Issue 075

May 2011

Get GSP’s latest craze into your regime

Barry Gibson is a kettlebell and fitness instructor as well as a 3rd dan black belt in judo. A strength and conditioning trainer to some of the UK’s top MMA fighters (including TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson), he is available for seminars and workshops upon request. For details or to contact him with any questions or queries, [email protected]. Check out his new E-book Real Fighters Don’t Run, available from grapplefit.com/running

This issue we’re focusing on ‘ring training’ and how to make the most of it for your MMA workouts. Is it relevant to what we do? Most certainly. You can perform a myriad of exercises on a set of rings and they all have one distinct advantage: they stress your body much more than if you were to perform them on a ‘fixed’ piece of apparatus. The instability factor forces more muscle recruitment and therefore produces greater strength gains. 

We’ve all seen and admired the physique of elite level gymnasts performing on the rings or parallel bars in the Olympic games. This kind of gymnastic equipment has become a staple of Crossfit gyms, and even some health clubs are starting to incorporate some form of body-levering system. The premise of handling your own bodyweight prior to lifting any iron makes sense to a lot of coaches. It does give you a foundation of strength – and you can make the movements particularly challenging if you try hard enough…

Below is a list of movements that you can perform on gymnastic rings to test your strength-to-bodyweight ratio:

  • Push-ups
  • Dips
  • Hindu push-ups
  • Divebombers
  • Pull-ups
  • Recline rows
  • Scarecrows
  • Muscle-ups
  • Face pulls
  • Curls
  • Body-weight Extension

That’s all off the top of my head – but there is literally any amount of variations (including one arm rows, for instance). 

Any fighter or aspiring gym rat can get a great workout incorporating this method of training into their routine. The benefits are numerous. Rings are easy to set up as they’re small and portable. There’s also a heavy core-stability element due to the need to hold the core ‘stiff.’

Try this sample workout on for size:

  • 10 Push-ups
  • 10 Recline rows
  • 10 Squats
  • 8 Dips
  • 8 Pull-ups
  • 20 Jumping 
  • 20 Lunges
  • 10 Hindu push-ups
  • 10 Scarecrows
  • 8 Burpees

Repeat the above as fast as you can for three to eight rounds. As you can see you have a pushing movement followed by a pull, then a leg-blasting movement. 

To really challenge yourself – go for maximum rounds in 20 minutes. Enjoy...


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