What is the best way to recover from intense BJJ training?

Wanderlei Silva in an Ice Bath

I don’t know about you, but pretty much every time I train, afterwards my body feels like it has been hit by a bus. Taking the appropriate steps to let your body recover will have you feeling better in no time, and have you excited for the next Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training session with your teammates.

Step 1: Try to incorporate a cool down in your routine. Whether you walk around, or do a light jog, cooling down keeps your body from retaining lactic acid, which causes muscle stiffness shortly after a sudden stop after intense exercise.

Step 2: Refuel with the most essential liquid to your body. Water. Recovering after Jiu Jitsu training will always be improved by refilling your body with the hydration it needs to perform essential recovery functions within the body.

Step 3: Giving your body the essential vitamins and nutrients it needs for training recovery primarily comes from your diet. It is typically recommended to refuel your body with complex carbs and high quality protein within 30 minutes after your training session. Your diet during your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Jaunt is crucial to your improvement!

Step 4: My favorite part of recovering from BJJ training…rest! Getting plenty of rest and sleep is exactly what your body needs to recover. When resting, your body does a pretty good job of recovery and healing itself. So be sure to give yourself plenty of rest after intense training!

Step 5: Stretch it out. This can also be a part of your cool down, and can prevent muscle injury and increase the speed of your recovery time. Take your time and be thorough!

Step 6:  A chilly but effective step to reduce muscle fatigue is to take an ice bath. This will help to remove waste product within your tissue.

Step 7: Be sure to listen to your body, and avoid overtraining. Give yourself the proper amount of time to recover so that your body will be ready for the next training session. The steps above can help, but above all, be sure to listen to your body and do not push the limits to the point where you will get yourself sick, or injure yourself. It is better to choose your own recovery time rather than let your body force you to rest by result of injury or sickness.

And the jaunt continues…