Dropping weights to focus on BJJ

[wasp7]

So, i've been training bjj for a little bit and i feel i'm in love with the sport. I have done a lot of weightlifting and, as i said in a previous post, im fairly muscular. If i stop lifting weights to concentrate on bjj what should i expect physically? will i loose my muscles? will i gain? Should i keep eating a lot as i did with weight lifting? (i hate eating all the time but love the fucking gains!!!) I look like brad pitt in troy (sounds stupid and pretentious but i want to give you an idea of my current state) and i would like to keep that shape. I wouldn't be mad if i go down a bit to a Tyler Durden like physique (sorry again)

Im an ectomorph and as i said previously i hate eating a lot. Im not afraid to do bodyweight exercises I can do 40 pushups and 15 pull ups with really good form.

I would really appreciate any good advice.

 

[ironwolf]

how much bjj are you planning on doing???

IS this your first time getting into combat sports??? IF you tear your acl or labrum or rotator cuff doing BJJ wou WILL lose ALL your gains...so keep that in mind.

Id get on a 2 day a week lifting routine and keep the pullups.

 

[wasp7]

how much bjj are you planning on doing???

IS this your first time getting into combat sports??? IF you tear your acl or labrum or rotator cuff doing BJJ wou WILL lose ALL your gains...so keep that in mind.

Id get on a 2 day a week lifting routine and keep the pullups.

Thanks man. Yeah, it's my first time. Im planning doing bjj 4-5 days a week, each class lasts an hour.

So 2 days a week would maintain my mass? what about eating. Should i eat a lot too?

 

[ironwolf]

I think 2 days a week can be enough, as for eating, you'll have to wait for somebody else to chime in because I've never really bulked or tried to get huge.

 

[redaxe]

So, i've been training bjj for a little bit and i feel i'm in love with the sport. I have done a lot of weightlifting and, as i said in a previous post, im fairly muscular. If i stop lifting weights to concentrate on bjj what should i expect physically? will i loose my muscles? will i gain? Should i keep eating a lot as i did with weight lifting? (i hate eating all the time but love the fucking gains!!!) I look like brad pitt in troy (sounds stupid and pretentious but i want to give you an idea of my current state) and i would like to keep that shape. I wouldn't be mad if i go down a bit to a Tyler Durden like physique (sorry again)

Im an ectomorph and as i said previously i hate eating a lot. Im not afraid to do bodyweight exercises I can do 40 pushups and 15 pull ups with really good form.

I would really appreciate any good advice.

I know a few guys who came into BJJ pretty jacked and lost a lot of mass because they replaced lifting with BJJ. You will see some jacked guys in BJJ but mostly they are using steroids. If you stop lifting and don't use drugs, you will lose some muscle mass. BJJ does not build muscle unless perhaps you come into it completely skinny-fat.

For most people, eating a bulking diet when not lifting is a good way to get fat. Normally if you're completely replacing lifting with BJJ I would suggest cutting back the calories a little. But since you sound like you're naturally a hungry skeleton you can probably just eat as much as you like.

If I were you I would keep lifting though, maybe for an hour twice a week at least. You worked hard for your gains, why give them back?

Personally I came into BJJ at a skinny-fat 215 lbs, dropped down to a skinny 187 lbs (I'm 6'3") when I was a blue belt, then started lifting and bulked all the way up to 242 lbs as a purple belt. Now I'm a brown belt and 236 lbs, and I'm trying to lose about 20 more lbs while keeping as much of my muscle gains as I can. So I'm still lifting, but mainly just cutting back on the carb intake. If I stopped lifting completely I think I would just go back to being skinny-fat, regardless of BJJ. It burns calories but it doesn't do that much else for your physique.

 

[JLBN]

Do not stop lifting. Your overall strength will translate into jiu jitsu.

I took a jiu jitsu break for a few years and in the meantime started lifting heavy weights and when I came back to jits, I could do things that I never could before.

I continue to lift 3-4 times a week and still go to jiu jitsu 3 nights a week (as often as it's offered in my shit town) and being functionally strong helps.

 

[HockeyBjj]

Two days and compound lifts take not a lot of time and is enough to preserve almost everything you currently have. Basically run starting strength without the progression.
Day 1- Squat, Bench, Barbell Row, all 3x5
Day 2- Deadlift (I prefer 3x3), Pullups, 3xmax, overhead press, 3x5

Try to keep the weights at where you are currently. Literally 30 minutes of gym time twice a week to hold onto what you have. Still gives you loads more time to focus on Bjj.

As for eating, Bjj burns more calories per hour (assuming rolling decent intensity) so you may actually have to eat a touch more, although you can shift some protein to carb alotment which makes it easier. Just keep an eye on the scale and keep it where it is now. I don't know how much you are eating currently for maintaining or bulking.

This is an extremely useful thread in the Dieting and Supplement forum for figuring out how much to eat
http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f15/how-design-diet-2409159/

 

[Uchi Mata]

I do 5/3/1 on a two day split with rows and pullups as supplemental exercises, and I don't notice it interfering with my BJJ all that much. Of course, I'm not doing 6 days a week BJJ, but from a soreness standpoint I'm fine.

 

[FollowYourBliss]

Unless you're on the juice, you will lose what you have. If you eat like you're bulking while only doing BJJ you'll get fat. If you lighten up the food you'll get skinny.

It doesn't take a special individual to lift and do BJJ, tons of people do it. I've been doing BJJ M/W/TH/F and strength training T/SAT for the past 6 years. I continue to slowly gain strength while not hurting my BJJ performance or attendance.

 

[wasp7]

Unless you're on the juice, you will lose what you have. If you eat like you're bulking while only doing BJJ you'll get fat. If you lighten up the food you'll get skinny.

It doesn't take a special individual to lift and do BJJ, tons of people do it. I've been doing BJJ M/W/TH/F and strength training T/SAT for the past 6 years. I continue to slowly gain strength while not hurting my BJJ performance or attendance.

Seems like this is what i would like to do. You're gaining strength, but are you gaining size?

 

[wasp7]

Two days and compound lifts take not a lot of time and is enough to preserve almost everything you currently have. Basically run starting strength without the progression.
Day 1- Squat, Bench, Barbell Row, all 3x5
Day 2- Deadlift (I prefer 3x3), Pullups, 3xmax, overhead press, 3x5

Try to keep the weights at where you are currently. Literally 30 minutes of gym time twice a week to hold onto what you have. Still gives you loads more time to focus on Bjj.

As for eating, Bjj burns more calories per hour (assuming rolling decent intensity) so you may actually have to eat a touch more, although you can shift some protein to carb alotment which makes it easier. Just keep an eye on the scale and keep it where it is now. I don't know how much you are eating currently for maintaining or bulking.

This is an extremely useful thread in the Dieting and Supplement forum for figuring out how much to eat
http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f15/how-design-diet-2409159/

Thanks man

 

[wasp7]

I know a few guys who came into BJJ pretty jacked and lost a lot of mass because they replaced lifting with BJJ. You will see some jacked guys in BJJ but mostly they are using steroids. If you stop lifting and don't use drugs, you will lose some muscle mass. BJJ does not build muscle unless perhaps you come into it completely skinny-fat.

For most people, eating a bulking diet when not lifting is a good way to get fat. Normally if you're completely replacing lifting with BJJ I would suggest cutting back the calories a little. But since you sound like you're naturally a hungry skeleton you can probably just eat as much as you like.

If I were you I would keep lifting though, maybe for an hour twice a week at least. You worked hard for your gains, why give them back?

Personally I came into BJJ at a skinny-fat 215 lbs, dropped down to a skinny 187 lbs (I'm 6'3") when I was a blue belt, then started lifting and bulked all the way up to 242 lbs as a purple belt. Now I'm a brown belt and 236 lbs, and I'm trying to lose about 20 more lbs while keeping as much of my muscle gains as I can. So I'm still lifting, but mainly just cutting back on the carb intake. If I stopped lifting completely I think I would just go back to being skinny-fat, regardless of BJJ. It burns calories but it doesn't do that much else for your physique.

I don't want to lose a single gram lol I really gave a lot of hard work since i started as a weak skinny b*tch.

I'm currently have a nice physique i would like to keep (i would like to add some size to my legs and pecs) and i spent a couple of weeks doing bjj 5 times a week and weights 3 times a week. I felt it worked even though i felt DEAD at the end of the day.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to be a bodybuilder, i just want to be jacked. I saw Pablo Popovitch who seems to be great at bjj while having a sick physique and i though it could be possible.

 

[wasp7]

Two days and compound lifts take not a lot of time and is enough to preserve almost everything you currently have. Basically run starting strength without the progression.
Day 1- Squat, Bench, Barbell Row, all 3x5
Day 2- Deadlift (I prefer 3x3), Pullups, 3xmax, overhead press, 3x5

Try to keep the weights at where you are currently. Literally 30 minutes of gym time twice a week to hold onto what you have. Still gives you loads more time to focus on Bjj.

As for eating, Bjj burns more calories per hour (assuming rolling decent intensity) so you may actually have to eat a touch more, although you can shift some protein to carb alotment which makes it easier. Just keep an eye on the scale and keep it where it is now. I don't know how much you are eating currently for maintaining or bulking.

This is an extremely useful thread in the Dieting and Supplement forum for figuring out how much to eat
http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f15/how-design-diet-2409159/

Im used to workout a LOT so 2 days a week seems really "superficial" for example you just do bench for your pecs in the whole week. what about small muscles like biceps? is it enough with pull-ups and barbell rows + all the pulling and struggling in a bjj fight to grow them? what about delts?

Correct me if i'm wrong, im just skeptical because this is a big deal to me.

Thanks a lot man.

 

[JLBN]

Im used to workout a LOT so 2 days a week seems really "superficial" for example you just do bench for your pecs in the whole week. what about small muscles like biceps? is it enough with pull-ups and barbell rows + all the pulling and struggling in a bjj fight to grow them? what about delts?

Correct me if i'm wrong, im just skeptical because this is a big deal to me.

Thanks a lot man.

It sounds like you are worried about whether you will lose size doing BJJ, which you will if you don't still lift heavy weights and eat right.

If lifting twice a week feels superficial, then lift 3 times a week. Just deal with the exhaustion man, get a little more sleep, take a vitamin b complex and you'll be fine.

I haven't bicep curled in years, but I'm not aiming for size. I'm aiming for pure strength. Size comes eventually, and only to a point naturally.

If you're worried about size, lift like a bodybuilder but expect to have your body very taxed and your jiu jitsu to suffer a little. If you're worried about jiu jitsu, then do compound lifts and expect a minor size decrease. You'll either stay cut or get more cut from jiu jitsu so you'll still look aesthetic.

 

[HockeyBjj]

Im used to workout a LOT so 2 days a week seems really "superficial" for example you just do bench for your pecs in the whole week. what about small muscles like biceps? is it enough with pull-ups and barbell rows + all the pulling and struggling in a bjj fight to grow them? what about delts?

Correct me if i'm wrong, im just skeptical because this is a big deal to me.

Thanks a lot man.

It's alright, no problem. What I gave you was the minimum needed to maintain the majority of your strength (and therefore muscle mass as well) you can add to it as you wish, but your original post was talking about wanting to dedicate every single scrap of time and energy into Bjj. Extra work takes up more time in the gym, and also doesn't leave you with as much energy/recovery for training and rolling. It's up to you personally to decided on that balance.

As for how those Big 6 lifts do with working the other muscles, they do just a fine job. Bench and Overhead Press aren't only the best lifts for chest and shoudlers, they're also the best for functional tricep strength. Same thing for rows and pull-ups. Guys with meathead sized guns in the gym can get that way just with heavy fucking rows and pulling motions. Very little curls required.

Now if you wanted to add in some arm isolation work at the end of the workout, that's entirely up to you and that balance I talked about. Same goes for adding in other lifts. If you want to do some incline or dumbell bench at a lighter intensity on Overhead Press day, go for it. What I gave you was a bare bones lifting plan that is the most effective at maintaining the most muscle for the amount it minimally cuts into Bjj time/effort.

Trial and error it for a few weeks and months, adding and subtracting volume, keeping it based of what I gave you for a 2 day a week plan. Alternate them A and B style if you decide to bump it up to 3 times and then you're just shifting that balance back towards the body side than the skill and technique in Bjj side. I hope you're able to find a way that you don't feel like you're sacrificing much from either.

Edit: just to clarify- this amount of lifting will not make you grow unless you're new to the weight room (which you clearly are not). You'll lose a tiny bit of size in the beginning due mostly to the pump, but then this is designed to hold you at where you are. You won't get bigger, you may even lose at an incredibly slow rate, but you won't turn into the incredible shrinking man ala Vitor post TRT

 

[redaxe]

I don't want to lose a single gram lol I really gave a lot of hard work since i started as a weak skinny b*tch.

I'm currently have a nice physique i would like to keep (i would like to add some size to my legs and pecs) and i spent a couple of weeks doing bjj 5 times a week and weights 3 times a week. I felt it worked even though i felt DEAD at the end of the day.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to be a bodybuilder, i just want to be jacked. I saw Pablo Popovitch who seems to be great at bjj while having a sick physique and i though it could be possible.

Popovitch lifts and is on the gear.

Like others said, just lift to maintain what you have now, don't kill yourself with the weights while your body is still acclimating to BJJ.

Also, don't use so much strength at BJJ. Relax and focus on learning technique and timing.

 

[Mr Mojo Lane]

I was doing BJJ about 2-4 times a week and I made gains-- albeit very small gains--in the weight room. I have never done any kind of pump/sarcoplasmic routine. I was never on the juice or spent $150 a month at GNC either.

It might be a good idea, as some have suggested, to just concentrate on the basic six exercises with high intensity and low volume for about six months. If you body adapts to that volume, add some additional auxiliary exercises

 

[FollowYourBliss]

It kind of sounds like you're way too hyper sensitive about your appearance. Just do starting strength or something and you'll be fine.

 

[Leify]

You need to figure out what your goals are. If you're trying to be good at BJJ, lifting is at best supplemental, and can easily be detrimental if you don't program well.

Your work capacity will also improve over time to accomodate both as you improve in BJJ, because getting the shit smashed out of you is much more taxing than being able to hold your own or dominate on the mats.

 

[wasp7]

I was doing BJJ about 2-4 times a week and I made gains-- albeit very small gains--in the weight room. I have never done any kind of pump/sarcoplasmic routine. I was never on the juice or spent $150 a month at GNC either.

It might be a good idea, as some have suggested, to just concentrate on the basic six exercises with high intensity and low volume for about six months. If you body adapts to that volume, add some additional auxiliary exercises

I'll try that.