Check out my latest article that was posted on Elite Fitness! It involves a very unique sled dragging variation you have never seen. I liken it to cutting for football or explosive dribbling in basketball, but the carry over is for all sports.
Non-linear, non-patterned sled dragging is the key to preparing the body, the joints and developing functional strength. Truly bridging the gap between GPP and SPP.
Today we are going to talk about sled dragging and a very unique variation I came up with. Most anaerobic alactic / anaerobic lactic sports (especially combat athletics) require not only specific metabolic adaptations but a general conditioning foundation (GPP). It is this foundation that allows more specific, higher level conditioning to be implemented and developed.
Sled dragging is an excellent tool to help develop this general conditioning baseline.
Different types of sled dragging:
forward dragging
backward dragging
lateral dragging
rotational dragging
You can also attach different attachments to the sled to drag it to make it more difficult
tow ropes
thick ropes
thick “V” handle
and now a car tire!
The Setup
Hook the tow rope through the car tire and anchor it back onto the sled. Grab over the circumference of the tire and perform a tight chest crush. Now walk backwards. We also did a variation where we perform a strong rotation to move the sled.
Standard Setup
Holding Lacrosse Balls
In the video I show another variation of holding lacrosse balls. This makes the chest crush even harder.
By improving the mobility of the ankle, the knee (requires dynamic stability) does NOT have to absorb unnecessary forces.
Typically ankle mobility exercises are thought to be reserved to keep athletes healthy, BUT everyone can benefit from this drill prior to their workout.
Any good workout should be structured the following way:
Utilizing an Elite Swiss Bar, grappler presses build isometric and decelerative strength in the biceps, shoulders and back. Football players, grapplers, combat athletes, rugby players and many other sports will benefit from this movement.
“How a UFC Fighter and High School Wrestler Got Insanely Strong, Explosive AND RIPPEDfor Their Competition by Training for Real World Strength, With NO BS FAKE WORKOUTS.”
This ebook is your Essential Guide to Training for Grapplers and Combat Athletes! Immediately Make Improvements in Your Strength, Power and Conditioning So You Can SMASH Your Compeition!
From the Desk of:
By Jim Smith, CSCS
I have just updated my MMA strength and conditioning reference, Building the Ultimate MMA Athlete and re-released it as Blunt Force Trauma, High Impact Strength & Conditioning for Combat Athletes.
The new ebook is HUGE!!! Over 800 pages, containing not only the main document and massive exercise index, but an ADDITIONAL 12 EXPANSION PAKS!!!
The Expansion Paks
Expansion Pak 1 – Kettlebell / Strongman Sample Programs
Expansion Pak 2 – The Exercise Bible – By Jason Ferruggia
Expansion Pak 3 – Lunge Specific Exercises
Expansion Pak 4 – Grappling Bodyweight Training
Expansion Pak 5 – Sled Dragging Training
Expansion Pak 6 – Sledgehammer Training
Expansion Pak 7 – Medicine Ball Training
Expansion Pak 8 – Ring Training
Expansion Pak 9 – Grappler Sandbag Circuit
Expansion Pak 10 – Grappler Keg Circuit
Expansion Pak 11 – Power Ropes Circuit
Expansion Pak 12 – Combat Core
Check out some of the exercises you’ll find in this MASSIVE new ebook.
How about this feedback from The Ultimate Fighter 8 (UFC, MMA) fighter Tom Lawlor as he prepared for his winning fight on the show’s finale:
“As a MA student in Sports & Fitness, I am a huge fan of anything related to Strength & Conditioning. Additionally, I have been a huge fan of the DieselCrew.com website. I immediately reached out to Smitty for help in organizing my workouts for what I knew would be the biggest fight of my life.”
“Come fight time, I felt stronger and fresher than I have for any of my past fights and was able to impose my will on an opponent who was 4 inches taller, and at least 15 lbs heavier come fight time. There are a lot of people who have helped me get to the level of competition that I am at today (the UFC), and Jim Smith is among those people. I will undoubtedly be looking to keep “Smitty” on my staff of coaches as I continue in the sport of mixed martial arts.”
Tom Lawlor
The Jungle MMA & Fitness
“I’ve followed Smitty for some time now and their revolutionary training ideas are (and have been for some time) shaping the future of combat athletics. This ebook is no exception. When I received it, I was amazed at the size of it. It is a veritable encyclopedia of brutal and effective drills to blast your training through the roof. I’m no fan of the term functional as I think it’s over used by the fitness industry – but this book has functional drills that have a real carry over to combat sports. Buy it if you want to reach the next level in your game – if you don’t, the opposition will!!!”
Barry Gibson
Grapplefit Strength Training
Want more information, hit me at smitty [dot] diesel [at] gmail.com.
