For the BJJ Practitioner Over 30 ready to maximize their performance...
Stop Letting Age and Injuries Dictate Your Success on the Mats.
You don't have to accept feeling broken down or disadvantaged as "normal." Build the strength, conditioning, and metabolic health to roll harder, recover faster, and dominate in your 30s, 40s, and beyond.
Limited spots available. Science-backed programming for grapplers.
Who Is Dr. Derek?
Derek is a Jiu Jitsu competitor and former world record holding powerlifter with a PhD in Sport Science. In this program, he takes the Sport Science methods and principles developed at the Olympic Training Center and used in the UFC Training Center to improve performance for jiu Jitsu athletes.
He specializes in biomechanical assessments to individualize training systems for his clients. This custom approach combined with communication and feedback creates a holistic and detailed plan of attack for everyone he works with to meet their goals and avoid set backs as much as possible.
Dr. Derek also worked as Strength and Conditioning Supervisor at the Center
The Rules Have Changed. Has Your Training?
Try and find a more frustrated group of people than folks over 30 who exercise and diet consistently, yet make zero progress toward their body composition and performance goals.
If you want to see them get really annoyed, have a 20-year-old explain how "simple" the process is based on the science. Yes, technically, calories in versus calories out still matter. Resistance training still builds muscle.
But it's the context that changes over time.
Once you get past your college years, reality hits hard. Your responsibilities grow. Stress begins setting in as you balance a demanding career with raising a family. You spend more time seated at a desk, stuck in short ranges of motion that cause chronic pain and tightness. Add in a lack of sleep, and your body's stress hormones—like cortisol—begin to skyrocket, slowing muscle growth, decreasing calorie burn, and tanking your anabolic hormones like testosterone.
Then, it happens. You go to execute a sweep or a pass that used to be routine.
Pop.
The hamstring strains. The back tweaks. The shoulder gives out. That’s your first “oh shit” moment. That’s when reality slaps you in the face, and you know without a doubt: things have changed.
The young people in BJJ can do basically anything they want and get decent results. Later in life, we don't have that luxury.
You MUST have a refined plan to maximize results while minimizing injury risk if you want to keep progressing.
Cut out the BS and only do what works for exactly what you need to accomplish. The fluff just gets in the way with wasted time, effort and increased injury risk.
Biomechanical Resilience & Injury Prevention
We address the chronic tightness and imbalances caused by your daily life and years of grappling. By focusing on specific ranges of motion and structural integrity, we armor your joints against the chaotic forces of Jiu Jitsu. No more sitting out rounds because your back or knees are acting up.
Efficient, High-Yield Strength Training
You don't have time for 2-hour bodybuilding workouts. We utilize highly efficient, science-backed resistance training designed to maximize lean muscle mass and explosive power. Muscle mass is one of the strongest correlated attributes to a long lifespan and survivability, we build the strength you need to control opponents, without burning out your central nervous system.
Metabolic & Hormonal Optimization
You can't out-train a broken metabolic environment. We dial in your nutrition to manage cortisol, support healthy testosterone/hormone levels, and fuel your recovery. If medical intervention like HRT is necessary to correct dysfunction, we work intelligently alongside those protocols so your body actually responds to the work you put in.
I can guarantee you will develop a robust toolbox for improving your Jiu Jitsu performance for life while participating in this program!
3 Month Plan
Best for getting started with structure, accountability, and a clear plan.
$1499 / for 3 Months
Includes:
•Customized training programming
•Personalized nutrition targets and optimized timing
•Ongoing coaching adjustments
•Structured progress tracking
•Video review of exercise technique
12 Month Plan
Best value for serious long-term progress in strength, physique, and performance.
Includes everything in
3-Month Coaching.
$3999 / for 12 Months
Includes:
•Customized training programming
•Personalized nutrition targets and optimized timing
•Ongoing coaching adjustments
•Structured progress tracking
•Video review of exercise technique
6 Month Plan
Best for building momentum, making real adjustments, and creating measurable progress over time.
$2499 / for 6 Months
Includes:
•Customized training programming
•Personalized nutrition targets and optimized timing
•Ongoing coaching adjustments
•Structured progress tracking
•Video review of exercise technique
Cynthia Zabbat
"The transformation I experienced was significant. Beyond the physical results, I learned so much that I was inspired to dig deeper into the field and earn my own PT certification.
On the mats, I’ve become much stronger and more confident. I used to shy away from submissions, thinking I wasn't strong enough to finish them or mentally stepping back due to perceived weakness. Training with you taught me that strength is key for Jiu-Jitsu, and I no longer doubt my ability to finish a move. Thank you for everything."
Ed Stahl
"Derek has helped my jiujitsu game a ton through lifting - getting compliments from training partners online my strength gains.
I'm injury free from Strengthing my joints, too - not to mention my mobility gains. Feeling solid in competition and no longer feel like the weakest of my weight class.
Overall, Derek has been a solid asset to my jiu-jitsu. "
Jaydon Dobrov
“Derek helped me for an entire MMA fight camp as I cut down to 155lbs. He not only did my nutrition but he also coordinated all of my strength training. The programming was simple, yet effective and had no extra fluff that took away from my recovery. I highly recommend Derek, as he helped me improve my base levels of strength for my sport.”
Dr. Lynne Robinson
"Going into 2023, I had experienced a No Gi loss where I felt completely out strength'd, given all other things were equal. I I started weight lifting (on my own) in addition to training jiu jitsu. I followed Dr. Derek’s nutrition guidance mainly to help with recovery and feelings of tiredness due to high levels of daily exertion. I started winning with a double gold in an IBJJF Open. I then started following his strength training guidance as well. I went on to double Gold Pans and win Worlds. I 100% recommend seeking his professional guidance. The workouts and meal plans are written specific to your training needs to improve your jiu jitsu. My only regret is trying to strength train on my own initially."
David Levitt
"At about 43 years old, I'd been doing BJJ for about 7 years. I was feeling all the usual BJJ stuff... stiff, old, beat up, and broken. I then found out that I was dealing with arthritis in both my AC joints. At that point I needed a way to try to not only work through the pain in my shoulders, but also to help my mobility as have weird hip mobility issues. I was referred to Derek by one of my gym mates and I never looked back. Derek set me up on a program for keep my joints healthy and mobile with both resistance and hypertrophy training as well as mobility to keep me on the mats as long as humanly possible. Results have been life changing. At my peak, I was down to 160 lbs at 44 years old and in the best shape of my life. My mobility and strength in BJJ peaked and my game is astronomically better. I love the attention I get from Derek and I feel he's always looking out for me! Thanks Derek!"
Vincent Perez
"Working with Derek was a game-changer for my jiu jitsu journey. His deep knowledge of sport physiology and programming was exactly what I needed to dial in my weight for the World Championships and life style, but it went far beyond just hitting a number on a scale. The programming was truly personalized, ensuring I stayed strong and peaked at the right time for the mats.
Even after completing my formal program, Derek has remained a friend. He is a wonderful human being who genuinely cares about the people he works with. I’m incredibly grateful for his guidance. I enjoy seeing him seeing him at jiu jitsu events, and his wonderful wife Dr. Jen, and I cannot recommend his expertise enough to anyone looking to take their performance to the highest level."
What is BJJ Performance Coaching?
BJJ Performance Coaching is NOT Jiu Jitsu technique instruction. Performance coaching takes strength and conditioning, active mobility and nutritional aspects of human performance and consolidates it into a focused application of Jiu Jitsu. This increases your capacity as and athlete to perform your Jiu-Jitsu techniques much more effectively and gain the upper hand on your opponents.
Stronger grips, better control, more explosiveness, lower injury risks and improved recovery so you can dream more often are all attributes of BJJ specific Performance Coaching.
“Will lifting make me slow, stiff, or worse at jiu jitsu?”
Like any exercise or program, if you execute movements poorly and without correct purpose they can cause regression. This is where guidance benefits you specifically with a careful eye assessing how you move and instruction on how to perform your exercises to make your body stronger, more mobile and less injury prone.
What exercises are best for BJJ athletes over 30?
There isn’t one perfect list of exercises for every Jiu Jitsu athlete over 30. The best training program is the one built around the individual. Taking into account their injury history, recovery ability, movement quality, training frequency, and goals.
For some athletes, the priority may be building strength and durability through squats, hinges, carries, and pulling movements. For others, it may be improving mobility, core stability, grip endurance, or reducing pain and imbalances caused by years of training.
The goal isn’t to train like a bodybuilder or powerlifter, it’s to build a stronger, more resilient body that supports longevity on the mats. The right exercises are the ones that help you recover better, move better, stay healthy, and continue progressing in Jiu Jitsu for years to come.
How many days per week should I lift if I’m training BJJ?
More is not always better when it comes to lifting alongside Jiu Jitsu, especially for athletes over 30. The ideal training schedule should support your performance on the mats, not leave you constantly fatigued, sore, or struggling to recover.
Some athletes thrive with two focused strength sessions each week, while others can successfully handle more depending on their training experience, sleep, nutrition, stress, and overall workload. What matters most is finding the balance between building strength and maintaining energy for skill development and recovery.
A well-designed program should adapt to the demands of your life and your Jiu Jitsu training. The goal is long-term progress, injury prevention, and staying physically capable to train consistently year after year.
How do I build conditioning for jiu jitsu without ruining recovery?
Conditioning for jiu jitsu starts with technical efficiency. The better egitsu you get, the less energy you need to expend doing it
The second aspect is actually strength Reserve. Increasing your absolute strength in many different positions in turn reduces the percentage of effort needed to execute moves and maintain positions.
Aerobic conditioning can most often be best developed by just doing more jiu jitsu UNTIL you are no longer being significantly pushed by your training partners. At that point higher speed flow drilling can be used for conditioning as well as technical refinement and pass that point other cardiovascular exercise can best be utilized.
Don't miss out, subscribe for tips, updates and latest info from Dr. Derek Wilcox
