Comparison of Physical Fitness and Isokinetic Muscle Function Between Wrestlers and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) are grappling-based combat sports that share several physical demands but differ substantially in their competitive and technical characteristics. Wrestling involves frequent high-intensity standing actions, including takedowns, lifts, and rapid transitions, whereas BJJ features prolonged ground-based exchanges, sustained gripping, and positional control. However, direct comparisons of multidimensional physical fitness and isokinetic muscle function between wrestlers and BJJ athletes remain limited. This study aimed to compare physical fitness, anaerobic and explosive performance, and lower-extremity and trunk isokinetic muscle function between wrestlers and BJJ athletes. Method This cross-sectional study included 38 male athletes (18 wrestlers and 20 BJJ athletes) with at least 6 years of training experience. Physical fitness assessments included handgrip strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, explosive performance, and maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max). Lower-body anaerobic power was assessed using the 30-s Wingate Anaerobic Test. Isokinetic knee and trunk muscle function was assessed at different angular velocities. Between-group differences were examined using independent-samples t-tests, and effect sizes were calculated using Hedges’ g with 95% confidence intervals. Result Wrestlers demonstrated greater push-up performance (g = 1.43), relative peak (g = 1.07), and mean (g = 0.94) Wingate power, explosive jump performance (g = 0.69–0.71), bilateral knee extensor power at 180°/s (g = 0.70–0.81), and trunk extensor power at 120°/s (g = 1.00) (all p < 0.05). BJJ athletes demonstrated greater right handgrip strength (g = -0.66), sit-up performance (g = -0.70), sit-and-reach (g = -1.72), trunk extension flexibility (g = -1.03), trunk flexor and extensor peak torque at 30°/s, and trunk flexor power at 120°/s (g = -0.93) (all p < 0.05). VO₂max and knee flexor and extensor peak torque at 60°/s did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusion Wrestlers and BJJ athletes exhibited distinct physical fitness and isokinetic muscle function profiles. Wrestlers showed greater anaerobic and explosive performance and high-velocity knee and trunk extensor power, whereas BJJ athletes demonstrated greater flexibility and trunk flexor function. These findings indicate that physical fitness assessment and conditioning in grappling athletes should account for the distinct functional demands of each sport.