subject: Pull Yourself Together [print this page] One of the most overlooked areas of putting together a strength program for MMAists is pulling exercises.
Upper body pushing exercises get a quite a bit of attention. We all know how popular the bench press is. (As well, we all know how popular it is to dislike the bench press.) Overhead pressing is becoming more popular (especially when it's combined with the clean). And many coaches will tell you to always make sure to work the lower body, with squats (and to a certain extent, deadlifts) usually being the first choice.
However, upper body pulling exercises tend to not get mentioned as much. And for any combat athlete that spends much time in the clinch or on the ground, pulling exercises are absolutely essential.
Think about this for a second. Think about most non-striking moves in MMA - the clich, takedowns, the guard, changing position, most submission attempts...almost all are largely pulling motions of some sort.
The clinch involves clasping your hands around your opponents head/neck, pulling them down, and him to you.
After shooting in for a takedown, you are grabbing your opponent (be it an ankle, a leg, around the hips, etc.) and holding him to you. It is a cross between holding your opponent's limb(s) and driving forward with your lower body that allows you to take him down.
While the guard is done with the lower body, many times you will be holding your opponent close to you, keeping him from creating space between you. By doing this, you take away much of his ability to strike, or go for submissions.
Armbars are done grabbing the arm, and extending through with the hips - a pulling motion. The same goes for kneebars. (In fact, this same pulling motion is a big part of many sumissions.) The rear naked choke, after snaking your arm around your opponent's neck, involves not only squeezing the arm together, but arching with the back - another pulling motion. Even little used submissions like the can-opener or neck crank use pulling motions.
Now, think about how much you're pushing with your upper body. It's very little.
This isn't to say that pushing motions aren't beneficial - because they certainly are. But just don't make the mistake of thinking that they are more important than pulling motions.
Upper body pulling exercises like chins, pullups, various types of rows, etc. should be staples in your workout plans. As should whole body pulling exercises such as deadlifts, high pulls, cleans, and other power versions of the Olympic lifts.
Increase your strength and power on your pulling movements, and I think you'll find all of a sudden, you have much more power on the mat.
