Benefits an MMA Fighter gains from Olympic Weight Lifting Part 1
There are various benefits an athlete can gain from a weight lifting routine. But an Olympic weight lifting routine is best for an MMA athlete or Mixed Martial Artists if you will. There are many reasons starting with the energy systems used during such lifts, the muscle types worked, and the mental game gained from such training. A lot of the logic and principles in the benefits carry over from one to the other and correlate nicely with the benefits I’ve received from an Olympic weight lifting routine. The energy systems used in Olympic weightlifting are all three depending on length of workout. The three energy systems are ATP-PC or Creatine phosphate system, Anaerobic Glycolysis system, and the oxidative system. During almost any exercise routine you use all three whether or not you’re trying to, but in MMA you predominantly use and want to train your Anaerobic Glycolysis system. This is perfect because you gain immense anaerobic cardio from Olympic weightlifting because lifts usual last only seconds and sets end before 3 minutes. The oxidative system takes over after 3 minutes of training but the anaerobic system can last up to ten minutes if a break is given for about 30 seconds: perfect for amateur MMA fighter because fights are 3 rounds of 3 minutes with one minute in between round. The reason the anaerobic properties are so important in MMA is because you have to be able to fight at a furious pace for 0 to 30 seconds and be able to recover quickly. To be successful your opponent can’t recover before you and put you on the defensive. This correlates directly to the Olympic Weight lifters workout set. The lifter has to set himself, lift heavy amount with all his/ her strength in one fluid explosive movement {can have more intricate motions}, or fail and attempt lift again. Depending on how sets are determined you can better suit them to MMA. I found that sets where I lifted 3 to 5 reps made me more powerful and gave me enough anaerobic cardio for fighting which was my aim. Anything over 6 reps didn’t yield me with more power it just made me more tired throughout day and next training day would sometimes be less explosive. The Olympic weight lifting lifts best suited for MMA gains are the overhead snatch, clean, and front squat. The snatch requires you to lift weight and stabilize it over head in an uncomfortable situation. In MMA you have to be able to move weight (your opponent) around at will and stabilize him or control as it’s referred to throughout match. All of this happens well someone is trying to punch you in the face. This could be compared to the stress of the weight about to be snatched. Cleans are my favorite Olympic exercise because you have to pull, get under weight, and explode up. This replicates the takedown the best I would say and is more geared towards MMA type cardio I need. Also cleans helped me develop my legs ability to use the stretch reflex. As for the front squats, these where pretty much the general warm up exercise and used for maintenance. The Clean is an awesome exercise that easily fatigues participants if they use progression with proper technique. To further understand the energy systems and lift benefits from Olympic weightlifting for a Mixed Martial Artist you have to also know what they target and that’s fast twitch muscle fibers. More on that next time- Now go Train Hard! Evan
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