If you train jiu jitsu, adding strength work can leave you with more questions than answers. How often should you lift? How heavy should you go? Where does conditioning fit when you are already tired from rolling?
Start with what you need the training to do. You want to become stronger, produce that strength when you need it, and handle the work required to improve at your sport. You also need enough time and energy to keep learning on the mats.
At Westside Barbell, my approach comes from what Louie Simmons taught me and the work we do with athletes in the gym. We use the Conjugate Method to organise strength, speed and supporting exercises around the person we are coaching. The methods give us a structure. The athlete’s experience, schedule and response tell us how to apply it.
You do not need to be a professional competitor to use that thinking. You do need a starting point that reflects where you are now.
What strength and conditioning should do for your jiu jitsu
Brazilian jiu jitsu asks you to produce force, hold positions and repeat efforts against someone who is trying to stop you. Sometimes you have time to establish a position. Sometimes you have only a brief opportunity to move.
Strength training for jiu jitsu should help develop the physical qualities behind those demands. I look at three connected areas.
Strength: Can you produce the force you need? Squatting, pulling and pressing give us ways to develop and assess strength outside the complexity of a live round.
Speed and power: Can you produce force quickly? Being strong and being able to act quickly are related, but we give each deliberate attention in training.
Work capacity: Can you complete the work you need, recover from it, and continue training consistently? This includes what happens across a session and across your week.
A bigger lift is useful information. It does not tell us everything about your jiu jitsu. Your skill, decisions, timing and ability to apply force in a position still matter. We need to look at the weight room and the mats together.
What Louie meant by operating at 90% or higher
One principle Louie taught me was to build an athlete towards operating at 90% or higher of their physical best, then maintain that level of preparation.
The order matters. First, we build the athlete’s work capacity and physical qualities through consistent preparation. Once they can sustain that level, we manage training so they remain close to their physical best and can be prepared for opportunities on short notice.
When a match becomes available, the aim is to taper the work they have already built. A taper means reducing training demands before competition so the athlete can arrive with less accumulated fatigue. We should not need to begin a long preparation camp to create a physical foundation that was missing.
That is how I understand and apply Louie’s principle. The 90% describes the level of physical preparation we are working towards maintaining. It is not a prescription to lift 90% of your heaviest single repetition, and it is not a readiness score from a test.
It also does not mean a new athlete is already there. If you are starting strength training, the first job is to build. Learn the movements, establish consistency and gradually increase the work you can manage. You cannot skip that preparation and expect a taper to provide it.
Training principle
Louie’s readiness principle
- 1Build capacityDevelop physical qualities and the capacity to sustain training.
- 2Maintain preparationWork towards staying at 90% or higher of physical best once that base is built.
- 3Taper for the opportunityReduce demands to manage fatigue rather than begin a new long camp.
Conceptual coaching principle from Tom’s recollection of Louie. The 90% is not a lifting load or a validated readiness score.
How the Conjugate Method applies to BJJ
Westside Barbell is the gym founded by Louie Simmons. Many people know it through powerlifting. For a jiu jitsu athlete, we apply its training principles to the demands of grappling and the individual in front of us.
The Conjugate Method brings several physical qualities into the training week. We use heavier strength work, speed work and supporting exercises, adjusting their emphasis as the athlete’s needs change.
You will hear three terms regularly: max effort, dynamic effort and repetition work. Understanding their purpose makes a programme easier to follow.
Watch: Beginner’s Guide to the Conjugate Method — Introduction
Max effort develops your ability to produce force
Max effort is the method of working against very heavy resistance to develop maximal strength. In an experienced athlete’s programme, that can involve working up to a heavy effort on a selected squat, deadlift or press variation.
The exercise gives us information as well as training. We look at how the athlete performs it, where they struggle and how the result compares with previous work on that same movement.
A beginner does not need to start by attempting the heaviest weight they can possibly lift. First, choose a suitable movement, learn it and build strength with manageable loads. Challenging sets performed with control can prepare you for heavier training later. That introductory work should not be confused with a true maximal effort.
Your belt level and your lifting experience are separate things. An experienced grappler may still need a beginner’s introduction to the weight room.
Dynamic effort develops the ability to move with speed
Dynamic effort uses a load below your maximum with the intention of moving it as quickly as you can while maintaining the exercise’s technique.
The purpose should be visible in the work. If a supposed speed set becomes a slow struggle, adding more weight has changed what you are asking the exercise to do.
For athletes who are ready for it, this can include speed variations of squats, presses and pulls. Bands and chains are tools we may use to change the resistance through a movement. They are not a requirement for someone learning the basic approach.
A useful first lesson is to distinguish control from moving slowly out of habit. Learn the movement, then learn to apply force with intent. A coach can help choose the exercise and resistance that allow both.
Our article on a full body dynamic effort session for jiu jitsu shows a more developed example. Read it for context rather than assuming its entire workload belongs in your first week.
Repetition work addresses the areas that need more attention
Repetition work uses repeated efforts with lighter resistance than maximal lifting. These supporting exercises let us train muscles and movements that need additional work.
That could mean rows for the upper back, hamstring curls, a suitable single leg exercise, pressing assistance or trunk work. The selection should answer a question: what does this athlete need to improve?
For a beginner, keep the selection small enough to learn and repeat. You should understand why each exercise is included and be able to record how you performed it. Filling the session with exercises makes that harder.
Exercise changes also need a reason. An experienced athlete may rotate main lift variations while tracking each one. Someone still learning a squat needs enough practice to become competent. Variety should help the training progress.
Choosing exercises for a grappler
There is no single list of exercises that fits every jiu jitsu athlete. Your experience, available equipment and ability to perform a movement all affect the choice.
Start with a few useful categories:
- Squatting and single leg work: A goblet squat or supported split squat may provide an accessible starting point for lower body strength.
- Hip and hamstring work: A suitable hinge, where you bend through the hips, and a hamstring curl can train the back of the lower body. This area is often called the posterior chain.
- Pushing and pulling: Push ups or a dumbbell press can sit alongside rows. Choose versions you can control through a suitable range.
- Trunk work: A plank, carry or controlled movement can challenge your ability to manage your trunk position.
- Grip work: Carries and other grip exercises may be useful, but account for the gripping you already do in class.
These are options to discuss and select from, not a requirement to perform every exercise in each workout.
Consider grip training. If hard gi rounds already leave your hands and forearms exhausted, adding a large amount of extra gripping may make the next session worse. Start by identifying whether you need more grip work, a different amount, or better management of the work you already do.
Three workout examples from beginner to heavier training
These sessions show how the work can develop as an athlete becomes prepared for it. The total body session is an example for a complete beginner. Repeated effort is the next step up. The more traditional max effort session comes once the athlete has built a base and tolerance for heavier weight.
This progression follows your preparation and response to training. Your BJJ belt rank does not determine where you start, and there is no fixed number of weeks that automatically moves you to the next stage. These are separate session examples, not three workouts to complete in sequence during your first week.
Training principle
Preparation guides the next step
- 1Complete beginnerTotal Body A · Learn the movements · Leave 4 clean reps in reserve
- 2Build the baseRepeated Effort Lower · Develop tolerance for more repeated work
- 3Prepared for heavier workMaximal Effort Lower · Progress towards a top single after building tolerance
Conceptual progression, not measured data. No fixed timetable or belt rank determines the stage.
Session example 01
Complete beginner example Total Body A
Begin with five minutes of easy cycling at a pace where you can hold a conversation. Follow with quadruped thoracic spine rotations, six repetitions each side, and a half kneeling dorsiflexion stretch, eight each side. The first movement turns your upper back while you are on your hands and knees. The second works on ankle movement in a half kneeling position.
Perform the strength exercises as straight sets: finish the sets for one exercise before moving to the next.
| Exercise | Sets and repetitions | Rest between sets |
|---|---|---|
| Goblet dumbbell squat | 2 × 8 | 90 seconds |
| Dumbbell floor press | 2 × 8 | 90 seconds |
| One arm dumbbell bent over row | 2 × 8 each side | 90 seconds |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2 × 8 | 90 seconds |
| Deadbug | 2 × 6 | 60 seconds |
For the four dumbbell exercises, leave four clean repetitions in reserve. That means choosing a weight you could lift for about four more good repetitions when the set ends. You may see this written as 4 RIR. You are practising and building tolerance, with room left at the end of each set.
Keep the row light and controlled. Increase the floor press and Romanian deadlift load only when you are recovered and the technique feels easy. Stop the deadbug before your technique deteriorates.
Session example 02
Next step example Repeated Effort Lower
Here the athlete takes on more repeated lower body work. The purpose is to build the base for heavier training while continuing to manage the demands of jiu jitsu.
The warmup used in this session and the heavier example below is:
| Warmup exercise | Repetitions |
|---|---|
| Foam roll glute med | 5 each side |
| Marching glute bridge | 10 each side |
| Ipsilateral quad stretch with arm reach | 3 each side |
| Supine straight leg lowering | 3 each side |
| Reverse lunge with lateral flexion | 3 each side |
| Standing knee hug | 3 each side |
Glute med refers to the muscle at the outer side of your hip. Ipsilateral means on the same side, supine means lying on your back, and lateral flexion means bending to the side. Have your coach demonstrate any unfamiliar movement.
| Exercise | Sets and repetitions | Rest between sets |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional barbell deadlift | 3 × 10 | 60, 60, then 90 seconds after the respective sets |
| Barbell box squat | 3 × 10 | 60 seconds |
| Dumbbell forward lunge | 2 × 10 each side | 60 seconds |
| Front plank | 3 × 30 to 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Deadbug | 2 × 10 | 30 seconds |
| Quadruped cat/cow | 2 × 10 | 30 seconds |
Select the loads with your coach according to your preparation and ability to complete the work. The extra sets and repetitions are demands to build towards. Completing the beginner example once does not establish that you are ready for this session.
Session example 03
Prepared athlete example Maximal Effort Lower
Once the base and tolerance for heavier weight are in place, the main lift can become a heavier effort. This example uses the warmup above, followed by a sumo deadlift with minibands.
Progressively warm up to a top single, meaning one repetition at the heaviest load selected for that session. Avoid missed repetitions and leave room to stop before another heavier attempt. This is an example for a prepared athlete working with appropriate coaching.
| Supporting exercise | Sets and repetitions | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Romanian deadlift | 4 × 8 to 10 | First two sets 2 RIR; last two 1 RIR |
| Single leg leg press | 4 × 10 to 12 each side | First two sets 2 RIR; last two 1 RIR |
| Reverse hyper | 4 × 12 to 15 | First two sets 2 RIR; last two 1 RIR |
Two repetitions in reserve means finishing with about two clean repetitions left; one means about one. These sets ask more of the athlete than the beginner session.
Finish with hanging leg raises for 3 × 15, deadbugs for 2 × 10 and quadruped cat/cow for 2 × 10, resting 30 seconds between core sets.
The lesson is the progression in what we ask of the athlete. Establish control and tolerance, build the amount of work they can manage, then introduce heavier efforts when they are prepared. Keep checking how that work fits alongside their mat training.
How often should you lift alongside jiu jitsu?
Two or three strength sessions can be useful options, depending on your training history and mat schedule. The right starting choice is the one you can perform consistently and recover from.
Before selecting days, write down your actual week. Include classes, hard rounds, work and other commitments. Mark which mat sessions matter most and which usually leave you most fatigued. Three technique sessions are a different demand from three sessions filled with hard competition rounds.
If you have two lifting sessions
Give each session a clear emphasis. One can focus on lower body strength, with selected supporting work. The other can focus on upper body strength, again with a few exercises chosen for your needs.
For someone new to lifting, the main work can use moderate loads while they learn. Appropriate speed practice can be included in small amounts once they can perform it well. You do not need to squeeze every feature of an advanced programme into those two days.
Leave enough room between demanding sessions to judge how you respond. If the second session repeatedly suffers because you have not recovered, adjust the spacing or workload.
If you have three lifting sessions
A structure we use with prepared grapplers is a lower body strength session, an upper body strength session and a combined dynamic effort session. Supporting exercises sit around those main purposes.
Choose the training days around your mat demands. A fixed Monday, Wednesday and Friday plan may fit one athlete and conflict with another athlete’s most important sessions.
If lifting and jiu jitsu fall on the same day
Look at what both sessions require. A short strength session alongside technical practice is a different situation from demanding lower body work followed immediately by hard rounds.
Where possible, separate sessions and allow time to recover between them. If you have limited time, reduce the lifting to the work that matters most. Judge the arrangement by the quality you can maintain in both sessions.
For example, if your main sparring session is Thursday evening, avoid automatically making Thursday afternoon your hardest lifting session. Place demanding lifting elsewhere if you can, then review whether that actually improves the week.
Our athletic development template explains the wider structure. Your BJJ schedule should guide how you adapt it.
Conditioning for BJJ without adding work blindly
If you are fading during rounds, first look at the situation. Is it happening from the start, only late in the session, or after a particularly demanding training week? Are you holding tension unnecessarily? Has your pace changed?
Those questions help you and your coaches decide what to address. More conditioning is one possible answer. It should have a defined purpose.
Steady work on a bike, a rower or with a suitably loaded sled can provide a controllable way to develop general fitness. Harder intervals can train repeated efforts, but they also add fatigue. An already demanding week may not need another exhausting session.
Choose something you can repeat and compare. Record the duration or distance, the effort and how you felt afterwards. Build the amount gradually while checking what happens in your jiu jitsu sessions.
We also look at the work athletes complete during their lifting sessions. That helps us understand how they are managing the programme. It does not replace observing them on the mats, and a weight room measurement alone cannot establish competition readiness.
Strength, conditioning and technical efficiency all deserve attention. The useful question is which one needs more attention in your situation.
Watch: Professional Grappling, Pioneering Strength Training in BJJ, The Illusion of going “All Out” — WSBB #70
What to track and when to adjust
A notebook is enough to begin. After lifting, record the exercise, weight, sets and repetitions. Add a short note about how difficult the work felt and anything that affected it.
Alongside that, note how your mat training went. Did you maintain the quality you expected? Were you unusually tired before class? Did the same problem appear several times?
Look for a pattern. One poor session after a difficult day is different from a week of declining performance.
If lifting is progressing but your mat sessions are repeatedly suffering, review the total workload with your coach. You might reduce supporting exercises, shorten a session or move a demanding day. If a main exercise is also going poorly, review its loading and suitability.
If everything is manageable, progress one part of the plan. That might mean a small load increase, better control or an additional repetition where appropriate. Adding weight, sets, exercises and training days at once makes it difficult to understand your response.
Preparing for competition after building the foundation
As competition approaches, your jiu jitsu training may become more demanding or more specific. Your strength programme needs to account for that.
When your jiu-jitsu training gets harder leading into competition, you have to look at what you’re asking of yourself in the weight room. The lifting needs to support the work you’re doing on the mats. That was our priority with Dante Leon as he prepared for ADCC. Dante had spent months and years building his strength. That gave us room to reduce his lifting as his jiu-jitsu demands increased. We kept the work he needed, adjusted based on his feedback, and made sessions short enough to be achievable alongside hard jiu-jitsu training. As his strength coach, I want the work I give him to be an asset, not a liability.
That example starts with preparation already in place. It does not mean every athlete should follow Dante’s schedule or reduce training in exactly the same way.
A taper should reflect your recent workload, experience and competition demands. Keep the conversation between you, your jiu jitsu coach and your strength coach clear. The final days before an event are a poor time to experiment with unfamiliar exercises or try to make up for months of missed preparation.
This is where Louie’s 90% principle becomes practical. Build first, maintain the physical preparation, then adjust for the opportunity.
Watch: Westside Barbell Strength Training and Strategy for Jiu-Jitsu: Dante Leon’s ADCC Prep #83
Strength and conditioning for your jiu jitsu academy
An academy has the same planning problem across a group of people. Some students have years of lifting experience. Others are starting from nothing. Equipment, available space and coaching time vary too.
If you run an academy and want help organising that work, Westside offers two starting approaches: student programming, or coach education and support alongside programming. We work around your members, equipment and academy goals.
Learn about Westside’s strength and conditioning support for jiu jitsu academies. The page explains both options and includes a free 15 minute introductory call to discuss what fits your academy.
Whether you train independently or as part of an academy, begin with a plan you can understand and carry out. Build from your current level and use your response to guide the next step.
Before adding more work in the weight room, look at what you need to get out of your next jiu-jitsu session. Use that to help judge which parts of your lifting to keep, reduce, or adjust with your coach.
