Use atlas stones to crush your opponent.
Strikeforce and K-1 heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem recently accredited his gargantuan frame to training with atlas stones.
Atlas stone training is certainly a tried and tested workout used by MMA's strongest athletes, but can it work for you?
The answer is a resounding yes!
Atlas stones are most commonly associated with the World’s Strongest Man contest, however they need not remain in the exclusive domain of the strongman.
Their awkward shape and unusual center of gravity when lifted allows them to promote the need for strong stabilization and dynamic re-centering of the athlete’s COG (an athlete's balance) throughout the range of motion of the exercise.
Want to break a triangle attempt and pick your opponent up and slam them like 'Rampage' did Ricardo Arona?
If Rampage wasn’t strong as a bull, no way would he have escaped the triangle, let alone executed such a devastating KO-inducing slam. Today’s MMA athlete requires a solid, constantly improving level of strength. Atlas stones, as with all strongman-style exercises, will help you develop this.
They are fantastic at developing hip extension, explosive starting strength (simply to get them off the ground) as well as developing tremendous crushing (isometric) strength in your arms.
All whilst engaging your erectors, lats, rhomboids, shoulders and pecs. This isometric strength is of particular use to the MMA athlete. Overwhelming strength can wear your opponent out fast. If two fighters clinch, but one fighter is two times stronger than the other, obviously the weaker fighter will tire first, because at 100% exertion his opponent would only need to be exerting 50%.
Despite the aforementioned benefits, atlas stone training, like all training, should only be undertaken with professional coaching/supervision. Anyone can purchase atlas stones, but not many can teach you to train safely and effectively.
Mastering bodyweight drills and acquiring a solid foundation in traditional lifts such as the deadlift, squat and overhead press are essential before looking to atlas stones.
Atlas stones can be homemade or purchased. A quality stone is worth the investment. To keep the athlete safe, the use of protective sleeves for the forearms are recommended. You can certainly train without them. However, the competitive fighter does not need the headache of raw, torn forearms. Especially when considering the potential for infection that fighters have. Neoprene elbow sleeves or even rugby forearm protectors are cheap and work nicely.
Chalk is important for grip. It will certainly reduce the effect of sweat on your grip. If your gym does not allow chalk; you're in the wrong gym. Tacky (adhesive paste) is common amongst strongmen.
It certainly adds an extra dimension to your grip however, it is both awkward to apply and remove. It is better for fighters to perfect their grip using chalk as this will transfer to their handling of a sweaty opponent much more effectively.
Atlas stones lend themselves to a variety of exercises.
These can include shouldering, carrying for distance and squatting. However, in this instalment, focus will be kept upon the atlas stone load.
Atlas Stone Drills
Use this step-by-step guide to loading an atlas stone:
1 . Straddle the stone with a wide stance. Have the stone between your legs. Imagine a steel rod runs through your ankles and the center of the stone.
2. Initiate the lift by bending over and cupping your arms around and under the stone. Crush it with a strong arm and chest squeeze.
3. Grasp the stone hard, drive your hips down, whilst pulling the stone into your body towards your groin. This can’t be achieved without a hunched lower back. Lower back and rounded back strength are crucial to successful, injury-free stone lifting and MMA competition.
4. From the lap, maintain a solid squat stance and explode the hips forwards and upwards, rolling the stone up your body and transferring your hands from underneath the stone to on top of it. In doing so you will stand as tall as possible in order to load the stone. The result is triple extension (ankle, knees and hips). Always maintain a tight squeeze on the stone, as you would an opponent.
5. Load the stone onto the platform. I use both loading platforms and two large tires stacked upon each other. Always ensure you have a spotter ready to steady the stone if needed. Return to the floor and repeat as required. Thick gym matting is recommended to drop the stone down.
Atlas Stone Zercher Squat
Barbell Zercher squats are used frequently within the standard MMA circuit. They require much greater hip flexion than in the standard back squat, whilst maintaining a more upright torso.
The result is an increased time under tension throughout the set and thus increased glute and hamstring activity, as well as greater core activation via the bar being positioned not axially but in front of your body.
Performing the exercise with an atlas stone adds even more challenge to the core and posterior chain (lower back, glutes and hamstrings) due to the dynamically changing center of gravity (COG) of the stone.
Follow the steps below to execute correctly:
1. Straddle the stone with a wide stance. Have the stone between your legs. Imagine a steel rod runs through your ankles and the center of the stone.
2. Similar to an atlas stone load, bend and cup the stone with your arms in a crush grip. Driving your hips down, pull the stone into your lap.
3. From this position, maintain a solid squat stance and explode upwards until stood upright. The stone should be grasped and held isometrically, giving an increased upper back and chest engagement.
4. Ensure you have a wider than shoulder width stance, lower under control whilst maintaining an upright posture and grasping the stone tight into your body. Pause at the bottom position, then repeat driving up, contracting your glutes and pressing through your heels.
This is an advanced version of a Zercher squat employed only when the athlete is suitably developed and stands to gain something from the exercise.
Atlas stone loading can be used to develop maximal strength with heavier stones. As well as strength endurance, by performing multiple reps of a lighter stone (or series of stones) for time.
Both qualities will carry over to your fight strength nicely.
In choosing what weight stone to use, it is important to take into account the strength of the individual as well as their competence with atlas stones. Atlas stone training can play a great part of a fighter’s strength program, you just need to be smart about when and how you implement them.
Pro Tip
If flexibility and range of motion is an issue, target your hip flexors with foam rollers and a sound dynamic warm-up.
Pointing your toes out whilst squatting will open up the hip flexors and enable a full range of motion for the hamstrings.
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