Originally Posted by IbizaCF3

I'm 5'9" and like 140 on a really good day. Prob more like 135. Not in any kind of weight shape, just running.

Any opinions?

Prob a good reason to do it

 

Originally Posted by Moonlight Graham

Prob a good reason to do it

I mean is it better than straight lifting?

Obv BJJ is mostly grappling, so it's more cardio than strength training but a decent mix of both. My good friend started as a new hobby after being a big lifter and he loves it. He's actually competed in a couple local tournaments for amateurs.

Go with your friend once or twice to see if you like it. Probably won't take long to know if you are into it or not.

 

Originally Posted by IbizaCF3

Does anyone do it, or has tried it? A friend of mine started doing it a few months ago and swears by it. Now he keeps trying to get me to go and I really don't have a good excuse as the gym is less than 5 minutes from my house. Only reason I'm kind of hesitant is that I'm 5'9" and like 140 on a really good day. Prob more like 135. Not in any kind of weight shape, just running.

Any opinions?

I believe Helio Gracie, the founder of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, was smaller than that. Look at when Royce was tapping fools out who were 2 times his size in the early UFC days. Give it a shot, what do you have to lose?

Very fun and great workout. So much to learn so you wont get bored with it. Ive done it a few times and wish I did more. Its harder for me cuz Im a fat fuck with no flexibility what so ever.

 

Originally Posted by IbizaCF3

I mean is it better than straight lifting?

lifting will get you stronger faster obv but a whitebelt will still steal your soul in 2 mins if he wanted too

 

Originally Posted by suitedaces1012

Out of curiousity, with you guys speaking in general terms; is it a monthly membership fee and how many times per week do the classes run with the structure most of you have outlined. How many times a week were you using it as a source of cardio to lose 64 lbs? congrats also, its nice to find something you like that is also healthy for you

is there any website in which you can type your zipcode into that will find gyms near by you with a rating scale so that you may filter for higher quality gyms? how did you find the gym you signed up for?

Price depends on area. In my area $80 to $100 a month is normal. I have heard of certain areas like LA and New York where $200+ a month is normal. It totally depends on where you live. As far as how the class runs it depends on the gym. The truth is that at my regular gym we are expected to warm up on our own before class so we get more time to drill during class and then anywhere from the last 15 to 30 minutes are spent either rolling, playing a game,* or doing a mock tournament at the end of class. Every other gym I have trained at has included 10-15 minutes warm-ups, 30-40 minutes of drills and technique, and 5-15 minutes of games or rolling. This all depends on where you roll :)

As far as finding a good place, do NOT just use a search engine. I would consider going to the "Atama BJJ" section on MMA.tv and start a thread asking where to train in your area. Every area has it's joke schools and it's hidden gems. Either way you should PM me websites of any places you are looking at. I have a good idea of the names in this game and some googling around will tell a lot. I know a bit about the different lineages out there, don't be afraid to shoot me a PM about any gyms you are checking out, I can do a lot of research fast on the different gyms.

Also that was training 3 2 hour sessions a week while dieting. At my peak before breaking my foot I was also doing Judo 2 times a week on top of the BJJ and some boxing/kickboxing as well so yeah, lost a lot of weight.

I found my gym by chance. I actually went into this MMA gym cold off the street, zero experience, wanting to do some kickboxing or something. I did the kickboxing a few times and finally decided to try BJJ one day. Needless to say I was hooked and I scored a good gym. My coaches are all brown belts under Royce Gracie and in all honesty 2 of them should be black belts.

*Games include things like escaping mount, escaping from the back, passing gaurd etc... Basically you set up in a position and attempt to escape or attack a certain way and it is generally times or includes swapping people in and out. There are a ton of games and they are pretty fun and you learn a lot.

Been training Bjj for about 3 years its a great workout and don't worry about having a small frame it's more about positioning and leverage than pure strength which is why when you go you'll see guys of all different sizes rolling with each other. You'll find your first few weeks very hard physically but just keep at it the results are definitely worth it