Where I train I've seen multiple obese people come in and take the basics classes. All of the warmups in that class are BJJ based movements like shirmping and butt scooting and rolling ect. The ones that have stuck around have all lost weight and moved up to the intermediate and advanced classes. 350lb white belts are much easier to handle than 275 lb blue belts btw.
"I need to get into shape so I can start training BJJ."
- Thread starter goatfury
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i was muscly and winded in 15 mins when i started.
i also was going to the f'in open mats only when i started. lol, did not know that
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Well, I am a black belt, and I'm really happy I didn't fall into this trap in the beginning. I was super lucky to have wrestled in high school, though. This experience taught me everything I needed to know about how to get into shape: show up for practice.
I think it's a good idea to do maybe 2 weeks of jogging/running a few times a week just to get back in the groove if it has been years since you've done any physical activity. It also depends on the classes. I also hate when they do long warmups with drills that are kind of pointless for Bjj. This usually happens at my gym when it's a high belt student who's assigned to give the warmup.
Anyways, those people are usually just uncomfortable about looking bad in front of others. It's a feeling I get sometimes and it's somewhat understandable, but you just gotta work through it. I hated when they did super long "warmups" and I would be gassed before the regular girls there lol. It's dumb, but when you start out, it's a completely new environment and social setting. People there all know each other, you're this new guy no one knows or really cares about etc.
Anyways, those people are usually just uncomfortable about looking bad in front of others. It's a feeling I get sometimes and it's somewhat understandable, but you just gotta work through it. I hated when they did super long "warmups" and I would be gassed before the regular girls there lol. It's dumb, but when you start out, it's a completely new environment and social setting. People there all know each other, you're this new guy no one knows or really cares about etc.
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I do ddp yoga in the morning and grappling at night
Being in martial arts my whole life you spend so much time warming up
It makes you better
We can't train unless we do 100 hindu squats
Pushups, gator crawls, bear crawls, triangles, arm bars...
Your cardio improves immensely the stronger your body gets.
Deal with it
Being in martial arts my whole life you spend so much time warming up
It makes you better
We can't train unless we do 100 hindu squats
Pushups, gator crawls, bear crawls, triangles, arm bars...
Your cardio improves immensely the stronger your body gets.
Deal with it
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I'd suggest going in and watching a class just to see what/how they do things. Then spend those 2-3 weeks doing the warm up as often as possible and jogging.
I'm actually jumping back in after a rather long lay off. The intensity and warm ups at this club seem to vary significantly and although I returned for a light session the coaches were all very concerned with my fitness level when I had to sit out during some gymnastics stuff, which I could never do at any point, and some drilling. I didn't feel too terrible but maybe I'm kidding myself a little bit and I looked near death.
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Honestly, I'm out of shape as fuck. It's really embarrassing. But I know that if I start BJJ, I'll eventually build up my stamina. I hope to start soon, but it all depends on school. Busy school schedule doesn't leave much time for extracaricular activities.
Both gyms I have attended, they don't exactly throw you to the wolves, but you are live rolling the last half of the class on your first day, and if you are morbidly out of shape, it is not fun. I've tapped before due to just having someone on top of me. Couldn't breath, people asking "are you alright, are you okay, are you gonna die?" They look at you funny when you have to tap and get some air, like they don't know what they just did to win.
I also do not agree that nothing prepares you for bjj. Any cardio prepares your lungs and cardiovascular system to supply increased oxygen. Professional bjj athletes do strength and conditioning outside of just bjj, and they don't do that because it's ineffective and doesn't prepare them for bjj. Yoga, pilates, and 45 minutes on an elliptical per day will definitely see an easier transition into bjj than just diving in, and sometimes that extreme difficulty plus the embarrassment of being "the fat dude" is enough to make people quit quickly as well, as opposed to never starting.
Beyond that, bjj is an intense physical activity, and sudden exertion by someone who has been sedentary could cause heart palpitations or cardiac arrest. It definitely is good to slowly ramp up to being able to push your heart rate up there. It's bad for someone with like 90-100 resting heart rate that never exert themselves, to suddenly be hitting 200 in a short burst(which is what happens to someone who is badly out of shape). I would say anyone over the age of 30 that has been extremely sedentary honestly NEEDS to go to the gym and do some work on an elliptical or bike, before they roll full speed with another student. Maybe light rolling with an experienced student or instructor, drilling, technique, but rolling will have your heart pounding in a hurry, and that could be bad for someone that may already have some heart problems brewing or diagnosed.
I do understand how most people use this obstacle to never train, much like a "i'll start my diet next week," but it is not easy or even safe for someone to immediately go from their divot on the couch into rolling. Even when I hit the gym hard for 2 or 3 weeks before going to bjj class, it's still not easy.
I think the best response to "i need to get into shape before bjj" is "you can go at whatever pace is good for you, just tell your instructor and partners what your limits are. If you have any questions about your heart's condition and have been very inactive for an extended period of time, see a doctor first and begin with some very light cardio and adjust your diet to be healthy. Size yourself and order a gi as a motivator, and attend class even if just to watch."
I also do not agree that nothing prepares you for bjj. Any cardio prepares your lungs and cardiovascular system to supply increased oxygen. Professional bjj athletes do strength and conditioning outside of just bjj, and they don't do that because it's ineffective and doesn't prepare them for bjj. Yoga, pilates, and 45 minutes on an elliptical per day will definitely see an easier transition into bjj than just diving in, and sometimes that extreme difficulty plus the embarrassment of being "the fat dude" is enough to make people quit quickly as well, as opposed to never starting.
Beyond that, bjj is an intense physical activity, and sudden exertion by someone who has been sedentary could cause heart palpitations or cardiac arrest. It definitely is good to slowly ramp up to being able to push your heart rate up there. It's bad for someone with like 90-100 resting heart rate that never exert themselves, to suddenly be hitting 200 in a short burst(which is what happens to someone who is badly out of shape). I would say anyone over the age of 30 that has been extremely sedentary honestly NEEDS to go to the gym and do some work on an elliptical or bike, before they roll full speed with another student. Maybe light rolling with an experienced student or instructor, drilling, technique, but rolling will have your heart pounding in a hurry, and that could be bad for someone that may already have some heart problems brewing or diagnosed.
I do understand how most people use this obstacle to never train, much like a "i'll start my diet next week," but it is not easy or even safe for someone to immediately go from their divot on the couch into rolling. Even when I hit the gym hard for 2 or 3 weeks before going to bjj class, it's still not easy.
I think the best response to "i need to get into shape before bjj" is "you can go at whatever pace is good for you, just tell your instructor and partners what your limits are. If you have any questions about your heart's condition and have been very inactive for an extended period of time, see a doctor first and begin with some very light cardio and adjust your diet to be healthy. Size yourself and order a gi as a motivator, and attend class even if just to watch."
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Bottom line.... It's a lame excuse to justify not starting.
Good intentions will not make you a great at jiu jitsu.
Good intentions will not make you a great at jiu jitsu.
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Some good points raised here, guys. I think I have overestimated the gym culture that is out there. Although I've been to literally hundreds of gyms over the years, I've spent the lion's share of the past decade at my own gym, running my own show the way I think it should be run.
Barnacle Goose
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Just about to start after a trial class a couple months back because I wanted to 'get i shape". This was more to ensure I'd rehabbed a previous back alignment issue through proper strength training to prevent injury. I honestly feel that if it makes people more comfortable to have a decent foundation of fitness it isn't necessarily a bad thing simply for confidence issues.
However I have no thoughts that this would make me better or more conditioned for jiu jitsu but it will make me less susceptible to injury, improve posture and core strength (Squats, deadlifts, etc.). So for me that was enough reason to delay a couple months to start.
Thought this might be a decent insight from someone who has decided to hold of starting to get a bit more in shape.
However I have no thoughts that this would make me better or more conditioned for jiu jitsu but it will make me less susceptible to injury, improve posture and core strength (Squats, deadlifts, etc.). So for me that was enough reason to delay a couple months to start.
Thought this might be a decent insight from someone who has decided to hold of starting to get a bit more in shape.
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I think more instructors could be conscientious about getting beginners started. At the very first school I tried I was kind of just thrown into things and wound up puking my guts out about 5 minutes into the warm up. I was so mortified that I never went back.
Whenever I started thinking about training again, I'd get so anxious about the warmup and embarrassing myself again that I'd always psyche myself out of actually going to class.
When I finally worked up the nerve to try BJJ again, I went to a different school, run by a former world champ who was doing a boot camp style conditioning class right before class started was was an absolute physical specimen and I thought, "oh shit, this was a bad idea." But he took me aside and explained how the warmups worked, to take it easy if I started feeling dizzy or faint or sick and that there was no need to do the entire warmup at first. After that I never felt self-conscious about taking a break during warmup or looking like a baby giraffe when I tried to do a technical standup and that made me want to get better, instead of hating the whole process I totally embraced it.
Whenever I started thinking about training again, I'd get so anxious about the warmup and embarrassing myself again that I'd always psyche myself out of actually going to class.
When I finally worked up the nerve to try BJJ again, I went to a different school, run by a former world champ who was doing a boot camp style conditioning class right before class started was was an absolute physical specimen and I thought, "oh shit, this was a bad idea." But he took me aside and explained how the warmups worked, to take it easy if I started feeling dizzy or faint or sick and that there was no need to do the entire warmup at first. After that I never felt self-conscious about taking a break during warmup or looking like a baby giraffe when I tried to do a technical standup and that made me want to get better, instead of hating the whole process I totally embraced it.
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That does make sense. Thanks for the perspective.
I think, however, that you are in the (dramatic) minority. The overwhelming number of folks who tell me that they want to get in shape first simply never come back to start training.
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I have a friend who got interested in mma and asked me about some good gyms. But he said he doesn't want to go until he finds someone to go with him....
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I have a friend who got interested in mma and asked me about some good gyms. But he said he doesn't want to go until he finds someone to go with him....
That may well be the second most common excuse I hear.
Either that, or time.
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I think this is absolutely valid, especially if it makes you feel more comfortable. However, as I've pointed out (and others have as well), 90% of the time when people say this, they mean, "I am not actually going to start."
I have a question that is somewhat connected to this tread so i didnt want to open a new one. i was training bjj for about one year or so and app 10 months ago i got an oponnent passing my guard and went for side control where he landed on my sternum and now i have problems with it, hurts on training, hurts even when i get up in the morning. I wasnt a sport type then even as i am heavyweight and i have problems with heavyweights when they dive for control and secure sidecontrol lockdown. I went to doctor and had a x ray but she said baah thats nothing, we have people from car crashes who have problems, dont worry blah blah. But i feel that my cartilage is clicking every now and then. I was thinking on stoping for a month but i get too nervous when not training...So what should i do? Do push ups help? Any exercises? Help-- Thnx
Barnacle Goose
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Yeah I can definitely see how that would be the case. Actually a couple weeks in training now and while i feel pretty good my lack of technique, having no idea how to grip fight, panicing and generally getting my shit wrecked each class leaves me quite tired after a few 5 minute rolls. However I have noticed it has been easier to retain posture at times and keep a strong base but again technique from striped and coloured belts just shreks me.
At the end of each class though I end up being tired as shit and 100% understand why people say if you want to get fit for BJJ or grappling in general grapple.
