Explosive strength/Power

[Big Jack]

Basically I train MMA 3x week and as of recently I've noticed that my power is letting me down. There are times when, if maybe I was a bit more powerful I could have finished the take down instead of driving them to the fence, or stood up had I been quicker off the mark.

Right now I'm running SS twice a week, but front squatting on one of the sessions to aid recovery. I am also doing two plyometric sessions, one upper and one lower body.

However, I'm not really sure that this is optimal to increase my power. What should I change/add? Very familiar with strength training, but when it comes to training power/endurance I feel very lost.

Thanks guys.

 

[redaxe]

Are you doing the power cleans in SS? Because that's what they are for. You could also substitute full clean & jerk. Maybe add some high pulls as well.

Aside from clean-related movements I also like hill sprints and prowler pushes. There are other options, but in my mind these are pretty much the basic, go-to exercises for explosive power development.

 

[Big Jack]

Yep I am doing my power cleans on session B. I don't have access to bumper plates however, so I'm not sure if I'd feel comfortable doing clean + jerks. Hill sprints are an option though, how would I programme those however?

 

[RexRooster]

Make sure you're doing burpees full speed jumping as high as possible and really exploding out of the push up. Get a partner and carry them around in a zercher position, do this up hill/stairs if possible. Start doing Snatch Grip deadlifts ASAP.

 

[Pearse Shields]

Make sure you're doing burpees full speed jumping as high as possible and really exploding out of the push up. Get a partner and carry them around in a zercher position, do this up hill/stairs if possible. Start doing Snatch Grip deadlifts ASAP.

What an odd combination of suggestions.

Mister Jack, do you keep a training log here? What are your current numbers/maxes?

 

[Samuel Reynoso]

...Hill sprints are an option though, how would I programme those however?

You can find some good hill sprint progressions from a google. Most that I've seen recommend 1 session a week and always start with a few weeks of only a handful of sprints. I do them every monday, and love them. I have the progression I'm using posted at the beginning of my log if you want to take a look at that as well.

Edit-

Spoiler

Week 2-Hill 4x35m
Week 3-Hill 4x40m
Week 4-Hill 8x40m
Week 5-Hill 8x40m
Week 6-Hill 10x40m
Week 7-Flat 4x60m
Week 8-Hill 8x50m
Week 9-Flat 5x80m
Week 10-Flat 2x60m/2x80m/2x100m
Week 11-Hill 8x50m/1x100m
Week 12-Flat 4x60m/1x150m
Week 13-Hill 8x50m/2x120m
Week 14-Flat 2x60/2x80m/100m/150m/200m
Week 15-Flat 4x100m/150m/200m

 

[JauntyAngle]

Aside from clean-related movements I also like hill sprints and prowler pushes. There are other options, but in my mind these are pretty much the basic, go-to exercises for explosive power development.

Can you explain how pushing a prowler is a power development exercise? As I understand it, power development is about learning to deliver your maximum strength more quickly in movements that are specific to your sport, while pushing a prowler is a form of endurance/strength-endurance training.

 

[JauntyAngle]

Basically I train MMA 3x week and as of recently I've noticed that my power is letting me down. There are times when, if maybe I was a bit more powerful I could have finished the take down instead of driving them to the fence, or stood up had I been quicker off the mark.

Right now I'm running SS twice a week, but front squatting on one of the sessions to aid recovery. I am also doing two plyometric sessions, one upper and one lower body.

However, I'm not really sure that this is optimal to increase my power. What should I change/add? Very familiar with strength training, but when it comes to training power/endurance I feel very lost.

Thanks guys.

I'm no coach, but as far as I know, you shouldn't be doing power/explosiveness training all the time- it is taxing and the benefits from it rapidly decrease. It is something that you should do in a block once in a while (e.g. for 4-6 weeks, a few times a year).

For your exercises, I believe that the speed variants of the big lifts can help to begin the process of converting your maximum strength to powerful movements that are specific to your sport. There are lots of other power development exercises- various forms of weighted jumps, bounding, exercises with medicine balls. Agility drills, e.g running in zig-zags and such like can also be a form of power exercise because the ability to accelerate and decelerate fast, and to change direction fast, are movements that require power to a large extent. The key is to select ones that allow you to do movements that are as similar as possible to what you do in your sport. If you can't replicate the actual movement, then try to make sure that your limbs are working at similar angles and over similar ROMs. In terms of programming and progression, power exercises are usually done fresh, fully rested between each rep so that you can concentrate on delivering maximum force as quickly as possible, and progression (more reps or heavier implements) is controlled because you don't want things to become so heavy or tiring that speed is significantly compromised. While doing this sort of thing, I think it is recommended to dial back your strength work a bit.

If you are talking about "strength endurance", that is a really different thing and it is trained differently. You can use normal intervals where the exercise is moving some sort of heavy implement (again, sports specifity is needed). One way to handle progression is through manipulating "density"- progressively adjust the work/rest ratio to make it more challenging, and then when this is getting harder to adjust, make the implement a little heavier and re-set the work rest ratio to an easier level and start building up again.

 

[Tosa]

Mister Jack, do you keep a training log here? What are your current numbers/maxes?

This is a pertinent question. Up to a point, the point depending on the speed of the specific movement, max strength is very important for power development.

I'm no coach, but as far as I know, you shouldn't be doing power/explosiveness training all the time- it is taxing and the benefits from it rapidly decrease. It is something that you should do in a block once in a while (e.g. for 4-6 weeks, a few times a year).

It would depend on what the athlete is training for. An weightlifter, for example, would naturally train power year round, because it's a primary demand of the sport. A grappler, however, is probably better off only doing a significant amount of power training in dedicated blocks, with the rest of the year power being maintained through indirect training, and a small amount of power work.

For your exercises, I believe that the speed variants of the big lifts can help to begin the process of converting your maximum strength to powerful movements that are specific to your sport . . . I think it is recommended to dial back your strength work a bit.

I'd add that the speed of the movement is important as well.

 

[Big Jack]

Unfortunately I do not keep a log at the moment. I haven't 1RM tested in a while so here are my SS 5RM numbers (in KG):

Squat - 150
Deadlift - 170
Bench - 85
Press - 60

So you guys are suggesting more speed work on the big lifts to increase power? Again I ask, how could I programme this?

 

[LegioTitan]

To be honest man... I doubt it has anything to do with your level of power development. I'm not saying it's impossible, of course.

I'm only speaking from BS anecdotal evidence but every time that I've grappled my technique has been what's let me down. I've spent tons of time trying to bully much more experienced(and weaker) guys to the mat who can hold me off largely with technique. It's only when I put them in a weak position or am able to do something that they cannot really defend against (like side shucking a guy even though he has double underhooks) that I get them down. "Flailing white belt syndrome" I believe it's called.

Your 5RM's do not paint a picture, to me, of an untrained weakling. I'm sure you're plenty strong and powerful enough to execute the techniques you'd like to.

Hell, maybe you do need some fancy conversion phase but I'd sit back and really look at my technical execution on the mat first.

 

[redaxe]

Can you explain how pushing a prowler is a power development exercise? As I understand it, power development is about learning to deliver your maximum strength more quickly in movements that are specific to your sport, while pushing a prowler is a form of endurance/strength-endurance training.

Well, that is just going to depend on how much weight you load on it, how hard/fast you push it, and how far you push it. Heavier/faster/shorter prowler pushes will be more power-oriented and lighter/slower/longer pushes will be more endurance-oriented, of course.

 

[KidAlchemy]

I think Legio said it perfectly.

Most of the problems you have on mat or in the cage/ring can be fixed on the mat or in the cage/ring.

 

[Allan san]

I'm only speaking from BS anecdotal evidence but every time that I've grappled my technique has been what's let me down.

ding ding

 

[Big Jack]

Ok then, the thing now is though I can't drill technique other than those 3x a week. I still have nights where I could train, so apart from lifting 2x a week what should I do? I don't want to sit around like a lemon when I could be training

 

[USMCGixxer6]

Ok then, the thing now is though I can't drill technique other than those 3x a week. I still have nights where I could train, so apart from lifting 2x a week what should I do? I don't want to sit around like a lemon when I could be training

Conditioning

 

[Big Jack]

Conditioning

Where I fall down in everything. What would you recommend to condition me for MMA? Little knowledge of programming conditioning.