Issue 043
November 2008
This month’s article is a follow-on from issue 39, which featured an upper body workout consisting of four exercises. Due to popular demand (and their convenience) I’ve put together another little set of medicine ball drills that will develop anaerobic capacity and local muscular endurance. You may recognise one of the drills from last time, as it’s a very relevant movement for fighters. The others may be less familiar.
Perform the following in a circuit format
1 Medicine ball jumping swings
a. Start in a deep squat with the med ball on the floor, almost like the bottom of a kettlebell swing.
b. Explosively jump as high as possible taking the ball overhead in an arc, also similar to the swing. Repeat for the desired rep or time scheme.
2 Medicine ball slams
a. Start by holding the ball in an upright position. Beware that if you use a rubber med ball, this will rebound quite severely. Obviously, leather balls are a better option for this drill. If you do use a rubber ball, grass or even a crash mat are good alternatives.
b. Bring the ball overhead and come right up onto your toes, then, as forcefully as you can, slam the ball down onto the ground (be aware of the rebound). Catch the ball and repeat.
3 Medicine ball push-offs
a. Place one hand on the ball and the other on the floor. The hand on the ball is the working hand.
b. Lower the body down as in a normal push-up, then explosively push off (see what they did there?) the floor with the non-working hand. The hand on the ball stays put until you’ve finished your reps for that side. Then change and work both sides evenly.
4 Medicine ball pull-ups
a. Grab the pull-up bar and hold a medicine ball between your knees while pulling the knees up to your abs.
b. Perform pull-ups with the knees in this flexed position. This hold makes the drill much more relevant to MMA and grappling by mimicking the guard position.
In terms of reps go for
- 10 jumping swings
- 15 slams
- 10 push offs (5 per arm)
- 5 pull-ups
You could use this as a type of dynamic warm-up by doing three to four sets, but if you want it as a main body routine make sure you increase the number of sets. Go for ten sets without rest, or set a timer for 10, 15 or 20 mins and get as many rounds in as you can. This routine pretty much hits everything you need and is great for work capacity.
Barry Gibson is a kettlebell and fitness instructor based in North East England. A strength and conditioning trainer to MMA fighters, he holds a third dan in judo. Any questions or queries can be directed to [email protected]. Check out his DVD ‘Train Hard, Fight Easy and Win’, available from grapplefit.com.
...
