The Relationship Between Physical Activity Level and Aerobic Capacity in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes

Subject Areas : Open Access

ali tootoonchi ¹ , Sirous FARSI ^{2 *} , omid karimipour ³

1 - Ph.D Student, Sport sciences Department, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran.
2 - Assistant, sport physiology, Islamic Azad university , marvdasht branch
3 - Ph.D Student in Sports Management, Sh.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.

Received: 2025-08-25 Accepted : 2025-09-30 Published : 2025-10-22

Keywords: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, physical activity, aerobic capacity, Cooper test, IPAQ questionnaire,

Abstract :

Introduction: Regular physical activity and aerobic capacity are among the most important indicators of general health and athletic performance. In combat sports such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), the combination of aerobic and anaerobic activities plays a critical role in energy recovery, technique execution, and sustained performance during matches. Due to the lack of localized research, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity level and aerobic capacity in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes from three Iranian cities.

research methodology: This descriptive–correlational field study was conducted on 130 active BJJ athletes selected through stratified random sampling from Jahrom, Marvdasht, and Shiraz. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess physical activity levels, and the 12-minute Cooper test was applied to estimate aerobic capacity (VO₂max). Data were analyzed using Shapiro–Wilk and Pearson correlation tests in SPSS version 26.

Findings: More than half of the participants (53.9%) reported a high level of physical activity. The mean aerobic capacity was 49.4 ± 6.6 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, which is higher than the general population and close to levels reported for professional BJJ athletes. A strong and significant positive correlation was found between physical activity level and aerobic capacity (r = 0.642, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The results indicated that BJJ athletes maintain both high physical activity levels and favorable aerobic capacity, with a direct relationship between the two indicators. These findings align with physiological principles and previous studies, confirming the role of endurance and combined training in improving cardiovascular performance. Coaches are encouraged to use IPAQ for weekly monitoring and complement it with periodic field tests such as the Cooper test. The outcomes provide practical and research-based insights for optimizing training programs in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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