Does Strength Matter in BJJ? Strength Standards & How to Get Stronger

Table of Contents

• Does Strength Matter in BJJ?
• When Strength Can Make a Difference
• BJJ Strength Standards
• How to Get Stronger for BJJ?
• Conclusion
  

Does Strength Matter in BJJ?

Yes, it absolutely does matter. Strength plays a vital role in outperforming your opponent on the mats. You’ve likely heard something along the lines of “strength doesn’t matter in BJJ”, whilst this may be true to some degree, it's heavily dependent on your preferred style of play, whether you are training in the Gi or No Gi and the level of competition you are competing against.

Strength is a term that gets loosely thrown around in BJJ. Being strong in the gym and being able to apply that strength appropriately to the demands of the sport are two very different things. Whilst adaptations will happen over time regardless of how you train in the gym, training for the demands of your sport should always be a priority.

The typical strength systems that are predominantly seen within BJJ can be broken down to: raw strength, isometric strength, explosive strength and strength endurance. These strength systems will be required to some degree during rolls. Depending on your style, some systems will be tested more than others. Having a good foundation of each can transfer to better durability and adaptability within BJJ - this is what a lot of people refer to as functional strength.

Another determining factor to your performance and one that is largely overlooked is mobility strength or functional mobility. Simply put, this generally refers to the body’s ability to produce strength within a full range of motion. There are many scenarios within BJJ where this is required and having a strong foundation of functional mobility is vital in performing optimally on the mats. End-range strength is also required within BJJ - this is where you can produce strength at the outer ranges of a joint’s range of motion. If you’ve ever pulled off a last-minute armbar escape, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Strength can be less important if you are training in the Gi but will still require a strong foundation of developed strength systems to perform optimally. One system that will be under high demand is your isometric strength. This will be tested throughout - from maintaining Gi grips for control to executing submissions, your isometric strength will be put to the test!

Due to the faster-paced nature of No Gi and the lack of control grips and friction, nearly all the listed strength systems will be under high demand. Explosive strength will be used in takedowns and scrambles. Raw strength will assist in escaping those positions where you feel a technical escape simply isn’t possible. Strength endurance and your isometric strength will be tested throughout - from control positions to submissions - it’s important that strength is well developed in all areas.

Whilst technique can triumph over strength within BJJ, a blend of both should be the ultimate goal for practitioners. You may find the powerlifter who also happens to be a fresh white belt easy to deal with in the early days of him training BJJ, but it won’t be long before he begins to become a problem to control. Even with basic, shoddy techniques his strength will compensate where his technique lacks. When his technique is polished, his strength will complement his every move. Think of strength as the tool to support refined technical mechanics and movements - it should never make up for poor technique. Instead, it should complement great technique.

When Strength Can Make a Difference in Grappling Matches

Strength can be the difference between winning a scramble or losing one, from escaping a submission to tapping to one - it’s a fundamentally required asset to execute techniques flawlessly.

It can be the difference between winning a match or losing one. When technique is equal, strength (and conditioning) will be the deciding factor in how the match plays out.

Across all sports, strength and conditioning is considered a staple in performing well in competition. Due to the nature of BJJ - in that technique can triumph over strength in the early days - training for overall strength and performance improvements can become overlooked by practitioners. As you progress in your BJJ journey and the level of competition increases, investing time into developing your strength systems should become a priority - and it's one that will give you the upper hand in competition.

Balancing strength training and BJJ can be hard. Initially, whilst you are learning and mastering techniques, it would likely be more beneficial to put the majority of your time and energy into BJJ. But there will come a point where the trade-off flips and investing dedicated time into strength training over BJJ will have more benefits to your immediate performance than learning a new technique. Instead, developing your strength will support your game and implementation of your skillset.

BJJ Strength Standards

So what are the BJJ strength standards? Well there is no definitive answer to this question. What I can say is I’ve never heard a practitioner say “oh, if only I wasn’t so strong.”

Some basic general guidelines for strength standards outside of BJJ on the most common 3 compound lifts are:

• Be able to bench press 1.25x your bodyweight
• Be able to squat 1.5x your bodyweight
• Be able to deadlift 1.75x your bodyweight

I personally do not believe these standards to be overly important. What’s important is how you can recruit strength to perform optimally in your chosen sport. There are also many variables to take into consideration, such as age, bodyweight and gender.

Whilst they serve as a good guideline to aim towards in the gym, there are multiple ways a practitioner may focus on their strength training which doesn’t include standard strength exercises.

How to Get Stronger for BJJ?

You can gain strength and make great progress in the gym from 2–3 sessions per week if your training is focused and optimised. Even 1 day per week has proven to achieve some good results.

Strength training should be progressive in nature and optimised to your training level. For a beginner, focusing on building foundational strength should take priority. Movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press and bent-over rows should be included in your program and will build full-body strength.

As you progress in your strength training, you can integrate more specific and advanced movements. Zercher squats, front squats, cleans, high pulls, push press and Pendlay rows are all great exercises to include in a more advanced program and serve a more specific purpose of taking that foundational strength and developing it into explosive power.

Some honourable mentions that don’t involve the barbell: med ball slams, sled pushes/pulls, battle ropes, kettlebell variations and any and all forms of plyometrics! These can all be included within a program but fall more in the conditioning aspect of training.

What’s truly important is the programming. A well-designed program is more than a simple list of exercises - programming is a tool used to ensure your training is progressive and optimised. Programming will use techniques and training methods to excel your progress whilst also taking into consideration recovery and employing methods to avoid overtraining, such as strategic deload weeks.

With the above in mind I have designed a beginner friendly strength program for BJJ hobbyists and athletes alike. Which will serve as a great starting point to build useable foundational strength.

Conclusion

• Strength is a crucial part of optimising your performance on the mats and should be a non-negotiable for serious BJJ practitioners.
• Strength can be the deciding factor in winning or losing, especially when rolling against better practitioners.
• Strength doesn’t make up for poor technique — strength complements good technique. A blend of both should be a practitioner’s ultimate goal.
• BJJ strength standards aren't something you need to get to hung up on simply focus on improving your own strength at your own pace.
• If you are truly want to get stronger for BJJ and you are serious then you need to follow a well optimised program.