And yes, he could definitely break a bodybuilder's arm. It has far less to do with muscle than technique. It's very hard to just biceps-curl a guy who is using his entire body (the posterior muscle set- lats, biceps, hamstrings, glutes, etc) to affect your joint. The best way to defend an arm bar, besides not getting there, is to use proper technique and break the structure that's required for the opponent to execute the move. A bodybuilder, if he hasn't specifically trained that technique (most commonly with years of BJJ training himself), isn't going to know what to do.
BJJ is not about force. It's about leverage. Helio Gracie was a master of leverage and he taught his sons how to isolate their opponents' limbs and neck to force a submission. If you twist yourself into a position where it's 2 of your hands cranking your opponent's one neck, shoulder, arm, or leg, you're going to be able to make them tap out. Obviously there is "some" force applied in a lock or a choke, but it's nothing compared to the force generated by a punch or a kick.
As far as bodybuilders are concerned, they tire out easily because big, bulky muscles quickly rob the body of oxygen, and make the fighter less flexible. That's why boxers have always been warned not to put on too much muscle mass. Dave Batista had to lose a hundred pounds of muscle to be able to compete in MMA because his arms were so bulky that he could not protect his face from punches in the mounted position. Even after cutting weight for an MMA fight, Brock Lesnar would still tire easily because his 265 pounds of bulky muscle caused him to get winded. As far as BJJ, grappling, or MMA are concerned, size is not an asset, and strength takes a back seat to endurance.
Size and strength are best for men in the "pushing" professions; bouncers, bodyguards, and football linemen.
discovery channel did a show a few years ago, in the show the measured a whole buch of things martial artist could do, how hard and fast the could hit and kick etc. In one of the tests Henzo Gracie had a choke measured for force applied as hard as he could, they figure he could probably literally rip a mans head off
How much? Does it matter? What matters is that someone with good technique could break someones neck and kill someone. And yes they could break someone's arm
Lol, when caught in a submission, muscles doesn't matter anymore.
Enough to injure your neck with enough force.
I was watching some old videos of street fights and ring fights where Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters submitted opponents outweighing them by over 100 lbs. Some of these opponents actually were very bulky like a world-class bodybuilder.
I'm wondering how much force can a BJJ fighter actually generate in a submission. Do you think a BJJ practitioner could break a bodybuilder's arm from an armbar, even if the bodybuilder has a 100 lbs weight advantage on them?
