Plain Water Vs Sports Drinks: Which Is Best For BJJ Training?

BJJ training is an intense activity that involves rolling and sparring sessions and plain water is a natural drink. These sessions can result in a deficiency of minerals and electrolytes. Water and sports drinks replenish that loss.

Sports drinks contain a larger amount of minerals than natural water. They also contain synthetic sugar. If the training of a BJJ practitioner is based on weight loss then the intake of sports drinks might not be a good choice for him.

BJJ Training is an intense workout. The BJJ practitioners indulge in intense sparring and rolling sessions which can be tiring for them. It uses the whole body muscles of the fighter which can cause fatigue in the muscles and bones. Indulging in BJJ exercises can cause the loss of many electrolytes and nutrients from the fighter’s body through sweating. It can lead to weakness and dehydration in BJJ practitioners.

A dehydrated BJJ practitioner will suffer from brain fog, lower reaction time, and fatigue. It will affect his BJJ game. So it is very important to stay hydrated during BJJ training. BJJ training can be very intense as well as moderate, depending on the sparring and rolling sessions. To stay hydrated and conscious, BJJ practitioners use different drinks. Those drinks compensate for the loss of electrolytes and make the practitioner active and efficient.

During BJJ training, the practitioners work out for longer durations. Those training sessions are also very intense depending upon the type of techniques and exercises which are performed. BJJ practitioners sweat a lot during training sessions which results in the loss of necessary fluids, minerals, and electrolytes from their bodies.

If those fluids and electrolytes are not replenished, it can severely affect the overall game of the practitioner.

Not because of dehydration, BJJ practitioners must also drink water as it keeps them fresh and maintains a fast metabolism. Water is a calorie-free beverage which is why it must be consumed primarily.

Plain Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen along with mineral nutrients such as sodium salts but in fewer amounts. A BJJ practitioner trains in BJJ for about 4 to 5 times a week. It includes strength and body conditioning exercises as well. Due to intense training, a BJJ practitioner gets tired as well as uses his stored energy.

This stored energy comes from the balanced ratio of nutrients and fluids from the body. It results in the loss of those essential nutrients. To replenish nutrients, the BJJ practitioner must intake adequate amounts of water.

Not only does water fulfill the loss of nutrients but it also makes the BJJ practitioners active and healthy for their BJJ training.

BJJ training sessions are physically demanding. So when those training sessions are intense, the BJJ practitioner not only remains dehydrated but also lacks many important electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. In that case, water is not enough. The BJJ practitioners must include more healthy and sugar-free drinks along with water to compensate for the loss of those electrolytes.

Plain Water can only be used during short or moderate training sessions. It is often seen that BJJ practitioners lose almost 2-3% of their body weight during training sessions.

Water is essential for the human body. It can do wonders for a BJJ practitioner.

It helps in the building as well as in the repairing of body cells that get damaged during BJJ training sessions. BJJ training is a strenuous exercise. It utilizes the majority of muscles in the practitioner’s body and helps in making them strong.

It regulates the body temperature. Training sessions result in the loss of body heat and the water replenishes that loss. Body posture is very important for efficient BJJ training.

Water acts as a shock absorber for the spinal cord and brain. The swift sweeps and brutal takedowns can damage the spinal cord, brain, and the connection between the both. Water acts as a bridge in this situation and keeps them safe.

BJJ training involves whole body movements as a lot of turning and twisting is involved. Although BJJ exercises help a lot to allow free movement, water also acts as a pacifier in this case. The synovial fluid which surrounds the joints in the practitioner's body is mostly composed of water. The additional water helps to lubricate the joints and also keeps them hydrated.

It also helps to deliver oxygen to the practitioner’s body. This oxygen then helps to increase the myoglobin which in turn increases muscle mass and muscle strength in the practitioner’s body.

BJJ training involves rolling and sparring sessions which results in the deficiency of important electrolytes from the practitioner’s body by excessive sweating. Sports drinks help to replenish that electrolyte loss. They are also responsible for the increase of calories in the practitioner’s body. To increase endurance, sports drinks are a good choice.

Sports drinks consist of electrolytes and nutrients essential for the practitioner’s body. The minerals include sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Mineral levels can decrease during BJJ training, so sports drinks can be useful.

Sports drinks are also used to increase mineral levels so that a practitioner can function better during his training session. They enhance the endurance level of the practitioner.

After intense BJJ training, practitioners usually intake Gatorade drinks to gain strength as well as recover lost electrolytes and carbohydrates, especially sugar. Gatorade drinks contain a large amount of synthetic sugar which increases the body weight of the fighters. Some fighters focus on strength more than size so they tend to avoid Gatorade drinks or intake a smaller quantity. Even the normal consumption of Gatorade drinks on alternate days can increase body weight.

Yerba Mate is made from the leaves of the Holly Tree. It contains caffeine which keeps the practitioner focused on his training sessions. It can also be made with ice called Terere.

Energy drinks are also sports drinks. They boost the energy level of the BJJ practitioner for a few hours. And during that period, the practitioner functions efficiently and fast.

It contains electrolytes in powder form. The practitioner just mixes it with water and it fulfills the loss of electrolytes as well as minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium.

BJJ training is an intense workout. The practitioner uses all of his body muscles to acquire muscle and grip strength. During intense training sessions, the practitioner performs continuous exercises with no rest period at all.

No rest causes him to lose minerals and electrolytes faster than in normal training sessions. Intake of sports drinks helps carbohydrates to last longer and also does not cause fatigue in the practitioner.

Sports drinks contain sugars and carbohydrates along with electrolytes. These sugars help to increase the body weight of a BJJ practitioner. Some BJJ practitioners like to have a stout and huge body. To gain muscle mass, they use sports drinks during their training intervals

BJJ training can be of high intensity as the duration can be longer and the sessions are hard based on rolling and sparring. During these intense sessions, the loss of body fluids occurs at a greater rate. To prevent that, BJJ practitioners incorporate sports drinks in their sessions.

Pediatric rehydration mixtures are also a part of sports drinks. They are used because of their lower levels of sugar than other sports drinks. They contain the right amount of carbohydrates, electrolytes, and minerals.

Sports drinks help to build endurance in BJJ practitioners. Long durations of BJJ training sessions increase muscle strength which then leads to high endurance in BJJ practitioners.

Sports drinks must not be taken before every workout. Their intake must be in check. Over composition of sports drinks is also an issue.

For every 8 ounces, sports drink must have:

Coconut water contains calories and minerals. It has a lower number of calories, less sodium, and a greater amount of potassium than a sports drink. It contains natural sugar which is why it does not have many carbohydrates.

It is also used by BJJ practitioners. The only disadvantage of using coconut water is that it has less amount of sodium which is actually very important after a hard BJJ training session.

Sports Drinks are a great choice to replenish a dehydrated body. It compensates for the loss of minerals which often happens due to intense BJJ training sessions.

Sports drinks that contain caffeine are diuretics such as Yerba Mate. It contains a considerable amount of caffeine. Though it keeps the practitioner focused on his training sessions.

Water and Sports drinks act as hydrating agents for the dehydrating body of a BJJ practitioner. Not only for dehydration, water, and sports drinks also help to maintain minerals and electrolytes in the practitioner’s body. Sports drinks also include sugar which can be good for those practitioners who want to gain weight.

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