Issue 132
MMA conditioning coach and international sambo competitor Barry Gibson introduces his intense power workout to blast up your fight fitness.
The importance of strength is without question in combat sport, however, the ability to be both strong and explosive over an extended period is a far more desirable function.
Most people have encountered the ‘lock-up’ in the muscles known as lactic acid, which occurs when the body produces energy anaerobically. This is potentially very damaging to any fighter, as the arms and legs become heavy, making holding your hands up and your footwork very difficult. This ability to ‘buffer’ lactic acid, or more correctly hydrogen, is vital to all combat athletes. The good news is it can be trained.
Lots of fighters who come to my facility at Grapplefit encounter the many variations of ‘Fight Day.’ So I’m going to allow you to experience it too. That’s how kind I am!
GRAPPLEFIT POWER WORKOUT
This circuit is a mix of both time and reps. You should endeavor to use good form throughout and attack every movement aggressively. Each exercise needs to directly follow the previous with as little time standing around as possible.
If you are a novice fighter or keep-fitter, perform for three rounds with 60 seconds’ rest. If you are an active fighter or professional sportsperson, aim to do five rounds with between 30–45 seconds’ rest in between.
REPS KEY: Novice / Pro
1: Tire flip/tuck jump – 5 reps / 10 reps.
Explosively rip the tire up and over. Immediately jump inside it and straight back out, then turn around and flip it back.
2: Jump Lunges – 15 reps / 25 reps.
Drop into a lunge, jump powerfully up and change stance in mid air, landing softly and repeating immediately.
3: Burpee pull-ups – 6 reps / 12 reps.
Drop into a push-up, explode up into a burpee and drive up into the air to grab the pull-up bar and perform a pull-up.
PRO TIP: Barry has performed his pull-ups with an overhand grip. You can switch it up.
4: Keg Sprawl/clean & press – 5 reps / 10 reps.
Perform a sprawl while gripping the side of the keg, pop the hips up and then clean and press the keg.
5: Combo Sprawls – 10 reps / 20 reps.
Throw a jab, cross, left hook combination, then immediately drop into a sprawl. Back to your feet and start again.
6: Snapdowns – 10 reps / 20 reps.
Grab the handles of the resistance band, set your feet shoulder-width apart, fold at the hips and bend the knees using the core to rip the band down to the floor.
7: Thrusters – 10 reps / 20 reps.
Take a 20kg plate, hold it under your chin, drop into a deep squat, then power up and continue the movement up into a press. Use the leg drive to fire the plate overhead.
PRO TIP: Remember, your typical, proper-form squat has your knees behind your toes.
8: Clinch work/pad combos – 30 sec / 60 secs
Have a coach or training partner back against a cage fence with some pads, throw a combination, then immediately clinch up and wrestle for a takedown or stalemate. This drill develops explosion into the attack and also the isometric strength involved in the clinch.
PRO TIP: The coach or pad man needs to decide when to break off and restart the process.
9: Heartbreaker suplexes – 30 secs / 60 secs.
Grab a wrestling dummy and suplex it as many times as you can with good form for the allotted time.
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