Having Big Muscles in Jiu Jitsu is Not the Best Idea

If you’re thinking about taking up Jiu Jitsu, there are a couple of things you need to know regarding exercise and physical performance. Moreover, it is of crucial importance to know what you need in order to be better at this martial art and fight more efficiently. If you think that bigger muscles mean that you’ll fight your opponent easier, you’re wrong. In this martial art, bigger muscles aren’t only unnecessary but they can also slow you down. The truth is that thinner and less muscled BJJ players have better performance and results.

Disadvantages of Having Big Muscles for BJJ

It’s Harder to Remove Waste

Larger muscles require more work to get the waste out. In fact, when training BJJ, it’s really hard the blood to get too big muscles. Likewise, it’s more challenging to remove the waste the muscles produce. The energy produces lactic acid and carbon dioxide which need to be eliminated from the muscles as soon as possible. So, the bigger your muscle it, the more waste should be removed and faster. Otherwise, the muscles will be shut down.

You Will Waste Time Building Muscles

In order to add some muscles, plenty of time is needed. In fact, this means that you should dedicate lots of time to the gym in order to build muscle mass. Hence, being committed to the gym so much will result negatively in your BJJ performance. So, rather than wasting time at the gym and being detrimental to your Jiu-Jitsu, you should do other things in order to complement it. Thus, try to include more cardio in your workout routine and you’ll see significant improvement in this martial art.

Big Muscles Hinder Mobility

First and foremost, you should understand that mobility isn’t the same as flexibility. So, flexibility is the ability to bend and stretch in a static position while mobility is the ability to perform activities in a full range of motion. For instance, there are BJJ fighters who can easily stand and touch their toes but can’t get their body into the X-guard position. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu requires lots of mobility and having big muscles hinders that. Hence, if you want to be able to move well and quick, forget about large muscles.

Oxygen Demands

Bigger muscles require more oxygen and thus, your body demands oxygen all the time, whether you’re resting or wresting. You muscles consume oxygen after it is extracted from the blood. Therefore, if your muscles are large, they will require a large amount of oxygen and as a result, your muscles will struggle and you will become easily exhausted. So, to produce more blood into the muscles, the heart will begin to beat at full force. This is what makes you tired quickly and easily.

Being strong, muscular, and lean is great for your BJJ performance. However, having big muscles won’t get you anywhere in this martial art.