Fitness influencer Greg Doucette recently ranked a wide range of cardio methods in a reaction video, and his verdict on Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling sports was far from positive.
In the video, Doucette responded to another fitness creator’s cardio tier list, working through everything from cycling to swimming. When grappling arts came up, he grouped them alongside MMA and wrestling and placed the whole category at D tier.
“Do you know how hard MMA is? Wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, but there’s no way it’s S tier because it’s too hard and you’re going to get injured,” Doucette said. “Nothing can be S tier that’s going to give you ringworm, all kinds of diseases, people sweating on top of you, grabbing on to you, trying to hurt you. How is this an S tier sport? It’s because it is not.”
His core argument is built around sustainability. For Doucette, the ideal cardio is something a person can perform at zone two intensity, meaning a moderate effort where conversation is still possible, for at least an hour, six days a week.
By that standard, jiu-jitsu does not qualify. The rolling and drilling that make BJJ useful for self-defense also make it too physically demanding and unpredictable to serve as reliable, low-impact cardio.
“Does it make you fit? Sure, if you don’t get injured, if you go at a medium pace. But wrestling, jiu-jitsu, all of those sports, it’s D tier. It’s too hard for those of you trying to build muscle,” he said.
Doucette’s framework throughout the video prioritizes protecting muscle mass alongside cardiovascular health. He repeatedly points to cycling as the gold standard, calling it S tier, because it is low impact, easy to sustain daily, and effective at burning calories without degrading muscle tissue.
Running, sprinting, rowing, and high-intensity interval training all drew criticism for similar reasons: they are either too hard on the joints, too likely to cause injury, or too difficult to maintain consistently.
For BJJ practitioners who train primarily for competition or self-defense, Doucette’s ranking may feel beside the point. The goal of rolling is rarely pure cardio conditioning. But for gym-goers focused on body composition who have considered adding a martial art to their routine as a way to get their heart rate up, his concern about injury risk and inconsistent intensity carries some weight.
