Does lifting weights make you better at Jiu Jitsu?

November 30, 2025•4 min read

Does Lifting Weights Make You Better at Jiu Jitsu?

I think the answer depends on what you mean by “better at Jiu Jitsu.”
Will being stronger or bigger help you win? Yes, of course it will. Any physical advantage can help you win. Jiu Jitsu—whether in competition, sparring, or just hard training—is a very physical activity. Being strong helps you impose your will more effectively, which often translates into winning more rounds.

Strength can also make up for gaps in technique. Maybe you struggle with a certain sweep or submission, but if you're strong enough you can sometimes muscle your way through it. So that raises a question: what does it really mean to be “good”?
Does winning more than someone else automatically make you better than them? Is the champion objectively the most skilled? Maybe to some people, winning is the definition of being the best.

But that’s not the whole story.

The Benefits of Strength Training

Strength training on its own has a long list of benefits. I’ve heard many times—and read it in multiple places—that resistance training is one of the single most effective ways to improve overall health. It increases bone density, lowers blood pressure, and can even boost longevity. When your body and heart are working well, your mind usually follows. A healthy body makes a healthy brain more likely.

Combine that with mobility and flexibility work, and you can train more often, stay on the mats longer, and get more drilling reps. All of that helps your Jiu Jitsu.

The Downside of Relying on Strength

I’ve also seen strong people—both adults and kids—rely on their strength so much that it actually slows down their technical development. In my opinion, when you're learning Jiu Jitsu, your focus should be on improving your skill, not on winning rounds.

Winning is fun. It’s addictive. And when you're naturally strong or big, it’s hard to set that aside and choose to develop technique instead of just smashing your way through problems.

This was definitely my story.

When I started Jiu Jitsu, I had just gotten out of the military. I was 25 years old, 5'11", and around 210 pounds. In other words, I was strong enough to beat other white belts and even some blue belts. At the academy I trained at, we started on our knees most rounds. I’d grab the head and sleeve, pull the person into side control, and attack an Americana or Kimura.

One day my professor asked me if I was ever going to start using Jiu Jitsu.

That stuck with me.

When I Finally Started Focusing on Improvement

Somewhere around my second or third year as a blue belt, I realized I wasn’t going for certain sweeps or submissions because I was afraid of losing position. And if I lost position against certain people, I couldn’t escape. The answer was obvious: I needed to work on those positions until I wasn’t afraid of them anymore.

My focus at that point had been on winning rounds, not improving my Jiu Jitsu.

When I finally started taking improvement seriously, everything changed. I kept that mentality for the rest of my Jiu Jitsu journey.

To me, the markers of advanced technique are timing and leverage. If you are forcing techniques, your timing or mechanics aren’t very good yet.

What Makes Jiu Jitsu Special

One of the biggest things the Brazilians changed about the original Judo/Jiu Jitsu system was adapting the techniques so they could be applied with leverage, timing, and efficiency. That adjustment is why Jiu Jitsu became so effective for smaller or weaker people. A Japanese art reshaped by Brazilians—especially the Gracies—and now practiced and improved all over the world.

Today there are innovations coming out of the U.S., the U.K., Europe, Australia, and many other places. It’s a great time to learn this art. And when it’s done well, it’s approachable for almost anyone.