If your usual gym routine has gotten dull, you may be wondering whether martial arts training is a better fit, or whether it just belongs next to your weight sessions. Both build fitness. They go about it in very different ways, so here is a plain comparison of the two.
What a regular gym session looks like versus a martial arts class
A typical jiu-jitsu class at our gym runs 60 minutes. It starts with a five to 10 minute warm-up using jiu-jitsu drills that apply to the techniques we will learn later in class. Then we move to a technical session with a partner, where we work on the techniques of the day. After that comes some drilling, where we add progressive resistance to what we just learned, and potentially some positional sparring, which is sparring inside the position we learned that day. The class finishes with a short cool-down, some stretching, and a bit of reflection.
A regular gym session is usually something you do on your own, in your own time, with your own plan.
Where gym workouts do the job well
Regular gym workouts are great for people who enjoy working out in isolation, without a community of other people around them. They also suit people with good self-discipline, who can turn up and work hard without anyone pushing them.
They are good for building general strength and cardiovascular health, and they definitely help people who need flexibility in their schedule. If you want 24-hour access to a gym, you can make that happen and train whenever it suits you best.
Where martial arts training does things a gym does not
Jiu-jitsu will help develop your strength and your cardiovascular fitness. The difference is that you are doing it with a training partner, so you also have to adapt to teamwork. You work on coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy, things that are often neglected in the traditional gym routine.
Timing is a huge part of it too. You learn to respond to your training partner so techniques become smooth and effortless. There is a mental benefit as well: you can only focus on the task at hand, so the distractions of everyday life do not creep in.
Strength, cardio, and skill: how the training effects compare
Strength and cardio show up in interesting ways in a jiu-jitsu class. The strength work is often more challenging because it is unpredictable and often needs more rotational work than straight-line pressing of weights.
With cardio, the main difference is that you do not get to dictate your own pace. Your pace comes from the interaction between you and your training partner. That makes it way harder to be lazy in class, and working with someone else often pushes you to better results.
Along the way you build skills that help neurologically, like coordination, accuracy, agility, and balance, plus teamwork, learning to work with a partner safely. Those skills can also help keep you safe in the real world as personal self-defense.
Why martial arts can feel more exciting than the weight room
A big reason is that you are doing it with other people, and you rely on them for the quality of your workout. With great training partners you get a great workout, and you build camaraderie on the mats. That also improves accountability, because people keep showing up even on the days when it feels hard.
The skills challenge you on many levels, and your strength, cardio, and neurological skills all feed into self-defense skills for the real world.
Can martial arts replace your gym routine, or should it sit alongside it?
It absolutely can replace your gym routine. For many people it is more than enough to reach their fitness goals, including significant weight loss and body composition improvement.
As people get more experienced, some jiu-jitsu practitioners add extra strength and conditioning to help with longevity on the mats, keeping their joints strong and supple so they can keep training for a lifetime.
How to choose a starting point if you are new to both
The best starting point is just deciding to show up for our free trial classes. You can take up to three free classes before you need to make any decision about committing to joining the gym. Our goal is to show you how good jiu-jitsu and martial arts training can be for the everyday average person working toward strength, cardio, and weight loss goals.
Trying a class in Springfield if you are curious
If you are ready to try a free trial class at Odyssey Jiu Jitsu, reach out through our website. If you are confident booking your own slot, use the free trial button in the header of the site. If you would like to talk to someone on our team first, use the contact form and one of us will be in touch as soon as possible.
