How to Get Stronger without Gaining Weight

So, you’ve decided you need to get stronger in order to make progress in jiu-jitsu. Congratulations. But you, like pretty much every martial artist who’s not a sumo wrestler, are wondering how you can get stronger without getting bigger. Yes, you want to get strong, but going up a weight class is not what you’ve got in mind. Luckily for you, there’s a way to get stronger without adding size. First, you need to know what makes each of those things happen. Then, do the things that make you stronger and avoid the things that make you bigger.

Getting bigger. To get bigger, you need to lift at a certain intensity for a certain volume, focusing on feeling the target muscles work, and be in a caloric surplus. I’m going to say that again, only this time I’ll say it in plain English: moderately heavy weights lots of times, feel the pump and burn, and eat more calories than you burn in a day, but not too much. What does “moderately heavy” mean? It means lifting a weight that you can get for ten to twenty reps before failing. Keep in mind that “failing” here means “failing to lift the weight with good form and really feeling the target muscle work.” It does not mean “failing to lift the weight at all and appearing as though you’re having a seizure.” How many times is “lots of times?” Do two to four sets, stopping one to three reps short of failure on each set. As for “feeling the target muscles work,” think about doing curls. You want to really feel the biceps squeeze and pump up. If you’re getting the pump and burn anywhere else, you’re not hitting the biceps and need to fix that. The beauty of this is that it makes zero difference which exercises you do (though if you want a solid program, click here.) The only requirement is that it loads and works the muscle. Finally, we get to “eat more calories than you burn, but not too much.” Very scientific, I know. What it means is that you eat just enough above maintenance to give you the fuel and material to build muscle, but not enough to fuel excess fat gain. The sweet spot for that is about 200-500 calories above maintenance. Of course, you’ll have to play with it a little to find exactly what’s right for you.

Getting stronger. To get stronger, you need to lift at a certain intensity for a certain volume, focusing on moving the weight, and eating at maintenance. Once again, in plain English, lift heavy weights not too many times, move the weight, and eat maintenance calories. “A certain intensity” means heavy. That means a weight you can lift for between three and six reps with excellent form. If you were squatting, the weight would be very heavy and you’d have to really strain to get it up (insert Beavis and Butthead laugh.) The last reps should be tough, but you should get them and still have great form while doing it. The “not too many times” here is much lower than for getting bigger. You’re looking for ten to twenty total reps. Things like three sets of five or five sets of two fit nicely here. “Move the weight” means just that. You’re not trying to feel quads when you squat. Your sole concern is completing the rep. Strength, believe it or not, isn’t training your muscles. It’s training your nervous system to recruit the muscle you have more effectively (if you’re looking for a good and simple program, click here.) Finally, “eat maintenance calories” means that you’re eating enough so that your weight is staying the same.

Diet. The diet plan for each isn’t radically different. They both ask that you eat about a gram of protein per pound (2g per kilo) of bodyweight, you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for vitamins and fiber, and starchy carbs for energy. The biggest difference is whether or not you’re eating significantly more than maintenance. For strength, you’ll want to eat at maintenance. For size, you want to eat above maintenance. This is because when you want to make an addition to your house, you need to give the builders materials to build with. You could run the best muscle gain program in the world, but if you don’t eat enough you won’t grow. This is great news because it means, unless you’re totally new to lifting, you won’t accidentally get bigger. It’s something you’d have to actively aim at using your diet and training.

I get it. You want to get nice and strong, but you’re not looking to move up a weight class. Now that you have a basic understanding on the different ways to train and how to eat, you’ll be able to make smarter decisions on those two things. It’s important to remember that for BJJ, while strength is important, technique and strategy are what win the match. Get strong, but don’t forget that you’re in jiu-jitsu, not powerlifting.