Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Strength & Health TV - Episode 54: How My Fighters Peak for a Competition.

In this episode I address a question from my friend Bartosz. He asked if I would talk about the 4 week pre-competition phase we use with our fighters, and other athletes, to ensure they are at their peak level of physical readiness on the day of their competition.

This phase is called the delayed transformation phase. The purpose of it is to allow for the realization of the physical qualities developed during the periods of accumulation and intensification prior to the delayed transformation phase.

Basically 4 weeks out I have the athlete take a record in a specific lift we track, for the fighters and grapplers we build it around a deadlift variation. 3 weeks out we use 75% of the previous week's intensity and 2 weeks out we further reduce to 60%. The final week is a light week going into the contest. Accessory work volume is reduced slightly but still pushed into the final week.

If this phase is done properly the athlete will feel strong, recovered and ready to perform at their best.

If you have any questions or suggestions for a future episode,please leave them in the comments section below, and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive updates on future episodes.




Stay Strong AND Healthy,

-Scott

Follow me online:
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http://www.scottshetler.com
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Thursday, December 7, 2017

Strength & Health TV - Episode 53: Product Review - BASD Pulling Blocks

The BASD Pulling Blocks
In this video I do a brief review of a great new product I purchased for my training center, the BASD Pulling Blocks. The BASD pulling blocks are a pair of 25lb plates. The plates allow you to do "block pulls" from 3 different heights without needing blocks. You can pull with the plates from 2", 5" and 8" heights depending on which hole you put the collar of the bar through.

The blocks are solid steel and very durable. The base is 2" wide and they are well balanced. By using these blocks you don't have to deal with the problems of using pulling blocks, mainly loading plates. When your bar is on blocks you can't use a deadlift bar jack and loading plates can be a bit of a pain in the ass. Once you get the BASD's on you can load plates on top of them very easily.

I can't recommend these enough. They are available from Lifting Large: http://www.liftinglarge.com/BASD-Dead...




Stay Strong AND Healthy,


-Scott
Follow me online: scott@eptsgym.com http://www.scottshetler.com http://www.eptsgym.com http://www.facebook.com/sshetlerfitness http://www.twitter.com/sshetler

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

The Importance of Strength Training for the Endurance Athlete.

Photo by: Pixabay
Strength training and endurance training are rarely mentioned in the same sentence. I recently began working with my friend Allison on her training program as she prepares for her first half Ironman, and after a lot of research was surprised at the lack of information available about strength training for endurance athletes. I have yet to see any articles that promote the importance of a scientifically based strength training plan. Outside of recommending some mediocre circuit training I haven’t found much literature. Which leads me to believe that a) strength training is not important for triathlon and other endurance sports or b) due to a lack of direct experience the community has yet to accept strength and power training as a means of enhancing their performance. I’m guessing it’s b.

Unfortunately, the emphasis on performance enhancement in endurance sports tends to be largely focused on aerobic development. We always hear about VO2 max, aerobic capacity and doing more event work. However, once you have developed efficient and good technique in swimming, cycling and running you need to use other means of general training to get better and one of those means is strength. Yes, even for endurance athletes.

I am currently working with a marathon runner who is dealing with a hamstring injury and the rehab protocol is calling for heavy strength training. I worked with an adventure racer / off-road triathlete who competed in the Xterra Off Road Triathlon and Balance Bar Adventure Racing Series, and his strength training was critical for injury prevention and allowing him to perform at the highest level. I also remember reading an article where Scott Jurek, arguably the greatest ultra-runner on the planet, was talking about using very heavy partial squats (upwards of 400lbs if I remember correctly) as an effective means for strengthening the muscles and connective tissue of his legs to handle the stresses of his extreme running. An overlooked fact here is the improvement in ground forces that occur due to increasing strength and power.

It has long been accepted that strength and power training are important for sprinters. Peter Weyand, Ph.D., conducted a study at Harvard that showed an increase in top running speed resulted from greater ground force production and not more rapid leg movements. It is not secret that sprinters are very strong. Barry Ross, who worked with Allyson Felix on her strength training, has an excellent book, “Underground Secrets to Faster Running” that explains in-depth why strength training is essential for improving speed. But what about endurance athletes.

In Ross’ book he presents a study conducted by Leena Paavolainen, “Explosive-strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power.” In the consisted of 18 highly trained distance runners with no statistical difference in 5k times prior to the experiment. The experimental group reduced running workout time by 32% and replaced it with a training routine that focused on explosive-strength development, while the control group did only running. After 9 weeks the experimental group all showed statistically better times while the control group showed no improvement. The interesting thing about the study is that even though the experimental group improved their times they did not increase their VO2 max or lactate threshold, both of which according to Ross are believed to be critical for increasing performance in distance runners. The control group did improve VO2 max, yet failed to improve running times. Ground contact times decreased in the experimental group, yet increased in the control group. The study concluded that the combination of explosive strength training and endurance training produced faster 5k times through improved muscle power and running economy. As Ross states, “Increasing ground force through added muscle power decreases ground contact time in distance running just as it does in sprinting.”

Even with this knowledge base, I still see hesitation from endurance athletes when I talk about using heavy strength training to improve endurance sports. There is still the idea that heavy lifting results in a slower, tighter athlete and this is simply not the case. As Paavolainen’s study shows, explosive strength training, when properly added to a runner’s training program, will improve running. I would also note that it will likely help an endurance athlete become more resilient and reduce the likelihood of injury.

The problem is most people think of super heavyweight powerlifters or weightlifters when they hear the word strength. Not only is that ridiculous, it is not the goal. Our goal with strength training should be to improve strength without adding unnecessary body mass. Ross refers to this is “mass specific force” (MSF) or the amount of force an athlete can produce in relation to bodyweight. We want to create the greatest amount of force with the smallest possible engine. To do this, there are some things we need to focus on when implementing a strength training program.

The focus of the program should be on building maximal strength, or performing compound (multi-joint) exercises with very heavy loads, keeping reps in the 1-5 range. There should be a focus on building explosive strength and power by implementing exercises with light weights moved very explosively and by doing various jumps and throws. We also should focus on vary high rep single joint exercises with lighter weights for joint health and to prevent many of the imbalances created by the sport or activity. A strong torso is critical as well, supplemental exercises that develop all the muscles that make up the core (lower back, obliques, abdominals) need a lot of strength development.

When choosing exercises for strength and power we need to focus on the primary movers in the sport. For most endurance sports that will be the hips and legs. Deadlifts and squats are hands down the best choices. If I had to choose one strength movement it would be the sumo deadlift as it great for building strength in the hips and legs.


I am a big fan of using a belt squat machine for squats as the weight is loaded to a belt worn over the hips so there is no compression on the spine and there is a great deal of lower back traction due to the belt pulling down on and realigning the pelvis. When squatting we primarily use box squats. Box squats allow you to sit back placing more emphasis on the hips, glutes, and hamstrings. Walking in the belt squat is a great way to build up the hips and legs as well.


Exercises like box jumps are great for developing power. In addition, because you are jumping up to a box the impact forces are minimized dramatically. Jumps are great for power and explosive strength as it is impossible to jump slow.



In addition to a strong torso and hips, developing strength in the lats is important for the freestyle stroke in swimming, a concern for triathletes. Pull-ups are the best exercise for strong lats and if you are not able to do bodyweight pull-ups, standing in a band attached to the pull-up bar is a great variation as it will de-load your body where you are the weakest at the beginning of the pull and as the band shrinks you will be pulling a greater percentage of your bodyweight as you get close to the peak of the contraction, where the movement is easier to do.


Triceps are important on the pull of the freestyle swim stroke and doing high rep pushdowns with bands builds endurance in the triceps and is great for the health of the elbow joint as well.


Due to the nature of swimming, running and cycling for long distance it is important to keep the lower and upper back strong for posture and to correct a lot of the imbalances developed from leaning forward in the aero position on a bike and from the forward lean in running. Extra work for the upper back and external rotator cuff is important as well. We like to do a lot of high rows or face pulls with lat machines or bands as well as pull-apart and external rotator mobility drills with bands.


The muscles of the posterior chain are the workhorses for running and cycling and you need to develop great strength in the lower back, glutes and hamstrings. Reverse hypers are the best exercise I’ve found for lower back strength and health. You need a patented reverse hyper machine from Westside Barbell to do them properly. This machine was created by Louie Simmons and when performed correctly builds strength in the lower back muscles and improves the health of the back by providing traction to the lumbar spine.


Glute hamstring raises (GHRs) are great for building strength in the glutes, hamstrings and calves and are one of the only exercises I know of that work both the hip extension and knee flexion function of the hamstrings in one movement.


High rep leg curls are great for the hamstrings and knee health. We prefer to do them with bands or ankle weights for very high reps.


The muscles of the torso cannot be ignored as the torso is essentially our “power conduit”. This requires for than a few sets of crunches at the end of the workout. The abdominals, obliques and lower back all function to stabilize and protect the spine. Due to this I prefer a lot of static abdominal exercises. A couple of our favorites are BandBell Bar Kayaking and Stir the Pots done on a stability ball. They are essentially “planks on steroids”. I also like rotation exercises like full contact twists in a grappler or landmine, Russian twists, cable and band wood choppers, suitcase deadlifts, and planks / bridges and bird dogs.


The sled is one of the best strength and conditioning tools available. We do a lot of power walking with the sled attached to a weightlifting belt. Walking forward builds the glutes, hamstrings, calves and walking backward builds the quads. There is no eccentric loading in sled pulling so this is great for restoration as well, you never get sore. Using an upper body strap allows you to do any pressing or pulling exercise that you could do in a gym with dumbbells or cables. We do rows, presses, triceps extensions, wood choppers and other abdominal drills, the list is endless. For endurance athletes we like to pull lighter and moderately heavy weights for long distances, 5 minutes or more of continuous pulling at a time. For strength we pull very heavy weights over shorter distances.


Programming is a very individualized thing. This article was written to emphasize the benefits and importance of strength training for the endurance athlete and show some of the exercises I’ve found beneficial with the people I work with at my training center in Atlanta.

Some basic guidelines for strength training include:
  • When training for strength focus on maximal, or near maximal weights, done with low volume for no more than 1-3 rep sets with a total range of 4-10 reps around 90% or greater of a 1 rep max.
  • When training for explosive and speed strength the goal is increase rate of force production in the muscles being trained. Loads of 30-40% and 50-60% of a 1 rep max with an additional 25% in bands attached to the bar is great. If you do not have access to bands use 55-65% and 75-85% of straight weight. Total volume should be around 20-25 reps done in sets of 2-5 reps. I.e. 5x5, 10-12x2, 8x3, etc.
  • When trying to build muscle use single joint exercises with loads that fatigue the muscle in around 8-12 reps per set. Usually 2-4 sets taken to failure or near failure is great for building muscle mass.
  • For joint health do extremely high reps in as few sets as possible with very light weights or bands. Do not plan an emphasis on the eccentric or lowering phase of the lift, as this is where most muscle damage occurs. Keep the reps quick, but controlled, with the goal of increasing blood flow and circulation to the target area.
  • For most endurance athletes two heavy training sessions weekly performed 3 days apart is perfect. One session should focus on maximal strength development, the other should focus on explosive strength and power. After the main lifts move on to the smaller accessory and single joint exercises you need for your goals. Jumps should be done both days building up to 40 reps of jumps per workout. These two primary workouts should only take 45-60 minutes to complete.
  • Smaller workouts lasting 10-20 minutes should be done daily focusing on joint health exercises, flexibility, mobility, and extra abdominal and torso work.
Hopefully this article has shown you the benefit of adding a strength and conditioning plan to your regular endurance training. Not only will it allow you to improve your performance, it will reduce the likelihood of injury allowing for greater longevity in your sport.

If you would like help developing a strength training plan please contact me at scott@etpsgym.com. If you are in the Atlanta area my training center is located just north of the city in Norcross. I am available for distance coaching and consulting as well.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

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Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Strength & Health TV - Episode 52: Cleaning Up The Timing In The Kettlebell Jerk.

In this video I go over some tips I learned from my friend Steven Khuong, of the Ice Chamber Gym, for fixing timing issues in the kettlebell jerk.

I have been teaching kettlebell user workshops and instructor certifications for 10 years now and without a doubt the jerk is the hardest lift to master for most people. In fact, some organizations don't even teach it, or save it for an "advanced" workshop. Honestly, with these simple tips I learned from Steven, I have had 100% success getting students and trainers to learn the jerk in about 5-10 minutes.

Breaking the jerk down into positional drills then having students add a jump makes the timing perfect every time. I've found that once they are using leg drive and get the timing issues resolved we can then go back and clean the technique up quickly and very easily. This has resulted in everyone I've ever worked with leaving my workshops knowing how to perform the kettlebell jerk correctly that day. No need for a follow up workshop or advanced certification course.

This video is aimed at the beginner kettlebell lifter who is having problems with this lift as well as other trainers and teachers who struggle getting their students to master the technique and timing associated with this lift.

Hopefully you enjoy this video and if you have any questions or suggestions for future show topics please leave them in the comments section below.




Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Follow me online:
scott@eptsgym.com
http://www.scottshetler.com
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Wednesday, November 8, 2017

My Favorite Exercises for Recovery, Restoration, and Joint Health.

I've always believed that health is just as important as strength and for optimal development. You cannot have one with out the other. Often the harder we train to push up our fitness levels, whether it is strength or conditioning, the more we shift our focus away from health practices. Unfortunately it is usually an injury or worse that gets people to focus on improving their health.

If you are going to push your body hard, you need to implement restoration, stress reduction and other health-based practices to not only get the greatest benefit from your training but to give yourself the potential for a good quality of life.

One of my favorite things to do is to incorporate extra workouts throughout the week that focus on joint health, blood flow, and restoration from heavier training sessions. These exercises focus on the shoulders, elbows, lower back, abs, hips, knees and ankles. The key to these workouts is to perform very high repetitions. For the most part I shoot for 100-200 reps on the single joint exercises and 50-100 reps on the compound exercises. I do not focus on eccentric loading, but rather controlled but quick repetitions to promote blood flow and strengthen the connective tissue. 

I usually do a workout where I hit 1 exercise for the shoulders, elbows, lower back, hips, abs, knees and ankles twice a week on two of my three off days from my heavy training sessions. Then on one or both of my lower body days I try to throw in an extra restoration workout for the upper body, and on one or both of my upper body days I throw in an extra restoration workout for the lower body.

Here is how my normal weekly training schedule looks:

Sunday: dynamic effort upper training in the afternoon

Monday: full body restoration session in the morning

Tuesday: max effort lower body training in the morning, and upper body restoration in the evening

Wednesday: full body restoration session in the morning

Thursday: max effort upper body training session in the morning, and lower body restoration in the evening

Friday: dynamic effort lower body training session in the evening

Saturday: off

In addition to this I practice qigong and Taijiquan 5-6 days per week and walk daily, usually finishing with a full body bamboo or iron brush massage. Lately I have adopted a practice of doing a brisk 10 minute walk 3 times per day usually after a meal. I saw a video by Stan Efferding on his YouTube page where he talked about this practice, why he does it, and an introduction to the science behind it and found it fascinating. It's still early as I've only been doing it for a couple of weeks, but I feel much better doing this after eating and I definitely feel I have more energy and mental clarity, particularly in the mid-afternoons when I sometimes feel like crashing.

Here are some of my favorite restoration exercises.

Indian Club Swinging 

Club swinging is great for the shoulders, elbows and wrists. I generally perform 20-50 reps of various swing patterns or just do 5 minutes of continuous swinging.


BandBell Bar Bench Press

Using the BandBell Earthquake bar is great for shoulder health. I usually do 3-4 sets of 20-25 reps.


Band Face Pulls

These are great for the upper back and external rotators. I usually do 3-4 sets of 20-25 reps.


Reverse Hyperextensions

The reverse hyper bench from Louie Simmons is hands down the best exercise for the lower back I've ever come across. It builds strength and tractions the lower back simultaneously. I usually do 3-5 sets of 15-30 reps (80-120 reps total) with heavier weights on my two lower body workouts and 2 sets of 20-25 reps with lighter weights on restoration days.


Leg Curls

Something else I got from Louie Simmons was to do 100-200 reps of leg curls with 5-10 lb ankle weights or against bands to promote knee health.



Band Triceps Pushdown

These are great for elbow health and building up the triceps. I shoot for 100-200 reps per workout. Another great exercise from Louie Simmons.


Sit Ups on a Medicine Ball

This exercise I heard Louie Simmons talking about on a podcast and he said it did wonders for a psoas issue he was working with his A.R.T. therapist to correct. These definitely help to release the hip flexors. They strengthen and stretch the abs as well. I usually do 3-4 sets of 15-25 reps.



Calf Raises

Calf raises are great for strengthening the calves and the smaller muscles around the ankle joint. I usually do 3-5 sets of 15-30 reps either on a seated calf machine, the leg press or standing on a block.


These are not the only exercises that I do, and I am constantly experimenting with my clients and athletes as well as my own training. In addition I am always reading, learning and doing my best to assess and apply the knowledge gained. Hopefully this article gives you some ideas on how to incorporate some of these exercises into your own training. Some of this stuff may be boring and tedious but don't neglect your joints and smaller muscles, spending some time on them will pay dividends in strength and health.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Strength & Health TV - Episode 51: Getting the Most Out of the Glute Ham Raise.

In this video I talk about the Glute Ham Raise (or GHR) and how I use this exercise and piece of equipment at with my clients and Team EPTS athletes. The GHR, when properly performed, is an exercises that works both functions of the hamstrings, hip extension and knee flexion. I use two variations of this exercise, one that begins with the hips flexed, perform a back extension and then transition into the leg curl and the other is to begin with the hips extended and only perform the leg curl portion of the movement similar to an inverse curl. The exercise can be performed with body-weight only or with added resistance from bands and/or free weight. In addition to technique of these two variations of the exercise, and external loading, I go over the overall volume we focus on with this exercise.

I hope you enjoy this video and if you have any questions or suggestions for future topics please leave them in the comments section below.

Stay Strong AND Healthy,

-Scott
Follow me online: scott@eptsgym.com http://www.scottshetler.com http://www.eptsgym.com http://www.facebook.com/sshetlerfitness http://www.twitter.com/sshetler

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Strength & Health TV - Episode 50: Training Tips for Combat Athletes Part 1 & 2.

In this video series I discuss many of the training methods that I use with my grapplers and fighters here at Extreme Performance Training Systems.


I discuss the importance for training all velocities of strength, why you shouldn't be afraid to have athletes use the maximal effort method, how we improve cardiovascular efficiency and fitness, and why you need to consider all physical qualities required of athletes when developing their training programs.


In addition I talk about some of the special exercises and equipment we use at the training center, why it is important to not overlook often neglected areas like neck, lower back and grip strength and when / how we peak for contests and important events.

Episode 50 Part 1


Episode 50 Part 2

Unfortunately my video camera decided to split this video into two shorter segments so be sure to check out both parts of this video series.



Stay Strong AND Healthy,

-Scott


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Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Five Training Tips for Fighters and Combat Athletes.

There are many different physical qualities required for combat athletes to achieve optimal levels of development for their sport. Strength and power training are one of the most underrated, but that is changing.

For a long time the idea was technique not strength was the most important factor for a fighter or grappler. Technique, without a doubt, is incredibly important for athletes from all sports, but why does it have to be one or the other?

It's like my good friend Brian said when we were discussing the importance of strength for fighters and combat athletes. He said, "If strength wasn't important then why are so many fighters getting popped for steroids?" Great point. Another observation I made recently was looking at the absolute results for the IBJJF Master World Championships. The majority of the winners were from the ultra heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. Technique not being an issue the bigger and stronger athletes tend to prevail.

I have always felt that developing the highest levels of strength and power, while keeping the athlete in their respective weight class, was extremely important. Here are five training tips that I have found to be extremely beneficial for all of the combat athletes I've trained at EPTS across the board.

#1 - Jump
BJJ athlete Chris jumping onto a 30" box with an extra 50lbs of weight.
Jumping is one of the most important exercises and all athletes should do them. Jumping is absolute power. You are able to create and display a huge amount of force without the deceleration associated with the traditional barbell lifts. Use a wide variety of jumps done mostly onto a box. Doing box jumps minimizes the impact forces created when landing a vertical, broad, or depth jump. Depth jumps should be used in small cycles and only when the athlete is physically prepared to handle them. We do many different types of jumps from seated jumps, jumps from the knees, jumps with extra weights (holding weights, wearing weight vest, ankle weights, etc.), double leg jumps, single leg jumps, bounding, and many others. Most of our athletes do 40 jumps per workout twice per week. I got this from Louie Simmons' book, "Explosive Strength Development for Jumping" - a must read.


#2 - Sumo Deadlifts
9th grade 138 lb. wrestler Cam pulling 300 lbs in a rack deadlift.

Strong powerful hips are essential for fighters and grapplers and the sumo deadlift is one of the best exercises to build the hips, back, legs and grip. For strength we use the maximal effort method where we work up to a 1 rep max in a variation of the deadlift each week. For speed strength we use 50-60% of a max deadlift with an additional 25% band tension usually for 10 sets of 2 reps on our weekly dynamic effort training session. The deadlift variations we rotate through are rack deadlifts from 3 different positions all below the knee, deadlifts with the plates on 2" or 4" blocks, deficit deadlifts standing on 2" or 4" blocks, deadlifts in the belt squat, zercher lifts, and a variety of good mornings. 
BJJ athlete and 2017 IBJJF Master World Champion Chris pulling 295 lbs in the Zercher lift from the ground.
We use bands or chains attached to the bar for accommodating resistance always on speed work and sometimes on max effort work.
BJJ athlete Jesse doing speed deadlifts with 315 lbs and 220 lbs of band tension.

#3 - Don't Neglect the Lower Back, Neck or Grip


High school wrestler Cam doing neck bridges.
Louie Simmons' has said numerous times that football players and football strength coaches are afraid to train both ends of the spine - the neck and the low back. I recently spent a summer working with a Division 2 defensive lineman and confirmed this. His back shut down doing deadlifts with 50% his max and couldn't manage a set of 10 with 50% of his best squat in the reverse hyper. That is ridiculous, especially since a strong low back and hips are required to explode off the line.
BJJ athlete Noah doing 4-way neck exercises with the neck harness and light band.
A strong low back, neck and grip are critical for combat athletes. We use a ton of different exercises to build these areas and some of our favorites are the reverse hyper (developed and patented by Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell), kettlebell swings, cleans and snatches (great for the torso, lower and upper back, grip and general physical preparation-GPP), neck bridges and neck harness lifts, grip strength tools like the Rolling Thunder revolving handle, hub lift, pinch gripping plates and hex dumbbell heads, and doing chin up and rowing exercises using a GI jacket which develops tremendous grip strength while training the lats and upper back.
MMA fighter Ryan doing reverse hypers.
The keys for these areas are high repetitions and isometric holds. The high reps encourage blood flow which for an area like the lower back is critical since it is comprised of a large amount of connective tissue which has a poor blood supply compared to muscle tissue. 
BJJ athlete Pete doing kettlebell cleans.
The high reps and isometrics build strength endurance which is critical in these areas as well. Spend some time developing these three typically overlooked areas of the body - it pays to be bulletproof!
BJJ athlete Chris doing gi pull ups.
I would strongly encourage you to read Louie Simmons' and John Quint's articles at https://westside-barbell.com/ and check out their podcasts as well, they dig much deeper into this topic.

#4 - Work in the Belt Squat 
BJJ athlete Braulio doing box squats in the belt squat machine.
The belt squat is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment I have ever used. For combat athletes it allows for a huge amount of exercise variety and training volume. By walking in the belt squat it can be used for conditioning as well. Squatting in the belt squat is great because it allows you to execute a squat without the compressive loading on the spine associated with the barbell squat. Not having the barbell on the back keeps a lot of stress off the shoulders as well. 
BJJ athlete Jesse doing step ups while walking in the belt squat.
The belt squat also tractions the spine some as the weight is loaded onto the hips with a belt. In addition to squats a wide variety of exercises can be performed. 
MMA fighter Ryan doing an isometric hold with the Bandbell Bar while walking in the belt squat.
You can do kettlebell exercises in the belt squat, deadlifts in the belt squat, all varieties of loaded carries and odd object lifts, medicine ball work, walking, shadow boxing, pummeling drills, and the list goes on and on. Walking drills are typically done for timed sets - usually between 1:00 and up to 5:00 or longer. One of our grapplers, Chris, made 8:00 of continuous walking with 205 lbs of weight and 70 lbs of band tension while doing various lifts, carries and isometric exercises! You are only limited by your creativity. 
BJJ athlete Jesse working an isometric choking exercise while walking in the belt squat.
Had it not been for making a trip to Columbus, Ohio to learn from Louie Simmons and Tom Barry at Westside Barbell I would have never realized the true value of this piece of equipment.
MMA fighter Ryan shadow boxing in the belt squat.
#5 - Club Swinging for Shoulder Strength and Health
BJJ athlete Chris performing shoulder strength and health exercises with Indian clubs.
Club swinging as a form of exercise is hundreds of years old but is still incredibly beneficial today. By swinging light and heavy clubs in various patterns you are able to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder in a circular pattern unlike with traditional presses and raises. In addition the club provides a bit of traction on the shoulder joint during various swing exercises. 
BJJ athlete Noah doing mobility work with Indian clubs.
In fighting and grappling the shoulders take a beating and club swinging is one of the best methods of training I have found for strength and restoration.

There are many qualities that need to be developed for a combat athlete's physical preparedness including flexibility, mobility, aerobic and anaerobic energy systems development, strength, speed, power, endurance, etc. These strength and power exercises are not a be all end all by any means. However, they are some of the exercises I have found to have a huge impact for all of the fighters and grapplers I have worked with past and present.

Stay Strong and Healthy!

-Scott

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