7 Essential Strength Exercises for Martial Artists
While strength and conditioning workouts are great for all-round fitness, they are absolutely essential to those serious about martial arts and may help with injury prevention as well. To Alain Moggi, a personal trainer with 10 years of experience in training in Karate, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, these are the exercises that every martial artist should be focusing on.
If you’re just getting started and find the prospect of building strength daunting, keep the following verse in mind: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” – Isaiah 40:29.
- Pull-Ups
Pull-ups build upper body strength by developing the muscles in your upper back which are essential to the pulling motions in jiu-jitsu, as well as for the clinch in Muay Thai and MMA. If you aren’t able to do a proper pull-up, start with negative pull-ups by jumping or stepping onto a platform to get your chin above the bar, and then lowering yourself slowly.
- Push-Ups
Push-ups are useful for the striking arts as the pushing motion helps build strength in order to put more power behind your punches. To do a proper push-up, make sure your arms are tucked in, with your hands beneath your shoulders – you want your elbows to glide along your ribcage as you perform the motion.
- Burpees
Burpees are one of the best bodyweight exercises for martial arts as the action of sprawling and jumping back up to your feet mimics many of the level changes you will have to do for grappling. Burpees are also effective for building endurance as they quickly get your heartrate up, even though very few people claim to actually enjoy them w that sports betting NZ is definitely far more fun!
- Overhead Presses
An overhead press involves lifting kettlebells or dumbbells over your head from your shoulders, which will help strengthen the deltoids. Strong shoulders are essential to keeping your guard up, especially when you’re fatigued. Aim to do 8-12 reps and in order to be truly effective, the weight should be heavy enough that the last 3 reps are a challenge to finish.
- Deadlifts
Deadlifts will activate your glutes, hamstrings, lower back muscles, and core, and are essential for Brazilian jiu-jitsu as they help to strengthen your grip as well. When starting out, don’t use too much weight as the focus should always be on good form for an effective deadlift workout. You’ll know you’re doing them correctly if you feel the stretch in your hamstrings as opposed to your quads.
- Squats with a Barbell
Another essential addition to your ‘leg day’ workout should be doing squats with a barbell, as these activate your core, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. As with deadlifts, the focus should be on form and both front squats and back squats are equally beneficial, provided you use heavier weights for back squats. However, those with back issues should steer clear of back squats entirely.
- Thrusters
Thrusters will help improve your explosiveness and cardiovascular fitness. To start, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the barbell just in front of your shoulders – your wrists should be positioned under the barbell. Now, as you extend your hips and legs rapidly, do a full squat, and use the momentum of the upward movement to push the bar up above your head.