As the title implies, I’ve been looking for a good strength training routine to build explosive power/ speed for mixed martial arts. I recently came across “Westside for Skinny Bastards” and it looked good but I could use some input.
If it’s not ideal could someone point me in the right direction. If it is, however, where could I fit in more bodyweight exercises and plyometrics.
My stats are as follows:
Age: 19
Height: 5’6
Weight: 132LBS @ 3.3%BF
Thanks for any advice…
Which promotion do you fight for?
wouldnt gaining about 20 lbs be a better idea?
How bout eating big/lifting big for awile? then worry about speed and fuctional training
Was I the only person who read “3.3% body fat”??? I don’t believe it. Probably another Bruce Lee fan.
Even if you want to fight at that weight, most guys are like 155, then cut down before they fight. If you stay at that weight you’re at a severe disadvantage.
Also because you’re probably skinny as a pool cue, you’ll get more strength gains from probably just regular “body building” methods.
Westside for Skinny Bastards if perfect for you especially if you’re doing mma more than 3x a week.
If you really want some mat carry over strength, I would add a 4th day of gymnastic drills.
Parallette Training:
www.american-gymnast.com/tt/index_163.cfm
And doing pistols: (Plenty of crossfit/dragon door articles on the topic)
Definitly need to periodize. Say you have a fight in December, I’d look to bulk and really add Max Strength. You can only get so fast and explosive staying at the same strength level. So look to add strength for awhile, say 4-6 wks, then look to max out the possible speed and explosiveness at that strength level with various speed drills and plyo for 4-6 wks. You shouldn’t lose strength during that time, but prolly won’t gain any Max strength. Then repeat. So yea WSFSB is good for your strength gain phase.
[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
Even if you want to fight at that weight, most guys are like 155, then cut down before they fight. If you stay at that weight you’re at a severe disadvantage.
[/quote]
This is very important. If you don’t cut down into your weight class, then your opponent most likely did. Go to any amateur competition and you will see that the better competitors did this (as in his opponent looks 20lbs lighter than him in the same weight class). So, gain some weight.
-Fireplug
I want to gain weight (about 10 LBS) but I want to gain practical strength while doing it.
Any goddamn weight you gain at this point will be practical.
Unless you’re lifting USAPL numbers for your weight class… then anything you gain will benefit you.
Get the idea out of your head that muscle mass is bad and that volume training is bad. You’re underweight, period, unless you’re that weight and you’re built like Kid Yamamoto (a very very lightweight japanese fighter who is still built like a pitbull), then you need to lift.
Nothing special either…
Squat
Bench
Row
Deadlift
Military Press
Chinups
Squat
Bench
Row
thats it.
oh and something that really changed the way I looked at bulking up and size.
I actually told someone…
"i want to gain a functional 10lbs "
he told me (he was pushing a fairly lean 300)
“10 lbs??? Thats eating weight! I lose 3 when I piss and 7 when I shit!”
10 lbs is measily. If you add 10lbs to your legs it’ll look like you never gained weight but your performance will skyrocket.
Or you can gain 10lbs of fat, no muscle, and be worse than you were before.
So dont just think in terms of “10lbs”.
Sorry if i’m chewing you out, but there’s a lot of underlying stereotypes that you seem to be buying into.
So don’t. Start reading some more articles…
Try reading AC’s holiday program for a good athlete template.
for GPP crossfit.cm has a lot of good stuff.
[quote]Jack Strummer wrote:
Was I the only person who read “3.3% body fat”??? I don’t believe it. Probably another Bruce Lee fan.[/quote]
I should hope he’s not at 3.3% bodyfat. At his weight he’d look like a concentration camp survivor.
Yea, I don’t have much to add to this thread. Follow xen’s advice, he knows what he’s talking about.
I’ve read in the past that Alwyn Cosgrove and Charles Staley have alot of mma fighters they train maybe you should direct your questions to them. I read some great articles on training for mma on Alwyns website.