Great vid. I used to be a 140kg sedentary lump, to a 100kg powerlifter, to a 75kg cyclist and now i'm some kind of 90kg weightlifting cyclist hybrid. I had to let go of my 200kg deadlift to get better at cycling, but it is more fun to be pretty OK at both, and overall I feel healthier than I did when I was focused on just one. Keep them coming.
cant excel at everything at once ig, but being good at multiple is great. Im currently going from being inactive over covid, been lifting for a bout a month and playing volleyball, then will start MMA hopefully soon. Those 3 disciplines hopefully won't conflict as much as yours since im not tryna be a bodybuilder/powerlifter anyways lol
@@Masa6x if you pick let’s say volleyball, your goal in the gym is to be as strong as physically possible in a movment that translates to volleyball let’s say quarter squat, while not gaining mass.A powerlifter will gain weight at cost of athletic ability since their goal is to move as much weight as possible.Plus let’s say he does his lifts almost everyday while you as a volleyball player do gym 2-3 times a week plus plyos in off season while in season your main goal is injury prevention and keeping the strength level you gained off season.
After I hit my 40s it became all about the MED. Now that I’m battling cancer the minimum effective dose in training has become my religion. Staying fit while leaving your body enough energy to fight for your life is a constant balancing act. When I return to “normal” training, many of the lessons I’ve learned will stick with me, but the most important are to know your goal and results over ego. Little else matters in the long run.
you've got to have great grit and mental strength to be doing that. you're an inspiration to a lot of young people around the world, including my 17 year old self. your well wishers on the internet hope you recover well.
with you mate. i was diagnosed in January and currently going through chemo too. also a very frustrated white belt that was starting to get some good progress in BJJ (then the above happened). good luck in your fight
“There’s only so much energy you can allocate to training a week.” I felt that, approaching 30 and definitely feel a difference than when I was 19-20 years old training Jiu jitsu and lifting.
Shouldn't be feeling much of a difference because of age at 30. It's probably a change in body compisition/ accumulated damage that's making you feel more fatigued. Your athletic peak is late-20s/early-30s, so if anything, you should feel better than ever. Check your sleep/diet because that part does become more important for recovery at around your age.
@@alexrosario423 Exactly! I'm a 23 year old wrestler and I really hope to be a good one up until my early/mid 30s. It's a mindset, and I know i'm saying that while i'm young and fit, I do believe most men in their early 30s are in their athletic peaks. Lets not say otherwise! I've seen men in their 40s keeping up with us "younger guys". You're still a beast, don't let your mindset say otherwise. Stay consistent, work hard, you'll be lapping us at no time. Examples of 'older' guys that we all know of that would most likely defeat me in any physical feat (not wrestling, but conditioning - wrestling is another story haha): David Goggins, Jocko, James Smith, etc. These are only people we know of, but i've seen it on the mats aswell.
@@QuitArchives haha, reality gonna hit you when youre 36 with a knee surgery and other injuries xD jokes aside im 36 and i train bodybuilding/grappling now. your joints definetly wont be the same and you wont be going all out in your sparring sessions atleast im trying to avoid unnecessary injuries. life will be different my friend :D
@@Fun_DealerThats almost the exact workout i do but i do 8 sets of one exercise 4 days a week.Bench press Squat and Deadlift and usually shrugs on the 4th day. Ji jitsu 4 times a week as well. I also do a yoga stretch program everyday to prevent injury.
Spot on James - in my 50’s and have been doing martial arts for many years and find for me the best way to fit in weights and still recover is limited exercises, low reps and sets, but lift on the heavier side of my capabilities 3 times a week.
Man I really wish I had watched this when it came out - I pushed weight training, no sleep, being a dad, work and Jiu Jitsu to the limit and ended up herniating a disc in my back terribly and now struggling to simply walk. This is a great message - wishing you all great luck out there on the mats.
The Jiu Jitsu / Lifting balance has been something that I have struggle with for the entire 4 years I've been training BJJ. I was a standard 3/4 times a week lifter before BJJ, where I primarily focused on P/P/L. When BJJ came along I was only training once a week so it didn't really harm my P/P/L split, but the more you want to get better, the more you train, which ramped up to 3 times a week, sometimes 4 or 5, and that really does ruin your weight training. I decided the best way forward was just to train full body once a week, but then I was paying for a gym membership I was only using 4 times a month. So these days, I just train BJJ Mon/Wed/Fri and get in 2 lifting sessions on any of the spare days (eg, Tues/Sat). Then I can justify the gym membership, and still focus on BJJ as the priority. Great video. I love the BJJ content.
If you're just lifting once or twice a week, it might be time to invest in some basic home equipment. You might have to trade exercises for ones that can be done safely by yourself, but you'll probably find that lifting is more accessible.
Interesting, I struggle too with Jiu Jitsu/ Lifting. I lost most of my gains since I start BJJ because I cancelled my gym membership due to financial reasons ( Jiu Jitsu is an expensive sport). So I train kettlebells/calisthenics 3 times a week and bjj 3 x also. I got my blue Belt but now my main focus is my Physique so I will train more weights than Jiu Jitsu, BJJ is fun but I dont love it .
I got into boxing this year, and it's a bit tough to balance both going to the gym to do weights and then going to another gym where I'm doing boxing. I have started noticing a lot of muscle growth in the areas that boxing does the most work on - My shoulders and traps are growing quite well, and it's really fun to see. You've helped me out a ton James, wouldn't have started any of it without you!
Thanks James, been researching this for ages and now you’ve made a video about it, perfect timing. Defo would benefit from more content like this. I just started BJJ and was wondering how it would all work.
52 years old. Funnily enough I went the other way. Started lifting a bit more and its boosted my appetite for jiu-jitsu. Lifting 3 days a week now and hitting the mats 3 days a week now. Enjoying both now. Balance feels right.
@@sugardaddy2157 how are you all doing that? I have 9-5 job, kid and three trainings of any kind a week is my maximum, any advice how are you squeezing six?
Been trying to suss this out since I started BJJ, coming from being a natty U80kg competitive strongman. Between rolling, lifting & working I’m wrecked all the time! Good advice as always!
This was super helpful, I've been battling with figuring out the balance of weights vs Jiu Jitsu training for a while now and hearing your angle was really useful. Thank you!
45yr old purple belt here. I train BJJ 12+ hrs a week plus teach 6 hrs. I was a carpenter for 20 years so was still kinda riding on the strength I gained there. Time now I think to start some weight training to help with injury prevention & making my body a bit more robust. I'm a little irish guy surrounded by Dutch giants. I think your approach here is definitely a good way for me to ease into it and form a habit of working out. Great content James! Keep the BJJ related stuff coming 🙏
Real words of wisdom in this video in my humble opinion.Training has to be a MANAGEABLE routine whist balancing responsibilities such as family,work,rest etc.The need to really listen to one's body is so important.When I was competing in powerlifting as a lifetime drug free competitor I always performed better when I was slightly undertrained than overtrained.Good video James
Absolutely brilliant advice James. I was 40 when I took up kitesurfing & got absolutely hooked but it eats into business & family life way too much. My wife bought me jiu jitsu class for my 42nd birthday & I just can’t get enough of it. I’ve started selling off my kitesurf gear 😂 There is so much to learn & it is just a fascinating sport that challenges you on so many levels as you have mentioned in one of your other videos. Thank you for this video, it has helped to be more strategic with my weight training because jiu jitsu is just too much fun but I believe a form of weight training is so important for a healthy lifestyle. 💪
I'm a black belt, been doing so for 13 years Started weight training 2-3 years ago and I'm glad I allocated all my time to Jiu jitsu first. Now with technical understanding and explosive strength it's made Jiu jitsu a lot of fun again haha
I am on a binge-watching spree of your videos man! I saw you on TikTok then on Modern Wisdom and DOAC, and I am so grateful for your content. Pure, honest, and concise, with a Jedi lightsaber and top-notch humor to cut through "lose 10kg in a day" BS. I will be buying your books! You're a great role model. In fact, I'm enrolling in a local BJJ club next month. Thanks for gently, yet tough-love nudging me 5000km away. Cheers!
Needed this, I’m 23 but I’m an electrician so work long hours and try to split the week between gym and jiu jitsu but I think specialisation is underrated and that I’d rather be good at one than mediocre at both
Cringe comment here but just wanna say cheers James. Your BJJ videos got me into the sport and 2 months in I’m absolutely obsessed. Doing that along with weigh training is tough work but I’m in the best shape of my life and really happy with where I am. I’m still a crappy white belt but I can’t wait to keep going and keep improving. Cheers mate
Absolutely love this video. I don't want to be a skinny wrist locker and also don't want to be a great squater that gets beat up by skinny wrist lockers. After seeing so many fakes, great videos to watch. Its great seeing you become successful and at same time helping all the young guys get off steroids.
Great video. I'm also a purple belt and I am struggling with this for over 4 years. I found a bit of efficiency by doing snatches/swings with my kettlebell, but I gradually burned myself out. Can't wait to try this routine. Thanks mate
I'm 43 and go back and forth between training as much as possible in BJJ, but also meeting my fitness goals in the gym. Definitely appreciate the well thought out analysis of how to balance both goals as best as possible.
This is what currently works for me: 20 kettlebell swings ( each arm) 10 dips 10 chin ups 10 cleans ( each arm) 10 pushups with the paralettes 90 seconds rest in between and x3 And then train bjj 3 times a week Sunday rest. ❤
@@tipoftheiceberg7034I mean I'm a firm believer in doing something is better than nothing but only if that something is at least somewhat testing you and requiring effort. To put it into perspective I do sets of pushups between deadlifts and typically hit 300 in an hour (bearing in mind I'm deadlifting well over 200kg for reps as well) so yeah I'd say this guy should consider pushing for more. On the other hand BJJ is intense especially the sparring / rolling so fair play to him for that
Amazing to hear. Congrats on finding a passion and major props for showing off an entire wardrobe of different bjj brands. Community is lucky to have you. We are similiar ,size age and rank so hopefully we will get a match some day 💪✌️
I'm a busy self employed Gardener and have three kids so I'm always in the go... I workout 1 to 2 times a week full body, sometimes upper lower twice a week.. if you are training high intensity you definitely need a lot of recovery and I think it's very overlooked by many.. nothing beats consistency and just getting stronger at the basics even if it's as little as once a week.
I’m probably spending around 4 hours lifting and 4 hours on the mat a week, I’ve never done both before and I can say that lifting while training has changed the game for me, I’ve only just got back on the mats after a year off but man I feel good with the extra strength that I have. Not only that lifting helps with keeping those injuries at bay!
Love to see this realistic approach to training with two competing stimuluses. I have felt this in a very similar way and have found that I need to set a training governor to limit my intensity and volume to not over-do total workload.
This video really helped me - got into running three years ago after years of being gym focused and have done 5 marathons since. May not be as quick/fit as other runners, or as strong as other lifters but I enjoy the balance and feel much better than I used to!
I'm 37 and still quite active. Train BJJ twice a week and do some kind of strength and conditioning twice a week too. I wish could train BJJ more but to find the correct balance and use my energy efficiently is becoming more and more difficult. Especially when you have a family and a full time job etc. I've just learnt to deal with it. I don't put too much pressure on myself and if I have to miss a session due to these things I don't beat myself up over it. Just do the best you can.
This was a great video and an important topic not spoken about much. I train hand balancing as my main sport and have reduced my bodyweight strength training down to x2 a week. Not making as much progress in the strength stuff as I was before, but still making some here and there and i'm happy with that as hand balancing is my main discipline.
i love this! looking to supplement my jiu jitsu classes with weight training and some cardio.. Im also a mom and business owner so i dont have time to do hours in the gym. Already happy i can show up to the mat 2-3 times a week. Thank you for this!
Great video, James. I’ve been trying to implement this myself due to having many end of the season finals and also work constraints etc. I’ve noticed it’s definitely much better to be consistent over a longer time than to be shattered for a week not wanting to train again. I would always punish myself before for not going to the gym 4 times a week. I know ensure I go twice a week and if I ever miss a session due to work or a busy schedule for football, I just ensure I continue with the same routine as soon as I’m rested.
It also changes over time. Sometimes I'm more into weightlifting, I want to get a new PR or can't be bothered with the pain that comes with martial arts, sometimes I just want to do 15 hours of MMA a week for a month or two. I used to feel guilty when I was more involved in weightlifting because I consider myself a fighter more than a bodybuilder, but I've realized over time that it doesn't matter, I'm not training to be a UFC World Champion. Why stress out over my hobbies?
I don't usually (ever in fact) comment on the hundreds/thousands of videos I watch but this one really resonated! I'm new to BJJ and loving it and I've been having the battle of how to balance my old/traditional training (ex-Triathlete, who does lots of indoor cycling + 3-4 strength or heavy KB sessions per week) with the new 6+ hours of BJJ as it's all taking its toll. I'm 45 now and find energy is not always available/what it used to be and neither is my willpower to do the same level of strength work. I try not to beat myself up over doing less (which I often struggle with the guilt of not doing what I used to) but have to recognise, I'm not 25 anymore.
I do both also. I lean more towards fitness sessions. (4 fitness/weights 2 grappling) But I usually do emom (every min on min) type work, what you’re doing seems such low volume and inefficient time spent in the gym. Personally I would go for something like this Min 1: 6 power clean Min 2: 6 pull up Min3: 6 bench press X6 rounds Just 18 minutes total work and way more covered, plus more carry over to jits in my opinion. I also include a lot of assault bike and grip training work. It really doesn’t take that long if you use a timer / emoms
Read about HIT. That's what you're doing basically anyways. To minimize volume you need to maximize intensity and give yourself adequate time to recover. Basically, an example HIT workout would be: All exercises done with tempo 4-6 seconds down, 2 seconds up. If you're advanced, you can add a rest pause protocol (i.e. go to failure, rest 10 seconds, go to failure again, rest 10 seconds and go to failure one final time, something like 8 reps, 3 reps, 2 reps). >Monday Squat 1x6-10 Bench 1x6-10 Row 1x6-10 >Friday Deadlift 1x6-10 Press 1x6-10 Weighted Pull Up 1x6-10 That way you'd be hitting all of your muscles within ~20 min or so. Btw, if you use rest pause, if you use the effective reps model, you're doing the same volume as someone doing 3 sets of 10 @ RPE8 (3*3effective reps = 9 effective reps).
Great video and good points, I also train BJJ started again last year. I'm 35 now, and at 25 I'd train gym and bjj/muy Thai. Even ran to the gym!...the will and want never depletes but the energy tank certainly does, there is a lot of wisdom that comes with age when we also know our physical capabilities, rest and manage rest well.
New white belt in bjj here. Started in January. Been lifting for over 12+ years and did a lot of bodybuilding and powerlifting. It's hard to compromise the lifting as I enjoy the benefits of being aesthetic and strong. This isn't including some capoeira, muay thai or boxing that I do in adjunct....Good message in this video though. some lifting is better than none.
Absolutely spot on, man I train - Muay Thai 3 times a week Boxing 2 times a week BJJ GI 3 times a week No GI 1 time a week Olympic Freestyle Wrestling once a week BJJ is something I really wanted exel at, but I noticed less athletic guys than me making out of beginner's classes and making to the intermediate and Advanced class's. I was like, how ? It's the class's all white belts aspire to make it to because you get a strip to be in these classes. Also, you get to train with and spare with many upper belts (blue, purple, brown, black) This explains it and makes a lot of sense, man. I have been doing this for a year now straight religiously. I have improved in all these areas, but because I do a lot in a week, it's small improvements. My ultimate goal is MMA I am 38 Male Work 8 hrs a day doing night shifts as a railway maintenance worker. So my job is physical as well. Lifting, hammering , drilling, etc. I am dedicated and want to have a some amature boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, and BJJ compitions. I literally live in the gym and love it. It has helped me grow so much to as a person to. I am the best I have ever been in consistency, and everyone says I look so healthy, which is nice to hear. Thanks for explaining this, man
Such valuable information! I've just started BJJ (third week) whilst running and going gym every week and realised today that I need to do less at the gym to maintain this routine as I was shattered even before the BJJ class started today. Your video confirmed it!
This is pretty much my exact philosophy when it comes to lifting and BJJ, I try to get in 2-3 lifting sessions a week, and 1-2 hot yoga classes. It's not ideal for building strength but when you're doing 6 BJJ sessions on top of that it's a constant struggle to recover.
When I started training bjj in my early 20s, I kept lifting and training. After a few years I noticed I kept getting injured/felt burnt out. I slowly dialed down my lifting and now I’m in my 30s I pretty much just roll. Maybe I’ll start to incorporate some low volume lifting back in, as I do enjoy it. Cheers!
im loving jitz now and iv been struggling, because im a big ripped guy and worked hard to get that way and i find it hard to even get to the gym once a week now because i do about 10 hours a week of jujitsu , so hearing your the same helps that little voice in my head thats calling me weak, i need to sort my routine out
Enjoying the BJJ content! I'm planning to build a small gym in my garage for minimal weight training to go alongside BJJ (as I'm currently not doing any), so this video was great timing!
This was very helpful, I was juggling gym, skating, karate and jitz. I completely dropped out the gym as I found it the least amount of fun but Ive lost a lot of gains.
Great video, I do similar thing with balancing rock climbing with weight training, basically just a light bro split; back day, leg day and chest day. 3 sets of 3 exercises on each day, so I get 27 sets a week along with 1 rock climbing session and my 40-45 hrs a week manual labour job at a warehouse
Definitely a tough balance, especially considering which days/classes you can attend which further messes with gym routines. Ideally I’d do 3x bjj and upper/lower twice a week. At the moment it’s more like 3-4 bjj and 3x full body. Having a home gym helps!
doing jits you will get small. i love bjj, but i prefer meing swole over rolling around with sweaty men and getting smaller every week. It happed to me as a white belt. All lifts sufferd and i was losing weight. For me its not worth anymore. You never have to fight in rl anyways.
Interesting video and I 100% agree. I do no-gi twice per week. Four days per week I do weight circuits at home as I'm busy with my family, so heading to a gym four nights per week on top of my two sessions at BJJ isn't practical. I never mix the weight days with the BJJ days.
@@steve00alt70 yeh at first i only did weight trainning, then added bjj 5 times a week. was too much did bjj 4 times and gym 4 times but its also been too much. My elbows are fucked up so now i do 2 days of bjj and 2 days of weight lifting
as a working man,this seems alot to me. You need to lift in the morning and train bjj in the evening? If i would lift in the morning, i couldnt traind bjj in the evening, my body just wants to eat an sleep. Bad genetics i guess?
@@muaywub4882 train once a day, 5-7 days in a row and then take day or two complete rest and maybe deload week every 5 or 6 weeks, ofc it has alot to do what your work and life looks like also, start with a fewer sessions a week and build up, remember more training does not allways mean more gains
@@muaywub4882 i never train 2x day, some weeks i do more lifting some weeks more grappling. max 7 days a week of training but then the next week might be only 4 or 5 training sessions. My schedule is not written in stone, i rest when i feel like it and if i feel good training 7 days in a row i do it, it is called autoregulation.
Due to an alternating shift pattern at work, which would only allow me to train martial arts every other week; in turn, this would allow me to do all-out weights/cardio training every other week - alternating between the two training modalities every other week; and, on the weeks when I am not physically doing martial arts, I can instead learn about martial arts, by reading, and watching videos, etc - ready to incorporate it into my physical training in the following week...
My current lifting is just 2x a week. 1: Back squat, push press, pull ups, rdl, maybe dips. 2: front squat, bench, row, nordic curl. Just 1 excersise in every plane of motion, low volume, high intensity.
I agree with this. I used to train a year with a power lifter before moving to BJJ. I was strong for the first couple of minutes but then I was spent. Now I train BJJ 4 times a week and I struggle to find time for weights. My attitude is to just train a bit. A bit is better than nothing!
Good video very informative and good advice. I myself also do allot of jiu jitsu so this was a good guide of where to go as I also love my weight training. Much appreciated 👊🏾💪🏾
I'm a purple belt same stripes of you but i'm hitting the hill now. Really think I need to start some s&c as i've only ever just done BJJ and a desk job. Love the video!
From my experience: I was gym bro 95kg 200kg squat, 135kg bench and 220kg deadlift when I started bjj. Within 4 months of diet I lost 10kg then I run a maintenence for 2 months and I am doing cut to 80kg in october we will see how bulk goes. From my observation you can mix bjj and strength / hipertrophy training. Bjj wont make you lost all your gains even now I am like 12kg lighter than my lifting leak weight and on some volume work I am like 5-10kg weaker, it is not that much. I think it will come back when I will eat proper to my maintenence. So yeah, go hit the gym(if You have time) enjoy the lifting and take benefits that s&c prevent injuries. 😊
Please do more Jiu-Jitsu related videos, James! They're awesome and fun to watch!
Noone likes a brown-nose man.
Great vid. I used to be a 140kg sedentary lump, to a 100kg powerlifter, to a 75kg cyclist and now i'm some kind of 90kg weightlifting cyclist hybrid. I had to let go of my 200kg deadlift to get better at cycling, but it is more fun to be pretty OK at both, and overall I feel healthier than I did when I was focused on just one. Keep them coming.
cant excel at everything at once ig, but being good at multiple is great. Im currently going from being inactive over covid, been lifting for a bout a month and playing volleyball, then will start MMA hopefully soon. Those 3 disciplines hopefully won't conflict as much as yours since im not tryna be a bodybuilder/powerlifter anyways lol
@@Masa6x if you pick let’s say volleyball, your goal in the gym is to be as strong as physically possible in a movment that translates to volleyball let’s say quarter squat, while not gaining mass.A powerlifter will gain weight at cost of athletic ability since their goal is to move as much weight as possible.Plus let’s say he does his lifts almost everyday while you as a volleyball player do gym 2-3 times a week plus plyos in off season while in season your main goal is injury prevention and keeping the strength level you gained off season.
always best to be jack of all trades… or at least some. longevity and functionality is the most important thing
Former amateur MMA fighter. Now, a husband, father, part time student and full time employee, I LOVE your example of energy blocks.
After I hit my 40s it became all about the MED. Now that I’m battling cancer the minimum effective dose in training has become my religion. Staying fit while leaving your body enough energy to fight for your life is a constant balancing act. When I return to “normal” training, many of the lessons I’ve learned will stick with me, but the most important are to know your goal and results over ego. Little else matters in the long run.
you've got to have great grit and mental strength to be doing that. you're an inspiration to a lot of young people around the world, including my 17 year old self. your well wishers on the internet hope you recover well.
Praying for you man. Make that cancer tap out!!
with you mate. i was diagnosed in January and currently going through chemo too. also a very frustrated white belt that was starting to get some good progress in BJJ (then the above happened). good luck in your fight
Get well my friend 🙏
i would suggest you allocate your blocks to not dying.
“There’s only so much energy you can allocate to training a week.” I felt that, approaching 30 and definitely feel a difference than when I was 19-20 years old training Jiu jitsu and lifting.
100%, and your margin for error gets smaller and smaller.
Shouldn't be feeling much of a difference because of age at 30. It's probably a change in body compisition/ accumulated damage that's making you feel more fatigued.
Your athletic peak is late-20s/early-30s, so if anything, you should feel better than ever. Check your sleep/diet because that part does become more important for recovery at around your age.
@@alexrosario423 Exactly! I'm a 23 year old wrestler and I really hope to be a good one up until my early/mid 30s. It's a mindset, and I know i'm saying that while i'm young and fit, I do believe most men in their early 30s are in their athletic peaks. Lets not say otherwise! I've seen men in their 40s keeping up with us "younger guys". You're still a beast, don't let your mindset say otherwise. Stay consistent, work hard, you'll be lapping us at no time. Examples of 'older' guys that we all know of that would most likely defeat me in any physical feat (not wrestling, but conditioning - wrestling is another story haha): David Goggins, Jocko, James Smith, etc. These are only people we know of, but i've seen it on the mats aswell.
@@QuitArchives haha, reality gonna hit you when youre 36 with a knee surgery and other injuries xD jokes aside im 36 and i train bodybuilding/grappling now. your joints definetly wont be the same and you wont be going all out in your sparring sessions atleast im trying to avoid unnecessary injuries. life will be different my friend :D
*laughs in 47 years old*
*Realises that I’m definitely not recovering from half the workouts that I’m doing*
Same here! FS, the mental debate whether to go jiujitsu or hit the gym is a headache!
So the workout is literally just 3 sets? Then repeat everyday? 3 sets of squats Monday, 3 deadlifts Tuesday, 3 bench press Wednesday, then repeat?
More food protect ur sleep? U adjusted to new demands without changing diet or sleep?
@@Fun_DealerThats almost the exact workout i do but i do 8 sets of one exercise 4 days a week.Bench press Squat and Deadlift and usually shrugs on the 4th day. Ji jitsu 4 times a week as well. I also do a yoga stretch program everyday to prevent injury.
Spot on James - in my 50’s and have been doing martial arts for many years and find for me the best way to fit in weights and still recover is limited exercises, low reps and sets, but lift on the heavier side of my capabilities 3 times a week.
Man I really wish I had watched this when it came out - I pushed weight training, no sleep, being a dad, work and Jiu Jitsu to the limit and ended up herniating a disc in my back terribly and now struggling to simply walk. This is a great message - wishing you all great luck out there on the mats.
The Jiu Jitsu / Lifting balance has been something that I have struggle with for the entire 4 years I've been training BJJ.
I was a standard 3/4 times a week lifter before BJJ, where I primarily focused on P/P/L.
When BJJ came along I was only training once a week so it didn't really harm my P/P/L split, but the more you want to get better, the more you train, which ramped up to 3 times a week, sometimes 4 or 5, and that really does ruin your weight training.
I decided the best way forward was just to train full body once a week, but then I was paying for a gym membership I was only using 4 times a month.
So these days, I just train BJJ Mon/Wed/Fri and get in 2 lifting sessions on any of the spare days (eg, Tues/Sat). Then I can justify the gym membership, and still focus on BJJ as the priority.
Great video. I love the BJJ content.
If you're just lifting once or twice a week, it might be time to invest in some basic home equipment. You might have to trade exercises for ones that can be done safely by yourself, but you'll probably find that lifting is more accessible.
Interesting, I struggle too with Jiu Jitsu/ Lifting. I lost most of my gains since I start BJJ because I cancelled my gym membership due to financial reasons ( Jiu Jitsu is an expensive sport). So I train kettlebells/calisthenics 3 times a week and bjj 3 x also. I got my blue Belt but now my main focus is my Physique so I will train more weights than Jiu Jitsu, BJJ is fun but I dont love it .
I got into boxing this year, and it's a bit tough to balance both going to the gym to do weights and then going to another gym where I'm doing boxing. I have started noticing a lot of muscle growth in the areas that boxing does the most work on - My shoulders and traps are growing quite well, and it's really fun to see.
You've helped me out a ton James, wouldn't have started any of it without you!
Thanks James, been researching this for ages and now you’ve made a video about it, perfect timing. Defo would benefit from more content like this. I just started BJJ and was wondering how it would all work.
Dr. Mike and JTS both made Videos on this as well, more in depth and maybe less practical but still very insightful!
@@jawan5416 gsp coach recommended anebolic
52 years old. Funnily enough I went the other way. Started lifting a bit more and its boosted my appetite for jiu-jitsu. Lifting 3 days a week now and hitting the mats 3 days a week now. Enjoying both now. Balance feels right.
Nice 🤙🤙
Doing the same bro, gym 3times and 3times bjj
@@sugardaddy2157 how are you all doing that? I have 9-5 job, kid and three trainings of any kind a week is my maximum, any advice how are you squeezing six?
Been trying to suss this out since I started BJJ, coming from being a natty U80kg competitive strongman. Between rolling, lifting & working I’m wrecked all the time! Good advice as always!
This was super helpful, I've been battling with figuring out the balance of weights vs Jiu Jitsu training for a while now and hearing your angle was really useful. Thank you!
45yr old purple belt here. I train BJJ 12+ hrs a week plus teach 6 hrs. I was a carpenter for 20 years so was still kinda riding on the strength I gained there. Time now I think to start some weight training to help with injury prevention & making my body a bit more robust. I'm a little irish guy surrounded by Dutch giants. I think your approach here is definitely a good way for me to ease into it and form a habit of working out. Great content James! Keep the BJJ related stuff coming 🙏
Real words of wisdom in this video in my humble opinion.Training has to be a MANAGEABLE routine whist balancing responsibilities such as family,work,rest etc.The need to really listen to one's body is so important.When I was competing in powerlifting as a lifetime drug free competitor I always performed better when I was slightly undertrained than overtrained.Good video James
As a footballer, runner and gym enthusiast this is exactly what I needed
Absolutely brilliant advice James. I was 40 when I took up kitesurfing & got absolutely hooked but it eats into business & family life way too much. My wife bought me jiu jitsu class for my 42nd birthday & I just can’t get enough of it. I’ve started selling off my kitesurf gear 😂 There is so much to learn & it is just a fascinating sport that challenges you on so many levels as you have mentioned in one of your other videos. Thank you for this video, it has helped to be more strategic with my weight training because jiu jitsu is just too much fun but I believe a form of weight training is so important for a healthy lifestyle. 💪
I'm a black belt, been doing so for 13 years
Started weight training 2-3 years ago and I'm glad I allocated all my time to Jiu jitsu first. Now with technical understanding and explosive strength it's made Jiu jitsu a lot of fun again haha
As somebody who does CrossFit (loads of volume) & wants to get into BJJ this was so helpful. Keep the BJJ content coming 👊
I am on a binge-watching spree of your videos man!
I saw you on TikTok then on Modern Wisdom and DOAC, and I am so grateful for your content. Pure, honest, and concise, with a Jedi lightsaber and top-notch humor to cut through "lose 10kg in a day" BS.
I will be buying your books!
You're a great role model.
In fact, I'm enrolling in a local BJJ club next month. Thanks for gently, yet tough-love nudging me 5000km away.
Cheers!
Unreal mate! Recently become a huge fan of your content, there is nothing else like it online
Needed this, I’m 23 but I’m an electrician so work long hours and try to split the week between gym and jiu jitsu but I think specialisation is underrated and that I’d rather be good at one than mediocre at both
yeah just lift a little to keep your bones healthy
Cringe comment here but just wanna say cheers James. Your BJJ videos got me into the sport and 2 months in I’m absolutely obsessed. Doing that along with weigh training is tough work but I’m in the best shape of my life and really happy with where I am. I’m still a crappy white belt but I can’t wait to keep going and keep improving. Cheers mate
Not cringe at all boss 🤝🥋
Absolutely love this video. I don't want to be a skinny wrist locker and also don't want to be a great squater that gets beat up by skinny wrist lockers. After seeing so many fakes, great videos to watch. Its great seeing you become successful and at same time helping all the young guys get off steroids.
Great video. I'm also a purple belt and I am struggling with this for over 4 years. I found a bit of efficiency by doing snatches/swings with my kettlebell, but I gradually burned myself out. Can't wait to try this routine. Thanks mate
This channel speaks so much logical and common sense, it's great. Keep it up mate!
I'm 43 and go back and forth between training as much as possible in BJJ, but also meeting my fitness goals in the gym. Definitely appreciate the well thought out analysis of how to balance both goals as best as possible.
I really needed this video today...I have been feeling guilty for not having the energy to train, run, as well as work my physically demanding job.
This is what currently works for me:
20 kettlebell swings ( each arm)
10 dips
10 chin ups
10 cleans ( each arm)
10 pushups with the paralettes
90 seconds rest in between and x3
And then train bjj 3 times a week
Sunday rest.
❤
Damn that is sweet DICK all. I thought there was more I didn't read but no that's nothing
You do this 6 days a week?
@@tipoftheiceberg7034dude relax. Jesus.
@@tipoftheiceberg7034I mean I'm a firm believer in doing something is better than nothing but only if that something is at least somewhat testing you and requiring effort. To put it into perspective I do sets of pushups between deadlifts and typically hit 300 in an hour (bearing in mind I'm deadlifting well over 200kg for reps as well) so yeah I'd say this guy should consider pushing for more. On the other hand BJJ is intense especially the sparring / rolling so fair play to him for that
Amazing to hear. Congrats on finding a passion and major props for showing off an entire wardrobe of different bjj brands. Community is lucky to have you. We are similiar ,size age and rank so hopefully we will get a match some day 💪✌️
I'm a busy self employed Gardener and have three kids so I'm always in the go... I workout 1 to 2 times a week full body, sometimes upper lower twice a week.. if you are training high intensity you definitely need a lot of recovery and I think it's very overlooked by many.. nothing beats consistency and just getting stronger at the basics even if it's as little as once a week.
Family is number 1! Do try to prioritise yourself though. You're the best dad when you're the happiest.
@@88bjjmichael that's so true!
I’m probably spending around 4 hours lifting and 4 hours on the mat a week, I’ve never done both before and I can say that lifting while training has changed the game for me, I’ve only just got back on the mats after a year off but man I feel good with the extra strength that I have. Not only that lifting helps with keeping those injuries at bay!
Love to see this realistic approach to training with two competing stimuluses. I have felt this in a very similar way and have found that I need to set a training governor to limit my intensity and volume to not over-do total workload.
That's some honest and realistic approach, because that's actually what I am struggling with now, the combination of both.
Great video
Blue belt from Maidenhead here James I’d be so grateful to learn a bit of JJ from you :)
This video really helped me - got into running three years ago after years of being gym focused and have done 5 marathons since. May not be as quick/fit as other runners, or as strong as other lifters but I enjoy the balance and feel much better than I used to!
I'm 37 and still quite active. Train BJJ twice a week and do some kind of strength and conditioning twice a week too. I wish could train BJJ more but to find the correct balance and use my energy efficiently is becoming more and more difficult. Especially when you have a family and a full time job etc. I've just learnt to deal with it. I don't put too much pressure on myself and if I have to miss a session due to these things I don't beat myself up over it. Just do the best you can.
Great comment this 💯
"Still"? Even in the paleolithic it would have been normal for 36 yos to be active.
This was a great video and an important topic not spoken about much. I train hand balancing as my main sport and have reduced my bodyweight strength training down to x2 a week. Not making as much progress in the strength stuff as I was before, but still making some here and there and i'm happy with that as hand balancing is my main discipline.
Well said. This is a hard mix to combine those
Respect the transparency, love the analogies. Earned yourself a sub 😅
i love this! looking to supplement my jiu jitsu classes with weight training and some cardio.. Im also a mom and business owner so i dont have time to do hours in the gym. Already happy i can show up to the mat 2-3 times a week. Thank you for this!
James you are absolutely correct. You can't serve 2 masters because 1 has to give. Keep up with your great common sense videos with spot on no 🐂 .
Subscribed. This video answered so many questions for me. Thank you.
Great video, James. I’ve been trying to implement this myself due to having many end of the season finals and also work constraints etc. I’ve noticed it’s definitely much better to be consistent over a longer time than to be shattered for a week not wanting to train again. I would always punish myself before for not going to the gym 4 times a week. I know ensure I go twice a week and if I ever miss a session due to work or a busy schedule for football, I just ensure I continue with the same routine as soon as I’m rested.
It also changes over time. Sometimes I'm more into weightlifting, I want to get a new PR or can't be bothered with the pain that comes with martial arts, sometimes I just want to do 15 hours of MMA a week for a month or two. I used to feel guilty when I was more involved in weightlifting because I consider myself a fighter more than a bodybuilder, but I've realized over time that it doesn't matter, I'm not training to be a UFC World Champion. Why stress out over my hobbies?
Trying to workout the balance between kickboxing and weight training. And this video came at the right time.
I like the illustration of energy expenditure. Great way of explaining it.
I don't usually (ever in fact) comment on the hundreds/thousands of videos I watch but this one really resonated! I'm new to BJJ and loving it and I've been having the battle of how to balance my old/traditional training (ex-Triathlete, who does lots of indoor cycling + 3-4 strength or heavy KB sessions per week) with the new 6+ hours of BJJ as it's all taking its toll. I'm 45 now and find energy is not always available/what it used to be and neither is my willpower to do the same level of strength work. I try not to beat myself up over doing less (which I often struggle with the guilt of not doing what I used to) but have to recognise, I'm not 25 anymore.
I do both also. I lean more towards fitness sessions. (4 fitness/weights 2 grappling)
But I usually do emom (every min on min) type work, what you’re doing seems such low volume and inefficient time spent in the gym. Personally I would go for something like this
Min 1: 6 power clean
Min 2: 6 pull up
Min3: 6 bench press
X6 rounds
Just 18 minutes total work and way more covered, plus more carry over to jits in my opinion.
I also include a lot of assault bike and grip training work. It really doesn’t take that long if you use a timer / emoms
Best info yet, it's all about balance bro.
Bro I literally just asked this question yesterday crazy how quick u smash these things out bro
Thats what she said. THATS WHY IM HERE BRO 🤝
Good content, love how you simplify everything and make it easy to understand the basics.
Read about HIT. That's what you're doing basically anyways. To minimize volume you need to maximize intensity and give yourself adequate time to recover.
Basically, an example HIT workout would be:
All exercises done with tempo 4-6 seconds down, 2 seconds up.
If you're advanced, you can add a rest pause protocol (i.e. go to failure, rest 10 seconds, go to failure again, rest 10 seconds and go to failure one final time, something like 8 reps, 3 reps, 2 reps).
>Monday
Squat 1x6-10
Bench 1x6-10
Row 1x6-10
>Friday
Deadlift 1x6-10
Press 1x6-10
Weighted Pull Up 1x6-10
That way you'd be hitting all of your muscles within ~20 min or so.
Btw, if you use rest pause, if you use the effective reps model, you're doing the same volume as someone doing 3 sets of 10 @ RPE8 (3*3effective reps = 9 effective reps).
Great video and good points, I also train BJJ started again last year. I'm 35 now, and at 25 I'd train gym and bjj/muy Thai. Even ran to the gym!...the will and want never depletes but the energy tank certainly does, there is a lot of wisdom that comes with age when we also know our physical capabilities, rest and manage rest well.
This was very much needed, thank you and more this please 💪🏽
you are a thinker bro!! I thought I was the only one wearing my gi and belt in the gym!!
Need more jiu jitsu content from you brotha this is awesome!!!!
I am glad I found your videos. Funny, to the point, not too long, interesting. Great work.
Very relevant to where I'm at right now. Loved the new book. Good on you.
New white belt in bjj here. Started in January. Been lifting for over 12+ years and did a lot of bodybuilding and powerlifting. It's hard to compromise the lifting as I enjoy the benefits of being aesthetic and strong. This isn't including some capoeira, muay thai or boxing that I do in adjunct....Good message in this video though. some lifting is better than none.
Absolutely spot on, man
I train -
Muay Thai 3 times a week
Boxing 2 times a week
BJJ GI 3 times a week
No GI 1 time a week
Olympic Freestyle Wrestling once a week
BJJ is something I really wanted exel at, but I noticed less athletic guys than me making out of beginner's classes and making to the intermediate and Advanced class's. I was like, how ?
It's the class's all white belts aspire to make it to because you get a strip to be in these classes. Also, you get to train with and spare with many upper belts (blue, purple, brown, black)
This explains it and makes a lot of sense, man.
I have been doing this for a year now straight religiously.
I have improved in all these areas, but because I do a lot in a week, it's small improvements.
My ultimate goal is MMA
I am 38 Male
Work 8 hrs a day doing night shifts as a railway maintenance worker. So my job is physical as well. Lifting, hammering , drilling, etc.
I am dedicated and want to have a some amature boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, and BJJ compitions.
I literally live in the gym and love it. It has helped me grow so much to as a person to.
I am the best I have ever been in consistency, and everyone says I look so healthy, which is nice to hear.
Thanks for explaining this, man
The times I concentrated on 1 thing I really excelled in it. So mi might I start doing that from time to time
Such valuable information! I've just started BJJ (third week) whilst running and going gym every week and realised today that I need to do less at the gym to maintain this routine as I was shattered even before the BJJ class started today. Your video confirmed it!
This is pretty much my exact philosophy when it comes to lifting and BJJ, I try to get in 2-3 lifting sessions a week, and 1-2 hot yoga classes. It's not ideal for building strength but when you're doing 6 BJJ sessions on top of that it's a constant struggle to recover.
Nice video mate, it’s really good when u talk about bjj, helps a lot grow the sport oss
This has helped me to keep up weights whilst cycling 8hrs a week
When I started training bjj in my early 20s, I kept lifting and training. After a few years I noticed I kept getting injured/felt burnt out. I slowly dialed down my lifting and now I’m in my 30s I pretty much just roll. Maybe I’ll start to incorporate some low volume lifting back in, as I do enjoy it. Cheers!
im loving jitz now and iv been struggling, because im a big ripped guy and worked hard to get that way and i find it hard to even get to the gym once a week now because i do about 10 hours a week of jujitsu , so hearing your the same helps that little voice in my head thats calling me weak, i need to sort my routine out
Well said. I’m new to jiu jitsu but figuring this out for sure as a 35 year old father of two
as always great! very charismatic and informative
Enjoying the BJJ content! I'm planning to build a small gym in my garage for minimal weight training to go alongside BJJ (as I'm currently not doing any), so this video was great timing!
Also a purple belt, who’s now decided it’s a great idea to enter Hyrox 🤩
This was very helpful, I was juggling gym, skating, karate and jitz. I completely dropped out the gym as I found it the least amount of fun but Ive lost a lot of gains.
This makes perfectly sense.
Great video, I do similar thing with balancing rock climbing with weight training, basically just a light bro split; back day, leg day and chest day. 3 sets of 3 exercises on each day, so I get 27 sets a week along with 1 rock climbing session and my 40-45 hrs a week manual labour job at a warehouse
As a jiu-jitsu coach, im loving the transformation haha
Definitely a tough balance, especially considering which days/classes you can attend which further messes with gym routines. Ideally I’d do 3x bjj and upper/lower twice a week. At the moment it’s more like 3-4 bjj and 3x full body. Having a home gym helps!
Watching this the second time after starting to train bjj daily and this is gold.
As someone that's been bodybuilding for ten years and recently started jui jitsu needed to see this as finding balancing the 2 impossible
doing jits you will get small. i love bjj, but i prefer meing swole over rolling around with sweaty men and getting smaller every week. It happed to me as a white belt. All lifts sufferd and i was losing weight. For me its not worth anymore. You never have to fight in rl anyways.
Thanks James this video has helped alot!
Interesting video and I 100% agree. I do no-gi twice per week. Four days per week I do weight circuits at home as I'm busy with my family, so heading to a gym four nights per week on top of my two sessions at BJJ isn't practical. I never mix the weight days with the BJJ days.
This came at the right time! Got my first Muay Thai session tomorrow 👏
Needed to hear this thanks :)
This guy is funny. Keeps you locked in.
This is good advice even for those not doing bjj and just trying to fit lifting in around life commitments.
I had been hoping for a video about this for so long. Been struggling with tendonitis from over-training bjj and weight lifting so this was perfect.
do you do bjj and strength training in the same week? thats probably why
@@steve00alt70 yeh at first i only did weight trainning, then added bjj 5 times a week. was too much did bjj 4 times and gym 4 times but its also been too much. My elbows are fucked up so now i do 2 days of bjj and 2 days of weight lifting
@@ernestodemenibus2803buy finger extension bands. Shit cured my elbows for good
@@copeenthuisiast5453 ill try this out, thanks!
i do 2-3 fullbody sessions of lifting every week and 3-4 bjj a week, works well and i get progress in both!
as a working man,this seems alot to me. You need to lift in the morning and train bjj in the evening? If i would lift in the morning, i couldnt traind bjj in the evening, my body just wants to eat an sleep. Bad genetics i guess?
@@muaywub4882 train once a day, 5-7 days in a row and then take day or two complete rest and maybe deload week every 5 or 6 weeks, ofc it has alot to do what your work and life looks like also, start with a fewer sessions a week and build up, remember more training does not allways mean more gains
@@muaywub4882 i never train 2x day, some weeks i do more lifting some weeks more grappling. max 7 days a week of training but then the next week might be only 4 or 5 training sessions. My schedule is not written in stone, i rest when i feel like it and if i feel good training 7 days in a row i do it, it is called autoregulation.
Due to an alternating shift pattern at work, which would only allow me to train martial arts every other week; in turn, this would allow me to do all-out weights/cardio training every other week - alternating between the two training modalities every other week; and, on the weeks when I am not physically doing martial arts, I can instead learn about martial arts, by reading, and watching videos, etc - ready to incorporate it into my physical training in the following week...
My current lifting is just 2x a week.
1:
Back squat, push press, pull ups, rdl, maybe dips.
2:
front squat, bench, row, nordic curl.
Just 1 excersise in every plane of motion, low volume, high intensity.
Great video, James. You could also make a video about training for bjj competitions
Great white belt examples Khabib and Khazmat those lads will defo need to see this
I agree with this. I used to train a year with a power lifter before moving to BJJ. I was strong for the first couple of minutes but then I was spent. Now I train BJJ 4 times a week and I struggle to find time for weights. My attitude is to just train a bit. A bit is better than nothing!
Good video very informative and good advice. I myself also do allot of jiu jitsu so this was a good guide of where to go as I also love my weight training. Much appreciated 👊🏾💪🏾
Great video, and great to know! Definitely all about that balance.
I'm a purple belt same stripes of you but i'm hitting the hill now. Really think I need to start some s&c as i've only ever just done BJJ and a desk job. Love the video!
This is making me think about my approach, thanks a lot
Ooh! A purple belt! In all seriousness, well done on such an achievement.
From my experience:
I was gym bro 95kg 200kg squat, 135kg bench and 220kg deadlift when I started bjj.
Within 4 months of diet I lost 10kg then I run a maintenence for 2 months and I am doing cut to 80kg in october we will see how bulk goes. From my observation you can mix bjj and strength / hipertrophy training. Bjj wont make you lost all your gains even now I am like 12kg lighter than my lifting leak weight and on some volume work I am like 5-10kg weaker, it is not that much. I think it will come back when I will eat proper to my maintenence. So yeah, go hit the gym(if You have time) enjoy the lifting and take benefits that s&c prevent injuries. 😊
Extremely good video! :D
such a great video, thank you!