It’s Card Tearing Week at DieselCrew.com, so I am posting an article I have been meaning to post for quite some time. I am often asked how to train the grip for sports such as jiu-jitsu and other martial arts. While there are many types of grip training drills that I would suggest for martial artists (thick bar training, block weight training, rope work, etc), I actually think card tearing, and other forms of grip strength feats, are excellent choices to prepare the hands for combat. Let me know what you think in the comments section, and if you want to learn how to tear a deck of cards, check out The Card Tearing eBook.

Torn Deck of Cards

Grip Training for Martial Arts

In the past, I have written about the art and practice of tearing a deck of cards. Card tearing can be an excellent form of training for the hands due to its requirement of a sustained grip and the need to direct power from the wrists and forearms through the hands and into the cards.

If you think about it, ripping a deck of cards is not unlike the hand requirements of many martial arts, especially those where a gi is worn, such as jiu-jitsu.

For example, take a look at the image below of one type of jiu-jitsu choke hold and try to focus in on the hands and imagine the levels of exertion being put forth in order to maintain the grip on the gi and perform the choke.

You might wonder what ripping a deck of cards has to do with close-quarter martial arts. If you consider the term commonly used in the strength and conditioning industry, specificity, then you will understand the reasons why.

What is Specificity?

Specificity has to do with the level of similarity an exercise has to the sport it is being used to train for. There is a broad spectrum of specificity, ranging from highly general (not very specific) to highly specific (nearing the exact sport).

To get the most benefit from the training time invested, an athlete or coach will usually choose exercises with a larger degree of specificity.

For instance, most strength coaches would opt to have football players perform sled dragging or prowler pushing over riding a bike for their cardio and conditioning because in football, you are on your feet and get power from driving the feet into the ground, two qualities of sleds and prowlers. When riding a bike, you are seated, so the sled or prowler work is more “specific” than the bike work.

As you’ll see below, tearing cards will prove to be a very “specific” type of training for martial arts, sharing many of the same qualities as gi-work and choke-holds, some of which you may never have thought of.

When speaking of specifity, there are many factors to consider. Here are several factors in bold text to show that the practice of card tearing matches well with jiu-jitsu.

Movement Pattern

There are many movement pattern similarities between applying the choke shown above and ripping a deck of cards. In both movements, the hands are out in front of you and close together. There is not a great deal of movement in either of these tasks – that is, the hands do not cover a great distance. The hands are concentrated to the region around the throat of the opponent in the case of the choke hold, and with card tearing, the hands stay in the same position, for the most part, in contact with the top and bottom of the cards.

Duration of Force / Effort

You can imagine the level of strain from the fingers that is going into this maneuver. This is not the kind of movement where you apply your grip and within a few seconds you are done, like lifting a barbell or other implement.

Chokes can last for several minutes, depending on how long it takes the opponent to tap out or lose consciousness, and how long you can actually maintain your grip on the gi. The same goes for card tearing – how quick you finish depends on how well you can get the tear started, how well you can keep it progressing, and whether or not you can deal with the pump and cramping that take place in the forearms, wrists, and hands while doing so.

Joint Orientation

In both the choke and in the card tear, the hands and forearms are in a similar position, with the hands crossed in the choke, and the hands very close to one another in the card tear. The elbows are also slightly bent which keeps the opponent close enough to control. If the arms are straight, it would be much more difficult to maintain control of the opponent because you lose leverage.

The same can be said with card tearing. As the tear is begun, the hands are close to the body, and while they may move slightly further away from the body throughout the tearing effort, the elbows never fully extend. They stay slightly flexed allowing for better radiant tension and strength transfer throughout the effort to tear the cards.

Grip Application: Fingers

The Grip that is used when tearing cards is called a Crimp Grip, or a Clamp Grip, depending on how thick the deck of cards is and how large your hands are. The difference between a Crimp Grip and a Clamp Grip is whether the fingertips are directed more towards the callus line (Crimp) or more towards the base of the palm (Clamp). When clenching the gi of the opponent, the grip the fingers gets on the material of the gi will most likely vary between true crimping and clamping, depending on how well the grip is seated.

Grip Application: Thumbs

In neither card tearing nor in applying a martial arts choke is the thumb the primary force producer. Instead, it is an auxiliary unit that provides additional assistance to the fingers synergistically, helping to maintain the grip on the gi.

In the choking image above, it is plain to see that the thumb is very active in keeping the grip secure. The thumb pad looks to be inflated with blood from sustained contraction, and the tip of the thumb seems to be nearly piercing the cloth of the gi. This is exactly how the thumb works in the card tear, aiding the rest of the lower arm by securing the cards and keeping them from sliding around. A secured deck of cards is much easier to split in half than one where the cards are sliding all over, and when the deck is on the more difficult end of the spectrum, the thumb will feel like it is going to blow up from the sustained contraction.

Summary

So, in the case of the choke, what we have is the need to apply tremendous pressure with the fingers and thumbs, the ability to continue to apply this pressure throughout the time required to make the opponent tap out or pass out, and the need to deal the entire time with the immense forearm pump that accompanies such high levels of exertion.

As noted above, all of these aspects are found when tearing cards, too, as long as the difficulty level is there.

For instance, if you are tearing a deck of easy cards, the effort and duration of effort will not be equal to applying a choke hold.

Also, some card tearing practitioners are able to blow through a deck of cards in just a matter of seconds due to understanding the technique and force production requirements to do so. In those cases, in order to have the right degree of specificity and carry-over, they would need to add cards to the deck or make the tear more difficult through the use of gloves, oven mitts, or some other way to make the force and duration match up better to that of the choke hold.

In other words, if you work at tearing cards long enough, you can get good enough that you can knock them out in a fairly short time. Ripping cards with Blast Force will not give you the kind of carry-over you want for Martial Arts. Instead, the cards have to offer the challenge of about a 30- to 60-second battle.

For beginners, Card Tearing can be a great way to work the grip for excellent carry-over to sports, especially sports such as the Martial Arts, because it takes most people several weeks to several months of dedicated to training to attain the mastery card tearing to blow through a deck in a matter of seconds. Most of the time, the tear from beginning to end will take the better part of a minute to complete, and often will take much longer, even requiring rest breaks in between.

If you’d like to see complete instruction on Card Tearing, check out my Card Tearing eBook. It covers all the technical explanations and break-downs you need to know for Card Tearing, plus I’ll show you many other drills that will not only strengthen your hands, fingers, and wrists for ripping decks of cards, but you can also use them to be better prepared for combat-style sports.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

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Click the Image Below to Check out the Card Tearing eBook

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So, what do you think?
Does Card Tearing seem like a good physical match for applying a choke hold?
Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Like I said a couple of weeks ago, I want to start doing as close to a weekly Q & A as possible. Now that I have a few questions rolling in, I want to tackle one.
First up is Jeff Brown, who is busy training for his sport throughout the week and isn’t sure where to place his strength training for best results all around.
He writes:

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“I train Monday -Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 MMA, Grappling, MMA, Grappling. 9 times out of 10 The next morning I am Dog tired and don’t want to lift weights. I was wondering with a schedule like this when do you think is the best time to lift and at what intensities. I don’t want to run the risk of overtraining. How can I find the Supercompensation Phase and Act on it?”

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Jeff, thanks for writing in and asking this question, and congratulations on your recent victory. Looking awesome brother!
Jeffrey recently won the 175lb MMA TITLE at Stellar Fights 7 in Harrington DE!
I know from speaking with Jeff in the past on developing his training program, that he works his ass off, which is important. The sheer volume of work this kid is capable of doing is insane. I don’t think I have ever been able to train like that.
However, there is a time for taking it to the limit like that and there is a time to back it down a notch.
I have always looked at training athletes as a balancing act between strength training (working in the gym to build strength and power) and skills training (time on the mat improving your game, specifically).

My suggestion in this case is when you are nearing a fight and there is going to be a lot of time on the mat, striking the bag, rolling and practicing holds, then the amount of time you spend in the gym is going to drop.
Remember, whether you are in the gym lifting weights or if you are int he MMA studio hitting a heavy bag, clenching up with sparring partners, taking and giving shots, working on escapes, etc, all of that stuff entails shock and trauma to the body.
When you’re nearing a fight, you NEED to stay in shape and keep the rust off in order to be in top form when the fight comes up. At that point, the time for building strength is already past you. Now it is time to maintain the strength that you have.
So with your given schedule of high intensity sport-specific fight training Monday through Thursday, my biggest suggestion would be to focus on doing some strength-maintenance training on Friday and/or Saturday.
Since you don’t train MMA on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, these are really your best days. Most likely, you are going to be beat up on Friday, so that may not be an option unless you hit it later on at night, which for some people actually does work out pretty well.
An even better day might be Saturday, in order to work your big movements like Presses, Squats, and Deads, in a low volume manner.
I am talking about a good solid warm-up, and then a few work sets where you stay up around 90% of 1RM in the lifts, followed by a small amount of accessory work, mainly working on treating potentially injury-prone areas, things like the posterior shoulder, lower back, hip mobility – things like this.
So we can call that your weekend workout. Pick the day that works best for you and do the main strength building stuff that day. If you feel well enough to do two workouts over the weekend, AWESOME, but you don’t want to kill your sport-specific training when the week starts back up either.
Specifically, you asked about Supercompensation, which is the body’s ability to adjust itself to a higher level after one training session in order to be better or stronger for the next one. At this stage in the game, this is still possible, given the right amount of rest time, but it is going to come down to many individual factors, for you, Jeff. Diet, sleep time, other stresses to the body like work/labor, bills, etc.
The most important thing for you is to try to find a time during the weekend that you can get some work in on the bigger, multi-joint movements to maintain the strength you have worked so hard to attain.
Another extra workout, on the weekend or during the week if you can handle it, will be a bonus, but the intensity level will most likely be much lower, and then it is a matter of making sure you are replenishing your energy, getting the right food for muscle recovery, and enough sleep to repair damage.
In closing, I will leave you with a quote from Easy Strength, by Pavel and Dan John (a great book I am slowly working my way through):

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“Competitors, especially fighters, often miss the point of strength training. The barbell is not there to make you a better man or test your mettle; that is what the mat, the ring or the kettlebells are for. And you are not training to become a weightlifter or powerlifter. Iron is a means, not a goal.

Your goal is to excel at your sport, and you lift to get a strength advantage over an opponent of equal skill. And if you hope to be a contender, practicing the skill of your sport must dominate your schedule.”

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That is a direct quote from Easy Strength, on page 74, and it pretty much goes along with what I have stated.
I hope this helps you, Jeffrey, and anyone else who competes in a sport at a high level. Remember, there is time for periodization, moderating intensity, and also knowing when to bust your ass in the gym, and when to do so on the mat, field, or court.
If you are interested in reading more of Easy Strength, click here.
Although I am working my way through it at a snail’s pace, I am enjoying it heavily. There is literally an interesting, throught-provoking, or entertaining statement on each and every page!
All the best in your training,
Jedd
Check out Easy Strength – Click the Image Below

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Like I said a couple of weeks ago, I want to start doing as close to a weekly Q & A as possible. Now that I have a few questions rolling in, I want to tackle one.

First up is Jeff Brown, who is busy training for his sport throughout the week and isn’t sure where to place his strength training for best results all around.

He writes:

---

“I train Monday -Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 MMA, Grappling, MMA, Grappling. 9 times out of 10 The next morning I am Dog tired and don’t want to lift weights. I was wondering with a schedule like this when do you think is the best time to lift and at what intensities. I don’t want to run the risk of overtraining. How can I find the Supercompensation Phase and Act on it?”

---

Jeff, thanks for writing in and asking this question, and congratulations on your recent victory. Looking awesome brother!

Jeffrey recently won the 175lb MMA TITLE at Stellar Fights 7 in Harrington DE!

I know from speaking with Jeff in the past on developing his training program, that he works his ass off, which is important. The sheer volume of work this kid is capable of doing is insane. I don’t think I have ever been able to train like that.

However, there is a time for taking it to the limit like that and there is a time to back it down a notch.

I have always looked at training athletes as a balancing act between strength training (working in the gym to build strength and power) and skills training (time on the mat improving your game, specifically).

My suggestion in this case is when you are nearing a fight and there is going to be a lot of time on the mat, striking the bag, rolling and practicing holds, then the amount of time you spend in the gym is going to drop.

Remember, whether you are in the gym lifting weights or if you are int he MMA studio hitting a heavy bag, clenching up with sparring partners, taking and giving shots, working on escapes, etc, all of that stuff entails shock and trauma to the body.

When you’re nearing a fight, you NEED to stay in shape and keep the rust off in order to be in top form when the fight comes up. At that point, the time for building strength is already past you. Now it is time to maintain the strength that you have.

So with your given schedule of high intensity sport-specific fight training Monday through Thursday, my biggest suggestion would be to focus on doing some strength-maintenance training on Friday and/or Saturday.

Since you don’t train MMA on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, these are really your best days. Most likely, you are going to be beat up on Friday, so that may not be an option unless you hit it later on at night, which for some people actually does work out pretty well.

An even better day might be Saturday, in order to work your big movements like Presses, Squats, and Deads, in a low volume manner.

I am talking about a good solid warm-up, and then a few work sets where you stay up around 90% of 1RM in the lifts, followed by a small amount of accessory work, mainly working on treating potentially injury-prone areas, things like the posterior shoulder, lower back, hip mobility – things like this.

So we can call that your weekend workout. Pick the day that works best for you and do the main strength building stuff that day. If you feel well enough to do two workouts over the weekend, AWESOME, but you don’t want to kill your sport-specific training when the week starts back up either.

Specifically, you asked about Supercompensation, which is the body’s ability to adjust itself to a higher level after one training session in order to be better or stronger for the next one. At this stage in the game, this is still possible, given the right amount of rest time, but it is going to come down to many individual factors, for you, Jeff. Diet, sleep time, other stresses to the body like work/labor, bills, etc.

The most important thing for you is to try to find a time during the weekend that you can get some work in on the bigger, multi-joint movements to maintain the strength you have worked so hard to attain.

Another extra workout, on the weekend or during the week if you can handle it, will be a bonus, but the intensity level will most likely be much lower, and then it is a matter of making sure you are replenishing your energy, getting the right food for muscle recovery, and enough sleep to repair damage.

In closing, I will leave you with a quote from Easy Strength, by Pavel and Dan John (a great book I am slowly working my way through):

---

“Competitors, especially fighters, often miss the point of strength training. The barbell is not there to make you a better man or test your mettle; that is what the mat, the ring or the kettlebells are for. And you are not training to become a weightlifter or powerlifter. Iron is a means, not a goal.

Your goal is to excel at your sport, and you lift to get a strength advantage over an opponent of equal skill. And if you hope to be a contender, practicing the skill of your sport must dominate your schedule.”

---

That is a direct quote from Easy Strength, on page 74, and it pretty much goes along with what I have stated.

I hope this helps you, Jeffrey, and anyone else who competes in a sport at a high level. Remember, there is time for periodization, moderating intensity, and also knowing when to bust your ass in the gym, and when to do so on the mat, field, or court.

If you are interested in reading more of Easy Strength, click here.

Although I am working my way through it at a snail’s pace, I am enjoying it heavily. There is literally an interesting, throught-provoking, or entertaining statement on each and every page!

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Check out Easy Strength – Click the Image Below

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Hello DIESELS!

I have been telling many of you about Mike Fitch’s Animal Flow Workout, and this thing is AWESOME. I first found out about Mike when he posted a comment here on the site and it has been good getting to know him ever since.

When I saw his promotional video on YouTube for his new program, I was like, wow, I have to give this stuff a try, especially after enjoying Scott Sonnon’s Flow and TacFit maneuvers and some of my own bodyweight experimentations.

This is some of the most fun I have had training in a while. It makes me feel like I am a kid playing out in the yard, but I also get a kick-ass workout.

I found this stuff so interesting, that I asked him to do an interview with us and he was glad to oblige. Mike has an interesting background and obviously stays in great shape. I love trying new things with my strength training and I plan on using this as my cardio and flexibility training for a while.

Here’s the interview…

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Jedd: Hello Mike, thanks for taking time to sit down and tell the Diesel Universe about yourself, and your upcoming DVD, The Animal Flow Workout.

First off, could you please tell us about yourself, including your athletic back ground and how it is you ended up d some of the amazing bodyweight stuff that you do?

Mike: Sure, I’ve been a strength coach, personal trainer and post rehab specialist for a little over 12 years. Even though I had been lifting since a young teen, it wasn’t until I was about 17 that I started learning more and more about anatomy and different training styles. There was no looking back – It was on!

I spent the next ten years obsessively gathering information on as many training styles as I could, from corrective exercise to KB coaching to Olympic lifts to sports-specific and speed-agility training, and attained certifications from about every organization I could find.

But, about two years ago I started feeling unchallenged in my own day-to-day routines. After walking around at fifty pounds heavier than I am now and grinding out countless hours in the gym, I came to the point where I was just done. My joints hurt all the time and I felt like it was time for something new.

I’ve always been interested in non-traditional methods of exercise, but it wasn’t until I started watching the way gymnasts strength train, that something started to click. I began checking out all bodyweight disciplines. Everything from gymnastics, hand balancing, parkour, martial arts to capoeira.

So, getting into to pure bodyweight training started out as a diversion from the lifting routines I’d become bored with, but the more I got into it, the more I wanted to do. There are so many disciplines within bodyweight training that it is a constant learning and progressing process and once you start combining them, the possibilities are endless.

Jedd: Mike, you have a website called, GlobalBodyweightTraining.com – obviously it has to do with bodyweight training, but could you tell us a little bit about what all Global Bodyweight Training entails?

Mike: The idea behind Global Bodyweight Training was simply to create a platform that showcased and increased awareness of all disciplines of bodyweight training. Most importantly though, I wanted to drive the message that no matter where you were, you could get in a killer workout without a single piece of equipment. Allow people to be creative with their programs rather than just getting stuck in the same routine.

On the site you’ll find instructional videos, blog posts, alternative exercise, challenges and rehab techniques. One of the main goals is to provide quality info that’s practical. I’m still learning new styles and exercises all of the time so I feel the content will continue to grow without becoming stale.

The global part was just to create a world-wide project where readers could participate and become part of something. More like a network that everyone can add to and learn from. We encourage people everywhere to send in their photos and videos of their bodyweight training around the globe to inspire each other.

Jedd: Would you say that you specialize in bodyweight training? Is that all that you do? What sorts of weight training exercises do you do?

Mike: My tendency (for better or for worse) is to commit myself 100% to whatever it is I’m focusing on, so once I set down the weights I rarely picked them back up. Also from the experimental side, I wanted to see how far I could push myself going purely BW.

Once I switched over, my workouts became much more of a practice. Each workout was about improving a little bit with each session, but in this case it wasn’t adding more weight but maybe mastering a skill or improving on a bodyweight feat of strength. So I would say that I specialize in bodyweight training but I am still very much a student.

However, with my coaching I’ll never get away from the big lifts or KB’s. It still comes down to whatever is necessary for my clients and students. Of course, if they request to go pure bodyweight, I’m more than happy to oblige – and more and more of them are asking for it as they see how I’ve adopted it myself.

Jedd: What role does the ability to move your body have to do with being strong? Are there any examples of movement patterns that big strong DIESELS might be able to improve upon IF they can move better?

Mike: Hmmm, how about pushing, pulling, dragging, carrying, twisting, bending, lifting, sprinkled with a lot less pain and risk of chronic overuse injuries….haha. Seriously though, movement is everything. I think the importance of mobility and motion is often overlooked by the big guys, when in fact restricted muscles and joints are restricting serious strength potential.

Ape Walking

Jedd: Could you go over an example of a bodyweight workout that you like to do that supports the rest of your strength training?

Mike: Sure, that’s one of my favorite parts.

When done properly you can structure your BW exercises to illicit whatever training response you want, whether it be strength, power, endurance, etc. Usually if I’m training for strength, I’ll pick the goal rep range, then pick the exercises that challenge me within those ranges.

So a workout may consist of full range single arm push- ups, chin ups with a single arm negative, unsupported handstand push-ups and super slow tempo pistol squats. Once you’ve adapted to those exercises, you can still change your lever arm or decrease your mechanical advantage to make it more challenging again. I’m still working on that single arm handstand push up (it may be a very long time).

Jedd: When I think of bodyweight training, I think of bodyweight squats and lunges, which to me can be pretty boring. But your dvd goes way beyond those. What made you move past the basic bodyweight stuff and start moving like an quadruped?

Mike: Well that was all part of the quest. With researching and practicing different BW disciplines I started to realize that 1: they all eventually cross over into each other and 2: each one can play a very different role in your program, depending upon how it’s utilized. The animal movements are super versatile in the respect that they are literally good for everything. These types of moves have been used for thousands of years to increase health and vitality.

While I had played with them off and on in my training, it wasn’t until I dedicated a tremendous amount of time to check out different styles of animal movements that I really began to understand their potential for performance. What developed was a program that was highly teachable and highly effective. Once you learn the movements, you can put them together in an endless flow that is unbelievably challenging. And you’re right – it’s a long way away from your basic BW squats/lunges or the dreaded treadmill!

Jedd: Can you point to any examples of movement or strength improvements you have experienced since adapting this type of upper body bodyweight training?

Mike: Absolutely! The positive benefits have been almost overwhelming. Especially considering we spend most of our careers looking for that one thing that’s going to give us an “edge” in our training. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is the end all be all magic pill, but I do know the changes I’ve seen in myself as well as my clients.

As I had mentioned earlier, I rarely pick up a weight these days. However when I do, it’s to assess my strength as compared to my weight training days. The results have been favorable to say the least! I credit this to pure muscle integration and higher neural coordination as a result of this style of bodyweight training. While I’m not the biggest guy around (by a long shot), my body has completely changed in proportion. It’s like Symmetry out of necessity, results I could not achieve while I was weight training.

Jedd: What is something that many people commonly experience once they start adopting these types of skills into their training? Let’s assume that Jedd Johnson is NOT the most limber guy on earth – what might I notice after doing the stuff from your dvd for a couple of weeks?

Mike: Well Jedd, I can say that a lot of the bigger guys or strongmen I’ve seen or worked with have characteristically had tight and locked up hip flexors/deep hip rotators, less than optimal spinal rotation and unbelievably tight and internally rotated shoulders. Usually any mobility or flexibility work is gladly traded in for another couple sets of strength training. Who has the time for everything right?

Well even when using the animal movements at the beginning of a strength workout as a dynamic warm up, can yield some pretty impressive results. Some of the most common responses I hear are “holly s#*t, I feel so opened up!” or “I actually feel lighter.” The animal movements take your through active ranges that will mobilize those tight areas like the shoulders, spine and hips.

Let’s see Jedd, give it a shot for two weeks and then tell me!

Jedd: I plan on it, brother! So, Mike, let’s get down to it. Let’s say some of the DIESELS are interested in your dvd. What is the number one reason to pick it up?

Mike: I really believe it has something for everyone. The beauty of animal movements is that they can be incorporated into almost any workout, whether you are a strongman, a yogi, a traceur, an MMA fighter, and so on. I’ve designed the video so that the information is provided in an easy to follow format, so that anyone can pick it up quickly. That way, a DIESEL can pick up the DVD and almost immediately be able to incorporate the movements into their own workout, at the level they want.

Animal movements can be your whole workout if you want, or can be an added element that you do in addition to your regular routine. Either way, you’ll be using movement in a different way, and It’s an excellent way to improve your cardiovascular performance and endurance. No matter what the sport, athleticism can be rated by ones strength, power, endurance, speed, coordination, flexibility, agility and balance. The Animal Flow Workout will help improve all of these!

Jedd: Mike, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to break off some knowledge for us. I for one am looking forward to trying some of this stuff out. Thanks again!

Mike: Thanks for having me Jedd

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Guys, I hope you enjoyed the interview. If you think that you might want to try some bodyweight training in your routine, I suggest you give this a try. As I have said, after just a few rounds of the forward Ape maneuvers, my arms were blown up like I had just worked bi’s and tri’s for an hour.

P.S. Go through the banner above to pick up the program and send me your Clickbank Receipt and I will schedule a half-hour strength training coaching call with you as a bonus!

This is a guest post from our buddy, Mike “The Machine” Bruce. Mike is a very talented performing strongman, motivational speaker and personal trainer. Add onto this that he has one of the Strongest Neck’s in the the World, and he is the perfect candidate to talk about Neck Training.

Where your head goes the body follows…

This is a common phrase heard throughout Wrestling and Judo circles that refers to your head being controlled by your opponent.

This is a principle that athletes of all combative sports, especially Football, should pay more attention to, but unfortunately many don’t. That’s why there so many athletes walking around with big, muscular bodies and little pencil necks…

In my opinion the reason is that the neck is overlooked in training; and more emphasis is placed on other attributes such as speed off the line, leg drive, pressing strength etc.

Whether you are on the mat, in the ring or on the gridiron, I believe the neck is the most important body part to be worked. In football you are told to keep your chin up, roll your traps forward, sink your hips low and charge the other man. When this collision occurs, your neck serves as a shock absorber for the rest of your body.

Thus if you have a pencil neck it’s sure to be game over for you.

You must work the neck muscles to build functional strength. By functional, I mean the neck needs to be strong, flexible and have muscular endurance from every angle. This way the neck will be able to provide the necessary protection to the cervical spine as well as give the best chance to resist attack from opponents on the field.

There are many ways to work the neck. I believe in using 3 movements to build your foundation. These movements will cover the 3 ranges of motion:

• Flexion
• Extension
• Lateral Bending

It is important to note though the neck can be twisted, I don’t believe in working the neck in a circular motion as it does not target the neck muscles and is also not good for the cervical spine. This is why I feel it is more efficient to target the 3 ranges of motion mentioned above.

The exercises we will use are:

Neck Curl with Weight Plate: This movement works the neck flexion, which is the first part of a nod, bringing your chin to your chest.

When performing the Neck Curl, my hands only serve as handles, I’m not pulling the weight up, I’m providing stability while the neck does all the work in an up/down motion.

The Neck Harness Lift: Seated or standing, this is bringing the chin away from your chest.

My hands are on my hips, while I focus on raising my head up/down as strict as I can. I do not use any hip power to raise up the weight. You can do this seated. The only difference is that the hands should be placed on your knees. pic 4340 beginning, 4338 finish.

Side Neck Lift: Bringing your ear down toward your shoulder, the lateral bending.

Check out the above video clip, showing how to do the Side Neck Lift, followed by a special little demo for my buddies at Diesel Crew, Jedd and Smitty.

Here are some more video demonstrations of the above lifts…

IMPORTANT – Getting Started

Before starting the program, it is imperative to understand that if you haven’t done any prior neck work, you will experience stiffness, a bit of a sore throat, and lack of neck mobility for the first couple weeks. This is completely normal and should pass as the neck is worked.

For all beginners I suggest you work the neck with all 3 ranges of motion 3 times per week.

Start with the neck curl, then side neck lift, and finish with the standing neck lift.

Your Goal will be to work up to 100 repetitions in all 3 exercises. This is the protocol I use when I teach the neck regimen.

I feel this builds the proper muscular strength and endurance needed for combative sports.

Start off with a 5# weighted plate and aim for 3 sets of 25 on all exercises. Every week , try to increase the repetitions until you reach 100 reps. Once you attain 100 reps increase the weight by 5# and repeat the process. Always aim for 100 repetitions. You will notice incredible gains in width, strength, and endurance following this program.

You have quite a window to work with here: 5#weight plate -45#weight plate and then even a 100# weight plate for all you Bull Necks out there.

Once you work the neck for 16 weeks at 3 days per week, increase your neck training to 5 days per week.

This is my current neck training schedule:

• Neck curl 3 sets of 100# for 100 reps
• Side Neck lift 3 sets 100# for 20 reps [see video]
• Neck Harness Lift 3 sets 90# for 100 reps
• I do this 5 days per week

Remember, I have been training my neck for 24 years consecutively. This may seem too high volume for some, but for my goals, this works great for me.

As a player, your other strength attributes play a huge role in how good you are on the field.

But remember: Don’t neglect The Neck! Because where your neck and head go, your body will follow.

Mike “The Machine” Bruce
MikeTheMachine.com

Mike is a trainer and motivational speaker as well as a performing strongman. If you’d like to train with Mike, then check out his site at MikeTheMachine.com, or go hear to set up a training session with the Machine.

Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball | How to Bend Nails | How to Tear Cards | Feats of Grip Strength Explained | How to Build Your Own Equipment | How to Lift Atlas Stones | The Sh*t You’ve Never Seen | Sled Dragging for Athletes | The Road to the Record DVD

Hey everybody, it’s Jedd. I hope you had a pleasant Holiday weekend, and that you have a peaceful Memorial Day.

I also hope your training is going well. I had an awesome time training Saturday. Some buddies, Mike Rinderle and Frank Snyder came over and we had an excellent workout. I’ve got some video clips that I will post up later in the week.

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Bruce Lee’s Strength Training

Bruce Lee’s physique and his dedication to strength training has long been documented.  In fact when he traveled, he had his training equipment shipped to him so he could train on location. (3)

Bruce built his legendary strength (holding a 100lb barbell at arms length for several seconds, thumb push-ups, 1″ power punch, just to name of few) and power with a combination of martial arts, isometrics, weight training, calisthenics, cardio fitness and stretching, hand grippers and  hill running.  (1) He knew that if he engaged in a variety of modalities it would give him the most “functional” strength.  It would not be gained by just weight training alone.

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If you want to get lean but hate normal cardio and love a challenging workout, then I’ve got great news for you.

Coach Joe Hashey has put something together that is going to help you out, big time: Bull Strength Conditioning.

Get Bull Strength Conditioning here = =>> http://tinyurl.com/BullDiesel

Joe has put together some of his most intense conditioning exercises that he uses with his athletes and he is unleashing it to the rest of us who want to feel more athletic and look better.
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Lean on Me

Guest Post

Barry Gibson

http://www.grapplefit.com

It’s something of an honor to be asked to do a guest post for Smitty and Jedd, especially as I’ve been a big fan for some time. For people that don’t know, my name is Barry Gibson and I own and operate Grapplefit Training in Sunderland, England. I have been the regular strength contributor to Fighters Only Magazine for almost four years now, and have had the concept of Grapplefit for at least seven years. Only now is it becoming a reality and I have my own unit where I train combat athletes full time. I also run fat loss boot camps for ladies and gents not involved in the fight game. One of my more recognizable clients is Ross Pearson – TUF season 9 lightweight winner and now UFC fighter. At the time of writing, Ross has just defeated Aaron Riley at UFC 105.

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This week, we have another guest post from Chris Smith – Explosive Conditioning for Martial Arts.

DO YOU HAVE EXPLOSIVE POWER???

Image Source: UFCResultsLive.com

Pretty much every sport requires some degree of explosive power. For the martial artist, being explosive is vital. If you are a martial artist and you cannot throw a punch or kick explosively you are not going to get very far.

So you need to train to be explosive, right? (more…)