Is BJJ less vulnerable to overtraining than weight lifting?

**bitparity** · Posted On: 9/07/2007 5:28am

I used to do weight lifting more consistently in high school, and one of the things my gym teacher told me was that you don't want to overtrain, i.e. working the same muscles over and over without giving them recovery time as this could lead to actually decreasing strength.

I've been taking BJJ for the last 5 months. Right now, I go to my BJJ gym 2-3 times a week. Sometimes I'm so sore I have to take a couple days to rest, other days I'm fine to roll the next day. My level of soreness sort of dictates whether I go the next day, because I don't want to overtrain.

Now this thought originally came up because I was looking into MT/MMA training camps in Thailand. A lot train for 3-4 hour sessions, twice a day, six days a week. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm used to going only 2-3 times a week, and if I'm sore, I rest. Well, training that amount of time in Thailand seems like I'd be sore everyday. But if that's the same training regimen everyone else goes through, does that mean overtraining isn't as much of an issue as I think it is?

**goosetherumfoodle** · Posted On: 9/07/2007 5:41am

I've found that your body will get used to the increased training regimen and eventually stop being so sore all the time. And if I get especially sore after increased training, increasing my protein intake accordingly helps in a big way.

Train as often as you can manage. In the end the bitparity that trains 24/7 despite being sore all the time would be able to kick the ass of the bitparity that takes time off to recuperate.

The line that I've heard over and over in bjj gyms is that 3 times a week is the MINIMUM if you want to see any improvement beyond the basics.

**Donkey_Fizzle** · Posted On: 9/09/2007 1:46am

Are we talking about "my ***** hurts" kind of sore or "I fucking injured something" sore????

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 9/09/2007 2:39am

Dude, that depends on how hard you **** the *****.

**Donkey_Fizzle** · Posted On: 9/09/2007 5:58am

Well some people can't seem to comprehend that training in a physically demanding sport comes with it's requisit amount of aches and pains. If I didn't train sore or semi hurt I wouldn't train much at all. Not saying I endorse training while injured but if you came in my gym and whined about a little muscle soreness from training two days ago Imake for damned certain to agressively strech that area. Nothing better for a calf than a nice calf slicer. If you are injured, let it heal. If you are just sore... well then.... man the **** up or take up oragami, bugger sculture or geunea pig masterbation.

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 9/10/2007 9:54am

I have had the good luck to be invited to a Royce Gracie seminar in London sometime ago and the question was asked about training frequency. Royce (see that) said that it was not worth training everyday because you would soon burn out. 2-3 times a week would allow you to develop and remain mentally Fresh.

Of course, it would probably differ for an Instructor.

**Nid** · Posted On: 9/10/2007 10:01am

It all depends on what you're doing.

Soreness, from everything I've gathered, only implies you've done something unfamiliar. Doesn't neccesarily say anything about your recovery status.

With BJJ, you should be learning, amongst other things, when NOT to exert yourself. So, you aren't constantly upping the ante as far as physical intensity goes.

Whereas, with strength training, by definition, you SHOULD be regularly testing the limits...and that is neccesarily exhausting...and should be.

So, getting in the groove of a BJJ routine is not going to overtrain you to the same degree....done properly.

**goosetherumfoodle** · Posted On: 9/10/2007 11:47am

Really? 3-4 days a week? I normally train 3-4 days a week. But during my summer and winter (college) vacations I train 6 days a week. I always find that I improve, in both fitness and technique, much faster during these months. Perhaps it would be a different situation if I were doing such a schedule all year long. But I don't see why it would, because the guys at my gym who train 5-6 times a week all year long seem to advance much faster than the rest of us.

**Ming Loyalist** · Posted On: 9/10/2007 12:06pm

i think it has a lot to do with your level of conditioning going into the training. i was also surprised that the thais train 6 days a week 5-6 hrs a day.

after 2 weeks there, i was able to keep up with that schedule, but it was still really hard.

i currently train 6-7 days a week myself, but i vary up what i am doing a lot (feel free to read my training blog if you are interested in how i do this.)

i mix up training in hung ga kung fu (including traditional and san shou classes), no-gi BJJ, BJJ, shuai jiao, weights, and cardio conditioning workouts.

it's a LOT to deal with, and i have to be really careful about getting enough sleep and enough protein, as well as to pay attention to my body and skip a workout if i need the rest. one thing that helps is that i use different muscle groups and skills for each workout for the most part, so at least part of my body gets to rest every day.

**spirez** · Posted On: 9/10/2007 6:37pm

A lot of the time overtraining can also be attributed to poor/insufficient nutrition and lack of sleep.

I'm training 6 x 1.5 hour sessions per week at the moment and don;t feel like i'm going to burn out as i stuff myself with good food!

Read this article:

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...ion/g-flux.htm

BJJ definitely doesn't stress the muscles as much as weightlifting. I very rarely get DOMS from BJJ.