Can you lose weight doing jiu-jitsu?

October 19, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments

Ever since I joined my local dojo, I’ve lost scads of fat and put on plenty’ve muscle.

Seriously. Between Muay Thai kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, and Krav Maga, I’ve had to buy the next size down in slacks. But not long into my time there, I noticed something. The girls who were doing jiu-jitsu were getting even more of a workout than I was. As a total foreigner to BJJ, I didn’t understand it. I mean, to me, it just looked like a bunch’ve sweaty humans somersaulting around in their pajamas and exerting minimal effort. But, all it took was a single time trying the class out for myself to realize just how fantastically wrong I was. See, the first thing I realized about ground combat, was that it demands a helluva a lot of leg strength – as well as core work, agility, isometrics, and mind power. This is great not only in that you’ll land yourself a nice abdominal washboard… but also inasmuch as it aids in your other athletic ventures – martial arts-y or not.

And before you know it, you’ve lost half a human in weight.

(Is that even the same dude?)

The cool thing about jiujitsu, I’m finding, is that it’s not like running or biking – where parts of your body (including your brain) can kinda toggle off. With those activities, you can mind-meander. You can daydream. (Or daynightmare in most’ve our cases – about bills and eternal “to do” lists.) When it comes to the ground, though, everything‘s engaged. Why? Because it’s a constant, close-quarters competition where you’re perpetually trying to submit and avoid being submitted. Every limb’s got a function and every motion’s deliberate. There’s a goal behind every move you do. In fact, if I’d ever actually played chess (for the record, I haven’t), I’d likely compare it to that. You’ve got to be ready to read your opponent’s moves as well as have several responses on deck to deliver in response. In that way, you’re always working everything. And, seeing as your brain’s engaged (and committed to not ending up being submitted), that means you connect better with your body than you would with other types of exercise you can stand to half azz.

(When was the last time your treadmill put you in an armbar?)

I’ve only had a slight taste of jiu-jitsu thus far.

But, the more we touch on the fundamentals of it other classes, the more I wanna get involved.

Why? Well, admittedly, a big part of it’s because a new sushi restaurant opened up down the street (which means I’m getting wider from all the white rice.) And, seeing all the lean bodies BJJ has churned out makes me pretty certain it might be a nice yes-and to my striking program. (Especially since you can stand to burn up to 600 calories in an hour, doing it.) That’s the nice thing about boning up on your ground game. It’s a thoroughgoing workout. I mean, literally – every muscle of your body’s involved – even your mind. (Or, I should say especially your mind.) Which is another reason I want to join. I like winning. And even when you “lose” – even when you hafta tap – you’re always winning in the long run. Because your partner’s always teaching you new tips and tools you can tuck into your belt – which will help transform its shade to the next level – before you even realize it.

(Plus, as a chick, these drills could come in handy for sticky IRL situations that hopefully you’ll never encounter.)

An art that both aids in self defense, brain strengthening, and getting a hotter body?

You can mark my RSVP affirmative for that pajama party.