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How many calories does BJJ burn per session?

A typical BJJ session burns between 500 and 1000 calories depending on your body weight, intensity, and the proportion of rolling versus drilling. Rolling at high intensity can burn upward of 700 calories per hour. Even drilling at a moderate pace burns more calories than many traditional gym workouts because it engages the entire body.

Detailed Explanation

The calorie burn in BJJ is significant because it combines strength training with cardiovascular exercise in a dynamic, full-body workout. During rolling, your heart rate fluctuates between moderate and near-maximum levels, similar to high-intensity interval training. Drilling burns fewer calories but still provides substantial metabolic demand because you are constantly moving and using multiple muscle groups. The after-burn effect, known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, means you continue burning calories at an elevated rate for hours after training. For weight loss, BJJ is particularly effective because the engaging nature of the activity makes it easier to sustain than boring cardio sessions. Combined with sensible nutrition, training BJJ three to four times per week can lead to significant body composition improvements.

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