try to muscle out of a bad spot as it may add to soreness.
In short, sometimes slowness is key. If you have sore leg muscles, don’t play single leg X on that day. The point is, by playing common sense Jiu Jitsu, you can avoid adding to your soreness and avoid potentially damaging your muscles in doing so.
Yoga for BJJ
Yoga for BJJ is a popular way to increase your muscle flexibility and improve your breathing. In doing yoga off the mats, you are exercising your muscles in an efficient way. By improving flexibility means your muscles won’t get as tired from exerting themselves. Yoga for BJJ is good in general to avoid injuries and adds to the longevity of the grappler. If you can, adding a 10 minute yoga session before and after training is essential.
You will often see older grapplers do this and it’s for good reason. These guys know how to look after their bodies. You may be able to get away with this whilst younger, but many top sports athletes swear by doing yoga as it enables them to compete into their older years. By doing yoga, you’re effectively enhancing your shelf-life but also preventing muscle soreness as your muscles will get used to being stretched and moved in certain positions.
Is it muscle soreness which is why my throat and ears are sore?
In a way, yes it is. The throat has muscles in it and even a very small bone that is protected by these muscles. Again, you will commonly hear new students complain about a sore throat. This is common when practicing chokes or if you get hit with an aggressive choke during sparring. The sensation feels the same as a sore throat as if you have a cold, or even if you have something stuck in the back of your throat. This feeling can last for weeks or even months.
However, fear not. This is actually more common than you think. As trachea muscles are somewhat sensitive they may feel the effects of a choke for a while. This isn’t anything to concern over and you can continue training. After a while, the sensation will go away. This is anecdotal but it doesn’t seem to happen so much with more experienced practitioners. One reason for this could be that after a while, your neck muscles get stronger due to conditioning which protects your throat. So, if you feel like you have a sore throat, you probably do have one, literally.
Regarding sore ears, this is also a symptom of training BJJ. Sore ears usually happen when hit or pressure is put onto the ear. Whilst this is cartilage and not muscle, it can still feel swollen and almost like you have a large acne spot on your ears. This just means the ear has taken a hit and may have bruised internally. If done hard enough, this can lead to cauliflower ear. However, most of the time the ear will just feel sore without any long-term damage. Even if the ear does physically swell up, there is still a good chance that you won’t get cauliflower ear.
Training BJJ when sore
This topic is debatable. Some people will always train when sore especially if experienced. The idea is that at some point you get used to the constant soreness and embrace the grind. With experience, you can learn to understand your body and what it tolerates. Not only this but if done correctly you can condition your body at the same time so it becomes stronger.
However, if you are a new student then this method is not as wise. Often newbies complain about having sore ribs which is a common issue. Your ribs are naturally fragile and can take months to heal properly if damaged.
Therefore, you shouldn’t continue training if you still feel very sore whilst new. Ultimately this is up to you, but if you risk it then you could do more harm than good. As the saying goes, ‘the mats will always be there’ and it’s true. Taking an extra day off won’t hurt you and it may be good in the long run. However, as said previously if you know your body well then training whilst sore can be done and isn’t as extreme as it sounds.
Massages, Muscle guns and deep heat
One method which is used by experienced grapplers is to sometimes pay for a deep tissue massage. Supposedly, these work by getting into the deep, knotted roots of your muscles and can help release tension. It’s proven that massages do this so there’s no debate here, however whether they can fix chronic injuries is debatable. At the very least however, it’s worth a try – even from a relaxation point as much as anything else.
Another option is to buy a muscle gun. Some of these guns are cheaper than others, and some are very technologically advanced. The idea of these guns is that they hit the area rapidly which increases blood supply to the targeted section.
In doing this, muscle recovery can be aided quicker than without a gun.
Some people swear by these and if you have the money to spend then it may be a wise purchase. However, we recommend reading reviews beforehand to get the best deal. Unlike other methods of recovery, this seems quite quick and hassle-free. The Croyotex massage gun in particular offers both price and quality.
Away from muscle guns, you may want to try muscle gels or deep heat. These work in a similar way to a muscle gun by heating up the required area which increases blood flow. Whilst this probably isn’t as effective as a muscle gun, it’s probably better than nothing. Some people even try special sports tape which supposedly does similar. An advantage of this is muscle gel is quite cheap if you are on a budget.
Summary
Ultimately, BJJ is a martial art that is rough on the body. If you ask any veteran of the sport, the chances are they’re sore and have had far worse pains from grappling. Having said this, you can still train and be sensible with the above methods being used to supplement your Jiu Jitsu. Perhaps the best bit of news is that the initial extreme soreness of BJJ does eventually die off, although constant soreness will linger. With this said, sadly soreness is a part of BJJ – but it doesn’t mean that it should be a worry or stop you from training.
