Here’s a recent email I received that I thought would benefit everyone that reads the blog.

I was wondering why you choose the squat over the deadlift as a predictor lift.

Jason Kusick

Mainly because of the angle. I train at the Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu Academy, so I see a lot of grapplers throughout the week. Many of them can develop a respectable dead lift pretty quickly (with a solid program), yet I haven’t seen this transfer over to more power for hip tosses, take downs, or stuffing take downs like I’ve seen with a respectable squat (correct form of course). I believe it’s because there’s a greater range of motion traveled through flexion at the knee and extension through the hip. I am a big advocate to the dead lift though, as many of the athletes I train could attest. If I were to use the dead lift as a predictor lift it would be a snatch grip dead lift off a step (4 to 6 inches high), because of the increased distance traveled equals more knee flexion and hip extension, like the squat.

However, I come across a lot of grapplers and people in general that don’t have very good mobility either through the ankle, hip, or both, which can affect knee stability. Or through the thoracic spine. This usually disqualifies them from squatting. If this is the case, a lot of unilateral exercises with dumbbells (so not to overload the spine) are used, along with body weight mobility drills to get adequate range of motion in the right places.

As I briefly mentioned above, I also use the dead lift. Usually starting someone with the trap bar dead lift variation because of the range of motion issues mentioned above. The trap bar keeps them more erect since their center of mass is shifted back a bit.

Once they’re ready to squat though, all the aforementioned exercises can certainly help drive up the squat, but I like to keep my eye on the squat and use it as a gauge.

Perhaps there’s a better way to gauge this, and I’m always on the look out to improve myself as a strength coach, but I haven’t seen anything as of yet. I did just read an interesting article by Strength Coach Mike Boyle how he used a split squat to drive up functional leg strength and has seen very impressive numbers. If my memory serves me correctly, the exact split squat was a rear foot elevated barbell split squat, and I think the reps were 5 per leg. I think he said he liked driving this up over the squat. Front squat to be precise since Coach Boyle isn’t really big on the back squat.

Lately I’ve been playing around with more unilateral exercises to collect data on. Just yesterday I had a jiu jitsu black belt performing 8 reps per leg with a reverse lunge using the safety squat bar.

In the article you talked about grip strength as well. Would the snatch grip dead lift or clean grip deadlift give you a better indicator of grip strength as well as provide input on the leg strength?

(The article being referred to can be viewed by clicking here.)

fatgripz_midSince the grip is involved in the dead lift and not with the barbell squat, it’s a better indicator over nothing but in my opinion, not a good indicator of grip strength and leg strength at the same time. Usually the grips always the weak link (unless your legs are pathetically weak). If you’re using a heavy load with the dead lift and not using straps, than a mixed grip is usually needed because of this weak link. If I wanted to use the dead lift as a grip exercise and not worry about training the prime movers, I would use a fat bar or just add some Fat Gripz to a regular bar and keep the reps low, like no more than five. This also works the forearm extensors pretty hard, but don’t neglect training the forearm flexors.

I appreciate your blog as you provide plenty of information that few people do. I was wondering if you had some more specifics in relationship to the weight class for MMA. Like Squat 2X Body Weight, Close Grip Incline press 1.75X Body Weight, or anything like that. I was also wondering if you happen to know of a lift that would correlate to Knock Out Power in a Jab, and what the ratio to weight would be.

Thank you for the compliment Jason.

I’ve acquired some info from Coach Charles Poliquin on specific ratios comparing lifts and where they should be, but I’ve NEVER seen an athlete that’s balanced between them. For instance, according to Poliquin, you should be able to do eight clean reps with the dumbbell external rotation with elbow on knee with roughly 9% of your 1-Rep max in the close grip bench press, and something like 10.6% for eight reps with a 1-Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Trap 3 exercise. I really don’t bother with this anymore. I simply try to drive up lifts while keeping the body in a good structural balance to avoid or minimize injuries. But my knowledge doesn’t come anywhere close to Coach Poliquins’, so perhaps I’m foolish to not do this. I just haven’t seen great results with it like he claims.

I do like to see the grapplers I train be able to do 20 perfect squats with their body weight (body weight on the bar). I don’t have an exact ratio for the close grip incline press. Body Weight X 1.75 sounds very high though. That would mean a 160 pounder would have to put up 280 pounds. 1.5 X would be more reasonable, which equates to 240. But I’ll tell you, I haven’t seen something like that very often. I think most grapplers and mma fighters think of weight training as almost an after thought. If they took it as serious as their sport itself, this would be a good number. At least until the bar is raised. Most I’ve seen would be fortunate to press their own body weight for five reps.

As far as exercises to increase punching power, I like training the accelerators (shoulders and triceps) with exercises that give the biggest return on investment, such as:

  • Floor Press, straight bar and swiss bar (neutral grip bar)
  • 2,3,and 4 board presses (close grip)
  • Lying tricep extensions (adding chains is a favorite of mine)
  • Over head pressing

And the decelerators and stabilizers of the shoulder:

Obviously good punching mechanics are the key too.

As mentioned above, I’m constantly in academia and attempting to increase my knowledge, and I don’t profess to know it all. I do my best to remain humble with everything and just be a resource for people. God willing, I’ll be opening up a brand new training facility in Chicago within the next month or two with my close friend and client Ryan Burns, and will be able to learn even more through in the trenches experience.