Ever wondered why people seem almost evangelical about Brazilian Jiujitsu? It’s not just about the cool moves, choking someone out, or folding a mate like a lawn chair.
Beyond the martial art’s technical prowess lies something deeper, almost mystical—Jiujitsu feels like it gives you superpowers. While Im not saying you’ll start shooting webs from your wrists or flying around Exmouth in a cape (although that would be frikin awesome), let’s dive into why this sport might just make you feel invincible.
The Physical Superpowers: Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Fitness
Let’s start with the obvious. Rolling around on the mats, trying not to get strangled or smashed, burns calories like there’s no tomorrow. Whether you’re sparring or drilling techniques, BJJ is a full-body workout that leaves no muscle untouched. It’s like a ninja-level CrossFit session, but way more fun.
Weight Loss That Actually Sticks Jiujitsu is a calorie incinerator. A typical one-hour session can burn anywhere from 700 to 1,000 calories, depending on your intensity and size. But here’s the kicker—it doesn’t feel like exercise in the traditional sense. You’re too busy figuring out how to escape an arm bar or pass someone’s guard to notice how much you’re sweating. Over time, consistent training coupled with a decent diet (we’ll get to that later) melts fat away like butter on a hot skillet.
What’s more, BJJ helps develop lean muscle. Rolling demands strength, endurance, and flexibility. And while you won’t bulk up like a bodybuilder, you’ll sculpt a functional, athletic physique that looks good and performs even better.
A Cardio Boost for the Ages If you’ve ever rolled for five minutes straight, you know the feeling: gasping for air, heart pounding like a drum solo, and muscles begging for mercy. That’s your cardiovascular system being supercharged. The constant stop-and-start nature of sparring is essentially high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is proven to improve heart health, boost endurance, and lower blood pressure.
Over time, your cardio improves dramatically. You’ll notice it outside the gym, too—whether it’s chasing your kids, climbing stairs, or smashing out a surf session, you’ll feel like you’ve upgraded your stamina.
The Nutritional Superpowers: Fuelling Your BJJ Engine
Jiujitsu is a demanding mistress. To perform well on the mats and recover quickly afterward, you’ve got to eat like a champion. Think of your body as a Formula 1 car; you’re not going to fuel it with dodgy petrol, right?
Recovery Through Proper Nutrition After a tough session, your body is crying out for nutrients to repair those micro tears in your muscles and replenish glycogen stores. Protein is your best mate here, helping rebuild muscle and keep you rolling stronger in your next class. Pair it with complex carbs like brown rice, sweet potatoes, or quinoa to restore energy levels.
Hydration is another key player. Sweating buckets during training means you lose electrolytes, so drinking water and maybe even an electrolyte drink can make a huge difference in your recovery.
Eating for Energy If you’ve ever tried training on an empty stomach—or worse, after wolfing down a greasy burger—you’ll know it’s a recipe for disaster. Proper pre-training nutrition is crucial. A balanced meal with carbs, protein, and a bit of healthy fat about 2-3 hours before class will give you the energy to roll like a beast. Think grilled chicken with a side of veg and rice, or if you’re short on time, a smoothie packed with fruit, spinach, and protein powder can do the trick.
The easy food option is never the right way to go, and yes eating whole foods can be expensive but also time consuming, but trust me, and this is coming from experience, eating well, cutting alcohol out and looking after your body will maitain you mat longevity.
Im not perfect and I do have the odd easy food item here and there (more regularly than I would like to admit) however everything needs to be done in moderation and whole foods will always be champion for me.
The Mental Superpowers: Why BJJ is Therapy in a Gi
Let’s face it—life can be a bit of a stress fest. Work, bills, relationships, the existential dread of modern living—it all piles up. Jiujitsu helps by being your therapist.
Stress Relief Like No Other When you’re sparring, there’s no time to worry about that email you forgot to send or the argument you had with your partner. You’re fully present, focused on surviving and strategising. This “flow state” is a meditative experience, flushing out stress and leaving you with a clearer mind.
The endorphin rush from a solid training session is the cherry on top. It’s like nature’s antidepressant, boosting your mood and helping you tackle life with renewed vigor.
Building Resilience Jiujitsu is humbling. You’ll get smashed, tapped, and outmaneuvered countless times—but you’ll get back up. Over time, this builds mental toughness and resilience. You learn to embrace challenges, stay calm under pressure, and find solutions to seemingly impossible problems—skills that transfer beautifully into everyday life.
The Social Superpowers: Finding Your Tribe
Let’s not forget the people. The BJJ community is one of the sport’s biggest draws. It’s a melting pot of personalities, ages, and backgrounds, united by a shared love of grappling and a healthy dose of masochism.
A Built-In Support System Your teammates become your second family. They’ll cheer you on, celebrate your victories, and commiserate over the latest submission you fell victim to. Training partners push you to improve, hold you accountable, and make the journey infinitely more enjoyable.
Social Confidence Booster There’s something about fighting (in a controlled, respectful way) that breaks down barriers. You can’t help but form bonds with the people you’re sweating, laughing, and struggling with. For those who struggle with social anxiety or shyness, BJJ can be a game-changer, helping build confidence and forge genuine connections.
Do You Need to Be a Superhuman to Start?
Here’s the best part—you don’t need to be fit, flexible, or even particularly coordinated to start Jiujitsu.
In fact, most people begin as absolute beginners with no idea what they’re doing. The beauty of BJJ is that it meets you where you are. Whether you’re an overweight couch potato or a seasoned athlete, the sport will challenge and improve you.
On the flip side of this, regardless of how long you have trained for, maybe its 3 years or 7 years or you are a lifer 10+ year blackbelt. Jiujitsu will always be there for you, the draw it has on your mental capacity and the addiction it has to improve yourself and solve problems is one of the most defining factors on the sport and why we come back time and time again. Consistency, perseverance and the will to learn will always draw us to jiujitsu.
Final Thoughts: Superpowers Within Reach
So, does Jiujitsu give you superpowers? Not in the Marvel sense, but pretty damn close. It transforms your body, fortifies your mind, and connects you to an incredible community. It’s a journey of constant growth, both on and off the mats.
Ready to give it a go? Whether you’re in Exmouth, Exeter, or beyond, pop into a local academy (like, say, Mahara Jiujitsu) and experience the magic yourself. Who knows—you might just discover the superhuman within.
ADZ
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