BJJ Primer

**Aikironin21** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 4:39am

So, due to various financial, injuries, and logistical issues, I have been out of training for about six or seven months. I have used some of that time to get back into the gym and have lost about 24lbs in the past three months. I am not in any real good shape or conditioning yet, but I'm getting there.

Recently, a reputable BJJ school has opened up near me. I am hoping to have my financial issues resolved in the next four to five months, and I am eager to get back to my training. This will include Aikido, Kajukenbo, and now BJJ.

Starting next week, I am going to begin some Kaj workouts at home. These are very aerobic and full of calisthenics, and stretching. A standard home version for me would be the following:
Hops
jumping jacks
windmills
mountain climbers
squat thrusts
different types of push-ups
sit-ups
planking
punches
kicks
stretches.

At first I am planning to start with sets of ten and increase with ability to sets of fifty over time.

I also lift regularly now, and am soon will be getting my road work back on track.

My question; is this type of home training sufficient for conditioning to prepare for BJJ? Right now I weigh 224lbs and I am 5'6". By the time I am able to afford to start training again, I should be under 200lbs. I am more or less built like the guy who played Bane in the latest Batman movie. I understand for that role he weighed about 191lbs, and is supposed to be 5'10", though I know actors have a way of adding three or four inches to their height. Stallone claims to be 5'10"and I have heard from a former publicist of his he actually is closer to 5'5". Either way at or near 190lbs, I am built like Bane as he appears in the movie.

For BJJ should I try and lean out more? I have a few months to work on this, and If I need to put off starting the training for more conditioning and body transformation I can do that too. I would like to know now so I can change how I lift and train if need be.

**kelvis** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 4:47am

I had the same questions and I was given this link: http://www.slideyfoot.com/2006/10/bjj-beginner-faq.html
I also have a friend who suggested yoga. Don't laugh. Yoga is great for core, balance, and flexiblity.

**Mr.Miyagi** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 5:37am

Simply put: To prepare for BJJ, just go and do BJJ...then add on stuff on top.

Pretty simple.

Don't use this (prep) to make excuses not to START BJJ TODAY!

Drop your other martial arts, pay for BJJ now, if you can, and just go fucking do it.

**erezb** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 6:08am

if you can't afford any MA now, than at least focus much more on your cardio, you are going to gass there, look up some good cross-fit combose, they integrate power and cardio. Runing is your base, perhaps get good doing 3-5 minutes fast paste runs with 1-2 minutes breaks.
I discovered this super duper circuit for grapplers which i like a lot, and it really covers nicely the muscles you will use and it also take to complete between 2-3 minutes so when you finish you are going to feel out of breath.

You start with light weight, and try to do at least 3 sets when they recommend going up to 6..so this is not a heavy lifting thing, it is more a cardio via hard core exercises.
Of course don't forget your flexibility, and rolling break falling, if you can practice that..and finally a thing that non MA tend to neglect are your neck muscles, they are going to letch on your head, twist it and choke it, you will need strong neck muscles so go to a thread about it. All the best.

**Aikironin21** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 12:48pm

Originally Posted by Mr.Miyagi

Simply put: To prepare for BJJ, just go and do BJJ...then add on stuff on top.

Pretty simple.

Don't use this (prep) to make excuses not to START BJJ TODAY!

Drop your other martial arts, pay for BJJ now, if you can, and just go fucking do it.

I'm not using this prep period to not train. My wife has been out of work since January, and with two kids, everything is going to household right now. We should be recovered financially, hopefully, by year's end. I had some injuries, which weren't training related, but none the less, kept me out from before we hit these lean times. I basically made a mistake and went sedentary for too long.
I had returned to Kaj, cause let's face it, Aikido alone isn't going to condition you for really anything. I am basically tired of being a clump and I have a few months before I can get into a dojo or any kind of class. It's not like I have the choice to stop training in one or another for another right now. All I can do is my conditioning on my own for now. If at the end of a month I have a few extra bucks laying around, I may pay a mat fee or two and get something in, but with two kids, I have to be responsible as well.

Plus a reputable BJJ school just opened up, jogging distance from my house. I would be a fool, not to take advantage of having this opportunity so close. I am not trying to make excuses for not training, I screwed up and put it down for too long and got out of shape. If I could jump into some classes right now I would. That's what I did when I returned to Kaj, and believe me I paid for it in sweat, burning muscles, and vomit. Since regular classes aren't an option right now, I am going to condition the **** out of myself, to make my return to training, and start in BJJ easier.

**Aikironin21** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 12:58pm

Originally Posted by erezb

if you can't afford any MA now, than at least focus much more on your cardio, you are going to gass there, look up some good cross-fit combose, they integrate power and cardio. Runing is your base, perhaps get good doing 3-5 minutes fast paste runs with 1-2 minutes breaks.
I discovered this super duper circuit for grapplers which i like a lot, and it really covers nicely the muscles you will use and it also take to complete between 2-3 minutes so when you finish you are going to feel out of breath.

You start with light weight, and try to do at least 3 sets when they recommend going up to 6..so this is not a heavy lifting thing, it is more a cardio via hard core exercises.
Of course don't forget your flexibility, and rolling break falling, if you can practice that..and finally a thing that non MA tend to neglect are your neck muscles, they are going to letch on your head, twist it and choke it, you will need strong neck muscles so go to a thread about it. All the best.

Cool thank you! Our Kaj routine does about the same thing, it takes about forty-five minutes basically non-stop to get through. I'll add this to my routine somewhere.

What do you think about bridging? When I was in my best condition a few years ago, I did a lot of bridging for my neck strength. Something I carried over from my football and rugby days in high-school. I wish I had a four way neck machine though.

**ChenPengFi** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 1:02pm

There are tons of BJJ and wrestling specific solo drills out there.

**kelvis** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 3:59pm

I too haven't worked out in quite a while and being a little bit on the shy side of 50, too much exercise just plain hurts. Start slow and build up. If you can do BJJ now, do it. I would too, but August is vacation time here in Italy and I have to wait until September. So I'm going to try some Yoga stuff at home and your basic calisthenics. If you're still in shape(I doubt it after 7 months) I was told by my friend that kettle-bell exercises are great.

**Robdogg** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 7:46pm

Flexibility training is really useful for BJJ, so I'd do a lot of that if I were you. You'll probably want plenty of cardio, too. There are also a lot of one-man jiujitsu drills that you can do to get you used to the feel of certain basic techniques (like shrimping) that are also good exercise if you do enough of them. Check out Saulo Ribeiro's book, Jiu-Jitsu University for examples. You can also google the exercises if you can't find the book at a bookstore.

Honestly, though, not being as fit as you want to be isn't really a good reason not to do jiujitsu. Obviously, fitness improves your game and makes you a healthier person, but when you've gotten your financial issues resolved, just go do BJJ even if you don't feel like you've exercised enough.

**30andCrappling** · Posted On: 7/30/2012 9:14pm

I have to second yoga for a great activity that fits right in with Bjj. I do hot yoga twice a week and it has helped my grappling more than weights ever have. But nothing gets you into rolling shape like rolling. Good luck.