» Martial Arts Strength Training »

Rhadi Ferguson Grappling and Fighting background

Rhadi Ferguson is an amazing Judo, Submission Wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu competitor. He is one of the most explosive and powerful grapplers to ever compete. He is the only person to compete at the Olympic Games, the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships and the Brazilian Jiujitsu World Championships. He is an Olympic Judo Gold medalist. He is still a grappling competitor but is also a strength and conditioning coach. He are some of Rhadi’s training videos. His squat workout is sick…. Read the rest of this entry »

Back to Kokuai Ju-Jitsu Training

Saturday was my first day back into full on training at Kobukai Ju-Jitsu. My shoulder held up and I was even able to spar at about 60-75% of my right arm strength. I tried to go full on with the rest of my body though, but it’s tough having limited right arm strength. I had shoulder surgery for a torn labrum and a bone spur. The shoulder held up, but like I said, didn’t have full on strength.

Training the Harai Goshi

During the class I actually got to get back to some of my techniques training. Lately I had been helping others with their techniques I worked with Jake (the toughest, nicest, lawyer you’ll ever meet). We worked on a variety of throws. One was the Harai-goshi, which is actually one of my favorites, that along with Uchi mata.
The Harai Goshi is a sweeping hip throw. It works well for me because I have longer legs and fairly tall. Its one of the original 40 judo throws and one of the 67 Throws of Kodokan Judo. It is a very effective throw and commonly used in Judo matches and I’ve even seen in used by Karo Parisyan in the UFC.
I found this video of Mike Swain doing the Harai Goshi. I was really watching his footwork and how quick he steps and switches his hips. One thing I did not see or notice as much was the off-balancing of his uke. Maybe its just because he is so good, that he is just able to do it very quickly and subtly. It also maybe that since I focusing and trying to improve the off-balancing so much on my throws that I just being over analytical.

So, back to training. I had some good rolls with Sensei Russ, Trey, Ryan and “Normal” Dave. It felt great being on the mat. I was remarking to Sensei after about how much his students had improved. Ryan was one that I saw had improved a great deal. He was very technical and his guard game was on fire. I was very impressed. Ryan even pulled of my favorite submission, the heel hook, on me! Again, very impressive. Ryan’s like our Kobukai encyclopedia. He also helps me with my Monday classes and it has been amazing to have him there

Lifting again

I FINALLY got back to the gym today. 9 weeks off…… fucking killing me. It was actually kinda lame. I really didn’t do much. Mondays I’ll typically work chest and pushing exercises. I didn’t go about 25 lbs at any time. Just really high reps and slow controlling movements. It felt good, but I really get off on moving weight. And when I can’t do that, it was frustrating.

Strong Abs?

One of the things I have always neglected in the gym is my abs. I’m not so bodybuilder, I really don’t care that much about a six pack. I’m sure my wife would love it, but I’m a eater and grower!! I just don’t want to get to “horizontal”. But at the gym today I decided to work on some heavy ab exercises. I got on the decline ab “apparatus” held on to a 45 plate and just did reps and presses. When I went down, I would press the 45 plate up, like a bench, and on the way up, I would bring it to my chest. It was a fun and interesting exercise. I did it for 5 sets with about 12-15 reps. Since I can’t do a lot of heavy lifting right now I think I’m going to spend some more time on my abs and grip.

Strengthening the Biceps for Martial Arts

One of the most overlooked muscles when it come to strength training or sports specific training is the biceps. I personally have fallen into this mindset. I always looked as biceps training as vanity training. I just didn’t want to associate myself with those guys who spend every waking hour training their arms and their chest. But, the biceps play an important role in grappling and combat fighting.

Arm strength is and biceps muscles are used in almost every technique and movement in grappling martial arts. Whether it be jiu-jitsu or a MMA fight, the arms are being used to strike, lift, clinch, throw, hold positions, etc. Arm strength for holding positions is greatly important. Think of when you are defending against an armbar; or if you are trying to finish an armbar. Your biceps muscles play a very important role in defending and executing an armbar. Having the strength there can only improve your techniques.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes when I drive into work, I just turn off the radio and let my mind wander for those 30 minutes. I think about my goals (far too many to count), finances, the internet, and martial arts. Most of the time my mind wanders towards my “martial arts and strength goals”. Where I would like to be, what I would like to accomplish, and how I am going to get there.

There a few factors which cause my mind to go there a lot….

1. I am completely obsessed with martial arts, particularly jiu-jitsu and strength. I’ve always had this problem where I just want to do it ALL.
2. I am about to turn 31. I had set a lot of goals for 30. And besides one, (I thought I would be an internet millionaire by now), I would say I am right on track. But I also realize I am getting older, and I cannot do it ALL. My wife and I want to start growing our family and I have to be realistic about what I want to accomplish in the next 4-5 years. 35 years old is my next benchmark. So, I have been trying to analyze what goals are truly feasible and most important to me.
3. I am injured right now. 5 weeks after surgery and still a shoulder that is about 40% of where I want to it to be… or let me say it should be. If its where I want it to be, it would probably be around 10%. So, because I am injured it has been causing me to refocus my goals. Its also brought the fire back into me for some things.
4. I have been reading a lot… Strength, Grappling, Martial arts, etc

Read the rest of this entry »

Deadlifts- Best Strength Exercise known to man

Personally I think the deadlift is the king of ALL exercises. You can read another post of mine Best Martial Arts Exercises where I discuss effective strength building exercises for martial arts.

From Wikipedia:
The deadlift is a compound movement that works all of the major and most of the minor muscles in the abdomen and lower body, with emphasis on the Erector spinae, lower back and back, along with the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus maximus. The remaining muscles are involved in stability control. It is, in a sense, the purest single event test of strength because it is one of the few lifts of dead weight (weight lying on the ground). In most other lifts the weight changes direction or starts in the air and several other athletic skills such as balance, coordination are emphasized. For example, both Olympic weightlifting events require a great deal of athletic skill in addition to strength. In addition, it is commonly believed to be the oldest test of strength dating back to cultures who competed at lifting the heaviest stones.

One favorite lines in that statement is “It is, in a sense, the purest single event test of strength”. I firmly believe that…. not because of any other movements or changes of angles or anything like that. The deadlift is just “raw”. There’s something really heavy on the ground, and you need to pick it up. The feeling I get from a deadlift is very powerful, more powerful then a squat. The push press is close, but not that close. It is one of the three main lifts associated with powerlifting: bench, squat and deadlift; and is regularly featured in strongman competitions. The funny thing is that if you walk into most gyms, the chances of you seeing someone doing HEAVY or strength building deadlifts is rare. There are very few people I know of or have seen actually training the deadlift heavy.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is my Big Boy Matt Workout Routine for maximum power and strength!! Sounds like a fucking infomercial….
In all seriousness this is my routine that I have used and modified over the years to but on solid mass, and become much stronger.
Note: Like I said in previous posts, I am ordering a camera, so I can demonstrate some lifts, exercises, and grappling stuff. But I have another 2 months worth of healing on the shoulder before I can go heavy again (May 2008).
The workouts revolve around the big 3, plus Push Press. I alternate deadlifts and squats depending on the month. Plus, when I am working squats, I like to do the 20 rep squat routine. I have a great deal of success with that. I’ll go over that in another post. This post will use deadlifts as an example, highlighting a sample week workout.
Read the rest of this entry »

I have been a long time advocate that strength training greatly increases your martial arts ability not only physically, but mentally as well. There are many, many, MANY different philosophies on strength and many different people trying to sell you the quick way to achieve it. I’m actually somewhat “lucky” where I have the body type that I am able to put on mass fairly easily, but with that I also put on fat very easy. My diet needs to be right on when I am trying to be at a certain weight. If you are hardgainer and looking to put on some good mass, check this guy out. His site is a little “selling” but I’ve actually read a good deal of his articles and have seen him published before. Hes got a great program for strength training, and the “correct” way to take supplements, have the right diet, and good lifting principles. It’s called No Nonsense Muscle Building and it’s worth a good look at.

What I liked about No Nonsense Muscle Building is that it is focused around the big three and compound lifts. The big three being deadlift, squat and bench. Personally, I have stopped benching. Mostly because I can’t with my shoulder (just had surgery) and heavy benching took its tool. I have fell in love with heavy dumbbells. The only problem is that getting a good spot, with a bum shoulder is hard to come by.

Those 3 are the core exercises, but I also would like to add Push Press, Power Cleans, Pull-ups, Dips, and Power Curls.

Read the rest of this entry »

Take a moment to watch this brief video (you must watch the end to appreciate the significance).

This video reminds me of a famous Thomas Edison quote. In his words, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

I’ve seen truth in these words at all levels. I know professional fighters who have starred in main event title fights on national television who still doubt their ability. The physical talent is there, but the mind is still trying to hold them back from reaching their true potential.

The mind is certainly powerful. There is no denying this fact. Unfortunately, the mind’s power can work in both directions. The mind can either propel you forward or hold you back. More often than not, the physical talent and potential is present, but the mind prevents the athlete from moving forward.

There are times when you need to turn off that little voice inside your head. Turn it off and go! Don’t think about what you can or cannot do. Just go. Think less and do more. Challenge yourself. You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.

As mentioned in the past No Excuses article, I often see athletes who constantly search for a new and better plan. If something isn’t going right, they rarely take personal responsibility. It must be something else, right? Wrong! Often times you simply need a reminder of what REAL work is all about. Hard work is interpreted differently by different people.

For a combat specific example, we occassionally call for additional rounds of sparring when the athlete thinks he is in the final round. For example, the athlete believes he is sparring 6 rounds, but we may call for 8 or 10. Initially, you may be mentally conditioned to assume that you are fatigued in what you believe to be the last round. When you are forced to “suck it up” and continue however, you’ll often surprise yourself (and realize that you have more gas in the tank). Clearly, this isn’t something that the novice should attempt, but as you climb the ladder, you need to do more than is expected of you.

Ross