Looking back a few decades, not many athletes apart from bodybuilders were so aware of the supplement industry. To be honest, the supplement industry wasn’t that big back then as well. Yet, today people go and buy a few tubs of supplements before they even decide on what sport or workout program they’ll do. For people involved in combat sports, the reality is that supplements are a big factor. However, not everything the supplement company has to sell is a good fit for people training in Jiu-Jitsu. Actually, your basic BJJ stack is quite small, and even if you extend it you’ll need less than 10 to cover all your needs. In order to provide you with the information on the very best BJJ supplements that you should consider for your stack in 2023, we did an in-depth review of the market. Our conclusions are below.
The main issue with supplements is that grapplers and athletes in general, usually see them as meal replacements instead of supplements. The basic notion of supplements is to aid in training, recovery, or specific aspects of nutrition. they’re not there to take the place of a solid nutrition plan, nor are they able to. The thing with supplements is that you need to use them correctly, and smartly, and understand exactly what you need. Once you know what can actually help your performance on the mats, you need to know the best BJJ supplements. The options out there seem endless, but we have you covered with our ultimate guide for supplement shopping in 20231.
Grappling Supplements
First and foremost, what are exactly the needs for supplements that grapplers face? Well, first and foremost, it is performance. However, before addressing performance directly, you need to be sure your body is working optimally. That means having a healthy gut, a good immune system, and a good metabolism to begin with. Only then can you look into things that can give you energy and help you maintain a high level of performance. Finally, there’s the nutrition supplementation aspect, where you use supplements to get essential nutrients in a hurry.
For easier understanding, we have a few categories where we put all the best BJJ supplements for 2023. First up we have our performance-boosting essentials. These are the supplements that will help you train better, recover better, and turn your body into a grappling machine. next up, you have the health supplements, which are essential if you are to train at a high pace on a daily basis. Finally, we have optional supplements that can help your cognitive function as well as balance your metabolism.
Finally, what you won’t see on this list are fat burners and pre-workout supplements. the reason is simple – they’re a scam and have absolutely no positive benefit for grapplers. Fat burners are just a ploy to get money from overweight people looking to get into fitness. For BJJ, a solid nutrition plan is all you need to keep your fat and weight in check. As for pre-workout formulas to give you energy and drive, there’s nothing more hazardous to your health than the ingestion of such cocktails of powerful stimulants in unregulated doses.
Best BJJ Supplements
Our list of the best BJJ supplements is designed to be the basis of a supplement stack. With our offering, the supplements listed from 1 to 4 are an absolute must for everyone invested in improving their Jiu-Jitsu. Supplements 5 and 6 are also essentials, but not just for BJJ. These are the two supplements you need to be taking on a daily basis, even when you’re not doing any sport or martial art. Finally, the last two supplements are completely optional, but they do make a difference, especially if you’re training a lot or are a professional grappler.
1. Scivation Xtend BCAA Powder
Protein is the building block of our bodies. In turn, the building blocks of protein are amino acids. There are a bunch of them, with some being essential to our normal functioning and others non-essential. Out of the essential amino acids, a few are incredibly important for people that train at a high level of exertion. Those are known as Branched Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs.
Scivation has a powdered form of BCAAs, which are essentially leucine, isoleucine, and valine in a very specific ratio. This supplement should be the first thing you acquire when you’re building your BJJ supplements stack. Each dose has 7 grams of BCAAs that help support your muscles in grappling training. This supplement has zero sugar and contains no calories. As a bonus, this product also contains L-Glutamine and Citrulline Maleate, which only accentuate the effects of BCAAs. A real leader among the best BJJ supplements of 2023.
2. BulkSupplements Creatine Monohydrate Powder
There’s no way we can do a list of the best BJJ supplements and not include creatine. This is the most researched and safest supplement available today. As we now know, creatine is not just a way to help you grow your muscles, as was originally used, Instead, it boosts performance, helps the brain, protects the heart, and has a bunch of other key benefits.
There are a few forms of creatine supplements out there, but only one does the trick 100%. BulkSupplemets’ product is micronized creatine monohydrate that’s 100% pure. It has maximal bioavailability and comes in a 2.2 lbs (1kg) pack. Creatine is the essential muscular endurance supplement that grapplers need. It also provides you with much-needed explosive power, and the ability to sustain it. This lab-tested product is vegan-friendly as well.
3. MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder
Whey protein! As far as supplements go, there’s no other supplement that’s more recognizable than whey protein. This is exactly where the problem lies. Choosing the best BJJ supplements out of the whey protein category is an extremely difficult task. Yet, one brand made our job a lot easier, by delivering a highly dependable product of the utmost quality.
MusclePharm’s Combat Protein is a staple of combat sports supplements and has been reigning supreme for a very long time. It delivers 25 grams of extremely high-quality protein per serving. Moreover, the Combat Protein Powder supplement contains not only whey but protein from five different sources! On top of that, it comes enriched with BCAAs, glutamine, and digestive enzymes for those with lactose intolerance. Plus, the flavors are nothing short of astonishing! MusclePharm is so confident in their product that they offer a 30-day full money-back guarantee as well.
4. JYM Supplement Science Recovery
The real future of the best BJJ supplements lies in products like this one. JYM’s Supplement Science offers a high-quality product that’s the perfect fit for post-BJJ needs. Contrary to popular opinion protein is not the main thing to reach for after rolling. Carbs are actually more important, and not just any carbs. You need a high-quality source that won’t load you with sugar and will allow you to recover fast! Enter JYM.
This product is a great source of fast-acting carbohydrates that has the task of replenishing muscle glycogen. The effect of this is a lightning-quick recovery and stable insulin levels. The main ingredient is dextrose, the fastest-acting and absorbing carb available. Combining this product with MusclePharm’s protein and BulkSupplements’ creatine makes the most potent post-workout potion in the world! Not to mention all the delicious flavors it comes in, like mandarin orange or kiwi, for example.
5. Animal Pak Multivitamin
Taking multivitamins is something that we all take for granted. We’re either on the “we don’t need them” wagon or on the completely opposite side. However, even those that take them regularly, often make mistakes. The crucial one is just reaching for the first product you see in the supermarket. A good multivitamin supplement requires balance. Even more importantly, you need the correct dosage if you’re involved in high demands sports like Jiu-Jitsu.
“Animal” makes more than one supplement that features on our best BJJ supplements of the 2023 list. Their multivitamin supplement is the ultimate vitamin bomb for grapplers. It delivers the perfect combination of vitamins and minerals to support your training. However, it does not stop there. This product also contains essential amino acids, digestive enzymes, antioxidants, and a bunch of other essential stuff. This supplement will ensure you have a great metabolism, help you combat flu, and increase your performance on the mats.
6. Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega SoftGels
My favorite supplement of them all – Is omega 3! You can tell I have jacked-up joints from that statement alone. However, in Jiu-Jitsu, there are rarely grapplers that have intact joints. Omega 3 are essential fatty acids that are found in fish oil. they have enormous health and performance benefits. In that sense, everyone needs to take them on a daily basis, regardless of activity levels.
Nordic Naturals’ product is the one Omega 3 product that passes with flying colors. the trick is in the delicate ratio of fatty acids that make up Omega 3. They come in a pack of 90 soft gel capsules that deliver an astonishing amount of fatty acids per serving. They’re also made with the latest technology making them completely absorbable by the gut. What’s most impressive about this product is its’ origin. The Omega 3s are derived from non-GMO, organic, wild-caught fish only! Now you understand why this product is one of the best BJJ supplements of all time!
7. Nature Made Calcium, Magnesium & Zinc
When we talk about the best BJJ supplements, vitamins almost always get a mention. The equally important group of minerals, though, is something people easily overlook. In order to explain how important they actually are let me use an example. With a solid combination of calcium, magnesium, and zinc, you can boost testosterone in a natural fashion, so much so, that you won’t need TRT. Plus, it’s completely legal since it’s all-natural anyway.
Nature Made’s product contains key amounts of three essential minerals: calcium, zinc, and magnesium. On top of that, it also has Vitamin D, to help the absorption of calcium in particular. The product is completely natural, to the point that even the color is of natural origin. Comes in a bottle containing 300 tablets, which is a huge stack that’s going to last you for months!
8. Animal Flex Complete Joint Support Supplement
As we already said, Animal feature yet again on our best BJJ supplements of 2023 list. This time, though, they come in with something a lot of people might consider optional. Those are the people that are just starting or have been training for no more than a couple of years. More experienced grapplers are going to fight for a supplement like this!
Joint pain is something everyone faces and especially grapplers. Animal Flex is a product to remedy this. This supplement is the only thing you need to get your joints functioning flawlessly again. It features an award-winning original formula that actually delivers as promised. Flex helps protect and strengthen not only your joints but tendons and ligament as well. One serving a day is all it takes.
9. Brain Plus Nootropic Supplement
Nootropics are somewhat of a new category of supplements altogether. Well, at least in terms of commercial use. That makes identifying the best product quite a challenge. Despite our inherent lack of experience, we sought advice and managed to find a winner though.
Arzo Nutrition has a product named Brain Plus. The name says it all, really. This scientifically formulated supplement contains precisely balanced amounts of ingredients that number over 40! These include amino acids, vitamins, GABA, Grape Seed extract, antioxidants, and plenty more. The goal is to boost your cognitive functions so that you can perform more and better on the mats. Given how cerebral BJJ is a martial art, this is a really good supplement for grapplers. It improves focus, reduces stress, helps memory, and even boosts mood! Comes in a pack of 60 capsules.
BJJ Nutrition & Supplement System
On a final note, remember that supplements and nutrition actually work hand in hand. You can’t replace a great nutrition plan with supplements, nor vice versa. What you need is to use a great nutritional guide to figure out how to get the most out of your body. Then, you need to throw in a solid supplement stack to take your performance to the very next level.
If you’re looking for a nutrition plan that is going to teach you everything we’ve got just the thing for you. George Lockhart’s “Nutrition and Weight Management System” is designed specifically for combat athletes. What you get is a bundle of three DVDs and a 100+ page E-book. In it, you’ll learn four crucial aspects of combat nutrition. First, you’ll understand macros, portion sizes, and nutrition as a whole. next, you’ll figure out how to create a plan that’s specific to your individual needs. The key aspect of weight cutting is also there, with incredible tips on how to safely cut lots of weight. Finally, you get a guide for supplements and how to put everything together!
