5 Ways Jiu-Jitsu Improves Your Fitness

People get into Jiu-Jitsu for many different reasons, from self-defense to improving fitness and beyond. Here are just a few ways that Jiu-Jitsu can improve your fitness:

1. Flexibility
The movements and skills you learn and execute in Jiu-Jitsu increase your flexibility over time. With an increase in your flexibility, you’re able to move more effectively and efficiently. Not only can this help you when competing against or sparring with an opponent, but it can also reduce your risk of getting injured

2. Strength
Jiu-Jitsu is known for being a martial art where anyone of any size or strength can excel. With that said, it’s still an excellent way to improve your fitness through building strength. Jiu-Jitsu training increases your functional, full-body strength.

3. Weight Loss
When most people think of improving their fitness, weight loss is usually a part of that process. We all want to feel good, and weight loss can help you feel better and move better while training, as well as throughout your day. Rather than joining a traditional gym, many people turn to martial arts as an alternative. Jiu-Jitsu can be a new and different way to increase your physical activity level and, as a result, lead to weight loss.

4. Agility
Similar to increasing flexibility, your ability to move better after a few months of Jiu-Jitsu also comes from agility improvements. Agile martial arts students can move and react more quickly. Agility is one aspect of fitness that can start to decline with age, and martial arts is a great way to maintain or improve this fitness element.

5. Endurance
When you first start Jiu-Jitsu, you may find yourself struggling to make it through the whole class without feeling winded. Over time, your training will improve your endurance so that a 60-minute class no longer feels like a marathon. You’ll find yourself making it through a class with more stamina as your fitness level continues to improve.