I am an MMA Fighter, I have always had very strong kicks, nd very good submission skills my problem is I don’t have really good punches. I have heard from many boxing instructors that having strong lats can improve punching power, if you have seen klichco it looks like he has wings.
Right now I only do wide grip pull ups for my lats, what I would like to know is if any one has any good ways to strengthen the lats, and if anyone knows the ideal distance your hands should be spread when you do wide grip pullups, because I use a very exagerated grip, right now my hands are almost 1.5 meters apart.
Orochimaru, first thing’s first: bring your grip in to about shoulder-width or slightly wider. You’ll get better results and reduce your likelyhood of injury.
In addition to chins and pullups, there are two other drills that have great carryover to striking power:
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Renegade Row: basically a pushup witha DB in each hand. At the top of each pushup, continue the movement by pulling one DB up to the same side armpit. Alternate sides each rep
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Rope pulls: like the kind you see on ESPN’s World Strongest man competitions. If you don’t have one of these thick ropes, find a way to improvise the movement the best you can.
Try these drills, perhaps 2 movements twice a week, and your punches will soon take on a life of their own!
[quote]Orochimaru wrote:
I am an MMA Fighter, I have always had very strong kicks, nd very good submission skills my problem is I don’t have really good punches. I have heard from many boxing instructors that having strong lats can improve punching power, if you have seen klichco it looks like he has wings.
Right now I only do wide grip pull ups for my lats, what I would like to know is if any one has any good ways to strengthen the lats, and if anyone knows the ideal distance your hands should be spread when you do wide grip pullups, because I use a very exagerated grip, right now my hands are almost 1.5 meters apart. [/quote]
Wow that renegade row sounds pretty tough to perform…
Thanks Staley I will give your suggestions a shot
I love the sound of that renegade row. I’m gonna have to try it.
The problem with lat pulldowns is that hardly anybody uses the right technique to maximally stimulate the lats. They do a good job working the rhomboids and middle portion of the traps, but not the lats.
For me, the best way to target the lats is to perform “wall lat pulldowns”… you are not actually using a wall to do these, but you must imagine that your forearms are sliding on a wall in front of you at all times.
This means that the forearms stay perpendicular to the floor during the whole movement - the elbows must point directly to the floor during the exercise (99% of all peoples will have their elbows pointing down and back at them).
The torso should also be perfectly upright (while most peoples lean back), and the lower back should be tightly arched.
Only pull down as low as you can while maintaining a proper elbow position.
Christian, how does this apply to pull-ups? Would you use this form there? Or are you recommending “wall pull-downs” in addition to or replacing pull-ups?
[quote]CharlesStaley wrote:
Orochimaru, first thing’s first: bring your grip in to about shoulder-width or slightly wider. You’ll get better results and reduce your likelyhood of injury.
In addition to chins and pullups, there are two other drills that have great carryover to striking power:
-
Renegade Row: basically a pushup witha DB in each hand. At the top of each pushup, continue the movement by pulling one DB up to the same side armpit. Alternate sides each rep
-
Rope pulls: like the kind you see on ESPN’s World Strongest man competitions. If you don’t have one of these thick ropes, find a way to improvise the movement the best you can.
Try these drills, perhaps 2 movements twice a week, and your punches will soon take on a life of their own!
Orochimaru wrote:
I am an MMA Fighter, I have always had very strong kicks, nd very good submission skills my problem is I don’t have really good punches. I have heard from many boxing instructors that having strong lats can improve punching power, if you have seen klichco it looks like he has wings.
Right now I only do wide grip pull ups for my lats, what I would like to know is if any one has any good ways to strengthen the lats, and if anyone knows the ideal distance your hands should be spread when you do wide grip pullups, because I use a very exagerated grip, right now my hands are almost 1.5 meters apart.
[/quote]
What do you think about 1-arm pushups with the elbow tucked in real tight?
[quote]michaelv wrote:
Christian, how does this apply to pull-ups? Would you use this form there? Or are you recommending “wall pull-downs” in addition to or replacing pull-ups?[/quote]
If you can do it on pull-ups by all mean do it. It will be much harder than regular ones though.
What is the difference between doing pull ups compared to doing behind the neck pull ups