In my years of training jiu-jitsu, I have found it to bring many benefits to my life. Unsurprisingly, jiu-jitsu practitioners gain skills in self-defense while engaging in a unique sport. But jiu-jitsu offers other advantageous outcomes as well. Among these, is the fact that a single training session can offer an intense workout.
You may find the physical exhaustion the most difficult part about jiu-jitsu. After all, nearly every session ends with multiple rounds of rolling that call for high levels of exertion. With that being the case, many wonder if taking a pre-workout for jiu-jitsu is a good idea.
Running out of energy is sure to diminish your performance on the mats. So, it is natural to seek a way to prevent that fatigue, or at least diminish it. And since pre-workouts are so popular among typical gym-goers, it stands to reason that taking a pre-workout for jiu-jitsu will improve your output. In this article, we will explore the main factors related to taking a pre-workout for jiu-jitsu.
How Pre-Workout Affects the Body
The simplest way to describe a pre-workout is to say that it is a stimulant. By taking a pre-workout, you are altering your brain chemistry to produce a more alert mental state.
Pre-workouts achieve this altered state by activating certain neurotransmitters such as dopamine. These give you a feeling of excitement. That excitement seems to give a boost to anyone who is about to perform a serious workout.
The effect of a pre-workout is essentially an amplified version of caffeine. Many people who follow a weight training program incorporate pre-workouts as an ongoing ritual in their workout routine. The widespread use of pre-workouts suggests that those who use them receive a significant advantage in their exercise output. But this potential benefit comes with risk factors as well.
Many question the health impacts of pre-workouts. This mainly relates to the fact that the ingredient lists for these products are full of obscure chemicals. The average athlete has no idea what these chemicals are or what their true effects are.
Surprisingly, scientists don’t know much more than that. In fact, there are very few, if any, studies that connect pre-workout use with a distinct beneficial outcome.
But while the true impact of a pre-workout is far from solidified, they remain popular. Because of this, it is conceivable that a pre-workout may have a positive impact on a person’s ability to perform exercises, even if lab results have not confirmed the phenomenon. What is even less understood is whether a pre-workout for jiu-jitsu is worth pursuing.
How Pre-Workout Will Influence Your Training
In general, the average pre-workout is not ideal for training jiu-jitsu. There are a few reasons for this. But the main one relates to the nature of jiu-jitsu as a sport.
Consider the tasks that people usually complete after taking a pre-workout. In most cases, they are on their way to the gym for some resistance training. Now consider how different that workout is when compared to a jiu-jitsu training session.
Many weightlifting exercises are short movements that you perform over a short amount of time. The powerful burst of energy that comes with a pre-workout is conducive to doing such exercises.
Jiu-jitsu is a completely different kind of workout. While a jiu-jitsu athlete needs strength, they need to apply that strength over a longer frame of time. A pre-workout may give you a short-lived increase in energy, but it does very little to promote the kind of endurance you need to train jiu-jitsu.
This naturally leads to the realization that the primary benefit of a pre-workout is not necessarily compatible with the goals of jiu-jitsu. But there are other reasons to shy away from a pre-workout when you train jiu-jitsu.
During my time training, I have found that the most successful jiu-jitsu athletes are often those who care for their bodies. When done correctly, it is possible to train well into your later years.
In part, longevity in jiu-jitsu results from maintaining a clean diet. Regularly filling your body with unknown chemicals is not a way to achieve that goal. Considering the benefits are not tailored to the specific needs of a jiu-jitsu athlete anyway, generic pre-workouts may not be the best option. However, that does not mean that all pre-workouts are out of the question for those who train jiu-jitsu.
A Jiu Jitsu-Specific Pre-Workout
With the continued growth of jiu-jitsu, there is an equal growth of jiu-jitsu-related products. Among these is Gold BJJ PreRoll.
Gold BJJ’s PreRoll is unlike any other pre-workout on the market. That’s because it is one of the few pre-workouts made specifically for jiu-jitsu athletes.
This pre-workout produces a different effect than others. Its blend caters to the needs of a jiu-jitsu athlete rather than the typical gym rat. That means that Gold BJJ’s pre-workout is more likely to give you an even and prolonged increase in energy. This will help you keep your focus and your intensity as your train for multiple hours. This pre-workout also does not cause the kind of jitters that could throw off your flow as you roll.
PreRoll has a simplified list of ingredients compared to other pre-workouts. This gives you a better idea of what you are putting into your body.
Additionally, PreRoll is low both in carbs and in overall calories. By contrast, other pre-workouts contain a lot of sugar and added sweeteners. Gold BJJ’s formula offers natural sweeteners instead. These include stevia and the ever-present jiu-jitsu flavoring, acai.
If that was not enough, Gold BJJ also offers a PostRoll product. This post-workout supplement is ready to help you recover from the rigors of training jiu-jitsu. Gold BJJ is one of my favorite brands for Jiu Jitsu gear, and their supplements are well thought out formulations specifically designed for BJJ training.
Conclusion
Jiu-jitsu is a sport like no other. That means that jiu-jitsu athletes need a pre-workout that suits their individual needs. More often than not, a generic pre-workout will not get the job done. But if you know where to look, you may be able to find a specialty jiu-jitsu pre-workout that works for you.