This 7 week free jiu jitsu fitness program is designed to increase your sport specific performance. You’ll find a lot of heavy lifting, as well as challenging cardiovascular workouts. It’s designed for intermediate level athletes, that need to build muscle mass, and strength for better Brazilian jiu-jitsu performance. I will also include a free PDF download of the entire program. Keep reading for more.
It’s no secret that I’ve been writing fitness programs for athletes of all types, for over a decade. In that time I’ve come to the determination that most athletes need very similar work in the weight room. All athletes can benefit from being stronger and better conditioned. The only true difference is how much time and effort we should spend to develop these specific traits.
For this 7 Week Free Jiu Jitsu Fitness Program I’ve included a lot of heavy strength training that emphasizes universal movement patterns. Because Jiu Jitsu is a combat sport, we must develop well rounded strength and fitness to really push our performance to the next level. Here’s a quick overview of the program below.
7 Week Free Jiu Jitsu Fitness Program
- 4 Day per week program
- 3 Primary strength days, 1 dedicated cardio day
- Program can be done in nearly any gym
- Easily scalable for all fitness skill levels
- Emphasizes proper form
This program is designed to be an addition to your primary sport which is Jiu Jitsu. That means that I’ve kept the volume and total workout days a little lower, than I do for my other athletes, who have more time for the gym. That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard, or that you won’t gain muscle and strength. It simply means I’ve cut out the nonsense that’s all too common in other programs.
In the next section I’m going to cover how to properly integrate this fitness program into your current Jiu Jitsu training for best effect.
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How to Combine Jiu Jitsu and Strength Training
Jiu Jitsu, and other martial art athletes who participate in strength and physical conditioning are really just hybrid athletes. If you’ve been around this website at all, then you know I’ve written many fitness plans for hybrid athletes.
If you’re new to the term a hybrid athlete is someone who has more than one fitness goal they train for simultaneously. Commonly, this is someone who wants to build huge strength, and also be able to run a marathon, or participate in other long endurance activities.
These two disparate goals are absolutely achievable, provided you follow a well structured program, with the right amount of weight training, and cardio. This is exactly what I’ve done with this free Jiu Jitsu fitness program. In the next section I’m going to review the rules of the road for this fitness plan.
If you want to try my most popular hybrid program, then you’ll find that below. Because it’s a premium plan, it has coaches notes, specific warm ups, and technique cues for all the workouts.
Rules of the Road for Jiu Jitsu Strength and Conditioning
This program is 4 days per week, with one easy cardio day. Many of you reading this will participate in BJJ practice 3-5 days per week, which means you’ll have a few days of a workouts, and a Jiu Jitsu class. This is how I recommend combining the two.
First, make sure that you’re separating your lifting, and cardio from Jiu Jitsu by 3+ hours. It doesn’t matter if you do one before the other. Just make sure there’s sufficient time between the two. This is one of the best ways to build BJJ strength and conditioning with this program.
Secondly, I recommend at least one full rest day per week. This means no Jiu Jitsu or gym training. Check out this hypothetical schedule for someone who trains BJJ 5 days per week, and wants to use this workout program below.
Example Training Schedule for 5 Day per Week Jiu Jitsu Athlete
- Monday: AM Training Session 1, PM training Jiu Jitsu Class
- Tuesday: PM training Jiu Jitsu Class
- Wednesday: AM Training Session 2, PM training Jiu Jitsu Class
- Thursday: PM training Jiu Jitsu Class
- Friday: AM Training Session 3
- Saturday: AM Training Jiu Jitsu Open Mat, PM Session 4
- Sunday: rest
I would also highly recommend that you prioritize this program over Jiu Jitsu. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t train both, it means that you need to pick which one you’re going to emphasize. You’ve obviously decided you need more strength, muscle growth, and endurance, so why not make the most of the program?
Some best practices to prioritize this are to limit the intensity and number of your Jiu Jitsu sessions. Try to avoid going crazy during every roll. You can also take a few more rest rounds, or limit time at open mat. Remember, your body only has so many resources to repair and rebuild. If you’re trying to prioritize both types of training you’ll find you make progress in neither.
Now that we’ve covered where to put your training emphasis, let’s get to the details of the program. As I mentioned previously, you can download a free PDF with all 7 weeks of the free Jiu Jitsu fitness program below.
7 Week Free Jiu Jitsu Fitness Program PDF Download
7 Week Free Jiu Jitsu Fitness Program
The most important thing to keep in mind during this program is to maintain safe form. This is designed to increase your Jiu Jitsu performance, and help with injury prevention. If you go too hard initially, you’ll find quite the opposite.
If you’re completely new to the gym, I might recommend checking this training program out first. It hits all major muscle groups, and builds anaerobic conditioning. However, if you have safe technique on the basic barbell movements, you’ll be just fine with this 7 week plan.
It’s also important to remember that you can scale, or modify movements as needed. I’ve written this program to challenge a high level athlete. I completely expect you’ll have to modify some of this along the way. It’s better to modify it, and complete the program, than not even start!
I would also ask that you read through the full program before starting. I’ve put in coaches notes on different weeks, which will make sure you’re doing this correctly. You should find all your questions answered if you read through the full program first! Now on to week 1 of this Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fitness program.
Week 1
This first week is designed to introduce you to this challenging fitness program. This program should be done by reading each column from top to bottom. In Session 1, you’ll start with the weighted jumps (great for explosive power), followed by the back squat, and then go to pull ups. This first phase is all about acclimation to heavy lifting.
I recommend taking 1-2 minutes of rest between each set. You should also take about 5 minutes between the pull ups and the WOD. This WOD is designed so that you repeat the triplet of push ups, banded KB swing and curls, for 7 minutes. Keep the intensity high, and make sure you’re using proper form.
If you’re new to banded kettlebell swings, you can find some technique tips by watching this video. I also recommend substituting lat pull downs for pull ups if you can’t do more than 5 pull ups.
Lastly, you’ll find the terminology RIR throughout this program. That means reps in reserve. If you have a set of 3 at 3 RIR, that mean you could actually do 6 reps if you went to failure. This is a very easy way to describe the load I want you to use on the bar. Now on to week 2.
Week 2
In this week we increase volume by adding one more set to most of the strength work. This will help increase functional strength and your muscular endurance. Make sure you’re trying to move each rep with explosive movement. You won’t actually be able to move the weight quickly, but it will allow you to increase the total load lifted. This is an important aspect of training.
You’ll find that you’re still working at 3 RIR which generally means moderately heavy. Feel free to increase the weight from last week if you went too light. Just make sure that you aren’t going to failure.
In session 6 we start with bench press, and then go to deadlift which is one of the best exercises for your posterior chain. I highly recommend using a lifting belt on deadlifts and squats. Check out this article for some good belts, and tips on how to use them correctly. If you’re wearing a belt, and just squeezing your abs when lifting, you’re doing it wrong!
You’ll finish the lifting with the seated barbell press. After that, take a few minutes of rest and then start warming up on the assault bike. If you don’t have one of those available then use a treadmill set at 10% incline and 5k running pace. Just be careful when hopping on and off the treadmill belt. Now, on to week 3.
Week 3
You’ll notice that I’ve increase the volume again this week. This gets you to the correct amount of sets and reps you need to build strength and muscle, without making you so sore that you can’t roll well. We’re sticking with 3 RIR, and well away from failing any reps.
If we look at Session 11 you’ll see that we start with a reverse barbell lunge. This is a great lift for Jiu Jitsu athletes, as it builds strength in your legs and glutes, which are key for many athletic movements on the mats. You then go to weighted dips.
I recommend using a dip belt with a chain to hang plates from. If you don’t have one of those, then you can pinch a dumbbell between your legs, as an alternative. Next you’ll do dumbbell rows, supporting your off hand on a bench or other similar object.
I recommend using straps for this lift, so that you can go very heavy on the dumbbell. Often times your grip strength will give out before your back does. Don’t worry, there is plenty of grip work built in to this program.
After a 5 min break you’ll get to the WOD, which is sumo deadlift with bodyweight on the bar. This WOD rewards fast efficient reps. The slower you go, the more you pull ups you need to do, on the top of each minute. Now on to week 4.
Week 4
This week marks the first week where you’ll be going heavier on your primary compound lifts. I’ve kept the same sets and reps, and moved the weight to 2 RIR. For lower body training, that generally looks like 10-20 pounds heavier, with upper body training 5-10 pounds heavier, on each set.
If we look towards session 16 then you’ll see that its a pure cardio day. If you’re unfamiliar with Zone 2 cardio then I highly recommend reading this article. Long story short, it’s critical for your endurance, and must be done at low intensity, and low heart rate. It can also provide some active recovery as well.
The best way to make sure you’re not going too hard is to breath through your nose for a few minutes, every so often. If you can’t, you’re going too hard. This training builds your aerobic capacity, and doesn’t work if you go too fast. Next is week 5.
Week 5
This is the first week where we increase the reps, and the load, for the strength training movements. You’ll find the first three sets are bigger, and the last few are lower reps also at 2 RIR. That means those sets will be heavier than the previous sets. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself here.
By this time you should be accustomed to this program. It’s completely fine to push yourself on those 2 RIR sets to see just how much you can safely lift at 2 RIR. In my years of coaching, I’ve found that most athletes actually underestimate their strength, and choose overly light weights.
Just make sure you aren’t sacrificing form, to increase weight. That is a poor trade off, that won’t pay off long term. Now lets get to week 6.
Week 6
This week is challenging, and will push you hard. The total volume is slightly higher than last week, and the weight now approaches your one rep max. Make sure you’re still leaving one rep left in the tank. If you find that your form is breaking down on the final sets, then you’re likely going too heavy.
You’ll also notice that the Zone 2 sessions are getting pretty long. This can certainly be boring, if you aren’t doing it well. I highly recommend checking out things like Zwift. This allows you to do cardio, and play a video game. It completely changed my cardio, and made every session much more enjoyable. Now, let’s get to the last week.
Week 7
This is the final and most challenging week of this program. You should be lifting heavier than ever, and find that a few movements are now AHAP, or as heavy as possible. Listen to your body, and if you’re feeling good, go for some challenging weights. If warm ups are rough, then there’s nothing wrong with picking a less challenging weight.
Strength is built over time, with consistency, not by maxing out on sets after crappy warm ups. Make sure you’re taking enough warm up sets to feel good going into your first work sets. I think you’ll be surprised just how strong you’ve gotten!
If you’ve gotten through this program then you should feel proud of yourself. In the next section I’ll include some great follow on programs to keep building your general fitness.
If you want to try my most popular premium program, full of coaches notes, warm ups, and percentages to aim for, then check this out below.
Your Next Program
As I mentioned perviously, I’ve written a lot of fitness programs, with different athletes in mind. The programs below would work well for BJJ athletes looking to increase their strength and conditioning.
A few of these are raw strength programs, some are designed for functional bodybuilding, and others are ideal for improving body composition. I recommend clicking on a few to see which interests you the most.
Follow On Programs for Jiu Jitsu Athletes
- 8 Week Functional Bodybuilding Hybrid Program
- Free 12 Week Beginner Hybrid Athlete Training Program (PDF)
- 8 Week Hybrid Strength and Endurance Training Plan (Part 1)
- 6 Weeks of Muscular Growth for Functional Fitness Athletes (Part 1)
- The Best 4-Day Split Program for Functional Strength
Now that you’ve got some follow on programs to train your entire body, let’s finish this article up.
Final Thoughts
Just like any hybrid athlete who is working on building capacity in two different athletic areas, Jiu Jitsu practitioners need to make sure they’re paying close attention to recovery. Check out this nutrition calculator, and use the muscle gain tab. It should get you close to where you need to be in terms of your macros, and overall caloric intake.
I would also recommend that you make reasonable allowances for life. By that I mean that it’s ok to modify a session, or take an extra rest day, to make sure that you can keep the program going. Jiu Jitsu athletes are very tough, and tend to have a no pain, no gain mentality.
While this can be great when learning combat sports, it can lead to unnecessary difficulties when in the gym. It’s important to adhere as close as you can to the program, over the long hall. One day of modified training will make no difference to your overall progress.
If you have any comments or questions put them in the comments section below, and I’ll get you an answer. Now get out there and get training. Don’t forget to join the email list below.
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One of the biggest challenges for any martial artist is balancing mat time with the weight room without hitting a wall of overtraining. I really like that this 7-week program respects that balance by sticking to four days a week, focusing on high-impact movements rather than “filler” exercises. By cutting out the nonsense and sticking to universal movement patterns, it allows an athlete to build legitimate muscle mass and strength while still having the gas tank to roll hard in the evening. If you are trying to figure out how to schedule your lifting sessions around your specific BJJ class times for maximum recovery, you can see here for some effective templates.