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Science & Sports (2011) xxx, xxx—xxx
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Estimated aerobic power, muscular strength and
flexibility in elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes
Estimation de la puissance aérobie, de la force musculaire et de la
souplesse chez des athlètes d’élite de Jiu-Jitsu brésiliens
L. Vidal Andreato a,∗, S.M. Franzói de Moraes a, T. Lopes de Moraes Gomes a,
J.V. Del Conti Esteves a, T. Vidal Andreato a, E. Franchini b
a
Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Department of Human Physiology, University State of Maringá, Maringá, Brazil
b
Martial Arts and Combat Sports Research Group, Sport Department, School of Physical Education and Sport, University of São
Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Received 22 June 2010; accepted 23 December 2010
KEYWORDS Summary
Physical evaluation; Objective. — This study was designed to estimate the maximum oxygen uptake, muscular
Physical fitness; strength and flexibility of elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes.
High performance Methods. — The sample consisted of eleven Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes (25.8 ± 3.3 years old)
who were medallists at national and/or international competitions. The aerobic power was
estimated by a treadmill test, according to the Bruce Protocol. The maximal isometric strength
(hand, leg and back) was measured by specific dynamometric tests. We used sit-ups and push-
ups to evaluate abdominal and upper limb strength endurance, respectively. We applied the
sit-and-reach test to determine hip, back and posterior flexibility of the muscles of the lower
limbs.
Results. — We observed a VO2max of 49.4 ± 3.6 mL/kg per minute for the treadmill test. We
observed measures of 43.7 ± 4.8 kgf for the right maximal isometric handgrip strength,
40.1 ± 3.8 kgf for the left maximal isometric handgrip strength, 185.5 ± 36.0 kgf for the maxi-
mal isometric back strength and 154.3 ± 41.9 kgf for the maximal isometric leg strength. In the
strength endurance test, the athletes performed 52 ± 7 repetitions in a 1-min sit-up test, and
40 ± 8 repetitions in the push-up test. In the sit-and-reach test, the athletes had an average
score of 36 ± 9 cm.
Conclusions. — The elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes had medium aerobic power and flexibility,
excellent abdominal and upper body strength endurance and maximal isometric back strength.
However, these athletes did not have high maximal isometric handgrip or leg strength.
© 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: vidal.leo@hotmail.com (L. Vidal Andreato).
0765-1597/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.scispo.2010.12.015
Please cite this article in press as: Vidal Andreato L, et al. Estimated aerobic power, muscular strength and flexibility in
elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes. Sci sports (2011), doi:10.1016/j.scispo.2010.12.015

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2 L. Vidal Andreato et al.
Résumé
Objectif. — Cette étude visait à estimer la consommation maximale d’oxygène, la force
MOTS CLÉS musculaire et la souplesse chez des athlètes d’élite de Jiu-Jitsu brésiliens.
Évaluation physique ; Méthode. — L’échantillon était composé de onze athlètes de Jiu-Jitsu (âge : 25,8 ± 3,3 ans)
Condition physique ; médaillés dans des compétitions au niveau national et/ou international. La puissance aérobie
Haute performance a été estimée par le test sur tapis roulant selon le protocole de Bruce. La force maxi-
male isométrique (à la main, jambes et dos) a été mesurée par des tests spécifiques au
dynamomètre. Sit-ups et push-ups ont été utilisés respectivement afin d’évaluer la force
des muscles abdominaux et des membres supérieurs. Souplesse de la hanche, du dos et
des muscles des jambes ont été déterminés par le test de flexion du tron (sit-and-reach
test).
Résultats. — Le VO2max sur test sur tapis roulant est de 49,4 ± 3,6 mL/kg par minute. On observe
des valeurs de 43,7 ± 4,8 kgf sur la poignée droite et de 40,1 ± 3,8 kgf pour la force à la poignée
gauche, 185.5 ± 36,0 de force maximale isométrique kgf pour le dos, et 153 ± 41,9 kgf pour la
force isométrique des jambes. Pour évaluer la résistance du muscle, les athlètes ont effectué
52 ± 7 répétitions de sit-ups, et 40 ± 8 répétitions de push-ups. Lors du test de flexion du dos,
les athlètes ont obtenu un score moyen de 36 ± 9 cm.
Conclusion. — Il a été constaté que les athlètes d’élite de Jiu-Jitsu brésiliens ont une puissance
aérobie et une souplesse moyennes, une grande force abdominale, des membres supérieurs
et une force isométrique maximale du dos. Cependant, ils n’ont pas une force maximale de
préhension ainsi qu’au niveau des jambes.
© 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés.
1. Introduction lete has to be able to hold the opponent’s uniform (gi)
[6,10].
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a Brazilian sport that originated by Another relevant physical component of Brazilian Jiu-
adapting techniques from traditional Japanese jujutsu, Jitsu is the flexibility, specifically in the trunk and hamstrings
which was used by samurai to defend the homeland and its that is required to perform specific movements. Good flex-
feudal lords [1]. These adaptations occurred around 1920 ibility can facilitate the learning of motor gestures [11,12].
[2]. Accordingly, Yoon [13] noted that flexibility levels could
However, the rise of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu began with the differentiate the performances of combat athletes, and
creation of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Rio de wrestlers with a higher competitive level have shown greater
Janeiro in 1996. The first eleven editions of this champi- flexibility compared with low-level wrestlers.
onship took place in Rio de Janeiro. In 2007, the twelfth Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the levels
World Jiu-Jitsu Championship was held outside of Brazil for of aerobic power, strength endurance and flexibility of elite
the first time. This was a major achievement for the sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes.
and was unavoidable due to the popularisation of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu [3].
Although Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has acquired thousands of
2. Methods
fans, there have only been a few scientific studies designed
to try to understand the physiological demands involved 2.1. Samples
in the sport [4—6]. The lack of knowledge results in an
empirical character of the training prescription and planning The sample consisted of eleven elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu male
applied to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. athletes (25.8 ± 3.3 years old) who belonged to adult male
To quantify mechanical work during the combat sports, categories and graduations of black and brown belts. To be
there are some limitations. Faced with this reality, the phys- part of this group, the athletes needed to be medallists at
ical abilities used in this kind of sport should be measured national and/or international competitions. These eleven
[7]. The common perception in combat sports is that high athletes were divided into the following categories based
levels of aerobic power and capacity allow athletes to main- on their weight:
tain a high intensity throughout the match, delay H+ and Pi
accumulation and have a better/faster recovery between • one was a feather weight (up to 67 kg);
matches [8]. • four were light weights (73 kg);
In addition to aerobic capacity, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ath- • three were middle weights (79 kg);
letes need high isometric strength endurance, which is used • two were heavy weights (up to 91 kg);
to keep a good hold on an opponent and apply a sub- • one was a super heavy weight (up to 97 kg).
mission technique [5]. Upper body isometric strength is
important because the techniques generally involve extreme One athlete was excluded from the treadmill test, and
contact and do not provide space for dynamic move- two athletes were excluded from the back and leg dynamo-
ments [9]. Handgrip strength endurance also seems to be metric tests. These athletes still participated in the other
important for good athletic performance, because the ath- tests and were only excluded from the tests mentioned
Please cite this article in press as: Vidal Andreato L, et al. Estimated aerobic power, muscular strength and flexibility in
elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes. Sci sports (2011), doi:10.1016/j.scispo.2010.12.015

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Estimated aerobic power, muscular strength and flexibility in elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes 3
because of injuries that prevented them from correctly per-
Table 1 Physical fitness characteristics of elite Brazilian
forming those specific tests.
Jiu-Jitsu athletes (n = 11).
Variable Mean SD Range
2.2. Apparatus and procedures
Anthropometric
Body mass (kg) 83.1 8.7 71.6—99.8
Before testing, the athletes were informed about the risks
Height (cm) 180.1 6.5 172—191
and benefits of research and signed their written informed
BMI (kg/m2 ) 25.6 1.5 23.1—27.4
consent. Subsequently, the data collection was conducted
at the Exercise Physiology Laboratory (LABFISE) in Maringá
VO2max (ml/kg/min)
State University (UEM). The athletes were in the preparatory
VO2max a 49.4 3.6 42.0—54.0
period during the evaluation.
Each athlete’s body mass was measured with the
Isometric strength (kgf)
Fillizola® scale with 0.1-kg precision, and height was deter-
Right handgrip 43.7 4.8 34.0—53.0
mined by a Seca® stadiometer with 0.1-cm precision. Body
Left handgrip 40.1 3.8 32.0—45.0
mass index (BMI) was calculated according to body mass and
Back strengthb 185 36 126—248
height measurements.
Leg strengthb 154 41 96—230
Each athlete was monitored by electrocardiogram ERGO
PC 13® , and the measurement of aerobic power was
Isometric strength (kgf/kg)
obtained by the treadmill test in an INBRASPORT CLAS-
Right handgrip 0.53 0.08 0.39—0.70
SIC I® treadmill. This test followed the Bruce Protocol
Left handgrip 0.49 0.06 0.35—0.55
using the prediction equation for active men [14]. To mea-
Back strengthb 2.28 0.58 1.53—3.16
sure the maximum isometric strength, athletes were tested
Leg strengthb 1.91 0.65 1.16—3.21
for maximal handgrip [15] using a Takei Kiki Kogyo® Grip
dynamometer with 1-kg precision. This dynamometer was
Resistance (repetitions/min)
adjusted according to the size of the athlete’s hand. Three
Push-ups 39 8 25—52
nonsequential attempts were made for each hand, and the
Sit-ups 52 7 42—64
highest value was used as the measure of handgrip strength.
The values of leg and back maximal isometric strength
Flexibility (cm)
[15] were determined using a Takei Kiki Kogyo® Back and
Sit-and-reach test 35 8 22—52
Leg Dynamometer with 1-kg precision. In these tests, the
athletes performed three attempts, and the best score was BMI: body mass index; SD: standard deviation.
a n = 10.
considered in our analysis.
b n = 9.
The measurement of abdominal and upper limb strength
endurance was obtained by using one-minute sit-up and
push-up tests, respectively. The sit-and-reach test was used
to determine the hip, back and posterior flexibility of the For relative strength, the coefficient of variation
lower limb muscles [16]. increased when compared to its absolute values:
• right maximal isometric handgrip strength: 15.1%;
2.3. Statistics • left maximal isometric handgrip strength: 12.8%;
• maximal isometric back strength: 25.4%;
The data were analysed with Excel® and presented as mean, • maximal isometric leg strength: 34%.
standard deviation (SD) and range (minimum and maximum
values). The coefficient of variation was also calculated.
4. Discussion
3. Results The results demonstrated medium levels of VO2max [17] and
flexibility and excellent values for abdominal and upper
The physical fitness characteristics of elite Brazilian Jiu- body strength endurance [18]. The maximal isometric back
Jitsu athletes are presented in Table 1. strength score was also high. However, the athletes did not
For absolute performance variables, the following coef- have high values in either the right or left hand in the isomet-
ficient of variations were observed: ric handgrip test, and they also presented low maximal leg
isometric strength score. The classifications on dynamome-
ter tests were compared with data from athletes in similar
• estimated VO2max : 7.3%; events.
• right maximal isometric handgrip strength: 11%; It is difficult to analyse data from Brazilian Jiu-
• left maximal isometric handgrip strength: 9.5%; Jitsu athletes because there are few studies involv-
• maximal isometric back strength: 19.4%; maximal isomet- ing the sport. Because there are not many studies
ric leg strength: 27.2%; on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to compare with the results of
• push-ups: 20%; sit-ups: 13.5%; the present study, we used results of similar sports,
• push-ups: 22.9%. such as wrestling, judo and jujutsu. Table 2 presents
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4 L. Vidal Andreato et al.
Table 2 VO2max of athletes from different grappling combat sports.
References Athletes n Age (years) Body mass (kg)
Franchini et al. Members of Brazilian judo 7 25.6 ± 4.0 90.6 ± 23.8
[19] team
Reserves of Brazilian judo 15 25.5 ± 4.6 86.5 ± 16.3
team
Franchini et al. Brazilian judo athletes; 15 22.8 ± 3.4 81.6 ± 18.7
[20] national and international
levels
State level 31 19.2 ± 4.5 70.4 ± 14.7
Franchini et al. Brazilian judo athletes; 5 22.3 ± 3.6 74.4 ± 18.0
[21] national and international
levels
Thomas et al. [22] Canadian judo Team 22 24 ± 4 75.4 ± 12.3
Degoutte et al. Regional level French Judo 16 18.4 ± 1.6 74.9 ± 4.7
[23] athletes
Callister et al. [24] USA judo athletes 18 24.4 ± 0.9 83.1 ± 3.8
Horswill et al. [25] Elite junior wrestlers 18 17.0 ± 0.2 63.1 ± 2.9
Horswill et al. [26] Elite USA wrestlers 14 25.6 ± 3.3 68.9 ± 17.9
Little [27] Junior judo athletes 9 17.3 ± 0.8 67.2 ± 7.2
Senior judo athletes 17 26.0 ± 5.3 79.3 ± 14.6
Sbriccoli et al. Italian olympic judo 6 26.0 ± 3.8 109.0 ± 29.3
[28] athletes (2004)
References Athletes VO2max (ml/kg/min) Test Period
Franchini et al. Members of Brazilian judo 48.3 ± 8.1 Cooper Test CP
[19] team
Reserves of Brazilian judo 49.6 ± 5.5 Cooper Test CP
team
Franchini et al. Brazilian judo athletes; 58.1 ± 10.8 Treadmill (DM) CP
[20] national and international
levels
State level 63.3 ± 10.6 Treadmill (DM) CP
Franchini et al. Brazilian judo athletes; 63.0 ± 10.3 Treadmill CP
[21] national and international
levels
Thomas et al. [22] Canadian judo Team 59.2 ± 5.2 Treadmill CP
Degoutte et al. Regional level French Judo 55.0 ± 2.9 Bicycle (DM) NR
[23] athletes
Callister et al. [24] USA judo athletes 55.6 ± 1.8 Treadmill (DM) CP
Horswill et al. [25] Elite junior wrestlers 52.6 ± 2.0 Treadmill (DM) CP
Horswill et al. [26] Elite USA wrestlers 50.9 ± 5.1 Treadmill (DM) P
Little [27] Junior judo athletes 59.3 ± 4.0 Treadmill (DM) P
Senior judo athletes 53.8 ± 5.6 Treadmill (DM) P
Sbriccoli et al. Italian olympic judo 47.3 ± 10.9 Treadmill (DM) P
[28] athletes (2004)
CP: competitive period; P: preparatory; DM: direct measurement.
values for VO2max of athletes from different combat [20—24,27] and wrestlers [25]. Interestingly, they showed
sports. much lower values when compared to state-level Brazilian
In this study, the estimated aerobic power could be con- judo athletes (n = 31; 62.3 ± 10.6 ml/kg per minute) [20].
sidered medium according to the American College Sports The results of the present study were similar to the results
Medicine (ACSM)[17]. However, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ath- reported by Franchini et al. [19] with Brazilian judo team
letes showed lower values compared with judo athletes members and reserves. In addition, our findings were simi-
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Estimated aerobic power, muscular strength and flexibility in elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes 5
Table 3 Maximal isometric handgrip strength in athletes from different grappling combat sports.
References Athletes n Age (years) Body mass (kg)
Oliveira et al. [10] Brown belt and black belt Brazilian 21 23.9 ± 2.4a NR
Jiu-Jitsu
Blue belt and purple belt Brazilian 29 23.9 ± 2.4a NR
Jiu-Jitsu
Franchini et al. [35] Black belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes 8 25 ± 3 80.5 ± 13.6
Franchini et al. [6] Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes 22 24.5 ± 5.8 76.7 ± 11.2
Franchini et al. [36] Brazilian University judo Team 6 22.9 ± 1.9 86.9 ± 34.4
Franchini et al. [20] Elite Brazilian judo athletes 26 22.8 ± 3.4 81.6 ± 18.7
Non-elite Brazilian judo athletes 66 19.2 ± 4.5 70.4 ± 14.7
Meloni et al. [37] Brazilian judo athletes (until 73 kg) 26 23.2 ± 3.2b 63.4 ± 6.2
Brazilian judo athletes (more than73 20 23.2 ± 3.2b 95.9 ± 13.0
kg)
Franchini et al. [38] Cadets judo athletes 8 15.6 ± 1.0 64.0 ± 5.6
Little [27] Junior judo athletes 9 17.3 ± 0.8 67.2 ± 7.2
Senior judo athletes 17 26.0 ± 5.3 79.3 ± 14.6
Thomas et al. [22] Canadian judo team 22 24 ± 4 75.4 ± 12.3
Arabaci; Cankaya [39]
¸ Junior wrestlers 10 18.3 ± 0.7 73.1 ± 10.4
Junior wrestlers (CG) 10 18.5 ± 0.7 70.0 ± 9.7
References RHG (kgf) LHG (kgf) Period Dynamometer
Oliveira et al. [10] 51.2 ± 10.7 48.2 ± 10.3 CP Jamar
49.6 ± 8.2 46.2 ± 8.2 CP Jamar
Franchini et al. [35] 58.8 ± 11.7c — NR Jamar
Franchini et al. [6] 54.2 ± 6.7 51.4 ± 6.1 NR Jamar
Franchini et al. [36] 49.5 ± 12.8 47.2 ± 12.4 P Takey Kogyo
Franchini et al. [20] 51 ± 10 49 ± 10 CP Takey Kogyo
42 ± 11 40 ± 10 CP Takey Kogyo
Meloni et al. [37] 50.5 ± 9.4 47.8 ± 8.8 CP NR
55.9 ± 7.6 55.7 ± 8.1 CP NR
Franchini et al. [38] 38.3 ± 6.0 46.8 ± 6.6 P Takey Kogyo
Little [27] 52.0 ± 8.3 50.6 ± 8.4 P NR
57.7 ± 9.0 54.0 ± 10.4 P —
Thomas et al. [22] 56.4 ± 6.6 55.7 ± 6.6 CP Harpen British
Arabaci; Cankaya [39]
¸ 54.4 ± 5.6 53.5 ± 7.5 P NR
46.5 ± 4.3 45.2 ± 6.5 P NR
CP: competitive period; P: preparatory; CG: control group; NR: not reported; RHG: right handgrip; LHG: left handgrip.
a mean age considering athletes from all belt ranks.
b mean age considering all athletes
c dominant hand.
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Table 4 Maximal isometric back strength of athletes from different grappling combat sports.
References Athletes n Age (years) Body mass (kg)
Meloni et al. [37] Brazilian judo athletes 26 23.2 ± 3.2a 63.4 ± 6.2
(until 73 kg)
Brazilian judo athletes 20 23.2 ± 3.2a 95.9 ± 13.0
(more than 73 kg)
Franchini et al. [36] Brazilian University 6 22.9 ± 1.9 86.9 ± 34.4
judo team
Franchini et al. [38] Cadet judo athletes 8 15.6 ± 1.0 64.0 ± 5.6
Cadet judo athletes 8 15.6 ± 1.0 66.6 ± 6.3
Little [27] Junior judo athletes 9 17.3 ± 0.8 67.2 ± 7.2
Senior judo athletes 17 26.0 ± 5.3 79.3 ± 14.6
Mansilla et al. [40] Spanish judo athletes 28 NR NR
Arabaci; Cankaya [39]
¸ Juniors wrestlers 10 18.3 ± 0.7 73.1 ± 10.4
Juniors wrestlers (CG) 10 18.5 ± 0.7 70.0 ± 9.7
Brito et al. [41] Brazilian University 15 22.1 ± 2.1 78.4 ± 8.9
judo athletes
References Athletes Back Strength (kgf) Period Dynamometer
Meloni et al. [37] Brazilian judo athletes 129.9 ± 23.2 CP NR
(until 73 kg)
Brazilian judo athletes 161.8 ± 28.6 CP NR
(more than 73 kg)
Franchini et al. [36] Brazilian University 143.7 ± 23.4 P Takei Kiki Kogyo
judo team
Franchini et al. [38] Cadet judo athletes 130.0 ± 26.0 P Katros
Cadet judo athletes 151.0 ± 20.0 CP Katros
Little [27] Junior judo athletes 120.5 ± 20.6 P NR
Senior judo athletes 122.3 ± 32.3 P NR
Mansilla et al. [40] Spanish judo athletes 165.2 ± 3.9 NR NR
Arabaci; Cankaya [39]
¸ Juniors wrestlers 149.5 ± 19.9 P NR
Juniors wrestlers (CG) 127.0 ± 16.2 P NR
Brito et al. [41] Brazilian University 172.1 ± 30.3 P Medical Hibérica
judo athletes
CP: competitive period; P: preparatory; CG: control group.
a mean age considering all athletes.
lar to the results observed by Horswill et al. [26] with elite intensity followed by brief recovery periods are more effec-
USA wrestlers and by Sbriccoli et al. [28] with Italian Olympic tive for developing aerobic power compared with continuous
judo athletes. efforts [33]. Furthermore, these short intervals are insuf-
The higher values of aerobic power found in judo ath- ficient for the re-synthesis of creatine phosphate, which
letes and wrestlers can be explained by the fact that causes the activation of the lactic anaerobic system in the
matches between black belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes last beginning of the match and the aerobic system in the final
10 minutes whereas judo and wrestling matches are gener- stage [34].
ally less than six minutes (unless they go into extra time). For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu beyond aerobic power, other rel-
Indeed, longer matches result in a lower expected VO2max evant aspect to be analysed is the muscular strength,
(aerobic power) and higher anaerobic threshold (aerobic specially the isometric strength. In this aspect, the Table 3
capacity) values [29,30]. presents values of maximal isometric handgrip strength of
The typical Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu match comprises periods of athletes from different combat sports.
170 s of activity (groundwork: 146 ± 119 s; standing combat: Maximal isometric right handgrip (RHG) and left hand-
25 ± 17 s) followed by 13 ± 6 s intervals [5]. In judo, this grip strength (LHG) results were lower than previous results
proportion is about 18 ± 9 s of activity separated by approx- reported in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu athletes [6,10,20] and judo
imately 12 ± 4 s intervals [31], and wrestling averages about athletes [20,22,27,35,37], but they were similar to results
37 ± 10 s of activity separated by 14 ± 6 s intervals [32]. reported in junior wrestlers [39], cadets judo athletes [38]
These statistics may also explain the differences in aerobic and non-elite judo athletes [20]. These results suggested
power, and it has been suggested that short efforts of high that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes do not have high maximal
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Estimated aerobic power, muscular strength and flexibility in elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes 7
Table 5 Endurance strength of athletes from different grappling combat sports.
Test References Athletes n Age (years)
Sit-ups Franchini [42] Brazilian University judo team 5 NR
Taylor; Brassard [43] Canadian judo team 19 22 ± 3
Krstulovi´ et al. [44]
c Croatian junior judo athletes 40 17 ± 5
Bratic et al. [45] Elite cadet judo athletes 20 NR
Push-ups Franchini [42] Brazilian University judo team 5 NR
Taylor; Brassard [43] Canadian judo team 19 22 ± 3
Krstulovi´ et al. [44]
c Croatian junior judo athletes 40 17 ± 5
Bratic et al. [45] Elite cadet judo athletes 20 NR
Mirzaei et al. [46] Elite Iranian junior freestyle wrestlers 70 19.8 ± 0.9
Mirzaei; Mansour [47] Iranian senior freestyle wrestlers 73 24.4 ± 2.6
Sertic et al. [48] Elite Croatian judo athletes 6 20.7 ± 3.2
Sterkowicz-Przybycien [49] Polish Ju-jitsu coaches 14 35.6 ± 9
Test References Body mass (kg) Repetitions Period
Sit-ups Franchini [42] NR 49 ± 3 NR
Taylor; Brassard [43] 80.2 ± 14.9 48 ± 10 P
Krstulovi´ et al. [44]
c 76.9 ± 13.3 42 ± 12 P
Bratic et al. [45] NR 36 ± 4 NR
Push-ups Franchini [42] NR 45 ± 4 NR
Taylor; Brassard [43] 80.2 ± 14.9 72 ± 16 P
Krstulovi´ et al. [44]
c 76.9 ± 13.3 56 ± 8 P
Bratic et al. [45] NR 40 ± 8 NR
Mirzaei et al. [46] 77.5 ± 19.8 67 ± 8 P
Mirzaei; Mansour [47] 79.9 ± 18.4 36 ± 11 P
Sertic et al. [48] NR 58 ± 6 NR
Sterkowicz-Przybycien [49] 72.3 ± 13.7 29 ± 14 P
P: preparatory; CP: competitive period; NR: not reported.
Table 6 Flexibility in athletes from different grappling combat sports.
References Athletes n Age (years) Body mass (kg) Flexibility (cm) Period
Pertence et al. [4] Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners 20 18—30 NR 34 NR
Del Vecchio et al. [5] High-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes 7 25.3 ± 2.9 78.9 ± 12.2 43 ± 3 NR
Mota et al. [50] Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes 30 20—29 NR 32 ± 9 NR
Sertic et al. [48] Elite Croatian judo athletes 6 20.7 ± 3.2 NR 14 ± 9 NR
Franchini [42] Brazilian University judo team 5 NR NR 36 ± 5 NR
Meloni et al. [37] Brazilian judo athletes (until 73 kg) 26 23.2 ± 3.2 a
63.4 ± 6.2 32 ± 7 CP
Brazilian judo athletes (more than 73 kg) 20 23.2 ± 3.2a 95.9 ± 13.0 26 ± 7 CP
Thomas et al. [22] Canadian judo team 22 24 ± 4 75.4 ± 12.3 43 ± 6 CP
Belgian judo athletes 24 21.9 74.3 31 NR
Little [27] Junior judo athletes 9 17.3 ± 0.8 67.2 ± 7.2 39 ± 4 P
Senior judo athletes 17 26.0 ± 5.3 79.3 ± 14.6 38 ± 9 P
Mansilla et al. [40] Spanish judo athletes 28 NR NR 13 ± 1 NR
Arabaci; Cankaya [39]
¸ Juniors wrestlers 10 18.3 ± 0.7 73.1 ± 10.4 18 ± 4 P
Juniors Wrestlers (CG) 10 18.5 ± 0.7 70.0 ± 9.7 13 ± 4 P
CP: competitive period; P: preparatory; NR: not reported; CG: control group.
a mean age considering all athletes.
Please cite this article in press as: Vidal Andreato L, et al. Estimated aerobic power, muscular strength and flexibility in
elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes. Sci sports (2011), doi:10.1016/j.scispo.2010.12.015

8. +Model
SCISPO-2587; No. of Pages 9 ARTICLE IN PRESS
8 L. Vidal Andreato et al.
isometric handgrip strength. This result corroborated the judo athletes [27]. Thus, the results indicated that Brazil-
findings of Franchini et al. [6] and Oliveira et al. [10], which ian Jiu-Jitsu athletes had above average flexibility of the
reported that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes did not have high hips, back and posterior muscles of the lower limbs, but the
maximal isometric strength but were able to maintain cons- results were still lower than other athletes from this sport.
tant levels of strength throughout combat. This indicated These results could limit performance in the struggles of
the need for muscle strength endurance in the muscles Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because a good range of motion of these
responsible for the grip on the gi. Additionally, the lower joints and muscles are needed in some positions [11].
maximal isometric handgrip strength in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
athletes compared with judo athletes may be due to the type 5. Conclusion
of grappling adopted in judo combat. Indeed, judo combat
requires more maintenance of force during the match, which
The results of this study allow us to conclude that
results in a greater development of maximal isometric hand-
elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes have good aerobic power,
grip in judo athletes [6].
medium flexibility, excellent maximal isometric back
Besides the isometric strength, other capacity involved
strength, excellent abdominal and upper body strength
in this sport is the strength back. In this aspect, the Table 4
endurance, and poor values of both maximal isometric hand-
presents values from maximal isometric back strength of
grip and leg strength.
athletes from different grappling combat sports.
The athletes in this study had a greater maximal
isometric back strength in comparison with other stud- Disclosure of interest
ies involving judo athletes [27,36,37,40,41] and junior
wrestlers [39]. The results indicated that Brazilian Jiu- None.
Jitsu elite athletes have developed maximal isometric back
strength, which may be a requirement for success in this
sport.
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