ormer power lifter Jordan ‘Odin’Wolf turned to BJJ, Judo and Kickboxing student has made a full 180 on his health and life. Hopefully, his story will inspire you to give martial arts a shot.

He talked about his transition on his BJJ academy’s website:

Last summer I was ready to do something different. I was weighing around 330 lbs, recovering from multiple injuries, and ready to make a difference in my health and lifestyle. To give you a clearer picture, I was a competitive powerlifter. I have been lifting weights and competing in sports for the majority of my life. When I was going back to college, I got the competitive itch again and thrust myself into training for competition. Unlike other sports, I really did not have to worry about doing too much cardio or even eating too healthy. Hell, if I wanted to eat a pizza with pie and ice-cream I would! I enjoyed the training and the competition. I became “addicted” to getting bigger and stronger like most everyone else in that sport. I put my best foot forward and had no idea where that would take me.

He talked about how he started BJJ:

So my first day going there, I made it 30 feet from the building, felt stupid and embarrassed and left. As I left I hoped that no one saw me. So feeling like a moron, I went home and decided that okay I will try it again. The following Tuesday, I showed up a little early for kickboxing. They were having a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu beginner class. I am not knowledgeable about martial arts but as I was observing the class, I thought to myself that this is just like wrestling. I remember signing a waiver that night and as I was reading it there were disclaimers about breaking bones and tearing tendons . . . I was like oh hell here we go again. So why did I stay? Well I stayed mainly because everyone was so friendly and nice. I immediately got this vibe that this was more than a dojo but I could not place my finger on it exactly. Kickboxing was cancelled that night to my dismay but I was invited to try BJJ the following day. So I came back the next day and gave it a shot. That was the absolute best decision that I have made about my health and life in quite a while.

Since that day, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Neutral Ground has changed my life. My first class, I could not even make it through the warm-ups. I was so poorly conditioned. When I tried to do the somersaults, I got so dizzy in addition to not being able to catch my breath my running that I had to sit down. Make no mistake, training for BJJ is not easy and it is not for the faint of heart. As the new guy there, I was a choking dummy (still am sometimes to this day) and practice toy. Sure having size and strength helped me some but I really did not know how to use it in those early days. Sometimes I do not know how to properly use it now. The point is though that since that first day my health has improved drastically. My body weight is down to 280 lbs and my blood pressure is in the 120’s now. These are great benefits for me.