Becoming better at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu isn’t all about drilling techniques and using them when you roll. You also need to build both endurance and strength… But how do you do that? There are so many options to choose from out there, so which one should you pick?
Street workout could be a great decision.

WHAT IS STREET WORKOUT?

The name „street workout“ has a kind of a cool ring to it, and for good reason! It’s a sport that primarily denotes exercising in the outdoors, using your bodyweight. In a way, it represents a simplified version of gymnastics; there are a lot of movements that have been incorporated from it (such as the handstand-based exercises, front and back levers, etc.), but a lot of other gymnastic-like movements and holds as well (like the so-called „human flag“).

In simple terms, it’s a form of calisthenics that is leveled-up due to the difficulty of exercises involved.

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WHY SHOULD I DO IT? HOW CAN IT HELP MY JIU JITSU?

Now, why should you do street workout in the first place? Well, to begin with, it’s really simple to begin training. You don’t need expensive equipment, nor even a gym membership! All that you may need is a pull-up bar, a dip station, a bench (for bench dips and similar exercises), and a floor.
You can probably find all of this at a nearby park. But even if you can’t, an investment into a door or a wall pull-up bar and dip station handles is nowhere as expensive as buying „real“ weights is.

So, it’s pretty easy to begin. But what makes it truly great is that it will help your Jiu Jitsu! There are two most important reasons behind this.

The first one is that street workout has its exercises based on how strong your core is. That is – its exercises will put a lot of emphasis on the strength of your core. Therefore, they will strengthen it; and having a strong, stable core is one of the most important things in Jiu Jitsu! Both for performance and training longevity alike.
Secondly, a lot of street workout moves and holds are much more natural to the human body than other forms of exercise are, like weight training. This, in turn, means that there’s a lesser chance of injury with street workout.

Two words of caution are necessary, however: when doing street workout, you should progress slowly from one exercise variation to another. If you don’t, you’ll get injured (the writer of this article injured his rotator cuff because of this same reason).
Also, street workout doesn’t tend to put a lot of emphasis on legs. You need to train your legs, too; so make it a point to add in some exercises for them in there as well.

WHAT KIND OF EXERCISES ARE OUT THERE?

And so you’ve decided to add in street workout as a supplement to your Jiu Jitsu. Fantastic! But, which exercises should you focus on?

You can begin with pull-ups and their variations, which are going to help you create a base-level of pulling strength you’ll need for other exercises – the more advanced ones. For example, the front lever; which you’ll require a lot of core strength for! So make sure to practice your leg raises, your L-sit, and V-sit.
Your pushing strength is equally important. Base it on push-ups, bench dips, dips… And then work your way up to the handstand hold, handstand push-ups, and things of that nature.

The possibilities are endless! Experiment, find out what you’re interested in, and what helps you out the most.

Rolling Strong combines scientific exercises and routines specifically geared towards grappling.

Phil Daru is a performance coach for over 200 Elite Level Fighters in all aspects of combat sports.
Learn a comprehensive approach that covers everything from proper warmups to exercises designed to improve your guard!