Issue 116
July 2014
Kevin Kearns, S&C coach to 15 UFC, WEC, Bellator and Strikeforce fighters, presents his best training tips. To be a winner you need explosive power. Follow this plyometrics program to leave opponents trailing in your wake.
When you step into a ring or the Octagon, your primary aim is to dispatch your opponent as quickly as possible. And whether it’s with a bone-crunching right hook, a lightning-fast head-kick, or a gut-wrenching takedown, the one thing you’ll need is explosive power.
Question is, how do you get it? Well, the answer is a plyometrics workout, which, if performed regularly, will soon have you moving like a cheetah and stinging like a swarm of hornets.
For the uninitiated, plyometrics – also known as ‘jump training’ or ‘plyos’ – are exercises based around having muscles exert maximum force in as short a time as possible, with the goal of increasing both speed and power.
Simply put, lifting weights, which can include your bodyweight, with maximum velocity burns calories and forces the central nervous system to recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers. And, as an added bonus, doing so can also improve your balance, coordination and agility.
The concept was developed in the 1980s by Olympic track and field coach Frank Wilt while he was observing how Russian athletes executed jumps as they warmed up.
Anyway, enough with the science and history lesson. Here’s a program I’ve used successfully with fighters like Kenny Florian, Nate Quarry, Kurt Pellegrino, Marcus Davis and Daniel Gracie, among others.
The exercises should be performed circuit-fashion for either 20 to 30-second bursts, or sets of 6–10 reps. Aim for three to four circuits.
1. Box jump onto a fitness trampoline
Stand in front of a fitness trampoline and jump two-footed as high as you can, and as quickly as you can. Make sure you control your landing on to the trampoline as this will also work your core.
2. Kettlebell/dumbbell snatch
Squat down and grab whichever piece of equipment you’re using. Make sure your knees are bent and your hips drop back. With one quick motion pull the equipment to an overhead position.
3. Jump to sprawl on BOSU
Stand with your legs spread and the BOSU between your feet. Jump onto the BOSU with both feet before jumping off it and placing your hands on top as you drop into a sprawl.
4. Explosive inverted rows with rings/TRX/PurMotion AirFit
Grab the handles of your suspension training appliance and lean back in an inverted row position. Pull up explosively and let go of the handles just for a second. Grab them on the negative portion of the exercise.
5. ‘Cops’ With A sandbag or a Surge
We call this exercise ‘Cops’ after the TV show. Grab your sandbag or Surge bag in an athletic-ready position. As you step sideways, launch the equipment in the direction you’re moving, but never let go of it.
6. Power blockers
Again using a Surge or a sandbag, grab your apparatus and hold it shoulder level. Next, take a quick step forward and launch the equipment off your chest without letting it go.
7. One-legged hop on sport trampoline
Stand on one leg on your sport trampoline. Now jump as high as you can while driving your knee towards your chest. Switch feet and train your other leg.
8. Medicine ball lateral toss
Stand at a right-angle to a wall with a medicine ball in your hands. As you turn toward the wall throw the ball so it bounces off. Repeat on the opposite side to really tax your arms and core.
