The 10 Best Strength Exercises You Can Do To Improve Your Jiu Jitsu

When you first start your Jiu-Jitsu journey, your time in your specific martial arts classes may be enough for your needs. But, as you progress and want to improve your performance, it may be time to seek out supplemental work through a strength and conditioning gym. With the proper foundation of strength and conditioning, you can improve your Jiu-Jitsu technique and master moves that are complicated, impressive, and impactful.

Front Squats

The best strength exercises for Jiu-Jitsu are those that get your whole body involved. The front squat is an excellent example of this and will work to help you to build strength and coordination between various muscle systems. In a front squat, you hold a barbell across your shoulders in front of you, and then you squat down. This motion requires strength and mobility from your shoulders, through your core, and into your hips and legs. Mastering this squat will help you through every level of your Jiu-Jitsu journey, from your teen fitness classes to the highest level of competition.

Overhead Press

The overhead press is an exercise that focuses more on shoulder and arm strength, targeting it specifically rather than your whole body. If you want to do an overhead press effectively, lift a barbell in front of you from shoulder height directly over your head while maintaining a strong posture. Many grapplers lack shoulder strength and mobility, so mastering this exercise can help you to stand out from the crowd and give you an advantage in your grapples.

Deadlift

Another full-body strength exercise is the deadlift. In this motion, you will lean forwards with bent knees to pick the barbell up from the floor. Make sure you use smooth movements and activate the muscles in your legs, arms, and core so you can avoid injury and build strength throughout your body. You can get practice on your deadlifts through functional fitness training courses that focus on strength training.

Turkish Get Ups

Since Jiu-Jitsu relies on a grappling style that may require you to get up off the ground, it is essential to have the strength and practice to do so. Turkish get-ups are an excellent exercise for building strength and agility throughout your body, giving you an advantage in the grapples you participate in. In this exercise, you will start on the floor with one knee bent, and the opposite leg should be extended. Then, you use your arm on the same side as your extended leg to push yourself upwards while holding a kettlebell in your opposite hand. This exercise is essential for your stabilizing muscles.

Farmer's Carry

Again, using a kettlebell the farmers carry is important for building strength in your whole body. You will start with two kettlebells on the floor. From there, you bend down to pick up the two kettlebells and then walk forward with the kettlebells held at your hips with your arms extended. Try to walk a few steps beyond what is comfortable in each set. You can also alter the farmer's carry to target specific muscle groups. You will likely practice this carry and its variations in your strength and conditioning gym class.

Split Squat

Another squat on the list is the split squat, which can help you to balance out your hip mobility while building strength. In this squat, you hold kettlebells in your hands, stand in a lunge position, raise your back leg, and squat on a single leg. This can help you build strength in your legs, core, and arms while building balance and mobility. Having increased mobility and balance will stabilize you in your Jiu-Jitsu practice. This kind of functional movement strength training positively impacts your ability to progress in Jiu-Jitsu.

Chin Ups

A chin-up is another crucial functional movement training exercise that can help you to build shoulder and core strength. This increases your ability to pull, which will help you bring more force and balance to various Jiu-Jitsu moves as a part of your practice. A chin-up is performed with a high bar, with your arms extended, dragging the bar. From there, you lift your body and bring your chin above the height of the bar.

Push-Ups

Jiu Jitsu is a practice that is going to involve your entire body. While other sports or martial arts might focus on forms of competition that emphasize power, precision, and accuracy from only certain parts of the body, the grappling that Jiu Jitsu involves will demand strength from every part of you. The most basic and fundamental exercise you can begin now in order to start building up your grapple strength is push-ups. Push-ups are very common for a reason. They work particularly well for simultaneously strengthening your arms, chest, and core (all of which are essential muscles in Jiu Jitsu). Doing push-ups on a regular basis is a relatively easy way to start your Jiu Jitsu progress, and you don't need any external weights at all. There are many different variations of push-ups that all have different pros and cons–so do the proper research to know which version will work best for you.

Lateral Lunges

A lateral lunge is another fantastic leg workout. This exercise will primarily target your thighs, hips, core, and calves. The motion of lateral lunges will provide valuable variety in a leg workout, strengthening your legs in diverse ways so that you can be prepared to grapple from any angle. To do a lateral lunge, you should begin standing with your back straight and your feet shoulder-width apart. Take a step out to the side with the leg you want to strengthen. In one fluid motion, you should then bend the knee of that same leg, Your chest should be aligned with that leg, and you should bend your waist so that your chest approaches your knee. For the best lateral lunges make sure to keep your back straight while you do this! Straighten up and step back into position. You can also do lateral lunges while holding weights to enhance the difficulty.

Single Leg Glute Bridges

Grappling is largely done with your limbs. You need all of your arms and legs to be as strong and flexible as possible. While push-ups are a great exercise for arms and the upper body, you need to think about the muscle groups in your legs as well. Single leg glute bridges are an excellent exercise to strengthen your glute, thighs, and core. Begin your single leg glute bridges by laying on your back. Bend your knees so that your glutes are about 4-6 inches from the back of your feet. Lift one of your legs in the air. Then, lift your hips and butt from the floor until your torso, waist, and the thigh of your leg on the ground create a straight line. Single leg glute bridges are best completed by repeating this motion, moving your glutes from the ground to the air. For the best single leg glute bridges, make sure your hips are always even.

When you want to master the craft of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you have to invest in strength training outside of your Jiu-Jitsu practice. Incorporating various exercises will improve your skill set by adding strength training for Jiu-Jitsu to your repertoire and allowing you to put more force behind your motions. This will help you practice and ensure you are more competitive in any tournaments you may enter. In order to accomplish all of this at once, we at Combat Arts S&C provided not only Jiu-Jitsu classes, but also strength and conditioning programs designed to maximize your physical potential in life and on the mat.