This week, Stephan goes through
a typical warm up and work out you should do to incorporate all
the core components when training for a mixed martial arts match
or any type of ground fighting game like Pankration, wrestling or
Brazilian Jujitsu. All these workout elements combined will help
you improve your overall ground game and fitness level to be able
to use and apply all your grappling skills.
K, What About a Hard Bodyweight Conditioning
Workout?
Someone
asked me recently "if the bodyweight conditioning routine
shown at this MMA
workout page is an easy workout, then what does your
BJJ coach, Marcus Soares, consider a hard workout?"
With
Marcus every warmup workout is different, although generally the
sequence he uses has this sequence: 1) arm and chest exercises,
2) leg exercises, 3) neck strengthening, and 4) abdominal conditioning.
Every
workout he does is tough (and they get even worse before a competition).
Also for a while we were training at a place that had a lot of
small dumbells (2 to 10 lbs) available, and the exercises that
he made us do were just brutal.
To
give you an idea of what a typical tough workout is I've written
down a routine that he made us do a few days ago. I'd be lying
if I said I did every repetition - I've only seen one or two people
do an entire Marcus workout perfectly, and they were all 160 lbs
or less.
A)
Jumping Jacks - 3 minutes
B)
5 sets of 20 pushups and 20 "jumps", for 100 pushups
and jumps in total. Jumps are basically partial squat thrusts:
keep your hands on the floor and hop your feet from being close
to your hands to a pushup position (i.e. photos 2, 3, and 4 of
this exercise without standing up www.trainforstrength.com/ex-12.shtml).
D)
50 Chinese pushups
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 |
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| A
- Start in a piked position |
B
- Bring your body close to the mat, leading with your head
|
C
- Finish in an upward facing arch. Return to the initial position
and do 20 repetitions |
E)
100 Mountain Climbers - start in a low sprinter's starting position,
both hands on the ground, one leg bent and forward, the other
straight and backwards. One count involves jumping and switching
legs (forward leg goes back back leg goes forward) and then jumping
and switching legs again.
F)
Standing stretching forward and back
G)
Bodyweight Squats for 3 minutes (I did c. 130)
- these look like exercise 5 at just without the partner.
H)
15 sets of a compound exercise where you do 3 partial squats and
one jump up into the air, feet clearing the ground, starting from
a low squatted position. For the partial squats go to a low squat
position and bob your but up and down by c. 6 inches, but never
straighten your legs.

I)
Hold low squat position 1 minute
J)
Stretching: stand and place your legs apart, bend at the waist
to touch the left leg, and then the right leg
K)
Neck
Bridging, 30 front, 30 back
L)
Seated butterfly stretch
M)
50 x straight situps, feet on ground
N)
30 x modified V ups: lie on back and lift legs
to 45 degrees off the ground. Now lift your torso towards your
legs and simultaneously open your legs to form 'V' - at the top
of this movement only your buttocks are on the ground.
O)
30 x modified V ups. Similar to above: start lying on your back
and start flutter kicking your legs up and down. Maintaining the
fluttering motion bring your torso off the ground towards your
legs and return it to the floor 30 times.
P)
50 x modified leg lifts. Start in a V-up position with your hands
on ground and your back and legs off the floor. Your legs move
in a "V" (i.e. up to the left, down to the middle, up
to the right), remaining straight for all 50 reps.
Q)
50 x modified leg lifts: sit as above (hands and butt on ground,
legs and back off the ground). Now pump your legs in (bring feet
towards butt) and then out (legs straight and in the air) 50 times.
R)
15 x Teeter totter stretch
This
entire routine is done at a fast pace with no rest between exercises
other than the designated stretches. Good luck getting through
it!
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| A
- Sit with your legs flat on the floor |
B
- Roll backwards… |
 |
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| C
- …until your feet touch the floor |
D
- Now roll forward and touch your feet with your hands. |
Stephan
Kesting
www.grapplearts.com
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