Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
Discussions on improving your BJJ, navigating mat-politics and all aspects of the jiu jitsu lifestyle. Multiple weekly episodes for grapplers of any level. Hosted by JT and Joey - Australian jiu jitsu black belts, strength coaches, and creators of Bulletproof For BJJ App. Based out of Sydney, Australia
Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
Why "Getting Fit Before BJJ" Is A Terrible Idea
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If your goal is to get fit before you start training BJJ, you are kidding yourself. Get on the mats and everything will come.
A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready.
Speaker 2:Essentially, at this point, the fight is over.
Speaker 1:So you pretty much flow with the goal. Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power? I'm ready. The myth of getting fit for BJJ. We've heard it time and again hey man, yeah, I want to start BJJ, but I've got to get fit first. And this is possibly one of the most annoying and also ill-conceived. Ill-conceived, Great, great, great framing there, Joe. Ill-conceived ideas because actually the specific fitness for jujitsu is nothing you can do other than the thing. But we need to actually break down why this is a bad idea and why people need to get amongst it on the mat because it's the wrong thinking, I mean grapplers don't know how to get fit for BJJ.
Speaker 2:So how's a fucking non-white belt, someone that's never done BJJ, who's planning to start? How are they going to have any luck?
Speaker 1:Well, let's talk about what is the common situation. I understand, you know that makes plenty of sense, but I think what is misunderstood about general fitness, as it's referred to, is, like people like I started running, It'll get me fit for BJJ. You're like no dude, like that's. Whatever you think that jog around the block is going to do for you is not going to help you here, you know. And in the same way, the idea of trying to work around the problem to solve the problem and we do it in our day-to-day lives, right, Like yeah, but if I just get my desk clean, that'll help me get through the emails, no, you got to sit there and do those fucking emails, man, that's the only way. And I think what is underestimated here is that jujitsu is such a complex beast that requires so many different skills that just doing one alternate thing is not going to save you, it's not going to get you right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I don't have a problem with someone being like, yeah, I want to get in shape before I start. I'm like, okay, fair enough, if mentally, if that's what's going to feel right for you. But I think what we often see is that it usually comes from a place of someone trying to get all their ducks in a row, right, and it's like I'm going to get all my ducks in a row and then I'm going to start jujitsu and then I'm going to do competitions and then I'm going to win and then I'm going to get my and they've sort of visualize it based off what they've seen other people do with it, and they're like I knew a guy right, I'll give you an example. I knew a guy when I was in the movement world who was a pretty decent movement practitioner quite strong, quite flexible, all that very coordinated, and was also a Cairo and really, really good Cairo, and he was like oh man, jujitsu.
Speaker 2:Like we traveled together to an event in Thailand, so we spent a bit of time together and he's like, fuck, jujitsu man, how goes? He's like, yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to do it. I'm just like I just want to get these things with my movement, shit first Waiting for the right time, yeah, and I'm like brother, like you're in fucking great shape, like why no, no, no, no, I just gotta do this first. And I knew him maybe for a couple of years following that and he never started right and my impression is he probably never started because, I don't know, you sort of learn pretty quickly that, like you, never have all your ducks in a row. No, like you, you never, unless you're fucking 20 and you're training full-time and you don't drink alcohol. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's just like man, life's always a bit of a mess.
Speaker 1:The perfectionism piece is it's unattainable. It just doesn't matter what's going on in life. Nothing's perfect. I guess what I want to get to here is I know many people who have started jujitsu not to lose weight. They're just, they're totally out of shape, but they're like it seems fun, seems cool, and coming in with a very like not even an open mind, just like a very unqualified. They've never done any martial arts or anything, but they're like oh, my mates are doing it, I'll just give it a shot have fallen in love and subsequently, as a by-product of taking the action, have started to fix the diet, have started being more active, have dropped a ton of weight like 12, 16 kilos, you know and then they're like Jiu-jitsu changed my life, because the action of stepping through the door and being put under this crazy, weird thing has really forced them to go. Fuck, I can't sit up, I can't move my hip. Shit, I better change my shit right. Like the impediment to action becomes the impetus to action. The fact that they couldn't do the thing motivated them to change, whereas I think the ass backward thing people are doing is like no, no, no, I'll get right before I, and this just really is a fundamental misunderstanding of the thing.
Speaker 1:Because when you do jujitsu, a huge component of jujitsu is isometric strength and you know, we've all felt it, whether we're trying to squeeze on a guillotine or put on a foot lock or we're trying to hold some motherfucker in close guard that those muscles isometrically to hold a muscle contraction, it's fucking hard and you get you gas and then you're like oh my god, now my legs are all jelly, now I can't, I can't even use my fucking spaghetti arms. And then the person's getting the best of you and they're fucking crushing you. Yeah, and until you spent some time in that moment doing the squeeze, et cetera, you, you, you wouldn't understand that level of fatigue. And, in the same way, if you had someone and you've been under mount and you got big Joey fucking smothering you and you're trying to breathe, no amount of writing on that exercise bike is going to kind of allow you to stay calm and be in that intense environment. Even though this isn't a fitness thing, this is just like a like just and then you're like wait, hang on.
Speaker 2:I did bike yesterday, hill climb, I'll be fine.
Speaker 1:I'll be fine, but I had this before. I had a very large, high-calorie human on me. No rash guard, gi open belly on me. I'm talking like big country Nelson stuff, oh yeah, and I had to actually, you know someone's swimming and then they just Pull some meat aside. Yeah, I had to clear some space and just get some breath and then I was back under drowning, you know, and I had to do that every so often to survive and not tap to being suffocated by a large man's stomach. That doesn't.
Speaker 1:You don't get that anywhere else, Fuck yes jujitsu Happy day is inspiring, but that's the other thing too right. I have seen incredibly fit people break down in the first five minutes of just a simple like uh, you know, like a tap the knee kind of kind of wrestling drill where you one person's trying to defend and one person's got a sprawl. The other person's trying to just touch the knee and then, if you know they're successful, you sprawl, you don't whatever. Knee taps, just knee taps, some basic wrestling shit. People disintegrating, fit strong people just gassing. Because it's not about the preparation and don't get me wrong, we always encourage people to be fit and strong, but you've got to go into that fire, you've got to experience it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's that. I mean it's being able to deal with the stress of the thing, isn't it? And it's and? And yeah, I mean you can see people that are much less fit but that are more accustomed to the stress, that, therefore, can do better when they're under that stress. Yeah, weather, the storm, yeah, so, yeah, it's absolutely not a case of like, don't try and be prepped. But I think this idea of like getting everything perfected before you start it, just it doesn't, because you don't know what you need, what's required.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I think it's also it's just an excuse to not do jujitsu. Yeah, I think people look at it and it's kind of it's confronting, especially when you're like they're lying on each other I fucking I don't even get in those positions with my missus. Jesus Christ, what's going on there? And then you're seeing people be like ah, ah, ah, and you're like, oh, I don't know, people keep saying it's fun. I don't know if that's fun. So I think, whether or not you are someone who fell in love with jujitsuitsu straight away, or you're just a savage and you don't give a fuck and you're like put me in, coach, I'll do it the concept of people doing stuff around jiu-jitsu to be better for the thing is a prevailing, uh, mistake. It's a. It's a.
Speaker 1:It's a kind of cognitive fallacy or bias, and and and I think we see it even with people who do jujitsu like, look, I'm doing jujitsu once a week, but I'm doing circuits and I fucking I got my hit training and I'm fucking swimming. Shout out, frank, um, you know I'm doing all this other stuff. You're like, bro, just, I mean, don't get me wrong, there's plenty of people doing plenty of jujitsu, but you do actually have to spend a certain amount of time exposed to the stress of grappling, to have the tolerance for the thing. And the thing is we accept this with everything else, like if someone said to you oh Joe, I'm getting ready for a marathon, look, I'm only running once a week. I do about, you know, five Ks casual pace. It's pretty good. You're like I don't know if that's enough. You know, and I think the thing that we anyone who's done jiu-jitsu for an extended period of time, you know that, like once a week, ain't doing it and that ultimately, we want to see more people doing, yeah, more consistent training.
Speaker 2:And this idea of finding alternatives is actually it's wasting your time because it just is basically spending more time not experiencing jiu-jitsu like you've got good techniques but you just can't make them work because less skilled individuals with more strength than you are shutting you down. You're going to love Champion Strength. It is the program that we used for Adele Fornerino, the most winningest, lightest weight female grappler of all time, to prepare for her double gold run at last year's ADCC and beyond. You can get your hands on that exact program now. That's going to make you strong, it's going to make you relentless, it's going to make you harder to injure and it's going to give you greater confidence on the mats. You can get the program right now.
Speaker 2:Go to bulletproofforbjjcom, check out the shop and you will find Champion Strength right there. And the best part is we give you a 100% money back guarantee if you don't love it, for whatever reason. And once you're into it, jt and I will be there to coach you personally. See you on the program. So what would you if you've got someone and let's say they are average shape, not super fit, and they want to start jujitsu and they've told you that they're like JT yes, I really want to do jujitsu, I'm just going to get fit first. If you were to tell them what you've just said and they're like fuck, all right, you got me. What should I do?
Speaker 1:Okay, well, the first things first, because obviously it's different for every individual, because maybe someone goes for a trial class and they're like, oh, how good was the trial class, like how easy was that. That may not be the truth of the thing itself. I think for every individual, their physical tolerance for the thing is maybe greater or less. So what you have to do is actually go and do the class and see how you pull up. That's like step number one.
Speaker 1:I think we've established through past episodes that we want people training three times a week, but maybe when you get started your first class you're sore for days afterwards. Therefore, three times that week is going to be pretty hard. But I think for you to pick a day and go right, I'm going to go earlier in the week and then I'll go later in the week and see how you pull up. I think two is a good place to start to just build the habit, because that's essentially what you're doing New behavior, new habit. And we want to keep the bar pretty low, because the other mistake, which is the other way, is where people come in, get so frothy and they're like right, I'm training every day, I'm training twice a day, and then they flame out. So I think the beginner who is unsure needs to give themselves like a good maybe start on a Monday, two or three days and then another one somewhere in the week which gives them enough time to recover.
Speaker 2:Two, three sessions of jits a week. And what else Should they be doing stuff in the gym? Should they go for a run?
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, I mean look here's the thing I am a bit of a killjoy in the sense that, like people like, yeah, but I just enjoy it and fuck your fun. No, I mean, hey, enjoy your life, have your hobbies, but that's the thing too. Like, jujitsu is hard on your body, so that's. It's sometimes hard when you start jujitsu that you're like, oh, my legs are really sore, my back sore, running isn't if you're taking up running as a new thing yeah, not a good time to double up on the new hobbies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think giving jujitsu its own due allowance is good so you can work out your tolerance. But obviously we are encouraging people to have an ability to be doing some stretching and doing some mobility and, yeah, definitely being able to do some gym as well as a great thing. But if you haven't established jujitsu as a habit, it may be a bit of overload to start a lot of other stuff. Look, if you're already doing weights, if you're already stretching, you're already fit and capable. No problems, Don't you know? Keep it going. Yeah, Just just perpetuate, but ultimately I mean Just use gis for your pull-ups from now on forever.
Speaker 1:No, don't, don't for your pull-ups from now on forever. No, don't, don't. Don't give deep pull-ups one of the most overrated movements of all time still a fan.
Speaker 2:Yeah sure, that's fine, but uh says mr no, gee says mr non-traditional I mean yeah yeah, I mean I don't try, I just throw a rash guard over the bar now. I don't try fucking.
Speaker 1:Get the fuck out of here Fucking worm guard, this no-gi class itch.
Speaker 1:Funnily enough, they are saying that lasso in no-gi is the most effective guard. But anyway, all to the side, it doesn't matter. I think it doesn't matter if you're. I think gi is actually physically harder than no-gi. When you start Like the torque, oh yeah, but let's not go there. No, no, no, no. But I'm saying that like some folks out there might be like oh, my gym only trains gi and you're like just fucking go to, just go to whatever they got. Yeah, get amongst it, no question, like don't hold back. I think this is the thing, like get into it while we're giving advice on the new thing.
Speaker 2:I remember I spoke to a guy once that ran to do down at bondi and he's like, oh, it's my friend buba, he wants to start jujitsu. And the guy's like, yeah, yeah, I'm really keen. And I'm like, oh, awesome. And he's like, you know, I'm looking for some advice to get started. I was like, yeah, sure. And he's like, what gym do you train at? And I was like I train at this one up the road. And he's like, how much is it the membership? And I'm like you're a dickhead.
Speaker 1:Ask my advice, joey, just Joey just like forehead tapped him and then just double-legged him you ask my advice but then hit me with the price objection.
Speaker 2:I'm like, bitch, I'm not selling you a membership, but I'm like. But my advice is don't make your decision based on the price either. Just go and fucking try the shit and, when you like, the place and the anything you're going to do is going to cost you money.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter what club you want to be a part of, but make sure that, like, you're happy to get beat up by these people because that's going to be the experience. I think this is the other misconception. When people start jiu-jitsu they're like I'm going to get so good at this so fast. No, no, you're not. And as long as you're on board with this is cool and I'm learning, that's really good. But that initial period is tough to accept, the humbling nature of just getting squashed and passed and all of that. It doesn't matter if you're training white belts or white belts or with upper belts. Even for myself, the cognitive dissidence on how good I think my jujitsu is versus how good it actually is is fucking wild. Because in my head I'm still like prime purple belt, trained in Brazil six months. Best, I could fuck with Kit Dale, bro, I fuck with Kit Dale. I can beat Craig Jones, all of this, all this illusion in my mind Five times out of 10. Yeah, and then I go. And then I just go. Hey, chris Wojcik, let's do full locks. Ah, I just get you know. Hey, damn man, child, let's just whoa. Like don't fuck around Like I think, within all of this, the the huge value in jujitsu, which is great.
Speaker 1:It will humble you like a jog won't like as much as you could be running in, your legs burn you think. Oh, running so hard, having a grown ass man on top of you, dominating you in a kind of comes up Chimaev-esque position and you can do nothing to get the fuck out of there, which really makes you question am I enjoying this? Like is this? Is this good for me? This is not what I fucking signed up for. It is actually the truth of the thing, which if that means you stop doing it, then you probably shouldn't be doing it. But if that then incites in you the fucking fuel to be like I have to get better, then jujitsu is the right thing. It is the beautiful thing and the suffering is fucking worth it. The juice is worth the squeeze. Folks, don't avoid it. Lean in, get some.
