Ringworm is a very common problem for people that train grappling martial arts. In BJJ, where most of the time is spent on the floor, this is an even bigger issue. Good gym hygiene helps prevent this disease, but a bit more personal hygiene doesn’t hurt either. Use BJJ soap to deal with ringworm or any other infection way before it even takes a grasp. Don’t know what BJJ soap is or which to use? Read on and everything is going to become clear.
Constant skin to skin and skin on mat contact makes skin infections a very common Jiu-Jitsu problem. In truth, these conditions are not as prevalent as they once were, but they still present a threat. A huge part of it is people not understanding what ringworm is, or how BJJ soap can help them. in terms of BJJ soap, all the hype is real and they all work. so, it is not a marketing ploy, and it is not bad for you. Also, ringworm is just one example, since it is the most common one. Other bacterial and/or fungal agents may also lurk in between the mats.
The bottom line is that ringworm can be treated, but it is going to keep you out of the gym for some time. It is also very easy to prevent ringworm even after rolling with someone that might carry it. BJJ soap is a proven method of preventing ringworm. The trouble is, once you get it, you’ll have to go the medication route in order to rid yourself of it. The path of least resistance (just like in BJJ) is to go for prevention instead of treatment. So, learn what ringworm is, why it bothers us grapplers, and how BJJ soap can make it disappear.
The Best BJJ Soaps To Use In 2021
So, just like with everything else, nowadays you have a huge choice of BJJ soap brands. Is one better than the other? Why should you get this one instead of that one? Worry not, we have the answers to all your questions. Luckily people opt to use BJJ soap more often these days, so there’s a lot of data on what works and what doesn’t. Furthermore, we took availability, price tag, and even aroma into consideration when we compiled this list. So, learn all you can about the various BJJ soap brands and pick your favorite. it is the best way to wave goodbye to Jiu-Jitsu related skin infections.
Even if you’re not a grappler you might know this one. Anyone who has any ringworm experience understands how what a plague it can become. Ringworm can spread all over your training regiment and other aspects of your life. One very, very annoying side effect from ringworm, is having to stay off the mats for a while. There are multiple reasons why you don’t want to train with ringworm. first, there’s the risk of spreading it further on your body. There’s also the problem spreading it to other teammates. It can be frustrating to the point of depression even.
Defense Soap is a clinically proven BJJ soap that successfully battles any bacteria, viruses, and fungi on your body. If you already have ringworm, make a daily wash with Defense Soap the highlight of your day. In combination with some topical medication, it is going to shorten the time it takes to heal.
Even if you don’t have ringworm, make sure you have a piece of Defense BJJ soap. You should be using a BJJ soap on a regular basis regardless of ringworm infection possibilities. When used regularly, BJJ soap washes away all kinds of harmful germs before they grow into a full-blown infection.
What is the feeling that makes you feel completely clean and fresh when showering? For most people, it is the lather soaps form during the shower. Well, most BJJ soap variations are aimed at providing cleanliness rather than the feeling of it. For some people, though, this might be unpleasant. You can sometimes feel unclean after showering with a BJJ soap, even though you’re cleaner than with any commercial counterpart. Luckily, there’s a solution for this as well.
Atsko BJJ soap provides the same lather and satisfying wash as you get with any off-the-shelf shower gel. What you also get, is all the added antibacterial properties you require as a grappler. neat, right? This product is the number one choice of hunters. They often require a heavy duty soap to clean off stubborn smells. Well, Atsko can remove the smell of blood and animal carcass off of your hands with ease. Imagine what it can do for you after training BJJ?
Antibacterial soap can cause skin irritation in some cases. Given their main task, this is hardly surprising. After all, the goal of a BJJ soap is to prevent an infection like ringworm from spreading and/or ridding you of an infection you already have. However, the harshness of some of these soaps sometimes leads to dry skin. This, in turn, can lead to cracks opening up and bleeding. This is actually worse in terms of infection because germs now have an open door to enter your body.
But this is not the case with Power Clean soap. Every ingredient in this BJJ is 100% natural and organic. There are no parabens, synthetic fragrances or any kind of chemical surfactant in it. Power Clean soap provides you with all the antibacterial power of a BJJ soap. At the same time, it removes all the destructive elements of commercial antibacterial soaps. The perfect fit.
But that’s not all, this BJJ soap comes in several natural fragrances, from peppermint to lemongrass tea and coffee.
Blue Steel soap rectifies another common issue with antibacterial soaps. Namely, an over-the-counter antibacterial soap tends to fall apart quickly, leaving behind a mess in your bathroom. The reason for this is that they do not have the same harmful chemicals like normal soaps. This means that they don’t really hold together as well. In turn, this leads to quicker use and a bathroom full of debris. I won’t even mention trying to travel with one that’s already open.
Well, Blue Steel Sports Soap takes care of this problem. This BJJ soap bar is milled three times over, resulting in perfect compactness. You can use it for far longer than an average bar of soap or even some antibacterial ones. This soap won’t flake or break apart all over the place leaving you with additional cleaning chores.
It also contains both tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil. These two ingredients have gentle exfoliating properties and also help prevent ingrown hairs. Furthermore, thy aid in healing cuts and abrasions that are very common for grapplers.
Athlete’s soap is a BJJ soap that helps heal and alleviate dry patches on your skin. it is also perfect for dealing with rashes and certain infections. Athlete’s soap also prevents further outbreaks of skin infections due to its powerful antimicrobial properties. Just like with most of the soaps on this list, if you have sensitive or dry skin, this is your best bet. It provides all the protection you need from fungal diseases, while also taking care of your skin. There are absolutely no harmful chemicals. The people that make it do not even test their products on animals.
What is Ringworm
Ringworm is a fungus that causes specific symptoms in the skin of people that are infected. Tinea corporis is the fungus responsible for this pesky ailment. Ringworm is a fungal infection that you can contract almost anywhere on the bod. For example, “athlete’s foot” is nothing more than ringworm located specifically on the skin of the feet. Another name you might know is “jock itch”, which is nothing more than ringworm in the crotch area. One thing that makes people confused is often the name. ringworm is just the nickname for Tinea corporis as there’s no actual work involved.
Ringworm likes to reproduce and dwell in warm, moist areas. Sources of ringworm include, but are not limited to: unclean locker rooms, clothing, showers, mats, and of course, skin-to-skin contact with infected individuals. Ringworm is also quite common among certain types of animals, pets included. And yes, you can contract it from your pet, and vice versa. one more reason to get yourself some BJJ soap.
Symptoms of Ringworm
So, how do you know if you have ringworm? After all skin conditions seem to have a similar occurrence. As far as you’re concerned, you just need to understand the basics so that you can recognize it and go to a dermatologist. Ringworm is one of the most common types of skin infections. It generally presents on the skin as a raised circle or ring. Ringworm is typically red or brown around the edges. It also contains scaly, peeling skin throughout the infected spot.
The appearance of ringworm is actually quite distinctive. Typically, this skin infection is in the form of a ring-shaped, rash, that is very itchy. It is also slightly raised above the skin that surrounds it. Honestly, every case might present differently, and in some individuals, it may not appear in this shape. It may not even be irritating for some grapples. Sometimes, red or brownish bumps also appear along with the scaly, peeling skin. It is not unknown for people to also catch ringworm in places difficult to see, such as the scalp or underneath the fingernails. Whatever the case might be, get to a dermatologist. Even if it’s not bothering you, you’re just going to pass it on and keep your academy infected. Treat it and then get a BJJ soap to make sure you never have to miss class due to ringworm again!
Treating Ringworm
In terms of health imp[act, cases of ringworm are usually extremely minor and you can easily treat them. Over-the-counter topical medications that cover a broad spectrum of fungal infections generally does the trick. Of course, don’t go about self-diagnosing, and consult a professional first. Also, make sure to follow the directions of any medication exactly. The period it takes to heal from ringworm is also highly variable and depends on the grappler. It may take from a few days up to several weeks for the infection to clear. It all depends on multiple factors that are only important to dermatologists, so we’re not going to dwell on them.
Usually, your doctor is going to be able to identify the infection with a quick examination of your skin. In cases of a strong and widespread infection, your doctor might even prescribe an oral antifungal medication. Ringworm becomes non-contagious in only a couple of days after you begin treatment, However, it is still going to stay apparent on the surface of your skin. As mentioned, you might need up to several weeks to completely deal with a ringworm infection.
Gym Hygiene
BJJ and grappling gyms, in general, are the perfect breeding grounds for all kinds of germs and bacteria. Anything, from irritable ailments like ringworm to seriously life-threatening infections such as staph, can thrive on the mats. However, some gyms are a lot worse than others. There are places that don’t really enforce a strict no shoe policy on their mats and slack with overall gym hygiene.
Gym hygiene is actually the first step to preventing ringworm from ever occurring. Common sense dictates that you need to keep the mats clean so that you can put your face on them. For example, why would you let someone that might have dog feces on their shoes and then walk into your BJJ gym? IT is you that’s going to roll around on that same mat later on.
In practice, most academies take gym hygiene very seriously. Cleaning the mats after every class should be common practice, not just a random thing. There should be a no-nonsense ban on footwear anywhere near the mats. Enforcing basic personally hygiene is also a part of gym hygiene in general. That last one might be quite hard to enforce. We’ve all trained with someone who stinks and clearly hasn’t had a wash in a while. It’s disgusting, but it does happen.
Sometimes, even the academies that take the utmost care to provide a clean training space might end up with ringworm. It doesn’t matter if you mop the mat regularly if you’ have people with the infection rolling with others. Sometimes, people are just carriers and have no idea they have the fungus. Wearing a rashguard and spats under your Gi is a great way to make sure you expose the least amount of skin. However, it is not enough.
BJJ Soaps
BJJ soap needs to be a permanent feature in your bathroom if you train grappling martial arts. For those that have never experienced a skin infection from a grappling gym, good for you. Believe me, you should keep it that way and keep doing what you’re doing. It’s not a pleasant experience for anyone and it can really make your life a nightmare.
BJJ soap is essentially antibacterial and/or antifungal soap. How it works is by counteracting the germs before they even have the chance to settle on your skin. For example, if you just got ringworm, and you came home and used BJJ soap, there’s hardly a chance of it catching on. the reason is that you’re getting read of it with a substance that’s harmful to the fungus before it infects your skin.
These soaps and their antibacterial properties also help prevent the spread of skin infections like ringworm. This makes showering with them before training a very good idea. however, most people seem to have no time or do not really like to develop such a habit. It may protect you and others from having a really bad few weeks though. Washing your self with BJJ soap before and after training all but guarantees you’ll have no trouble with any kind of skin infection.
Why You Always Need A Rashguard Under Your Gi
The solution is easy. If you’re a blue belt, for example, have fun rolling with white and other blue belts. Once an experienced purple belt or brown belt gets a hold of you, though, its time to switch tactics. In other words, focus on defending yourself the best that you can. Use each roll with higher Jiu-JItsu belts to sharpen your defensive skills and strategies.
After all, just because you’re on your feet, it doesn’t necessarily make passing your best option. In fact, you need to stay safe, just like before and only then look to progress. Mind you, you’ll get swept even from an outstanding position. But this is going to make you slightly better at it every time until it becomes inch-perfect.
Professor Tabata’s study was completed in 1996, with Olympic speed skaters as subjects. He used 20 seconds of ultra-high intensity exercise (about 170% of VO2max) followed by 10 seconds of rest. This cycle went on for 8 total rounds or 4 minutes of work. That’s the Tabata training protocol in a nutshell. The subjects did the exercise on a mechanically braked cycle ergometer.
Any sort of training (weight lifting, kettlebells, sprints or jumps) won’t even come close to this sort of output. All the CrossFit-type guys and girls that train to puke shouldn’t e the norm. Puking is the point where oxygen utilization is at its maximum. It is also the point of exhaustion that nobody should aim to reach.
When you know that your time is hard to come by, you must make sure you make the most of it. Especially when you train BJJ, When you show up for training,k whether it is short or full time, make sure you spend your time wisely. Do not just mess around and let your mind wander. Instead, focus and dedicate yourself to becoming better in class. Chatting with your friends in between drills, only translates to less training time for you.
Here’s one idea that definitely falls in the “out of the box category. It includes cooperation from your gym, however. If the gym is open for another class or simply empty, see if a partner will join you for some training. Even if there’s a different martial art class at the time, you might get sm mat space to at least drill. This is a great way to add an hour or more to your training time. If you can get to regular class later on then you have double the benefit. If that’s all you can do today, you still did train BJJ. You don’t have to be limited to the scheduled classes. Coming in early and staying later is also great if you can only make it to training on limited occasions.