How Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helped me crush the pandemic and improve my health— Backed by Data
How Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brought me back to better physical and mental health.
It was October 2020, and the dark days of the pandemic had become routine. I had been working from home for eight months. Enforced restrictions to my regular outdoor activities had me housebound. Work pressure and non-stop interaction with the family were adding to the steady buildup of stir craziness.
Pre Pandemic, in the summer of 2019, I attended some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) classes. I couldn’t fit the schedule into my routine, so I dropped it. Fast forward six months, I wasn’t mountain biking, going to the gym, or commuting to work, and I was on my way to my heaviest weight ever, around 197 pounds!
I needed to do something to get out of the house. I contacted Barry Nakayama at my local BJJ school (NAK2) and was surprised to learn that they were still operating under pandemic restrictions. They had developed a system to teach BJJ using life-sized dummies filled with sand! Sounded ideal; there was no way a dummy was going to hurt me!
Some background:
I am over the hump of my mid-fifties, and with the Covid lifestyle, I was on my way to my heaviest weight ever, topping out at 197 lbs. My height is 5'8.
The period I am covering spans 17 months. I started going to BJJ classes on 3 October 2020 and did my test for my ‘Combatives belt’* on 8 February 2022. I track my workouts and activities in Strava, my weight using a Garmin Index S2 scale and my heart Rate using a Garmin Fenix 6 watch.
*(A Gracie Combatives belt is a white belt with a navy blue center and is awarded to students who have completed the beginner curriculum. This follows Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy training style of BJJ)
The Data
- Weight
During the first five months, I was still gaining weight. I was on the covid-stay-at-home trajectory, heading into winter with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year excuses to eat and drink.
In the BJJ classes, we were only training with sand dummies due to the covid restrictions. So no real resistance or exertion, mainly technique. I only trained 24 times these five months, averaging about once a week for 45-minute sessions.
Then restrictions were lifted slightly, and we could train with partners, wearing masks.
This was when the intensity of BJJ hit me and my lack of fitness. We were doing hour-long sessions, drilling different moves, and I learned that being exhausted when someone is trying to make you “tap out” is worse than being “tapped out”! I had a reason to train and pay attention to diet!
My attendance went up, and my weight went down! From an average of 192.5 lbs. in March 2020 to 177.9 lbs. in February 2022.
2. Heart Rate
A decreasing resting heart rate can be a sign of increased fitness gains.
When I started my BJJ journey, my resting heart rate was in the low 50’s. This was followed by a period of increased resting heart rate for the next 6 months (back up to 50 bpm), followed by a more consistent drop in the last 7 months, down to 46 bpm.
I can hypothesize that the block of increased heart rate is due to a response in increased activity, followed by final adaption as my body gets used to the new reality!
3. Activities
As I got more interested in BJJ, I realized that Fitness was a key factor to success and being able to enjoy the sport. As a result, I started doing more cross-training; weights, stretching, riding, and running.
There is a correlation between weight loss and increased activity, April 2021 was a spike in the generally increasing activity trajectory, and this tracks with the downward trend in weight.
4. Fitness
I use Strava to capture all activities. Strava has a “Fitness & Freshness” feature that gives feedback on your fitness progression. No surprise, the tool shows a correlation between an increase in activity and an increase in fitness!
Conclusion
I am writing this article 10 months after the time period under analysis, and the benefits are compounding. BJJ is bringing positive changes to my mental health, new improvements in my physical health, the adoption of new good habits, and improvements in my interpersonal skills and relationships.
Of course, it would be incorrect to say that the BJJ activity alone brought about the gains shown.
What BJJ did do was spark interest and drive, being the catalyst for change, and having a positive impact on my life.
Losing 15 pounds, dropping my resting heart rate by 5 beats per minute, and doubling active hours per month, are real gains!
Tools and data
I extracted Workout activities and duration from my Strava account and Weight and Heart rate from my Garmin Connect account. Strava and Garmin connect are automatically updated from my smartwatch, a Garmin Fenix 6. My Garmin scale automatically sends data to my Garmin connect account.
I did the data extraction, manipulation, and analysis using Google Colab and Python.
