BJJ progress heavily depends on what you’re doing on the mats. If you come to the training session and all you do is scroll down on your Facebook feed, then you won’t notice any improvements in your BJJ skills whatsoever. But if you train hard and do the drills and follow your instructors – then you will dramatically improve your skills.
But it’s also very important to do certain things off the mat – if your goal is to progress in your BJJ skillset. Many people fail to understand this and they focus all of their efforts on what they do on the mats. But if you can handle your diet and your sleep patterns – you will see that it’s a lot easier to make progress when on the mats. In this sense, the food that you eat can be a very powerful influence how your BJJ training sessions go. Read more about nutrition tips for Jiu-Jitsu
What to eat before a training session
It’s very important to be on the lookout for the foods that you eat before the training session. The food that you eat then should prepare your body for the immense stress that it’s about to go through – namely, the training session itself. BJJ doesn’t go easy on your body. The smartest thing to do would be to eat a meal that’s moderately high in proteins and carbohydrates, but low on fats.
If you eat a fatty meal then your body will have to work hard to dissolve the fats and digest them – which will leave you with little strength and cardio. This is why it’s important to not eat fats before a workout session. A great idea for a pre-workout meal is to ingest yogurt with berries of various kinds. Add into this a banana and you have a perfect pre-workout meal.
The proteins and carbs will help prepare your body in the sense that they will reduce the damage that it’s about to go through. They will set up the process of recovery so that your muscles and joints will recover faster.
The timing is very important as well. You can eat the best meal in the world – but if you eat it three minutes before the training session – then you will find out that you will feel bloated while you train. Most of the blood will be forced down your stomach in order to aid digestion and your muscles will feel limp. You need to set up your eating habits at around two hours before the training session for the best result.
What to eat after a training session
This is the perfect time to aid your body in recovery with the foods that you will ingest. So, again, make sure that you eat a meal that’s high in proteins. Make sure to ingest carbohydrates and fats as well so as to help support your body in its recovery. A hummus crusted chicken would be a nice idea for you to consider as a post-workout meal. A banana with almonds and quinoa is also a great idea for eating after a workout.
Typically, you can eat right after a training session, but we still recommend that you give your body some time to cool down. You may get dizzy or nauseous if you overeat right after a training session, so be careful with it.
General eating guidelines
The truth of the matter is that you don’t have to overthink your diet. There are many people that make this mistake of obsessing over the foods that they eat and the time periods that they eat them in. But the reality is a lot simpler than that.
All you need to do is to make sure that you eat natural foods as often as possible for your meals and that you evade eating processed foods a lot. Vegetables are very important in this sense and your best bet is to eat as many of them as possible. They will serve to protect and empower your body and you will feel and look better than ever before if you eat your vegetables.
It’s okay to eat meat every now and then – but make sure that you don’t overeat on it. The same goes for dairy products as well. If you follow these basic guidelines, then you will find out that you’re feeling better than ever before and that you have more strength and endurance than ever before for your BJJ training sessions.
In conclusion
The food that you eat can have a powerful impact on your behavior on the BJJ mats. If you wish to feel energetic and strong, then make sure that you’re eating healthy. Eat the proper foods at the proper intervals and you will do your body good. You will begin to notice improvements in your BJJ skills right after the first healthy meal that you eat and after the first training session after this meal.
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