Cardio Programming for Jiu Jitsu
When you begin training a grappling sport,
one of the first things you notice is how demanding it is on your cardio. Your heart is jumping out of your chest, you are gasping for air, and the humid, sweat-laden air of most grappling gyms doesn't make this any easier. Along with the energy demands of physical effort, grappling is somewhat unique in that you may also have intermittent periods of forced apnoea or suffocation (e.g. when being choked). It's no surprise that strong cardio is likely to boost your performance.
Before we get into programming, the first thing I need you to be aware of is that cardio or "conditioning" has general and specific elements. You may have excellent running
times, or be a machine in the swimming pool, but this does not mean you'll breeze through a grappling session in Zone 2. With expertise comes efficiency, and early on in your grappling training, you will be incredibly inefficient; with your breathing, physical efforts, technique, and everything in between. Therefore, before you go trying to swap mat time with cardio, note that the most important thing of all is simply to spend more time on the mats (which also serves as cardio), and this is as
true for other sports.
To put it simply, the highest yield conditioning training for grappling is a polarised, 2-prong approach:
(1) Low & Slow: Steady-state, moderate-intensity, performed at ~60-75% max heart rate (e.g. 200bpm max =
120-150bpm).
This type of training sounds easy on paper, but is exceedingly difficult for many people to execute. Why? People crave novelty and excitement, and it's
rare that someone can discipline themselves to perform these steady-state efforts for the time required. Ideally, we are looking at 1-3 hours per week minimum of Low & Slow, and to be honest, even up to 6 hours or more may still be of benefit (depending on how much time you are on the mats).
By doing this, you are developing your aerobic base, without much fatigue coming along with it. For that reason, I generally advise lower impact options here, such as a mix between stationary bike / outdoor cycling, swimming, and the crosstrainer. This way, you can maximise the aerobic benefits while minimising additional
stress on your joints, connective tissue, etc.
In practice, I would start by aiming for ~30-45 minutes 3 times per week.
If someone can get that done, then I may increase it further, but this can sometimes be difficult if someone is also on the mats a lot and lifting weights. As always, practical considerations are essential.
(2) Hard & Fast: Near maximal intervals, high-intensity, performed at ~90%+ max heart rate, with high rest:work ratio (e.g. 10-30s on, 60-120s off).
This is the training that people get excited about, until they actually have to do it. The biggest mistake most make here is doing a watered down version of interval training (e.g. 30s on, 30s off) which, while it works, leads to high fatigue and submaximal power output. This simply replicates the stimulus you are already getting during your
grappling sparring training. What we are trying to achieve is the development of complementary components of fitness, rather than over-specifying on replication of the sport.
The goal is to develop maximal anaerobic power here, and to do this, we need short efforts and longer rest. If you go as hard as possible on an assault bike for 10-30s, there is simply no way you are repeating that same output with 10-30s rest. Maybe once. But not for multiple intervals. Let your cardiorespiratory system do its job to recover you (which, as a side note, is an important benefit here - anaerobic training is not just "anaerobic", you are also getting huge aerobic
benefits).
In practice, I would aim for just 1-2 sessions like this per week initially, with 5-8 x 10-30s efforts, depending on your
prior training experience.
Across the week, what does that look like?
Example (assuming an athlete is taking their training seriously)...
Monday: (am) 45 minutes stationary bike, (pm) BJJ
Tuesday: (am) strength day, (pm) BJJ
Wednesday: (am) intervals, (pm) N/A
Thursday: (am) 45 minutes stationary bike, (pm) BJJ
Friday: (am) strength day, (pm) BJJ
Saturday: (am) 45 minutes stationary bike, (pm) N/A
Sunday: (am) intervals, (pm) N/A
For some of us, including me, that volume of training isn't always possible, so please adjust as your lifestyle and commitments allow.
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Gary McGowan
