Issue 054

September 2009

No one would question that strength is a physical attribute that a fighter should have. You don’t want to blow out in the first thirty seconds of a fight – it would probably be detrimental to your health, and could see you back in the changing rooms quicker than you had anticipated.  

There are different types of strength, all of which are important for MMA fighters. Developing static (isometric) strength for grappling and greater maximal strength for athletic enhancement is no doubt important. Static strength endurance can be a deciding factor when getting drawn into a draining clinch battle that tests your durability. Dynamic strength endurance will be called upon for relentless striking and frequent transitions in a grappling match. Makes sense, right? But there’s more. You don’t just want to last, you don’t just want to be strong: you want to be quick, too. Let’s look at how you can work on sustaining an explosive effort. Enter speed-strength, and strength-speed, key components of strength for MMA fighters.  

So what’s the difference? To make it clear we can borrow the definition used by Mel C Siff in his book Supertraining:  

Speed-Strength

Movements in which speed of movement plays a fundamental role in overcoming a relatively small resistance (e.g. striking).

Strength-Speed

Movements in which effort is rapidly developed to overcome large resistance (e.g. grappling and throws).

Research has indicated that this type of specialized training is more effective when maximum effort is used and the resistance load is accelerated as rapidly as possible. Remember SPEED is the key word people, so no half-baked efforts here.  

To obtain optimum benefit and muscle recruitment, exercises with light and heavier weights should be used (approximately 20% 1 rep max, up to 40% 1 rep max) as well as those exercises where isometric tension is generated quickly. When combining the light and heavier loaded exercises, ideally a ratio of 5:1 should be used, but this is dependent on the desired training effect and the athlete. Alternation of exercises is considered most effective.  

So what about rest between the exercises? This is really determined by the level of fitness, and the degree of force exerted. If the level of fitness is low and the force exerted is great, then a longer rest period will be required to recover metabolically and neurologically. With an optimum pause of 30 seconds to one minute, you will be able to sustain a high level of output without serious deterioration.  

Let’s have a look to see what it is like in a real workout. I’ve elected to use kettlebells because they are a versatile sub-maximum load. That’s what we want, a sub-maximum load with maximum speed effort. Due to their design, kettlebells are great for training movement patterns, seamlessly transitioning from one exercise to the next and enhancing athletic potential, as they teach your body to function as an integrated unit rather than a sum of isolated body parts (I resisted using the ‘f’ word – you know, ‘functional’). But you want applicable strength and speed, not just to look good on the squat rack or bench. Kettlebells can also help develop incredible strength endurance and stamina. Complete the supreme strength-speed complex followed by the London Bridge, then dust yourself off. Job done.  

The Supreme Strength-Speed Complex 

A kettlebell complex is a series of lifts executed sequentially. The complex is cyclic in nature (i.e. it is repeated several times in a set) as your goal is to be able to perform to a greater work capacity and utilize dynamic and static components of strength, as attack is rarely an all-out single effort, and neither is defense. The supreme strength-speed complex utilizes an explosive pulling action with the snatch, develops incredible force production through the legs with the jerk, and strength in the core, legs, plus superior shoulder stability with the ‘two hands anyhow’.  

Select two kettlebells of identical weight, they should be heavy enough to be challenging, but not so heavy that your form goes on the first set. Then complete these exercises:  

Double snatch, double jerk, ‘two hands anyhow’ = 1 rep. 

Complete 3–5 reps, x 3 sets, with 30–60 seconds of rest between sets.  

The Snatch 

Grab the corner handle of the kettlebell nearest to you so that it’s angled at 45 degrees. Sit back on your heels and pull the kettlebells towards you while maintaining abdominal tension – your arms are relaxed. Suddenly explode upwards, elevating the kettlebells overhead with arms locked out. Kettlebells, arms, shoulders and hips, all the way through to your ankles should be in a straight line. Lower the kettlebells into the rack position and proceed to jerk.  

The Jerk

From the rack position dip your knees and elevate the kettlebells to just above head height via an aggressive explosion of the legs. Dip beneath the kettlebells, locking your arms out, then stand up straight. This is also a great test of dynamic core-strength. From here, lower one kettlebell into the rack position and move onto the ‘two hands anyhow’.  

Two Hands Anyhow

With one kettlebell locked out overhead and the other close to your body, lower the kettlebell to the ground, extending your arm, while maintaining eye contact with the overhead kettlebell (important for balance). Then squat down and curl the kettlebell close to your body and stand up straight. From here, press the kettlebell so now both kettlebells are locked out overhead. Repeat the same on the other side.

All this constitutes one rep!

The London Bridge

An iron core is an essential quality for a fighter, and the ability to generate power from the ground for striking or in a clinch is pretty much fundamental too. This exercise is best performed with a spotter. Select two identical kettlebells of a heavy to moderate weight (preferably heavier than in a previous exercise). Simply adopt the bridge position with arms outstretched at 90 degrees to your body, elbows locked. The kettlebells are resting in your hand (this is where the spotter comes in handy to pass you the second kettlebell). Drive through your heel and thrust your hip upwards explosively while extending the arm in a straight line towards the ceiling. Lower yourself back to the ground slowly for the count of three seconds (this is known as the eccentric phase). Repeat the same on the other side. Alternate for 3–5 reps each side x 1–2 sets. Rest 30–60 seconds each side. As conditioning improves reduce rest time.  

Important note:  

This kettlebell workout is for those who have some experience and are comfortable using kettlebells. I would highly recommend that you obtain instruction from an experienced and qualified kettlebell coach prior to attempting these lifts if you have no prior experience or you’re unsure how to do them.  

CJ Swaby is a kettlebell instructor, strength and conditioning trainer and health and fitness specialist based in London. He is available for one-to-one and small group training as well as workshops and seminars. He can be contacted via www.cjsfitness.co.uk