How Do I Protect My Back While Doing Jiu-Jitsu Near Me?

If you are searching for learning Jiu-Jitsu near me, you need to at least consider the responsibilities (and risks) that come with it. 

Jiu-Jitsu as a martial art is a great way to get in shape, learn self-defense, and even be part of a growing community. 

However, there are also some risks associated with the sport that you should be aware of before starting your journey.

One such risk is back pain! If you want to protect your back while doing jiu-jitsu then we recommend adding yoga and cross-training into the equation! 

These two practices will help strengthen your core muscles which can reduce injury in your lower back and neck. We’ll go through more on this topic below:

Can You Train Jiu-Jitsu And NOT Injure Your Back?

The short answer is YES! You can absolutely learn jiu-jitsu near me and still maintain a strong, healthy back that will carry yours through your jiu-jitsu journey for the years to come.

When you learn jiu-jitsu, your back gets stronger! However, most people don’t understand how quickly this can happen.

It’s important to note that we’re not talking about a significant amount of time here; typically only two months is needed for your back to go from a weakened state to a stronger version with consistent training, good stretching, and cross-training.  

Two months is a very short amount of time, and since jiu-jitsu classes are so social, it’s easy to get great advice from your fellow students as well. Ask them what they do on their off days or when they have pain in certain areas!

This will allow you the opportunity to learn more about common training problems for people as well as making new friends at your local jiu-jitsu classes. Remember, the key here is to make cross-training and yoga an essential part of your jiu-jitsu training. 

Why Jiu-Jitsu Athletes Need Yoga And Cross-Training?

This one is easy! The more you train the better shape you’ll be in, right? Well, that’s not always true when it comes to doing jiu-jitsu. 

You see, jiu-jitsu can put a lot of stress on your back, specifically your cervical spine area in the upper back as well as the lower lumbar area of your back.

If you come straight off your couch at 40 years old with little physical activity in your daily life, you may find yourself injured very fast without proper stretching and strengthening.

A good cross-training program that incorporates a series of movements designed to strengthen your whole body is key to ensuring your body can adapt to your new movement cycles found in jiu-jitsu.

4 Easy Ways To Incorporate Yoga and Cross-Training with Jiu-Jitsu For FREE

There is no need to overdo it here. You don’t need to enroll in Jiu-Jitsu, Yoga, and Crossfit all at once. Not only would you likely not have the time for all three schools, but you would also be spending a small fortune on that much training.

Instead, you have several options to incorporate all of these for little to no additional costs. Let’s look at some options below:

• Use Your Local Jiu-Jitsu gym to take yoga classes and use the gym equipment. Often good schools will offer some additional classes to help you out, sometimes at no additional costs.

• Free YouTube videos with yoga and DIY at-home strength training. You would be surprised at the excellent workout you can get at home for free with the help of endless content on YouTube. Something like this is an excellent place to start.

• Network with other jiu-jitsu classmates on their go-to warmups, stretches and classes they recommend to level up their jiu-jitsu journey.

• Get the most out of your pre and post-class stretches and warmups/cooldowns. You are already in class and ready to learn, while the younger students may not take the warmup too seriously, this is a prime time to heed the advice and leadership from the experienced jiu-jitsu coaches and follow their guidance with the warmup exercises and stretching.

Our coaches here at Granite Bay Jiu-Jitsu have been learning to keep their bodies in excellent condition to facilitate learning jiu-jitsu for many, many years. Click here to speak with a GBJJ staff member today!

Yoga and Jiu-Jitsu For Back Strength and Improved Flexibility

In a recent survey, it was found that jiu-jitsu athletes were prone to lower back and neck injuries. This is because the sport of jiu-jitsu uses your core muscles quite often so it’s important to be strong in these areas!

To protect yourself from injury we recommend adding yoga into this equation as well. Yoga will not only help build up your core strength but also improve your flexibility. 

Increased core strength and improved flexibility are a recipe for a much more enjoyable experience when learning jiu-jitsu near me.

Stretching Before and After Jiu-Jitsu

Before and after each jiu-jitsu class it’s important to stretch your muscles. If you don’t, you could be putting yourself at risk for injury in the long run! 

Make sure to take time before and after class to do some light yoga stretches or other exercises that are focusing on your back, neck, and hips.

Jiu-Jitsu and Our Aging Bodies

As you get older, your body becomes stiffer and less flexible. You will start to notice that injuries happen more often in certain areas of your body than when you were younger. 

Make sure to take extra care with the back, neck, and hips while learning jiu-jitsu. These areas are particularly vulnerable to injury as you age.

For example, if a person does jiu-jitsu and doesn’t strengthen their back muscles, they will be more likely to suffer from a herniated disk or even worse, an injured neck when rolling during class. 

When paired with yoga and other cross-training exercises before starting Jiu-Jitsu, you are greatly increasing your odds to have an enjoyable jiu-jitsu learning experience without the frustration of an injury.

Final Thought

Remember, your class might have several younger, 20-somethings that wrestled in high school and have the energy and strength to roll for days without any injuries. For us over 40 on the other hand, we need to be a bit more tactical in our approach to a long and healthy jiu-jitsu learning career.