When it comes to strength and conditioning, many Grapplers especially BJJ practitioners still train like amateurs.

Many fighters are weak and don’t want to make commitment to strength training. We mean real strength work; heavy squatting, deadlifting and benching; triples, doubles or singles. They are not unlike other sport athletes that overdo the skill work and neglect the strength component. When they strength train it tends to be the metabolic cardiovascular type that actually zaps their strength. It makes you feel good-like you’re in shape but does nothing to improve your strength. BJJ fighters are the worst offenders; all they want to do is roll, roll, and roll. The skill work is extremely important but by gaining strength your skill ceiling is able reach higher levels.

Given two athletes with similar skill levels, the stronger one will usually prevail.

It all starts with strength. It is a confidence builder.

When you know you are stronger than your opponent, it opens up your game plan. You spend less energy than your opponent; you get injured less and recover faster. If you want more work capacity or strength endurance, first increase your strength. Increase your power, first increase strength. Increase speed, first increase strength. The stronger you get, the more able you are to convert that strength to power and speed and endurance. Increasing strength to bodyweight ratio improves quickness and the ability to change direction.

Joey Szatmary is a 6’2 242 (105kg) strength sport athlete. He’s competed in CrossFit, Olympic lifting, and now in Strongman. He recently was on team USA for strongman. He is a full time gym owner and want to help others.He is also BJJ practitioner and competitor.

In this video, he explains how he strength trains for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: