Fitness & Conditioning

Technique wins rounds, but conditioning is what lets you use it in the last two minutes, when everyone else is gassed. Building the right strength, cardio, and mobility for Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) doesn't mean living in the gym — it means training the specific engine that grappling demands.

Start with the cardio side: the best cardio training for BJJ athletes, whether jiu-jitsu itself is good cardio, and whether it's enough exercise on its own. For strength, we cover workouts you can do without equipment, kettlebell routines that carry over to the mat, and activities that supplement your training.

We also take on the questions everyone asks: does jiu-jitsu help with weight loss, how many calories a session actually burns, how to cut weight safely for a competition, whether creatine is worth it, and how to recover during hard training weeks so your body doesn't break down. The thread through all of it is longevity — training your body so it supports your jiu-jitsu instead of holding it back.