Arm and Back Training For MMA

[Preston Gary]

Arm
Without a powerful set of arms and hands, the warrior is powerless
against his opponent. There is nothing more impressive than a chiseled
set of arms on a warrior.
In addition to being one of the first lines of defense, the arms and
hands are also the offensive extensions of the power transferred up
through the feet, legs, core, and shoulders. When this energy is
transmitted properly through a stable and strong warrior, the power
output of the grip and strikes from the arms and hands is nothing
short of explosive. Along with powerful strikes, the arms and hands
are obviously also instrumental in clinch work, wrist control,
takedowns, and all submission attempts. This region of the body is
also critical defensively for shielding the body and head from foot
and hand strikes and for submission escapes. Without strong arms and a
strong grip, it is as if the warrior has chosen to bring a knife to a
gunfight.
For instance, chin-ups and pull-ups are great exercises to train both
the muscles of the arms and the grip.
Back
A warrior cannot control his opponent if he is pushing him away. Even
though a warrior may be hitting the gym hard, that warrior's training
methods in the gym may not match the demands of actual competition in
the ring. One of the most common errors in upper-body training is the
overuse of pushing versus pulling movements used in training for
fighting.
MMA has developed into a system that often involves pulling an
opponent into a clinch, taking the opponent down by keeping them
close, and then keeping him off balance, controlling and possibly
submitting him with pulling movements on the ground. In everything
from all takedown attempts like the double leg and arm drag to your
opponent trying to get away or establish posture, you must be
constantly using strong, continuous pulling movements. Even as an
opponent drives into your guard or shoots in, or you snatch down on a
guillotine for the finish, pulling is still more important than
pushing an opponent away, to create off-balancing and control. The
arms assist the warrior in these motions, but it is the large and
powerful muscles of the back that make everything happen. This is why
the warrior must have a chiseled back resembling a bag of rocks under
his training shirt. Develop this critical area and you will have the
edge over an opponent who focuses solely on upper-body pushing
movements in the gym.
The pull-up and chin-up are probably two of the oldest known
exercises. These are awesome exercises for the development of the
muscles of the back, arms, and grip. The pull-up is also a great
exercise for identifying relative body strength. This means how strong
a warrior is at his or her body weight. Since most MMA events utilize
weight classes, your goal as a warrior is to be the strongest
competitor pound for pound in your weight division. Whether you are
light or heavy, you need to be able to perform many pull-ups. The gold
standard for warriors is at least 20 pull-ups for a maximal attempt.
If you cannot do 20, you need to either lose weight or get stronger at
your current weight.
For you to really get the most out of your MMA training, there has to
be variety in not only the exercises but also in the directions of the
movements.
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