Huge thanks to John Gaglione, AKA Coach Gags, of Gaglione Strength for this guest blog post!
So you want to be a fighter? Maybe your sport is wrestling or BBJ? All of the fight sports have a few things in common. You need to be strong, powerful, mobile, and HOSTILE! Follow these so you can become a BEAST on and off of the mats!
Master your own Body Weight
If you are combat athlete you need to master your own body weight as well you need to be able to control an opponent who is just as big or as small as you are. Your body should be your number one tool to great stronger for that reason. Doing high rep sets is not enough. You should be constantly pushing to work towards more advanced progression or to add additional load. A big mistake is neglecting lower rep work with body weight exercises. By utilizing both higher rep and lower rep ranges you can build both relative strength and endurance.
Become as Strong as you can Pound for Pound
If you are a fighter or wrestler you need to be strong pound for pound. You don’t need to lift world class numbers from a powerlifting stand point, but don’t neglect basic barbell training and heavy compound movements. Squats, presses, and deadlift will build up strength in multiple muscle groups simultaneously and will also improve the amount of force you can produce throughout your entire body. Many fighters drop their strength work and only focus on conditioning. This is a big mistake. Strength is the foundation for potential power so the bigger foundation of strength you have the more potential you have for a big knockout or an explosive takedown.
Just because you are using a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell doesn’t mean you are doing strength work. You need to work in the 3-5 rep range from time to time and give yourself adequate rest so you can truly build absolute strength. Your entire body will become stronger as a result.
Develop a Gorilla Grip
Hand strength is super important for all combat sports. If you want to set up a takedown or finish a choke you need to have a strong grip. It is important to included exercises that hit your hands from multiple angles and train for crushing strength as well as supporting strength. Static and dynamic exercises should be included in your routine so you train your hands for multiple situations that will happen in a fight. You will feel useless if your forearms and hands are tired in the last round so make sure you included grip strengthening exercises in your routine on a regular basis.
Train for Neck Strength and Stability
The neck is one of the most overlooked areas in all of training and is a critical component to train for any combat athlete from both a performance and health standpoint. The neck is one of the most common targets for a fighter so it is critical to have a strong and stable neck. Having a muscular and thick neck can help prevent concussion and allow for better positions to be achieve in a match. Make sure to included static stability exercises in your training so you can teach your body to resist movements from your opponent.
Constantly work to Improve your Mobility
Mobility is an important element of training that can be utilized to improve your positioning inside and outside of the mat. Having increased mobility will allow for more active range of motion and better technique on heavy compound movements and allow for better skill application in training. If you joints have great mobility you will have more potential to be more efficient in your technique and utilize less energy during your sport practice.
Train to be Strong, Athletic and Powerful
You can be strong as an ox and look like a pitbull, but if you are all show and no go, it really doesn’t matter how jacked you look when you get in the ring. Being strong is great, but if you can’t move quickly you won’t get very far in the fight game. Once you have established a great foundation of strength, stability, and mobility it is important to train for power. Again low rep range should be used with full recovery.
Just because you are jumping or throwing a medicine ball in a circuit doesn’t mean you are working on your power. You need to be putting maximum effort into each repetition in order to teach your body to become explosive. A great way to train for power is to utilize contrast training. You can pair a strength exercises will a similar power exercise in order to excite the nervous system to recruit higher threshold motor units. Basically performing the strength move first will allow a great power output when performing the power exercise.
I hope you enjoyed these tips. Follow these methods and your performance will improve greatly inside and outside of the weight room. Even if you are not a fighter you can follow these guidelines to become a stronger in your body and your mind.
About the Author
John Gaglione is a strength coach out of Long Island, New York. John trains a wide variety of athletes at his facility located in Farmingdale New York. He specializes in spitting out champion wrestlers and improving maximal strength for all athletes and “average joes” helping them achieve their maximum potential.
He is the co-author of the Supreme Strength System, the proven systems to develop maximal strength with minimal equipment. This system is selling in over 7 different countries and is currently helping people from all over the world become the strongest versions of themselves.
2 Comments
Frank
October 25, 2012Tremendous article! A wealth of training knowledge for serious fighters!
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