In an ideal world, you would train BJJ after a nutritious meal that would see you through the session. Not only does eating good food fill you up, but it provides enough energy to see a task through. For instance, BJJ roughly burns 1000 calories per session (including sparring) so you need to keep your energy levels up. Having said this, sometimes life can catch you off guard and you end up training on an empty stomach. With this being the case, here is how it affects you and what you can do.
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Drinking water is arguably most important
Especially in the heat, BJJ training can sometimes be brutal. To counter this you need to keep hydrated which means drinking enough water. Without fluids, you could potentially pass out due to exhaustion or dehydration. Because of this, it’s imperative to drink before and during training. Whilst eating before training BJJ is also important, water is the most vital. Looked at differently, a human can survive longer without food than they can without water.
With this in mind, there is no excuse not to drink water. If you don’t drink before and forget your bottle, then ask a training partner or the gym for some water. Do not feel embarrassed to ask for as much water as possible either. Doing this is really important and not only this, it will fill you up. Mentally as much as anything, if you feel hungry – these pains will feel less hard-hitting after drinking lots of water.
How bad will my BJJ be on without eating beforehand?
As mentioned, this isn’t ideal – but we’ve already established you should be drinking water at this point. With this scenario in mind, how much will training on an empty stomach affect your training? Surprisingly, it may not actually be that bad. In brief, if your technique is on point then you don’t have much to worry about.
You may suffer more in scrambles or battles of athleticism. You may also tire by the last round of sparring or lose a position to an opponent of equal skill. However, overall your performance will not be noticeably worse. Once getting into the zone of sparring, you may focus on the moment and forget about your hunger. Not only this but once your adrenaline kicks in you may be completely oblivious about training on an empty stomach.
Whilst we don’t advise this, the point is that it’s not the end of the world. Your performance may not be at 100% but it may be around 95%. For those who aren’t professional athletes, this is a fine margin and as said there probably isn’t much of a noticeable difference. As a one-off in particular, it is even less of a big deal.
Sometimes, less is more
Looked at from a different angle, there is also such a thing as over-eating before training. If you eat heavy foods like oatmeal then you can even feel sick, or end up being sick. This is due to the food not being processed by your body properly – and combined with the intensity of training can lead to sickness if the body is pushed too far.
To counter this, you should try and find a happy medium. For instance, if you’ve eaten a few hours before and feel slightly hungry, then have something like a banana or a light sandwich. These foods will provide energy whilst they are also easily accessible and can be carried on the go. Alternatively, you can also opt for a protein shake. This mixed with water provides a source of hydration as well as energy whilst training. Again, it is an easy option for those lacking time.
Remember to eat after training
Whilst you may forget to eat or snack before training, there’s no excuse not to eat afterward. As mentioned, BJJ training roughly burns around 1000 calories. These are nearly half of the average mans daily intake so it’s fair to say that BJJ is intense in burning energy. To counter this, you should look to refuel straight after training.
If you don’t, you could potentially lose muscle if you’re already storing low body fat which is not ideal. In BJJ you need to be strong so losing muscle is problematic. Naturally, your body will tell you if you’re hungry. Your stomach will feel light, your head may feel light and you will feel tired. Again, this is stating the obvious but you will need to eat at this point.
Summary
Eating food is important for all areas of life, but especially when training BJJ. Ideally, you should be eating at some point before training but this is down to personal preference. At the same time, it’s important not to over-eat which can also cause problems. However, as mentioned the most important part of nutrition and training is actually drinking enough water to keep hydrated. Without this, your BJJ really will suffer and you should try to stay hydrated at all times. In summary, it is not ideal to train BJJ on an empty stomach. However, as a one-off it is ok and with enough water you may not even feel the effects as much as you may think.
