If you’ve trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then you will know that it is physically demanding on your body. In short, there have been countless stories of obese people shedding pounds and becoming fit and trim. However, what about the idea of gaining muscle through training BJJ? Typically this isn’t as common. And, we shall find out why as we continue
Gaining muscle doing BJJ is very difficult
It goes without saying that if you want to gain muscle and train nothing but BJJ, it will be nearly impossible to do so. The reason for this is that it burns so many calories. Therefore, the activity in itself would be a struggle to bulk up – and you’re more likely to lose weight than gain it.
In other words, you’re much more likely to tone certain muscles such as biceps and abs, rather than grow them. Obviously, there is a key difference between the two as well – whereby growth is not the same as toning.
Secondly, the other issue is that BJJ doesn’t really workout your muscles enough for them to tear significantly to grow bigger. For instance, a full BJJ session may be the equivalent of a few reps of dumbbell curls, rather than an entire session. So, even though your body does get tested and tired during training, it doesn’t grow either.
But it can be done
Having said this, the above advice applies to over 90% of typical people. However, there are some who will be able to grow their muscles by doing BJJ – at least at the very start. Let’s imagine that you begin training BJJ and that you’re a male who weighs under 60KG. This means you’ll probably be quite weak with small muscles to begin with. Let’s also assume you’ve never worked out before.
Now, let’s imagine that you train BJJ for a year. It’s possible that you could gain a few KG of muscle. Although this may not significantly change things, under these extreme circumstances – BJJ could theoretically act as a muscle builder. Of course, this is unusual and the gains would still be small and short-lived.
The best way to gain muscle whilst training BJJ
Perhaps this may sound obvious to some, but if you’re really interested in gaining muscle whilst practicing BJJ, then you should also train with weights or at a regular gym. The reason for this is that in a regular gym, you have access to weights which can really work your muscles – in more of an optimal way compared to what BJJ does.
So, this method means training weights on your ‘rest’ days when you’re not training BJJ. Overall, this requires a lot of dedication and of course, it also helps to have good eating and sleeping habits as well to complement your schedule. If done correctly though, there’s no reason that you can’t progress by simultaneously training BJJ and weight lifting at the same time. In fact, the advantages of doing this are clear for all to see – as it will make you stronger in the gym which may give you an edge during sparring.
BJJ still helps your muscles
If you start training BJJ to help grow your muscles – then you’ve gone to the wrong place. The idea of training BJJ is that it’s a martial art which is about technique and learning. Even though muscles and strength play their role, for the most part this is a secondary thing.
Having said this, what BJJ is great for when it comes to muscles – is the ability to work certain groups which may otherwise be neglected. When typically thinking about muscles, most people tend to think about arms, shoulders and legs. However, BJJ will improve unusual parts of your body – including your glutes, hip muscles, neck and even finger strength. Basically, it offers something a bit different which should be seen as a positive.
In conclusion, you won’t really gain muscle from training BJJ alone. However, if supplemented with a solid workout plan then you can definitely gain muscle whilst simultaneously training BJJ. At the same time, it’s also great for engaging lesser-used muscles which is part of BJJ’s all-body workout.
If you want to improve your body and bulletproof it against injuries in BJJ – then check out this great book, Built From Broken.
