Bout Ready
Strength training for BJJ
If you roll 3 or more times a week, lift 2 times a week (1 in heavy competition weeks), with heavy full-body lifts, lots of pulling, grip work placed well away from rolling, and knee and shoulder strength. Maximal and isometric strength and strength endurance are linked to BJJ success; aerobic fitness, past a reasonable level, isn't what separates competitors.
What BJJ actually demands
A systematic review of BJJ athletes found that maximal dynamic strength, isometric strength and strength endurance were linked to success, while VO2max (42-52 ml/kg/min across studies) didn't separate competitive levels (Andreato 2017). In a sample of 42 recreational Norwegian BJJ athletes, average squat was 113 kg, bench 88 kg and pull-ups 9, with little difference by belt (Øvretveit 2018). Mat time alone doesn't build a big strength base, and that's the gap lifting fills.
The match itself is intermittent. In regional gi matches, high-intensity actions lasted about 4 seconds, blood lactate reached about 10 mmol/L, and handgrip strength fell from about 46 to 40 kgf (right hand) over one match (Andreato 2013). Competitors fight 4-6 matches on a tournament day, more with the open class (Andreato 2017), and grip strength drops after the third and fourth matches (Andreato 2015).
How often to lift
Strength gains depend mainly on weekly volume, and 1-3 sessions a week give similar results once volume is matched (Grgic 2018). For BJJ players, 2 sessions a week is the sweet spot for building. One heavy, short session a week holds strength when you're rolling a lot or preparing for a competition (Rønnestad 2011).
Put lifting on non-rolling days where you can, and keep the heaviest leg session away from the day before hard rolling. If you roll every day, lift after a lighter class, and keep it moderate.
What to lift
| Job | Examples | Typical dose |
|---|---|---|
| Full-body strength | Trap-bar or conventional deadlift, front squat, split squat | 3-4 sets of 3-6, stopping 2-3 reps short of failure |
| Pulling | Chin-ups, gi or towel pull-ups, rows | At least as many pulling sets as pressing sets each week |
| Isometric and holding strength | Carries, isometric holds, bear-hug sandbag work | 2-3 sets of 20-40 s |
| Hips and guard | Adductor squeezes, Copenhagen plank, hip-flexor band work, hamstring curls | 2-3 sets, 2 times a week |
| Knees and shoulders | Single-leg strength, Nordic curls, external rotation, scapular work | 2-3 sets, 2 times a week |
| Neck | Isometric holds in all directions | Short holds, built up gradually |
| Power | Med-ball throws, kettlebell swings, jumps | 3-4 sets of 3-5, fast |
Keep main lifts short of failure. Non-failure training gives slightly better strength gains than failure training (Davies 2016), and grinding sets leave you wrecked for class.
Grip: train it, but not before rolling
The mat already loads your grip heavily. Bout Ready's rule is 2 short grip blocks a week by default, dropping to 1 if you roll 3+ times a week. Grip work goes at the end of a session and never within about 6 hours before rolling. Pull-ups count towards it.
- Gi: gi or towel pull-ups and gi grip holds for endurance. Test with max gi or towel pull-ups.
- No-gi: wrist-control and body-lock grip holds, thick-handle work. Test with a timed towel hang.
Knees and shoulders: where BJJ injuries happen
In a survey of 881 BJJ practitioners, 89% of injuries happened in training, 79% of those during sparring, and the knees (25%) and shoulders (13%) were the most affected areas (Stegerhoek 2025). In IBJJF brown and black belt competition, knee injuries were far more common where heel hooks were allowed (Piekarski 2026).
Strength training isn't proven to prevent these injuries in BJJ; no trial has tested it. But it makes sense to build strength around the joints that take the most load. So the Bout Ready plan gives every BJJ player knee and shoulder strength work twice a week, and adds extra knee work if your rule set allows heel hooks. Tapping early still does more for your knees than any exercise.
Gi vs no-gi conditioning
Regional gi matches have long low-intensity phases between short bursts. Elite no-gi looks denser, with far more time at high intensity, but the two have never been compared head to head. Build conditioning around match length with bursts inside it: 3-6 second efforts every 20-40 seconds for the gi, more frequent for no-gi. The round conditioning calculator works this out for your belt and division, and suggests bracket simulations of 4-6 matches near a tournament.
Easy aerobic work matters too, because it helps you recover between rounds and matches: 20-40 minutes for white and blue belts, 30-45 for purple and above, at a pace where you could talk.
Tournament day
Between matches: rest first, then fluids and easy carbohydrate (a drink, gel or banana), a few minutes of light movement if you want it, and a short re-warm-up before you're called. Expect later matches to feel harder, and grip to fade after the third or fourth. In judo and kickboxing studies, active recovery cleared lactate faster but didn't improve the next bout, so don't force a long cool-down jog.
Making weight for a division is a different job. Bout Ready doesn't give weight-cut advice; use our sister app WeighCamp. In the UK, 59% of BJJ competitors in one survey lost weight before competing, mostly through diet and exercise rather than dehydration (White 2021).
A sample week
| Day | BJJ | Strength and conditioning |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Class and rolling, evening | Morning: easy aerobic, 20-40 min |
| Tue | Drilling, evening | Morning: strength A (deadlift, chin-ups, split squat, adductors, neck), grip last |
| Wed | Class and rolling, evening | Off |
| Thu | Off | Strength B (front squat, rows, carries, knees and shoulders, med-ball throws) |
| Fri | Open mat | Off |
| Sat | Match-length intervals or easy aerobic | |
| Sun | Off |
Grip work on Tuesday morning sits about 10 hours before drilling, not before hard rolling. More on scheduling in how to fit lifting around sparring.
Questions
How many times a week should I lift for BJJ?
Twice a week for most people. Once a week holds strength when you're rolling a lot or close to a competition, as long as the weights stay heavy.
Is it better to lift before or after BJJ?
On a different day is best. If it has to be the same day, roll first and lift later, with a few hours' gap, and keep grip work well away from rolling.
Does lifting help BJJ?
Maximal, isometric and endurance strength are linked to BJJ success, and mat time alone doesn't build much maximal strength. Technique still wins: the gym plan builds general strength and doesn't try to copy rolling.
Do I need to do cardio for BJJ?
Some, yes. Aerobic fitness doesn't separate competitive levels, but a decent base helps you recover between rounds and matches. Easy sessions plus match-length intervals cover it.
Can strength training prevent BJJ injuries?
It hasn't been tested in BJJ. Building strength around the knees and shoulders, the most injured areas, is sensible, but tapping early and choosing training partners well matter more.
Sources
- Andreato LV et al. 2017. Physical and physiological profiles of Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes: a systematic review. Sports Med Open. PMID 28194734.
- Øvretveit K. 2018. Anthropometric and physiological characteristics of Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes. J Strength Cond Res. PMID 29401194.
- Andreato LV et al. 2013. Physiological and technical-tactical analysis in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition. Asian J Sports Med. PMID 23802056.
- Andreato LV et al. 2015. BJJ simulated competition part II: physical performance, time-motion and perceptual responses. J Strength Cond Res. PMID 25559902.
- Grgic J et al. 2018. Resistance training frequency and muscular strength. Sports Med. PMID 29470825.
- Rønnestad BR et al. 2011. In-season strength maintenance training frequency. J Strength Cond Res. PMID 21873897.
- Davies T et al. 2016. Training to repetition failure and muscular strength. Sports Med. PMID 26666744.
- Stegerhoek PM et al. 2025. Injury prevalence among BJJ practitioners: cross-sectional study of 881 participants. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. PMID 40092168.
- Piekarski 2026. Knee injury in competitive Brazilian jiu jitsu athletes. Sports Health. PMID 41549501.
- White T, Kirk C. 2021. Pre-competition body mass loss in UK BJJ competitors. Nutr Health. PMID 33402045.