Issue 047
March 2009
By Kevin Kearns.
Everyone wants a six- or an eight-pack these days. Infomercials are loaded with the next ‘abscupltoriser’ to obtain that look. As many of us have seen, fighters such as Kenny Florian, Stephan Bonnar, Nate Quarry, and Marcus Davis have a well-developed six-pack. What people do not realise is that they have much more than just bulging abs.
These gladiators have a core ready for combat. They have a rock-solid gut ready for whatever happens in the Octagon and beyond. Many people believe the way to obtain these ‘washboard abs’ is by doing thousands upon thousands of sit-ups or crunches.
Wrong! Sit-ups and crunches will make the muscles on top strong, but what about the internal framework under there? The core includes the surface abs, the internal abs (transverse abdominal), internal oblique, external oblique, glutes, hips, and lower back muscles. That is what we consider the core!
Envision, if you will, a garden hose as your core. When you turn the water pressure on full blast, there is no pressure or force loss. If there is a small hole in that hose, the pressure drops down. A strong core enables you to produce more force. The better the strength of your core, the harder you hit! It is that simple.
In order to build this combat core you must think in terms of three ranges of motion and sports-specific exercise. These ranges of motion are forward, lateral, and rotational, all to be performed while mimicking a combat move. I’m going to show the same movements that my UFC fighters and clients use to strengthen those essential muscles. Want more power in your strikes? Then start at the core!
Not only will this enable you to punch, kick, elbow, and knee with more authority, it will also enable you to absorb more punishment to the mid section. As we have seen in recent fights, such as UFC 91 when Kenny Florian fought Joe Stevenson, seasoned MMA fighters are now working the body. Not only are kicks and knees coming at you with ill intent, but so are uppercuts, hooks to the body, and crosses. I know for a fact many of my top fighters in Boston work on their boxing game. Kenny’s well-known boxing coach, Peter Welch, is a big fan of banging the body. He explains it very simply. “You don’t chop a tree from the top down.” If you’re in the fight game and you know this, you need to ask yourself: ‘How do I prepare for that?’
When you look at the abdominal area there are lots of organs that need to be protected. For a fighter the core not only needs to deliver punishment, but to take it as well. A shot to the liver will put most combatants flat on the canvas, wishing they had never heard the phrase ‘UFC’. The continuous bombardment to the six-pack (which houses the stomach and intestines) that these fighters take would make any of us hurl our lunch into the stands. In order to protect these vital areas you need core work that is specific to the sport.
The days of doing countless crunches are long gone. We have our gladiators work their gut during the whole workout. It‘s integrated into all the strength and conditioning sessions we perform. Why shouldn’t it be? You need it during the whole fight, don’t you? If I were in the fight game, I’d want abs like a turtle shell, tough and rock solid. Try out some of the following moves (that can be performed anywhere with minimal equipment) to take your abs to punch-proof status!
Wall Ball Toss
Take a medicine ball that won’t bounce and, with a lateral toss, throw it as hard as you can into the wall. Either catch it and repeat or pick it up and repeat. Do this for three to five rounds (depending on fitness levels) of 45 seconds with a 15-second break between rounds.
Wood Choppers
Take a medicine ball between your hands and start over one shoulder. Forcefully chop the ball down to the opposite hip and repeat, switching sides every ten reps. Do not drop the ball and make sure to twist your hips and really use your core to accelerate and slow the ball down. Perform for three to five rounds (depending on fitness levels) of 45 seconds with a 15-second break between rounds.
Stability Ball Dumbbell Row
Place two dumb-bells, shoulder-width apart, on the floor. With your feet on a stability ball perform alternate rows, keeping your body parallel with the floor as you lift the dumb-bell. This is an extreme version of the plank and will make your midriff hard as a rock! Hold for three to five rounds (depending on fitness levels) of 45 seconds with a 15-second break between rounds.
Kevin Kearns (aka Dr Evil) is the strength and conditioning coach to UFC lightweight contender Kenny Florian and many other elite MMA athletes. His MMA conditioning DVDs ‘The Burn with Kearns Basement Tapes for MMA Conditioning’ are available now from www.burnwithkearns.net. For information on workshops, seminars, and certification Kevin can be reached at [email protected]
