Deadlifts are arguably the exercise with the biggest ‘Bang For Your Buck’ and translates the best for jiu-jitsu in terms of functional strength. It radically strengthens your legs (the hamstrings in particular), hips, core, posture and grips. The deadlift covers all the muscles that get worked on in Jiu-Jitsu.
This means that you will be able to stuff takedown attempts, have a stronger base while passing guard and able to pressure your opponents with your strong hip pressure.
BJJ black belt Nick ‘Chewy’ Albin shows a a way to deadlift in order to avoid back pain for BJJ players:
” I show some tips on doing the deadlift if you’re a BJJ practitioner. I’m doing this because I think the deadlift can be a great exercise for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioners but we often lack the strength in our upper backs to hold the weight properly.
So in the video I show a way to do the deadlift that is much slower than just yanking it up off the floor that will help create strength in the upper back.
Word of caution. Go with light weight if you do the deadlift like this. The key isn’t about pulling max weight off the floor but maintaining a strong back throughout the whole lift.”
