5 awesome kettlebell exercises for mma athletes
5 Essential Kettlebell Exercises for MMA
Kettlebells are great for overall strength and conditioning for all grappling and striking arts. Kettlebells strengthen your whole body through compound movements that are both ballistic and fun. The 5 best kettlebell excises for MMA athletes are:
-Alternating cleans
-Alternating overhead presses
-Two handed snatch
-Round the world
-Walking swings.
If you can implement any of these exercises into your gym program you will definitely feel the results when you're sparring at practice.
Alternating cleans:
-Hold a Kettlebell in each hand between your legs.
-Bend your knees, back straight and core muscles tight.
-Keeping your head up and back straight begin the movement by extending at the knees and shrugging your shoulder pulling one of the Kettlebells up into the rack position.
-Your elbows should come high in the initial pull, but then swing underneath the Kettlebell so that the Kettlebell will come to rest on the back of your hands
-As you begin lowering the kettlebell simultaneously clean the other kettlebell up into the rack position
- Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
Alternating Overhead Presses:
Alternating Overhead presses are fantastic for working your shoulders, triceps and your core strength. These should also be a fundamental exercise for MMA fighters because it is utilizing the whole body.
To do Alternating overhead presses:
-Stand with two kettlebells in the rack position
-Contract your abdominal muscles and press one kettlebell above your head
-Do not lock out the elbow joint
-As you begin lowering that kettlebell begin to press the other kettlebell overhead
-Repeat for desired number of repetitions
Two handed snatch:
This exercise is one of the hardest kettlebell exercises to do, but it is also one of the most beneficial to MMA fighters.
-Grasp a Kettlebell in each hand.
-Keep your head looking straight ahead, your back straight and feet flat
-Swing the Kettlebells between your legs, be sure to bend your knees and push your bum backwards.
-Keep your core muscles tight and breathe in when swinging the Kettlebells between your legs.
-As the Kettlebells swing forward drive hard with your hips, legs and lower back. This will make the Kettlebells travel upwards
-Instead of only getting the kettlebells to shoulder height drive the weight hard so the bottom of the kettlebells will travel over the top of the handle, and rest on the back of your hands
-Control the weight back the same direction it travelled
-Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
Round the World:
Round the worlds are great for rotational strength which is vital to all throws and punches.
-Hold the Kettlebell at chest height. Simple pass the Kettlebell around your head in a circular motion.
-Keep your head up, back straight and core muscles tight. Be sure not to hit yourself in the head.
-Perform for desired number of repetitions.
Walking swings - Walking swings require a lot more room than most other kettlebell exercises. These are a great exercise to include into a circuit or fitness regime. To do Walking swings you must perform a kettlebell swing and when the kettlebell is at the top of its swing take a step forward with both feet. Perform kettlebell swings but in between each swing take a step forwards.
Kettlebells are great for overall strength and conditioning for all grappling and striking arts. Kettlebells strengthen your whole body through compound movements that are both ballistic and fun. The 5 best kettlebell excises for MMA athletes are:
-Alternating cleans
-Alternating overhead presses
-Two handed snatch
-Round the world
-Walking swings.
If you can implement any of these exercises into your gym program you will definitely feel the results when you're sparring at practice.
Alternating cleans:
-Hold a Kettlebell in each hand between your legs.
-Bend your knees, back straight and core muscles tight.
-Keeping your head up and back straight begin the movement by extending at the knees and shrugging your shoulder pulling one of the Kettlebells up into the rack position.
-Your elbows should come high in the initial pull, but then swing underneath the Kettlebell so that the Kettlebell will come to rest on the back of your hands
-As you begin lowering the kettlebell simultaneously clean the other kettlebell up into the rack position
- Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
Alternating Overhead Presses:
Alternating Overhead presses are fantastic for working your shoulders, triceps and your core strength. These should also be a fundamental exercise for MMA fighters because it is utilizing the whole body.
To do Alternating overhead presses:
-Stand with two kettlebells in the rack position
-Contract your abdominal muscles and press one kettlebell above your head
-Do not lock out the elbow joint
-As you begin lowering that kettlebell begin to press the other kettlebell overhead
-Repeat for desired number of repetitions
Two handed snatch:
This exercise is one of the hardest kettlebell exercises to do, but it is also one of the most beneficial to MMA fighters.
-Grasp a Kettlebell in each hand.
-Keep your head looking straight ahead, your back straight and feet flat
-Swing the Kettlebells between your legs, be sure to bend your knees and push your bum backwards.
-Keep your core muscles tight and breathe in when swinging the Kettlebells between your legs.
-As the Kettlebells swing forward drive hard with your hips, legs and lower back. This will make the Kettlebells travel upwards
-Instead of only getting the kettlebells to shoulder height drive the weight hard so the bottom of the kettlebells will travel over the top of the handle, and rest on the back of your hands
-Control the weight back the same direction it travelled
-Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
Round the World:
Round the worlds are great for rotational strength which is vital to all throws and punches.
-Hold the Kettlebell at chest height. Simple pass the Kettlebell around your head in a circular motion.
-Keep your head up, back straight and core muscles tight. Be sure not to hit yourself in the head.
-Perform for desired number of repetitions.
Walking swings - Walking swings require a lot more room than most other kettlebell exercises. These are a great exercise to include into a circuit or fitness regime. To do Walking swings you must perform a kettlebell swing and when the kettlebell is at the top of its swing take a step forward with both feet. Perform kettlebell swings but in between each swing take a step forwards.
Kettlebells for MMA fighters
For any combat martial artist, including boxers, stamina and strength are, of course, necessities. However, the sport of kettlebell lifting can be as beneficial, if not more, than traditional weight training in improving overall strength. Let me expand on that for a second before we get into any specific kettlebell exercises for boxers.
With weight training, there are benefits and increases in raw strength. That’s a fact. But with boxing and other combat arts, the emphasis on functional strength should be paramount. Conventional weight training as opposed to kettlebell training is more of a collection of static movements and exercises where you may be locked in a fixed position or a machine. There are not any sport-specific exercises that I’ve seen that you can do with a dumbbell or barbell as far as boxing goes.
Conventional weight training is perfect if your chosen sport is powerlifting or bodybuilding. However, when you need explosive, coordinated, dynamic strength and agility, especially in the extreme ranges of the motion, kettlebell training is just what the doctor ordered.
The use of a kettlebell is more repetition and movement-based, where coordinated movements, breath synchronization and mental focus are more important than getting that last “cheat rep.”
For a boxer, the benefits of kettlebell practice are numerous. The various cardiovascular benefits notwithstanding, the gains in functional strength and overall coordination will increase punching power without a gain in weight. Any martial artist will tell you that punching power, when technique is applied properly and efficiently, can increase punching power without an increase in effort or weight gain.
The secret to improving technique is to have the attitude that raw brute strength is not always the answer. Focused, coordinated strength is a more powerful ally in the ring. In my 22 years of martial arts training, I’ve seen time and again where technique will beat raw strength every time without fail.
Am I saying that raw strength has no place in combat arts? Absolutely not! What I am saying is that focus and coordination makes your existing strength that much better and efficient. If you’re a boxer or an eastern martial artist, you know that to waste energy in a fight can be fatal. So if coordination and focus can make you more efficient, why not make that a critical component in your combat training?
The kettlebell exercises in this article will help the boxer by increasing punching power with specific movements designed to work the muscles and joints used in the sport.
The first boxing-specific kettlebell exercise I’ll show you is called the “slip-dip.” This exercise will increase your leg, back and shoulder strength and will get you ready for the second drill as well.
Slip-Dips
Begin with the kettlebell in an “inside grip.” It should be on the inside of your arm (as if you were holding a football) as opposed to the traditional way of holding it on the outer forearm.
1. Hold the Kettlebell in the inside grip.
2. Assume your boxing “guard” stance with your hands up.
3. Dip your upper body as if you were ducking a punch, then rise to the starting position.
This would be one repetition. Make sure to keep your back straight and that you work both sides equally! You do not want to create any imbalances in your back and shoulder muscles. Do as many reps as you like without losing form.
Kettlebell Uppercuts
This drill will increase your punching power whether you like it or not. When done correctly, your whole body gets behind the punch and increases leverage simply by putting the body mass into the punch. After doing this drill with the kettlebell, try some uppercuts without any weight and you’ll see what I mean here. It’ll be the same effect as a batter warming up with a weighted bat and then going to the plate with a regular bat. The swing speed increases simply because he’s swinging a lighter bat. You’ll have the same feeling after throwing punches with your kettlebell.
1. Hold the kettlebell with the inside grip as in the last drill.
2. Do a single slip-dip as if you were ducking a punch.
3. As you rise, throw your uppercut.
4. The secret here is to use your whole body to do it. You need to turn your upper body while exploding with your legs and hips in an upward/forward motion.
Use your body to execute the punch, not just by simply lifting the kettlebell up with your arm. An effective punch is thrown with the whole body, not just the arm. This applies to all punches and not just the uppercut! However, with this drill, you’ll train not only proper technique, but you’ll be training all of the muscles to work together as a team. This phenomenon is explained in detail in Pavel Tsatsouline’s Power to the People! Work both sides with this drill and over a short amount of time, you’ll see increases in punching power as well as an increased ability to absorb body punches.
Be sure to initiate the movement with your legs as this is where the bulk of your power will come from. Also, do the drill with slow, precise movement with your focus on the proper technique before doing it with explosiveness.
This drill works the shoulders, back, legs, and lungs, and most importantly, the obliques and erector muscles in the lower back, giving you a tremendous amount of rotational power in addition to increased ability to absorb the ballistic shock of body punches.
If you remember what I said before, a focused, more efficient punch is more powerful by default. Efficient punches should be the thing that fighters seek more than anything else. The ability to last in the ring and be as strong in the tenth round as in the first is every fighter’s goal. kettlebell training is one way to work towards this.
Conventional weight training is perfect if your chosen sport is powerlifting or bodybuilding. However, when you need explosive, coordinated, dynamic strength and agility, especially in the extreme ranges of the motion, kettlebell training is just what the doctor ordered.
The use of a kettlebell is more repetition and movement-based, where coordinated movements, breath synchronization and mental focus are more important than getting that last “cheat rep.”
For a boxer, the benefits of kettlebell practice are numerous. The various cardiovascular benefits notwithstanding, the gains in functional strength and overall coordination will increase punching power without a gain in weight. Any martial artist will tell you that punching power, when technique is applied properly and efficiently, can increase punching power without an increase in effort or weight gain.
The secret to improving technique is to have the attitude that raw brute strength is not always the answer. Focused, coordinated strength is a more powerful ally in the ring. In my 22 years of martial arts training, I’ve seen time and again where technique will beat raw strength every time without fail.
Am I saying that raw strength has no place in combat arts? Absolutely not! What I am saying is that focus and coordination makes your existing strength that much better and efficient. If you’re a boxer or an eastern martial artist, you know that to waste energy in a fight can be fatal. So if coordination and focus can make you more efficient, why not make that a critical component in your combat training?
The first boxing-specific kettlebell exercise I’ll show you is called the “slip-dip.” This exercise will increase your leg, back and shoulder strength and will get you ready for the second drill as well.
Slip-Dips
Begin with the kettlebell in an “inside grip.” It should be on the inside of your arm (as if you were holding a football) as opposed to the traditional way of holding it on the outer forearm.
1. Hold the Kettlebell in the inside grip.
2. Assume your boxing “guard” stance with your hands up.
3. Dip your upper body as if you were ducking a punch, then rise to the starting position.
This would be one repetition. Make sure to keep your back straight and that you work both sides equally! You do not want to create any imbalances in your back and shoulder muscles. Do as many reps as you like without losing form.
Kettlebell Uppercuts
This drill will increase your punching power whether you like it or not. When done correctly, your whole body gets behind the punch and increases leverage simply by putting the body mass into the punch. After doing this drill with the kettlebell, try some uppercuts without any weight and you’ll see what I mean here. It’ll be the same effect as a batter warming up with a weighted bat and then going to the plate with a regular bat. The swing speed increases simply because he’s swinging a lighter bat. You’ll have the same feeling after throwing punches with your kettlebell.
1. Hold the kettlebell with the inside grip as in the last drill.
2. Do a single slip-dip as if you were ducking a punch.
3. As you rise, throw your uppercut.
4. The secret here is to use your whole body to do it. You need to turn your upper body while exploding with your legs and hips in an upward/forward motion.
Use your body to execute the punch, not just by simply lifting the kettlebell up with your arm. An effective punch is thrown with the whole body, not just the arm. This applies to all punches and not just the uppercut! However, with this drill, you’ll train not only proper technique, but you’ll be training all of the muscles to work together as a team. This phenomenon is explained in detail in Pavel Tsatsouline’s Power to the People! Work both sides with this drill and over a short amount of time, you’ll see increases in punching power as well as an increased ability to absorb body punches.
Be sure to initiate the movement with your legs as this is where the bulk of your power will come from. Also, do the drill with slow, precise movement with your focus on the proper technique before doing it with explosiveness.
This drill works the shoulders, back, legs, and lungs, and most importantly, the obliques and erector muscles in the lower back, giving you a tremendous amount of rotational power in addition to increased ability to absorb the ballistic shock of body punches.
If you remember what I said before, a focused, more efficient punch is more powerful by default. Efficient punches should be the thing that fighters seek more than anything else. The ability to last in the ring and be as strong in the tenth round as in the first is every fighter’s goal. kettlebell training is one way to work towards this.
Build MMA strength and conditioning
Too many MMA fighters out there are training with light weights and low reps in hope they will improve their overall strength conditioning. This is wrong and I'm going to talk about what is right.
Instead, fighters should focus on using heavier weights and do conditioning separate from their strength training sessions.
I'm about to show how fighters can focus on getting stronger all while still building up their wind. To do so I'm going to talk about the 5 essential movements all MMA fighters should be doing in their strength programs.
1) Deadlifts
Deadlifts are the king of strength exercises! There's no other exercise that will add lean muscle and strength to your whole body then deadlifts.
Deadlifts also target the weaker muscles in the body that lots of athletes and fighters neglect.
Fighters should use deadlifts in the 3-5 rep range and even sometimes maybe hit singles and doubles. Lifting in the 3-5 reps range is ideal to build strength for MMA fighters. When you use more than 5 reps in a set, you're using too little of load.
The start of your session is the best time to do heavy deadlifts. Deadlifts should be done preferably after an explosive type exercise.
2) Front squats
Deadlifts are king, front squats are the prince! Front squats help build both upper and lower body strength at once.
The reason front squats work so well at getting fighters strong is based around how the weight is loaded on the body. When its front loaded, there's so much more stress placed upon the body which really forces the core to be engaged.
Front squats are amazing at building core and lower body strength both at the same time.
Like with deadlifts, front squats should be done in the lower rep range, preferably somewhere around the 3-6 rep range and right after an explosive exercise around the beginning on a session.
3) Heavy sled / prowler pushes
Sled and prowler work by far takes the cake in terms of conditioning benefits and strength building. Not too many exercises out there can do both.
The best bang for your buck exercise out there has to be your heavy prowler and sled drags.
More and more MMA fighters are starting to realize the benefits of pushing a heavy prowler around or pulling a heavy sled. It just does wonders for building lower body strength as well as increasing conditioning.
I like to have fighters do short ALL OUT goes with a heavy prowler. 10 sec ALL OUT sprints with a heavy load is an excellent choice for heavy prowler pushes. You can use sleds to work longer distances by pulling and dragging a heavy sled for overall time or just reps.
Either way, sled and prowler work MUST become a part of your program if you are a serious MMA fighter! Typically, for conditioning wise, do sled and prowler work at the end of a session. But if the goal is more on the strength side, you could perform super heavy prowler and sled work at the beginning of a session.
4) 1 Arm KB / DB clean and press
Kettlebells are by far one of the most versatile pieces of strength equipment one can have. But, many MMA fighters and trainees find it hard to get their hands on their own kettlebells so dumbbells can also be used for this particular exercise.
The clean is an excellent movement to explosively get the weight up to the shoulders. From there, the fighter can either press strictly or use their hips to explosively drive the weight overhead. Once to the shoulder, the weight is explosively pressed over head to lockout. Cleans are naturally a power exercise. You can perform a kettlebell or dumbbell clean easily. The one common thing about both of these movements is that they must be performed explosively.
I like to use a heavy weight, one that can be lifted with good form about 3-5 reps/ arm. 3-5 sets is the ideal recommendation.
5) Weighted pull ups
Pull Ups are the upper body squat! Pull ups will help with an MMA fighters punching power and strength. As weird as it sounds, it's true. The stronger your back gets, the more force you can produce when you throw a punch.
Do be like a lot of fighters and skip out on your pulling movements. These are essential.
When doing weighted pull up variations, I like to use chains, dumbbells and kettlebells hung form a belt, or a weighted vest. All variations work well.
When doing weighted pull ups, I would work in the 3-8 rep range using tons of different variations with your grip style. You can use close grip, wide, baseball, palms facing you, palms facing away, and even rope pull ups.
Either way, MMA fighters should have these in their program no matter what!
So the big idea is to focus in on these 5 movements. Add them in throughout the week into different sessions. A fighter does not want to add all of them into the same session, which would be overkill.
Instead, pick one and have that movement be the strength focus of the day.
As far as conditioning is concerned, add short metabolic conditioning sessions in at the end of strength session or do conditioning sessions on off days. Too many MMA fighters mix strength and conditioning workouts together which then takes away from both.
Get stronger and in turn, you WILL gain more endurance. Truth me.
Travis is a highly unconventional hardcore strength and conditioning specialist that focuses in on serious athletes and trainees to help them improve their overall performance and physique.
For more information on Travis, go to his personal blog at http://www.travisstoetzel.com and look into all of the other articles, posts, and videos available.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5484899
Top 5 Kettlebell exercises for MMA fighters
Kettlebells are great for overall strength and conditioning for all grappling and striking arts. Kettlebells strengthen your whole body through compound movements that are both ballistic and fun. The 5 best kettlebell excises for MMA athletes are:
-Alternating cleans
-Alternating overhead presses
-Two handed snatch
-Round the world
-Walking swings.
-Alternating overhead presses
-Two handed snatch
-Round the world
-Walking swings.
If you can implement any of these exercises into your gym program you will definitely feel the results when you're sparring at practice.
Alternating cleans:
-Hold a Kettlebell in each hand between your legs.
-Bend your knees, back straight and core muscles tight.
-Keeping your head up and back straight begin the movement by extending at the knees and shrugging your shoulder pulling one of the Kettlebells up into the rack position.
-Your elbows should come high in the initial pull, but then swing underneath the Kettlebell so that the Kettlebell will come to rest on the back of your hands
-As you begin lowering the kettlebell simultaneously clean the other kettlebell up into the rack position
- Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
-Bend your knees, back straight and core muscles tight.
-Keeping your head up and back straight begin the movement by extending at the knees and shrugging your shoulder pulling one of the Kettlebells up into the rack position.
-Your elbows should come high in the initial pull, but then swing underneath the Kettlebell so that the Kettlebell will come to rest on the back of your hands
-As you begin lowering the kettlebell simultaneously clean the other kettlebell up into the rack position
- Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
Alternating Overhead Presses:
Alternating Overhead presses are fantastic for working your shoulders, triceps and your core strength. These should also be a fundamental exercise for MMA fighters because it is utilizing the whole body.
To do Alternating overhead presses:
-Stand with two kettlebells in the rack position
-Contract your abdominal muscles and press one kettlebell above your head
-Do not lock out the elbow joint
-As you begin lowering that kettlebell begin to press the other kettlebell overhead
-Repeat for desired number of repetitions
-Stand with two kettlebells in the rack position
-Contract your abdominal muscles and press one kettlebell above your head
-Do not lock out the elbow joint
-As you begin lowering that kettlebell begin to press the other kettlebell overhead
-Repeat for desired number of repetitions
Two handed snatch:
This exercise is one of the hardest kettlebell exercises to do, but it is also one of the most beneficial to MMA fighters.
-Grasp a Kettlebell in each hand.
-Keep your head looking straight ahead, your back straight and feet flat
-Swing the Kettlebells between your legs, be sure to bend your knees and push your bum backwards.
-Keep your core muscles tight and breathe in when swinging the Kettlebells between your legs.
-As the Kettlebells swing forward drive hard with your hips, legs and lower back. This will make the Kettlebells travel upwards
-Instead of only getting the kettlebells to shoulder height drive the weight hard so the bottom of the kettlebells will travel over the top of the handle, and rest on the back of your hands
-Control the weight back the same direction it travelled
-Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
-Keep your head looking straight ahead, your back straight and feet flat
-Swing the Kettlebells between your legs, be sure to bend your knees and push your bum backwards.
-Keep your core muscles tight and breathe in when swinging the Kettlebells between your legs.
-As the Kettlebells swing forward drive hard with your hips, legs and lower back. This will make the Kettlebells travel upwards
-Instead of only getting the kettlebells to shoulder height drive the weight hard so the bottom of the kettlebells will travel over the top of the handle, and rest on the back of your hands
-Control the weight back the same direction it travelled
-Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
Round the World:
Round the worlds are great for rotational strength which is vital to all throws and punches.
-Hold the Kettlebell at chest height. Simple pass the Kettlebell around your head in a circular motion.
-Keep your head up, back straight and core muscles tight. Be sure not to hit yourself in the head.
-Perform for desired number of repetitions.
-Keep your head up, back straight and core muscles tight. Be sure not to hit yourself in the head.
-Perform for desired number of repetitions.
Walking swings - Walking swings require a lot more room than most other kettlebell exercises. These are a great exercise to include into a circuit or fitness regime. To do Walking swings you must perform a kettlebell swing and when the kettlebell is at the top of its swing take a step forward with both feet. Perform kettlebell swings but in between each swing take a step forwards.
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