In this podcast I go over the foundational elements of a good BJJ training program - Breathwork, Isometrics and Leverage Based Training (a.k.a. Steel Mace Training). By understanding how these 3 things fit together to form a holistic approach to improving on the mats you can make more productive use of your training time and see better results when you roll.

You can stream or download it from the link below or you can find it on Itunes, Podbean, Google Podcasts, Spotify and all other major podcasting platforms.

While this approach to training is certainly different than what you will usually see in BJJ specific programs, I don’t believe that it is anything new. When you look at traditional physical training methods for warriors and grapplers, you find these same elements. 

For example, Yoga - which is the best known of the traditional training methods - uses a lot of Isometrics and Breathwork, especially if you look at the original practices from India.

Another example is the Steel Mace, which is based on the Gada. The Gada is an ancient training tool used by grapplers for thousands of years and is a Leverage Based Training Tool. 

By combining these 3 things you get a better way to improve your BJJ specific strength and endurance. You can still use our modern understanding of Functional Training and human physiology, you just look at them through a slightly different viewpoint (click here to see a video demo of a workout that uses these concepts).

There is a reason that ancient training systems had an emphasis on these 3 things, which is because the people who developed them knew that they were what would really make the difference in battle and grappling. By looking back to these traditional methods and applying our modern understanding of them I believe that we can evolve our training programs to the next level of specificity for our amazing sport.

Until next time…

Train Strong,

James Wilson

In this episode of the BJJ Strength Training Podcast I explain why Glute Bridges are the most important exercise you aren’t doing, which creates a big hole most people’s BJJ specific workouts. I also share 5 tips to help you “learn how to learn” so you can improve your learning curve on the mats.

You can stream or download it from the link below or you can find it on Itunes, Podbean, Google Podcasts, Spotify and all other major podcasting platforms.

In the podcast I mention the Ramping Isometric Glute Bridge, which is one of my favorite ways to increase the strength in this important BJJ specific movement. You can find a video demo of how to do this exercise - along with some other great Glute Bridge variations - by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this episode and I’ll be in touch next week with another tip to help your BJJ training. Until next time…

Train Strong,

James Wilson

In this episode of the podcast I try to cover a huge subject - breathing and breathwork for BJJ. There is a lot of info in this episode and I know that I could have gone into more detail on a number of things I talked about. However, it will give you some things to think about when it comes to training your own breathing and using breathwork to improve how you feel and perform both on and off the mats.

You can stream or download it from the link below or you can find it on Itunes, Podbean, Google Podcasts, Spotify and all other major podcasting platforms.

Breathing is something that we take for granted but it can make or break our health and performance. Over the last year I’ve taken a deep dive into different breathing and breathwork methods - including The Wim Hof Method and The Oxygen Advantage - and I’ve learned a lot about how to leverage this easily accessible tool.

This podcast is a condensed version of a 3 week program I take people through to help them improve their health, performance and mindset through better breathing. In it I’ll share the daily practices and workout strategies that have helped me and my clients and I know will help you too.

Until next time…

Train Strong,

James Wilson

BJJ Strength Training Systems