Why do S&C?

[ele]

Why should strength exercises be incorporated into the fighter's regimen? When I do mma and I'm on the ground, I already train maximum strength by explosively trying with all my strength to get out of the mount. When I throw explosive punches, I'm also working on explosiveness. All this at the same time works cardio. What extra value can a strength routine provide instead of investing that day in MMA?

 

[Fahcough]

Higher threshold and faster recovery between burst?

Fatigue yourself with heavy punches for 5 minutes straight. Then lay on the ground with a BW sandbag and try to get up 5 times.

 

[ROcknrollracing]

To add more force potential which makes fighting easier. Injury prevention. Just doing the sport improves strength for a little while but it is not a systemic way to improve strength.

 

[KnightTemplar]

Because when skill levels are nearly equal, the stronger opponent has an advantage. A very strong BJJ white belt is going to get smashed into the mats by Blues and Purples, but he'll still be a nightmare for other white belts to roll with.

 

[Kiwi Tricker]

Why should strength exercises be incorporated into the fighter's regimen? When I do mma and I'm on the ground, I already train maximum strength by explosively trying with all my strength to get out of the mount. When I throw explosive punches, I'm also working on explosiveness. All this at the same time works cardio. What extra value can a strength routine provide instead of investing that day in MMA?

You might think you're exploding maximally, or using your maximal amount of strength, but you aren't - you're using the maximal amount of strength *for that particular instance*. You might get sorta strong, but you'll never be as strong as if you developed some time to developing that quality specifically. Same thing for energy systems - you'll always benefit from doing roadwork, intervals, sprints, etc, than *just* rolling and sparring. Sure, you might be pretty fit, and you might be okay in the gym, but against other fighters who do the extra? Forget it.

There's a lot more that we could get into about longevity as an athlete as well, but I'm tired and need to go do a load of washing.

 

[Cole train]

At higher levels of combat sports technical levels are very similar so extra strength helps

Also injury prevention, not directly related to combat sports but my joints and back hurt less when i lift

 

[TheToneZone]

Why should strength exercises be incorporated into the fighter's regimen? When I do mma and I'm on the ground, I already train maximum strength by explosively trying with all my strength to get out of the mount. When I throw explosive punches, I'm also working on explosiveness. All this at the same time works cardio. What extra value can a strength routine provide instead of investing that day in MMA?

Periodization essentially.

It's why swimmers break strokes into components and train them separately. They don't always just swim at maximum effort.

Developing X aspect of something on its own and then plugging it back into the system is a very efficient and powerful way to improve the system.

 

[maximus__]

Why should strength exercises be incorporated into the fighter's regimen? When I do mma and I'm on the ground, I already train maximum strength by explosively trying with all my strength to get out of the mount. When I throw explosive punches, I'm also working on explosiveness. All this at the same time works cardio. What extra value can a strength routine provide instead of investing that day in MMA?

Because being stronger makes those explosive movements easier and repeatable. If throwing a hard punch or bridging is a 1RM type effort for you, you won't be able to do it very many times.
If you use strength training to increase your limit strength, then that same movement becomes less taxing but remains the same output, resulting in being able to repeat it many more times without getting tired.

If lifting a 100kg person up for a suplex is a 1 RM effort for you, you can only do it once. If you can lift 200kg from the same position, that suplex is an easy repeatable movement you can do multiple times. Strength +Speed equals power, if you can increase your strength and maintain speed, you will hit harder.

 

[TheToneZone]

Specific training leads to beneficial adaptations to specific attributes that cannot otherwise be obtained. These benefits can then be applied to the sport.

For instance long distance runners do sprint workouts even though they don't compete in sprints. These workouts lead to adaptations that simply cannot be achieved in long endurance workouts, and then they can then compete better in long distance because their ceiling for speed is better.

No amount of MMA training is going to make you as strong as weightlifting can, for instance. And you can dedicate a relatively small amount of time lifting weights for a relatively large increase in strength that you will be able to then apply to MMA.

 

[TheToneZone]

Raising the ceiling on a physical attribute like strength speed or endurance then makes your regular expressions of skill in a sport less taxing and therefore more available and useful and effective.

For instance in a certain skill takes 50 percent strength, and you double your strength, now it only takes 25 percent. This is very useful.

 

[Rigg9]

If your a very active fighter than you can cut strength training out IMO, expecialy if your competing every month or 2 and already in good shape and have the option to spend your available training time in the gym. But a large amount of time should be spent doing sport specific conditioning, and I wouldnt cut out jogging. If you are only competing like 2 or 3 times a year weight training the right way will make you stronger and more explosive at your weight class, every time you cut to it, untill age catches you.