YOUR GUIDE TO A LIFETIME OF ENJOYING & IMPROVING YOUR BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU

Your Guide To A Lifetime Of Enjoying & Improving Your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
HOW TO WORK OUT OFF THE MAT
People ask me, “Bernardo do you do any type of workout? How is it? How often do you do it? Which type of
exercises do you use?”
The answer can vary. Marcelo Garcia, for example, doesn’t do any type of off-mat physical conditioning, and
he is super successful, maybe the best in history. I also know a lot of people who have off-mat programs and it
works very well for them. In my case I like doing it twice a week. I’m very lucky to have Kevin Paretti on my side,
he is a physical therapist and conditioning coach, so he can work on both with me in the same session, fixing my
injuries and doing my conditioning. There are many styles of physical conditioning you can use: lifting weights,
functional training, Crossfit, running and others. What I believe works best for BJJ is having a planned workout,
so it is important to have
a professional like my
trainer Kevin (“KP) to
help you out. You don’t
need a professional
personal trainer on your
side every day, but at
least someone who
will make a plan and
tell you what to do so
that you can do it by
yourself. As I said, there
are many different types
of workouts, but as long
as you have someone
to help MAKE YOUR
PLANS ACCORDING TO
YOUR GOALS.
Bernardo working out at Kinephys with his Coach Kevin Paretti
IN BJJ THERE IS NO
RIGHT OR WRONG
One thing that I never get tired of saying is
that in BJJ there is no right or wrong. THE
RIGHT WAY IS WHATEVER WORKS FOR
YOU AND THE WRONG WAY IS WHATEVER
DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU. So, you should
test everything you learn in life, make your
own laboratory and see what works for you
best and what doesn’t. Remember, you will
learn lots of techniques, tons of details, and
many coaches will tell you different things.
You will find people and coaches with
completely different styles, and some things
will work for you and some will not. You have
to able to filter the good and the bad. Always
remember that the most important part of
this journey is to have fun and enjoy the process.
Against Leandro Lo, World’s 2015
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