You may think you can carve shoulders of steel from lifting weights – wrong. Ditch the dumbbells and bring out the sledgehammer, says our S&C expert Kevin Kearns.

In my experience, when introducing someone to mixed martial arts they soon find themselves in awe of fighters’ warrior-like physiques and often remark on how well defined their upper bodies are – in particular, their shoulders.

Developing a strength and conditioning program for shoulders is an art. The shoulder girdle (the muscles that comprise the shoulder completely) are a complex structure and require some clear thought when working with fighters. Since the shoulder is used over and over again for anything from throwing punches to sprawls, it should be given careful consideration when designing a program. 

In MMA strength and conditioning, I believe a program for building shoulders should incorporate two things: developing power and the potential for rehabilitation.

It’s commonplace in any sport that the more you train the more likely you are to have potential for injuries. Especially when there is a high degree of contact involved.

I can think of no other sport, like MMA, where the potential for injury is always there. With the ranges of motion and the training intensity many of our fighters at Team Sityodtong perform at, it is truly amazing their bodies don’t break down more often.

When you think about how many hours are put in on the mat, between, boxing, Muay Thai, grappling, BJJ and then conditioning, it’s no wonder why people want to be as fit as fighters. 

They are truly some of the best-conditioned athletes in the world.

The common fan may believe that MMA stars’ shoulders are built by using more of a ‘bodybuilding’ approach than a functional strength approach. The use of dumbbells for pressing motions, abduction (moving the arms away from the body), adduction (moving your arms towards the body again), and retraction are great in some settings but in my experience we need to think more outside the box, especially for MMA fighters. 

Considering all of these aspects, I believe a small sledgehammer is one of the best pieces of training equipment an MMA warrior can use to not only build strength in their shoulders, but also use for rehabilitation.

At Burn With Kearns we describe the hammer as an “off the shelf” item because it is affordable, adaptable and functional.

We purchase them in weights anywhere from 2–6lbs. The amount of work that can be done in multiple dimensional angles is truly amazing and limitless. For both the striking and grappling game they are one of my go-to tools for fight prep as they can develop grip strength and endurance in all the muscles used for punching. 

Small sledgehammers are also perfect for rehabilitation.

When UFC veteran Spencer Fisher came in for six-week fight camp, he had a slight bicep tendon tear that could become problematic.

Our job was to get him in the best shape possible over the next six weeks. This shoulder injury did concern me as we were going into the phase of “gas in the tank” (more sport-specific training).

Kru Dellagrotte, team Sityodtong’s owner and top trainer, trusted me to get Fisher ready on the conditioning side while rehabbing his shoulder. We opted to use the sledgehammers to rehab his shoulder with remarkable results. If you want to come out swinging on fight night, it’s time to start swinging the hammers. 

HAMMER EXERCISES

Here are some of our common exercises we use not only for strength of the shoulders but rehab as well.

1: Side-to-side swings

Let the hammers do the work as you swing them from side to side at shoulder height. 

2: Roof block

Hold one hammer in front as you rotate the other one around your head.

3: Ground ‘n’ pound

Sit in a stance and imagine pummelling an opponent.

4: Iron T’s  

Stretch the hammers behind your head and then straighten out in a ‘T’ fashion.