A few fighters and Strength Coaches have asked me the following question recently.
“What are the best “bang for your buck” exercises for fighters.
My answer(s) are always the same:
- Grip work
- Core work
- Posterior chain strength
I realize these answers are pretty vague, but these types of exercises are vital for fighters looking to improve their fight game.
Here are my top 5 grip training exercises for MMA!
Farmers Walks
If you’ve ever performed a heavy farmers walk, you know why this exercise is on the list. This is an incredible drill for developing grip strength, total body tension, core stability, lat, tricep, and upper back strength. These are relatively simple from a technical standpoint, but can be incredibly tough when you use a weight that challenges you.
Grab 2 relatively heavy weights – 1/2 to 2/3 of your bodyweight in each hand seems to be a good place to start. Pick up the weights in a deadlift fashion, a perfect hip hinge, with a neutral spine and abs locked in. Once you are upright, walk for time.
If your goal is raw grip strength, go very heavy and perform 4-5 sets of :8 farmers walks. If grip endurance is your goal, go a bit lighter and perform 4-5 reps of :30 to :60 farmers walks.
Single Arm Fat Grip Suitcase Carries
If you haven’t used fat grips in training, you are missing out. We use the blue 2.25 fat gripz and they are perfect! Not only does fat grip training increase overall hand and forearm strength, it also increases neural drive, which translates to lifting more weight.
Here’s another consideration. A fat grip is similar in diameter to a persons wrist. If you can develop incredibly strong hands using a fat grip, this should translate into better grappling and wrist control.
Yet another benefit of single arm fat grip carries is the core stability component. If you do these correctly and keep your shoulders over your hips, this type of carry is excellent for developing the obliques, quadratus lumborum and glutes.
Start with 1/3 of your bodyweight and go from there. Try performing 3-4 sets of :25 fat grip suitcase carries.
Pinch Grip Holds and Carries
Pinch grip training is training for the thumb and individual fingers. When training the pinch grip, do not allow the weights to touch the palm or it defeats the purpose of the pinch grip. This is VERY tough, but perfect for increasing thumb and finger strength.
I recommend starting off light with these exercises. Grab (2) 10lb steel plates, make sure that the ridges (where the lettering is) is in facing in. You want to focus on all fingers/thumb here. Try performing 3-4 sets of :12 to :15 holds per hand.
Bottom Up Kettlebell Carry
Ah, the joy of performing self- limiting exercises. The bottom up kettlebell carry is exactly that. If the kettlebell falls, you’re either doing it wrong, are too weak, or too tired.
The bottoms up kettlebell carry promotes hand, wrist, forearm, and core stiffness. Don’t believe me?
Here is what Dr. Stuart Mcgill has to say about the bottom up kettlebell carries.
Every time I work with top international athletes I learn more about athleticism. We have all heard that having a strong core increases strength elsewhere in the body. Experience tells us this is true but I was incomplete in my explanation of the mechanism. I enhanced my education a couple of years ago following my analysis of “strongman event” competitors.
First we measured the athlete’s strength capabilities – hip abduction being one of them. Then we quantified the tasks, strength demands and joint mechanics in various events. Curiously they needed more hip abduction strength to succeed in events such as Super Yoke and the Suitcase carry than they could create in their hips. How could they perform a feat of strength that was beyond what a joint could produce?
Consider the Super Yoke where several hundred pounds are carried across the shoulders. The axial load down the spine traverses across the pelvis to the support leg allowing the other leg to step and swing. Hip abduction is needed to lift the pelvis laterally but clearly the strength required far exceeded what the hip could create. The missing strength came from the core muscles (quadratus lumborum and the abdominal obliques on the swing leg side) which helped lift the pelvis. Now consider the footballer who plants the foot on a quick cut. A strong and stiff core assists the hip power to be transmitted up the body linkage with no energy losses resulting in a faster cut. This is the same performance enhancing mechanism as in the Super Yoke but it is not traditionally trained in the weight room.
This experience resulted in the search for the best training approach. We quantified asymmetric carries such as the suitcase carry and found that quadratus and the abdominal wall were challenged to create this unique but essential athleticism. However, working with Pavel we tried kettlebell carries (just in one hand). Racked traditionally with the bell carried on the back of the forearm (with the hand position tucked in close to the chest as if the athlete were to begin an overhead press) helps to reduce shoulder impingement should this be an orthopaedic issue. However, even better was the bottom up carry. Here the bell is held upside down in the bottom up position with the elbow tucked close to the body and the bell beside the head. The core is stiffened to control the bell and prevent it from rotating in the hand. Now walk briskly. Core stiffness is essential to prevent the loss of the bell position.
I consider that every general program to enhance athleticism needs a carry task. The bottom up kettlebell carry is a staple. This and other techniques for performance enhancement are found in “Ultimate back fitness and performance.”
Awkward Object Hangs
These are simple, but not easy. We have a few grip tools from Rogue fitness, but you can really get creative with this style of training. We love the cannonball globes and grandfather clock grips. You can also use towels, two-finger holds or any device that is safe to hang from.
Try 3-4 sets of :7 to :10 hangs. You won’t need much more than that.
How should you incorporate these grip training exercises into your strength training program?
Any of these drills will help you in the cage, but make sure that you don’t overdo it.
You can attack grip training in two different ways:
- As a priming tool before your big lifts. Practice 1-2 sets of :5 hold to prime, but not tax, your grip. If you perform too much volume, it will have a negative impact of your compound lifts such as pull ups, deadlifts, etc.
- Train your grip after your strength exercises, but before your energy system work. You don’t need maximal grip strength to sprint uphill, push a sled or perform bike sprints.
There you have it! Throw these grip training exercises into your program and reap the benefits in the cage!