BJJ strength training at home: equipment and workouts

Plenty of strong grapplers train at home. A home gym takes away the commute, the waiting for equipment and the excuse. When your training week already includes three or four trips to the academy, that matters.

You don't need a commercial gym's worth of kit. You need a few pieces that let you push, pull, squat, hinge, carry and jump, and enough load to keep making them harder.

What to buy, in order

1. Adjustable dumbbells or two kettlebells

This is the foundation. With dumbbells or kettlebells you can squat, hinge, press, row, lunge and carry. Adjustable dumbbells cover the widest range in the smallest space. Kettlebells are tougher and great for swings and carries, but you'll want at least two weights.

2. A pull-up bar

Pulling strength and grip are the backbone of jiu-jitsu, and a doorway or wall-mounted bar is one of the cheapest pieces you can buy. Hang a towel or an old gi over it and you have a grip trainer too.

3. A sturdy bench

It turns floor presses into proper presses, gives you step-ups and split squats, and supports rows. An adjustable bench is worth the extra if you have room.

4. Resistance bands

Light and cheap. Use them for warm-ups, face pulls, shoulder work, assisted pull-ups and adding resistance to push-ups.

5. A barbell, rack and plates (if you have the space)

This is the biggest step up for raw strength, especially for squats and deadlifts. It's also the most expensive and the biggest commitment of floor space. Plenty of people never need it. A trap bar is a good middle ground if you want heavy deadlifts without a rack.

Nice extras

A medicine ball for throws, a plyo box, a sandbag for awkward carries and loaded get-ups, and a mat or flooring you don't mind dropping things on.

No equipment yet?

You can start today with bodyweight work while you save up:

• Legs: split squats, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, step-ups onto a sturdy chair, wall sits
• Push: push-ups, then feet-elevated push-ups
• Pull: inverted rows under a sturdy table, holding the edge
• Trunk: planks, side planks and dead bugs
• Power: broad jumps and squat jumps, low reps, full rest

You'll run out of load within a few weeks, which is when a pair of dumbbells or a kettlebell and a pull-up bar earn their place.

Making light weights hard

The limit of most home gyms is load. Before you buy heavier weights, use these to keep progressing:

• Go single-leg. A split squat or step-up with a pair of dumbbells is far harder than a two-legged squat with the same weight.
• Slow the lowering phase. Three to four seconds down makes a moderate weight feel heavy.
• Add pauses at the bottom of squats, presses and rows.
• Add reps, then sets. When you can do every set with three or more reps left, add a rep or a set next time.
• Shorten the rest for conditioning-style circuits on days when strength isn't the focus.

Two sample sessions with dumbbells and a pull-up bar

Do each about 45 minutes, on days you're not sparring hard. For a full 2-day or 3-day plan with a four-week progression, see the free BJJ strength training program.

All doable at home

• Goblet squat
• Single-arm dumbbell row
• Step-up
• Pull-up

Session A

Session B

Fitting it into your week

The best thing about a home gym is how easy it is to train for 30 minutes on a day you'd never drive to a gym. A few guidelines:

• Two sessions a week works for most people who roll three or more times.
• Keep sessions short on busy days. Do the first two exercises and one carry. That still counts.
• Keep the hard leg work away from your hardest sparring night.

The bottom line

Start with dumbbells or kettlebells and a pull-up bar, add a bench, and only buy a barbell setup if you have the space and want heavier lower-body work. Make light weights harder with single-leg work and slower reps, keep sessions short and frequent, and a home gym will take you a long way on the mats.