How Much Conditioning You Should Be Doing For Jiu Jitsu
BJJ Training

How Much Conditioning You Should Be Doing For Jiu Jitsu

January 08, 2025 5 min read

The amount of conditioning you should be doing in jiu jitsu and what kind depend on where you are in your training.


Different scenarios require different forms of conditioning.


Off-Season Training


If you do not have a competition coming up, consider it the off-season. Planning these off-seasons will maximize your results during this time.

 

In this time frame, 3-4 months before you plan on competing again, focus on strength and technique.


You should not be doing hours of hard rolls to increase your cardio at this time.


To maximize strength, create a lifting plan and a diet plan to be in a calorie surplus for at least 2-3 months.


Ideally, you should "bulk" for up to 6 months, but that is not realistic in many cases. Most active competitors compete once every couple of months.


If you do not know how to put together a lifting plan based on your goals, we cover many different topics about lifting here.


Pre-Competition Conditioning and Training (1-2 Months Away)


If you have a competition coming up, it's time to taper down the strength training and increase aerobic conditioning.


This means more hard rolls, and for more time. The goal is to maximize cardio during this period.

 

Your conditioning in jiu jitsu can be used as a serious weapon.


During the off-season, focus on drilling, softer rounds, and fewer live sessions to refine your technique.


Before competition, reduce drilling and increase live rounds. These can be rounds from neutral positions or situational live rounds from positions like side control, mount, front headlock, etc.


The more live rounds, the better. This prepares you for competing more effectively.


Find a good training partner during this time. This person might not be your usual training partner if they are not near your weight and skill level.


An evenly matched partner is ideal for competition training camp.


When you are approaching a competition, typically stay in a calorie deficit or maintenance, so there is not much room to build significant strength in less than 2 months.


Focus your efforts on your gas tank.


Conclusion


Your training falls into two main phases: off-season and competition preparation. It's crucial to treat each phase differently and train accordingly.


If your gym does not conduct a training camp before competitions or you are competing outside of your gym and want to know how to prepare, we are releasing an article on training camps very soon.

 

We will also go into further detail in our newsletter, so sign up and stay tuned!


See you on the podium!




 

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FAQ

Porrada is a Portuguese term commonly used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Brazilian culture to describe a tough, intense, and gritty style of training or fighting. The direct translation of porrada from Portuguese to English is "beating" or "brawl." It embodies the spirit of going all out, giving your maximum effort, and pushing through challenges. In BJJ, practicing porrada means training with high intensity and determination.

This website is a collection of resources curated by grapplers, for grapplers. Our goal is to provide you with all the information you need to succeed. Whether you want to learn about nutrition, training on the mats, lifting, or anything in between, we are here for you. We want to see you on the podium most of all, and we hope to help you do exactly that. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us an email or DM us on any of our social profiles!

There are two main ways you can get started with training: 1) You can find a BJJ gym near you and do a trial day, or 2) you can create your own mini home gym and start training with friends. Option #2 is how our team at Porrada got started! We ordered 1-inch thick puzzle mats in a 10’x10’ square and began training using online resources. If you do start with the second option, we recommend eventually finding a gym down the road in your career. It will help you by allowing you to roll with more people and receive high-level instruction.

BJJ is quite similar to wrestling. Both start standing and use takedowns as a method to score points. Both use very similar mechanics overall. The main differences are that there are no pins (you can be on your back in Jiu-Jitsu), BJJ involves submissions, and the points system for each is very different. BJJ grants points for takedowns/sweeps, back control, mount, guard passes, and knee on belly. Wrestling grants points for takedowns, escapes, and back points (back exposure for freestyle).

BJJ is a very unique sport in many ways. There are so many incredible benefits to training Jiu-Jitsu. The biggest reasons we advocate for it are the mindset training and the added ability to defend yourself. In BJJ, you are forced to humble yourself over and over again, every single day. This sport is a great way to mature rapidly and generally become a better person (in our opinion). You will also have a better ability to defend yourself than 99% of the population—a pretty big bonus.

You’re never too old to start training! We see people on the mats of all ages and sizes. Large and small, old and young can, and should, train BJJ. If you are on the older side, it is perfectly acceptable to take it slow and learn at your own pace. You don’t always have to go full speed—don’t worry. There are typically also classes that separate people by goals. Certain classes are for those who want to compete, some are for general instruction, and some are specifically for self-defense teachings. There is a place for everyone on the mats.