Many people want to lose weight. Today’s society embraces people who are leaner. So, it only makes sense for people to want to stay in shape. However, we all know the pain of starting a new diet and wanting to quit a day after. Well then, is BJJ suitable for losing weight?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is suitable for weight-loss because it’s an intense exercise that uses all your muscle groups, including back, chest, arms, shoulders, and legs. As a result, BJJ trainees will burn plenty of calories in a single session. Of course, burning more calories combined with nutrition equals weight-loss.
BJJ is an intense workout because it elevates your heart rate. Moreover, is uses all the large muscle groups in your body. That will lead to more calories burned in less time. So, if you do an hour of moderate BJJ training, you can burn up to 600 calories, a sufficient amount for weight loss.
When I say weight-loss, what I’m referring to is losing body fat. It’s no big deal to lose a bunch of weight and still not feel good about it. In fact, when I first started my fitness journey eight years ago, I was losing weight rapidly – but my mental health was still low.
Don’t get me wrong, weight loss can be linked to fat loss. But, focusing on your clean weight as a metric for success—isn’t as wise.
Before diving in, if you’re one of the trainees who like to train at home, it’ll be best if you get a high-quality grappling dummy. I wrote an article on the best grappling dummies for your money. Moreover, if you want to know how to fill them, follow the link!
Without further ado, let’s dive into the science of BJJ and its correlation to weight-loss.
Is BJJ good for losing weight?
Weight loss is one of the most desirable results everyone wants to achieve. Ask a small amounts of strangers, and at least one of them will tell you that losing weight is one of his/her goals. So, is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu suitable for losing weight?
BJJ is suitable for losing weight because it elevates your heart rate and uses all the large muscle groups. These muscle groups include chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs. As a result, you’ll burn plenty of calories, leading to a weight and body fat loss over time.
Of course, you must combine proper nutrition—to boost your progress and ensure you see results. Eating correctly is a habit most people struggle with.
Hence, if you can build a solid foundation for your eating habits, you’ll see more results in your fitness journey.
Medical publications have proved the link between mental and physical health. So, if you can lose body fat, you’ll also feel better. For example, take a look at the following study:
The associations between mental and physical health are: Poor mental health is a risk factor for chronic physical conditions. People with serious mental health conditions are at high risk of experiencing chronic physical conditions. People with chronic physical conditions are at risk of developing poor mental health.
SOURCE
Although I went through the fitness transformation myself, I’m no dietician. Therefore, I’ll include a video that explains how to correctly to lose body fat and become leaner.
Does BJJ make you leaner?
Most people aren’t familiar with how martial arts change our physical bodies. They don’t know that you can reach your fitness goal, whether it’s losing body fat or building muscle—by training in them. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of these martial arts.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu makes you leaner by being an intense exercise you can do up to three times a week. As a result, you’ll burn more calories if you participate in BJJ training consistently, and thus, reach your fitness goals. If your pursuit is to shed body fat, doing that with martial arts—is possible.
Today, some may think that working out has to be unenjoyable. Because of that, all they do is HIIT training, which is extremely difficult. BJJ is, of course, difficult as well. However, it’s different.
Like any other sport, if you do BJJ, you’ll find yourself enjoying training more than you initially think. As a result, you can reach your fitness goal, while learning to fight, while enjoying yourself.
Doesn’t that sound like a deal you would take?
Before we continue, hold up! If you want to learn more about the physical changes BJJ does to your body, follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
How many calories does BJJ burn?
Burning calories is a result most people want to achieve. Losing body fat and being lean—is something our society embraces. So, naturally, we’ll pursue achieving it.
One of the primary metrics to whether you’re progressing to becoming leaner—is if you burn more calories than you intake. Thus, burning more calories usually means shedding more body fat. Let’s examine how many calories does BJJ burn:
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, on average, allows you to burn 625 calories per hour, for a person weighing 160 pounds (72.57 kg). However, the number of calories burned ranges anywhere from 200-1200, calories per hour – depending on the intensity and the type of exercise you did.
If, of course, you pushed your physical boundaries further, you will naturally burn more calories. Nonetheless, everyone has these sessions where they feel they hadn’t done enough or push themselves further enough. Naturally, you’ll burn a lower number than the average calories in these sessions.
Finally, burning more calories shouldn’t be your primary goal. Rather, it’ll be best if you focus on the parts of training you enjoy most. For example, I love learning a new technique and then trying it for myself. If you focus on what you love in training, you won’t feel the urge to quit training.
Is BJJ enough for fitness?
For most people, following their fitness journey and needs—is difficult. Therefore, adopting a single exercise to ensure they remain active—is wiser than simply doing whatever they feel at the moment. So, let’s examine whether BJJ is enough for fitness:
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is enough fitness-wise because it provides a full-body workout while elevating your heart rate. As a result, you’ll burn more calories by using all your muscle groups, learn how to fight by learning new techniques, and build muscle or lose body fat.
Nonetheless, if your goal is to build muscle mass, it’ll be best to combine BJJ with lifting weights. After all, there’s no better way to build your body by resistance training. Of course, calisthenics can get you similar results.
That said, if your goal is to lose body fat, BJJ is more than suitable for your needs. By doing it up to three times a week, to avoid overtraining, you’ll burn up to 2000 more calories every single week.
You may know how meaningful such a number of calories can be on your fitness journey. If you don’t, let me tell you; it’s enough to carry you through your fitness journey.
Lastly, don’t forget to combine proper nutrition with your training, since eating properly is the primary aspect of improving your physical self. Previously in this article, I included a remarkable video on how to eat properly; do give it a watch.
Does BJJ improve physical condition?
Improving your physical condition—is something most people aspire to achieve. If you’re one of these individuals, I encourage you to adopt BJJ as your primary way of exercising.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will improve your physical condition by being an intense workout you can do up to three times a week. It’ll elevate your heart rate to more than the average and use most of your muscle groups. As a result, BJJ trainees burn plenty of calories in an hourly session.
The primary advantage BJJ offers is enjoying training while learning to fight. And, you can do both of these while improving your physical and mental selves.
Here are some physical benefits BJJ provides:
- Losing weight
- Shedding body fat
- Building muscle
- Improving coordination
- Lowering stress
The list is much longer than that, as you can imagine. However, these are the ones I decided to include, as more people seem to want to achieve them.
If you want to improve your physical condition, don’t hesitate to start training as soon as possible!
However, that’s not all. BJJ is also suitable for self-defense. If you want to read more on why Jiu-Jitsu is effective for self-defense, follow the link to an article of mine.
Final words
To end this article, I want to emphasize my appreciation for BJJ and all martial arts. The amount of positive impact they had on their trainees—cannot be counted. If you desire to improve yourself in all aspects, they’re your go-to exercise.
BJJ doesn’t only provide physical benefits. But, it does the same for mental results, which, in my opinion, are more valuable. For example, trainees will find themselves less stressed post-workout.
Moreover, BJJ trainees may find themselves with better mental health and feeling more fulfilled. With these feelings, also comes many physical and personality changes.
Today, I’m an entirely different person than who I was a year ago. I can confidently say that the positive change happened because I dedicated myself to the important things in life, such as improving myself.
You can, and should, do the same.
If you enjoyed reading this article, I recommend following the link to read more about the mental benefits of martial arts. Truly, if you understand them, you’ll be more eager to keep up with your training schedule!