Calisthenics, Powerlifting, or Strongman for Combat Sports Conditioning

Q&A with the coach. Shanghai based MMA coach and fight commentator Ramsey Dewey answers questions from the viewers.

[@u03pj9]

“Technique is not a lack of strength. It is an intelligent application of strength and power” best way I’ve ever heard of putting it

[@hoop6988]

Changed my whole perspective in training.

[@roninstrength1883]

Hear, hear!

[@dlowone]

What a great commitment, I gotta remember this one

[@diopardo9715]

Yea never heard that before but it’s genius

[@SnowPyramid]

Its a kinda stupid thing to say because its so obvious , i dont know anyone who thinks technique equals lack of strength. Like who is that quote even meant for?

[@cirogomorra7456]

Its all about the posterior chain. Too many dudes focus on presses and their quads. Glutes hamstrings and the back is where the real strength is at.

[@oh9990]

Hey that rhymes

[@kevinkattau6391]

Ripatoe

[@seanseanston]

hip drahv

[@dennisthemenace855]

How do you train that ?

[@IgnatiusCheese]

@@dennisthemenace855 Deadlifts

[@itzbebop]

Ive been doing 100 pushups and 100 sit ups and 100 squats everyday. I'm still not bald. What am i doing wrong?

[@meanmanturbo]

You forgot the 10km run, you dumb dumb!

[@Enzo-em1te]

Eating a banana for breakfast, and not using a heater or air conditioner is also missing

[@Daniel_WR_Hart]

You're not the protagonist

[@l0rd_of_hollows681]

@@Daniel_WR_Hart lol NPC

[@multimalware5325]

And dont use ac

[@mpint302]

Sometime ago, I read about Mike Tyson's strength training program. Allegedly, the guy did very high volume of basic but tough calisthenics like pull ups, chin ups, push ups, dips, sit ups, body weight squats, and bridging. I venture to say this was true because the guy had a very well rounded physique especially the posterior chain. He had big, powerful glutes, his legs were like tree trunks, his back and traps were solid. The high volume of pull ups would have definitely contributed to that devastating punching power he was known for.

[@michaelhowze8198]

Also consider that many old school boxers were against weightlifting. Cus may very well have been of that school if boxing. Now that's all speculation but the timeframe fits and it would lend credence. To Tyson using exclusively body weight exercises.

[@advantageofthedisadvantage7213]

He did that earlier in his training...BUT I read he started lifting weights. I don’t think it’s possible to get a good posterior chain with just calisthenics

[@hungryorphan5975]

@@advantageofthedisadvantage7213 it is just harder

[@IsmailKhan-fg9tj]

Mike tyson definitely lifted weights aswell tho

[@CodenameAnubis]

Thanks a lot man I just spent an hour down the rabbit hole of Mike Tysons training program…. No seriously thank you LOL. Me and my Shifu both agree that Mike is and accidental internal martial arts master. In that he may be a boxer, but his movements are unified, so when Mike hits you, it is his whole body that is landing in those punches. I am a Tai Chi guy that actually has a good teacher, that says things like; “You can’t let go of your strength, if you don’t have any Strength to let go of.” And “Knowing a hundred forms is useless, without sparring.” Cheers Bud👍

[@starboy2013]

You grow when you sleep. Sleep is just as important as training. You have to recover properly.

[@imawarrior313]

jack smith uncompromisable

[@W67w]

Too much sleep makes you lazy. For me the sweet spot is 6.5 hours. If I ever sleep 8 hours I find myself feeling lethargic during the day

[@miked9425]

No sleep is dangerous.

[@thegreatboppilini9006]

It’s true, I slept bad my whole life and am the shortest man in my family.

[@spoonman73]

Plyometrics for explosiveness. But honestly, I would put the majority of my time and energy in actually training the martial art itself.

[@gagang7472]

highly recommend weighted chinups. INCREDIBLE upper body strength exercise with a lot of application to martial arts, while also working the bro muscles like biceps a tonne.

[@ilitardo160]

GA GANG thanks Bro😪 I used to be able to do a good amount of push ups but now I can barley do 10. But I’m on my way back and then I can try doing weighted calisthenics.

[@moronicpancake8291]

Get them strong underhoooks

[@hed2015]

This is why Ramsey is a great martial artist , he breaks it down. I been saying this for years about grappling the most important fundamental skill of grappling is strength. For every martial art it can differ but the physically stronger a grappler is the more efficient he is, look at khabib he’s soo dominant because no body can OUTMUSCLE HIM . look at the tibau fight where he fought someone with similar strength. Grappling is a STRENGTH based art , and the best way to defend against is it to be stronger.

[@Jayngfet]

I was listening to Martial Arts Journey and one of the BJJ instructors tried to downplay strength training by saying "A few tricks and explosive power can get you to a blue or purple belt but once you get up there it's all technique" and he doesn't seem to understand that covers the overwhelming majority of scenarios you can expect to fight a person outside of high level competitive BJJ.

[@katokianimation]

Every time if somebody tells me don't use your muscle to win, use technic, I lay down and try to aply any technic without moving a single muscle. Bjj is like chess. But somebody has more figures and can move more times in a row.

[@imizaru9929]

@@katokianimation That's just petty. Is strength importand? Of course it is but if you allways use your strength angainst weaker training partners you wont be able to work on your technique and will be worse of facing an opponent as strong as you. Now get rid of your ego, stop trying to win angaist your training partners and start learning from them.

[@cesaralvesdemoraes3187]

If that was true I wouldn't be able to beat guys 20+ kilos heavier than me in jiu jitsu. The most important skill of grappling is directing force at the appropriate vectors. If you add strenght you have more force to apply, but you still need to know where to apply it in order to be successful. Khabib is not champion because of strength, he is champion for knowing how and where to use his strength. Just look at his fight with RDA, who is bigger than him and moved up in weight later but still got absolutely dominated.

[@katokianimation]

@@imizaru9929 you didn't get the point. Your goal should be as fast, as heavy-duty and strong as possible and using your body in the most efficent way. That is your personal maximum. Try out muhay thai, they don't tell you don't use your speed use technic instead. Or don't punch with speed and strength, punch with technic. Because that dosen't make any sense. If I hold your wrist and pull, the stronger I'm harder will be for you to do what you want. If I'm pushing your body down, the stronger I'm the harder will be to you to sweep.

[@necrionos]

hey, iam not a fighter of any sort, i started 3 years ago with physical training. starting from less than couch potato level with the age of 36. thin body type, no muscles at all but lots of fat. the first year was terrible, almost no visual progress and a single training day could destroy my muscles for an entire week. today i can run 5km in a half hour and while iam still thin, there is probably 66% less fat on my body and i didnt lose weight in the progress, so there is some actual visible muscle gain. your videos helped me a lot to find the right way (for me) to do it. especially that one video where you said stuff like "doing something , anything is better than doing nothing. doing it on a regular schedule is better than doing a lot for a short period of time and then experiencing a loss of morale" and so on. most things you said in this video also align with my experience. except one thing. lifting heavy weights vs training based on your own body weight. in my experience there is a pretty high chance for any sorts of injuries when training with weights. its probably because of my low fitness level and that i am not 20 anymore or missing training knowledge, but it feels like there is almost no downtime when doing body weight based training. sore muscles regenerate much faster, usually within a day. never hurting tendons or hurting joints. overall my impression is that the progress is higher and more consistent when training without weights. lifting something slightly too heavy one time or lifting it wrong can make training impossible for weeks. that works against the "do something and do it often" rule.

[@jean-noelbazin8152]

I understand what you say about risk of injury when using weight. But I disagree, at least compared with my own experience. I started weight lifting after watching Ramsey video about that few months ago. I just wanted to give it a try, after about 8 years of cardio/calisthenic. After only a few months of inconsistent training (only once every two or three weeks) based on deadlifts, pullups, rowing, my strength drastically raised. I did not get injuries at all since I started with low weights, about 40 kg for the deadlift to get confortable with the technic. Now I lift 80 for 5 sets of 12 reps. As in body weight exercice technic is really important before considering the amount of weight to avoid injury. In my opinion now, their is no more risks of injury with weights. And maybe less because the rapid and solig gains of strength with lifting weight training allow me to have less back pain and exhaustion in martial arts training and everyday life. Hope you'll consider to give it a try as well !

[@sachaboratcohen3644]

This is why you should have good form or stay away from heavy weight. The weight isn't the problem though, it's your ignorance.

[@georgekondylis6723]

Good advice. Everyone’s goals and recovery are different. At 56 yo, and with no more desire to compete, I focus on recovery. Squats and deadlifts are great, but they tend to dig really deep into recovery of both muscle and the central nervous system. That said, if you find the right frequency and intensity, they are great. For most people , not pros, one session a week of squatting or deadlifting can be sufficient, along with your martial arts training. Recovery dominated training is something not talked about enough. Also, remember, if you are competing, and tend to get bigger when you strength train, you may bump your weight class up. This might be ok if you were weak at a certain weight, but if you end up facing an opponent who is a natural heavyweight at 6’1 and you are a 5’10” natural middle who bulked up, you are a a disadvantage.

[@imawarrior313]

George Kondylis volume over intensity

[@anonymouse7095]

I do pull ups constantly, and it gives me a big advantage in closed guard. Strong grips and ability to break posture.

[@MegaMrsuperawesome]

You need to write an ebook. Just your collective knowledge and training guides. It'd be super insightful

[@paulj.lazaro965]

I'm so glad I found this channel. You should write a book.

[@waaagh3203]

Lots of great exercises to choose from. Squats, deads, weightlifting (c+J and snatches), calisthenics, etc. Lots of fun stuff that will benefit you as a fighter and just overall. Tire flips, sled pushes, sled pulls, and farmer's walks will get you really strong, too. Can you imagine grappling against a guy who knows what he is doing and has that insane strongman grip strength? That'd be crazy.

[@thunderzproductions5474]

i find calisthenics work best with me becoming a better boxer

[@Dean.AlAmriki]

Try squatting, you’ll be surprised by how much it increases your stamina!!!

[@thunderzproductions5474]

@@Dean.AlAmriki leg day is a staple in any training regiment

[@thunderzproductions5474]

@Mike B why because what i said is facts and leg strength is important in boxing

[@reffchamsey9617]

@@Dean.AlAmriki is that you dean

[@sheadoherty7434]

When it comes to resistance training, don't limit yourself. In the 20th Century many fighters did calisthenics alone and did brilliantly. In ancient Greece fighters would train like strongmen and were legendary for their grappling strength. Bruce Lee worked under the barbell 3 times a week and he was the definition of a beast. It all works, and the differences are so nuanced that they barely matter when it comes to fighting as there are too many other factors to consider.

[@williamstellmon7565]

I feel that they all are important. I base this more off my experience in as a US Army infantry soldier then actual combative sports. Here's why: 1. Wieght lifting / power lifters that had no other physical background could bench 110% of their wieght 25-35 times straight. When doing a push up they were lucky to get 8 or 10 good reps with perfect form off. Not knocking powerlifting, but alone it does not determine true physical performance. Strongman - while a rarity in service, these power houses seem to suffer most when flexibility was required to complete the course. Which can be corrected for with training. The third does develop flexibility, but as a stand alone, you won't make it without building the muscles to go beyond average physical strength. While almost everyone sucked, training for combat we needed our bodies to work in unison; we needed have the strength, flexibility, coordination, a d endurance to survive.

[@mrmushin1]

That is why I use Gymnastics as a foundation

[@hahadasitmane]

I think you’re lying about the push-ups. Bench pressing helps with push-ups immensely...

[@williamstellmon7565]

@@hahadasitmane yes, bench pressing does help preform push ups. However, when you don't preform pushs-up or any push-ups for that matter to US Army standards: hands no more/less then shoulder width apart, head and eyes straight forward (no looking straight at the ground or lowering your head down), body form straight and in unison (no sagging or arching of the back/mid section), elbows breaking the plain (pretty much bouncing your chest off the ground) and must return to the up position in unison for a single rep to count. Your body is a network of muscles. A push up at most is 60-70% of your body weight. However, doing just a weight lifting will not train your muscles the coordination to preform such a precise rep. Muscle memory will revert to trying to bench press weights will mess the form up. A reason solution to the problem is simple. Do the exercise the way it's graded. Weight lifting alone will not build the coordination, endurance, and flexibility needed for real world combat or a graded exercise. Think of it like a person who has only done body weight training going to the gym. Chances of that dude lifting anything over 150% over their own bodyweight is laughable at best. While the prior training isn't useless, they need to train to become better. The physical fitness shock from going from infantry basic training to actual line units is no less extreme. Running with gas masks, full weighed kit obstacle courses and physical training, and developing specific martial arts for fighting with a M4 that mirrors the development of sword/Lance specific arts of Europe and Asia. Another example is fighting skills. With a M4 all I have is week one striking and grappling skills. Nothing to go to my MMA gym and talk smack. That's a sad joke and known it. With a M4, I am pretty leathal in close quarters next to the same guys at the MMA gym in close quarters fighting. The context, and situation matter a lot. No one is getting into gun fights at high noon. So my fight art is pretty damn useless except in rare occasions. Just because a weight lifter can not do a push up due to having little/no prior experience doing the exercise does not mean they are unable. It just means they have to apply themselves to correct the fault or be defeated.

[@williamstellmon7565]

Yes, my grammar on all that was bad pretty bad.

[@deadcakesandpanlifts2019]

im sorry but I find it unlikely your first point is real. Bench Press Strength is directly coorelated to push uo strength. In push ups you push around 63% of your bodyweight. If you can bench your bodyweight for 20 reps, you can do over 30 push ups. I dont know why you would lie about this or youre just plainly missinformed.

[@Epic501]

All the basic compound barbell patterns (Squat, Bench, Deadlift, OHP, Row) plus weighted chinups and pullups are the tried and true best strength gainers for your time. Big agree on training grip specifically being important for grapplers. Would also add preventative training like face pulls for shoulder health and finger extensors for injury/overtraining prevention for grip. Finger tendon training, rock climber style would be worthwhile over the very long-term for anybody who participates in a gi sport.

[@markphelan7437]

I always come away from your videos with a fresh perspective on my training routine. Constantly tweaking and experimenting. Evolving. Thank you for your articulate and thought provoking advice 💪💣

[@MattTangoWhisky]

I’m not a fighter but I get on physical confrontations almost daily and I believe using the gymnastic rings for my upper body training and doing heavy deadlifts are the 2 biggest factors for giving me a huge edge over my opponents I’ve literally picked up and carried grown men with ease and easily over power them on the ground because due to the instability of the rings I have strength and leverage on any plain and any angle

[@adamsmith577]

If you are getting into confrontations daily, then you're the problem.

[@macdaddy1617]

Turning 54 I would say lifting to max will take its toll on your body as you age. I would train mid weight and multiple exercise for whole body workout with the benefit of conditioning and stamina. Lifting this way reduced the stress on my joints and increased my cardio. I like the idea of lower stress but high volume to exhaust the muscle. Get creative and push your body to increase your heart rate to withstand higher loads of stress in the cardio department.

[@ktkungfutaichi]

Agree! For my Sanda students 60% mobylity/bodyweight and 40% weightlifting/kettlebells, etc... "Posture" great point there! Posterior chain and core training 👌👌👌

[@theironforce3000]

Excellent breakdown of the popular strength training styles mixing in with MMA style. I'm from the bodybuilding / powerlifting world myself, last week I officially decided to jump into the Muay Thai world. Total beginner, nothing competitive. I'm going to start off with a 3-day split of Mon. Wed. Fri. Resistance training Tues . Thurs. (And Sat ) Muay Thai sessions. I think that's an even balance ⚡

[@skyguytomas9615]

I practiced that guillotine defense you showed in the video with a couple of my training buddies. Worked like a charm. I found it easy to target my elbow into the femoral nerve. Even light pressure and strikes had them repositioning their legs in such a way that made transitioning into half guard very easy. It probably wouldn't have worked as well if they had focused more on controlling my legs or rolling me over. Regardless, it beats getting choked! Thanks Ramsey.

[@anon2034]

Where is the video?

[@yomumma7803]

@@anon2034 same video 3:00

[@tipoftheiceberg7034]

I love Ramsey Dewey he's a great man. He's also the exact same size as me. But he's still got more muscle than I do seeing as hes been at it for years longer than me

[@gojimutsu7252]

Wait a minute that my question ! Ramsey thank you so much for answering my question you are always very helpful !!! i will focus on your tips and do the same thing still apply for someone who wants to move up a weight class? from (70KG to 77KG) or do you have to just eat on a calorie surplus and keep improving on your exercises? i know you have personal experience with this going from 100lb to 187lb while staying lean!

[@OkurkaBinLadin]

Well, it took him YEARS of hard work. You could make 7 kg in about a year or two, if you follow good diet plan.

[@LrShion]

Cool.. You can do it.. As a fellow Kengan Fan who do Martial Art..

[@poopidoopi9575]

Kengan Asura profile pic? I see you're a man of culture.

[@dsadsa726]

I still use the routine Frazier recommended in his book. Only added squats and deadlifts once a week on top of it.

[@dsadsa726]

@Petros Fragkos Box like the pros

[@kristiyanindzhev6454]

May you enlighten me on the his routine dear sir? Thanks in advance!

[@fortitudinemethonorem4088]

I'm looking at the book on Amazon due to you mentioning it. I will most likely buy it because it's Smokin Joe's book. Out of curiosity on the boxers workout that it outlines, is it all calisthenics?

[@dsadsa726]

@@fortitudinemethonorem4088 Yup, it's all the normal boxing exercises like bagwork, jumping rope, sparring and shadow boxing with sit ups, push ups and pull ups at end of every session. Old timers didn't believe in weights. This book isn't some amazing piece of insight like Jack Dempsey's book on boxing, I'd even call it a bit basic, but it's definitely worth a read if you're a fan of Joe (and want to read him give tips on defense while simultaneously talking shit about Ali catching hooks).

[@fortitudinemethonorem4088]

Great, thank you for your reply.

[@eddiejansen3771]

I would add weighted carries (of all kinds) as well. Your trunk/grip/upper back strength will thank you

[@joeladams2327]

Mr ramsey keep up the good work been watching your channel and you always bring great info

[@randomguy-wz5ud]

Just wanted to add that strength can be beneficial to endurance as any force you produce is a lower % of you maximum exertion and therefore can be done more times(a point taken from mark Rippetoe). I allso watched a video on a few studies where scientists took elite endurance runners and cyclists, put them on 4 weeks( I think) of some sord of pure strenght program (like 3×3 or 3×4 half squats) and their race times went down( I think it's Pavel Tsatsoulines video). P.S. literarly continued watching the video and 10 seconds in Ramsey touches on it...

[@Emp6ft10in]

You are refreshing. It seems like there is a rule in martial arts were saying strength helps in a fight is forbidden. In fact, it seems like its a requirement to adamantly deny that it helps at all. Meanwhile, super strong wrestlers (with no striking or submission experience) who convert over to MMA seem to do really well for some reason right out of the gate and also the UFC decided to use weight classes, I guess just for fun? Meanwhile, fighters are constantly trying to get a measly 10lbs weight advantage for each of their fights by doing dangerous water cutting. Seems pretty extreme if they didn't feel that extra 10lbs mattered.

[@mpint302]

Very interesting channel you have here. Before I found your channel, I watched a lot of MindSmash but I can only take so much because he talks so fast and is sometimes incoherent. I like how you actually face the camera and answer questions very deliberately and patiently. You really know how yo break it down.

[@adamsmith577]

I'm so glad i came across this. I had juat gotten out of bjj and I was kind of struggling today. I was landing my sweeps, but the guya were just much faster and stronger than I and would scramble out before i could get the dominant position like from scissor sweep or I would just get smashed to the point where i was stuck on bottom and fighting subs until I was exhausted. My muscles(especially forearms ) were just fatigued to the point where I couldn't explode out of them. I realized that i need to go back to my roots a little bit with just basic training. Thanks for reaffirming that.

[@dojanglesclimb]

This is purely anecdotal, but I used to be into barbell training until I sparred a guy who was a state champion power lifter. I could hardly feel his strength at all when sparring. I was really baffled. I weighed 150 lb at the time and he could bench literally 3x me, but I would never have guessed it. On the other hand, there was another guy at the gym only a little bigger than me that would just steam roll everyone. It was absurd. When I asked about his supplementary training he told me sled drags, and lifting, throwing, and carrying heavy sandbags. The first time I tried one of his workouts I almost died. Crazy hard cardio and muscular endurance. Whole body was sore for a week. No wonder he was kicking our asses. I became a big believer in this kind of training after that experience.

[@Jack-kn1mr]

I imagine doing strong man workouts would be pretty handy for wrestling aspects cause it's all about lifting heavy awkward things like a human body

[@pettersonj8252]

Powerlifting, Boxing, Wrestling = Monster !!!

[@lockeddownboxing9904]

I am a really tiny person, 164cm and 50kg now - 21 yo but I can really relate to this issue. I remember how I felt confident because of my strength (I was deadlifting 3x my weight at the age of 15... benching 160% my body weight and so on and even some adults couldn’t lift what I did despite a significant size difference and I remember how it made me feel confident. I trained martial arts so I was easily whooping the other kids and could even train with older guys (20-25) then I turned like 19 and I started doing properly with adults and I see what you’re talking about. It is about being good where you need to and at the same time it could mislead you. Very very tough one to do. Thank you for another great content!

[@nordikcajun5417]

Love your videos and your explanation and teaching. 😘😎. And your voice is something 🤩🤩🤩

[@spankygray]

"Technique is the intelligent application of strength and power", I would replace "intelligent" with "efficient", but this is a very good definition of technique. Well done! Nice video, as usual.

[@benchase7537]

those words are synonymous in this context.

[@jpmorgain912]

Coach Ramz BEAST MODED that takedown & control !

[@nerf7674]

Law of diminishing returns is definitely real with calisthenics. Seems like there’s a lot of hype around that you CAN get big with calisthenics instead of if you should.

[@MarcosAG90]

Unsurprisingly enough, that thing that you said about punches being about pulling the opposite part of your body have improved my punches by a LOT. The difference between pushing the same side or pulling the opposite is insane!

[@soap5547]

why is your voice so perfect wtf, i can't stop listening

[@RamseyDewey]

Hahahaha! Thanks!

[@911shan]

In my opinion, a mix of Strongman and hypertrophy training mixed with Calisthenics is fine along with MMA. But if you are working out 5 days a week and doing MMA 3-5 days a week. (Workout in the morning, MMA in the evening). At some point, maybe 2 weeks or 2 months later, you are going to start feeling the effects of that training. No matter how much rest you have and how well you eat, that type of training is way too intense. You then also need to add in extra body healing mechanics like Ice Baths, massages, chiropractic adjustments and physiotherapy to stay on track. Training that much has a huge effect on your time, finances and energy. Unless you are looking to become a professional fighter don't go that hard. Just train 3x a week in the gym (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). And MMA 3x a week as well. (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). And allow your body Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday to rest with good sleeping habits and good eating habits.

[@vinkelitz]

I'm no good at pull ups or chin ups right now but i'm hoping to improve them. I acknowledge that they're a very important upper body exercise that is also heavily underused. Your video on "How to Do Pull-Ups When You Can't" was a great video and i'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't watched it.

[@aa7x3]

You might like Westside barbell's workouts for fighters, they focus on a mix of maximal weight training and explosive training in order to build strength without putting on a lot of size and then focusing on conditioning

[@Jayngfet]

Lifting heavy weights recruits fast twitch muscles so doing five reps near your limit for a few sets is going to give you more explosive movement than doing a bunch of body weight exercises or lower weight ones. Right now I'm doing 5x5's and then doing half an hour of cardio and In have to say both my endurance and physical power have gone way, way up along with my speed and balance.

[@Jayngfet]

@@thatcrazyfish2636 Not gonna lie I neglected my back for way too long. I do a fucking absurd amount of back exercises but it's gonna take me a while to actually get it as good as my front. Which is ironic because anyone who works the bag for more than a couple of minutes will tell you the part that's REALLY sore the next day is always the back.

[@jellobum12]

absolutely love the explanation on proper posture and how it can have great affect on your stance and movements, ive recently started watching your videos and like a good book i cant seem to put them down. I once knew a guy who trained alot into Ninjutsu. which seems to have alot of techniques that run parallel to other disciplines, i would just love to hear your thoughts on the practice, and if you've encountered many people who are involved with it.

[@claudioleon5013]

Proper technique it's directly affected by strength and size, BJJ it's cool because you can modify the techniques and adapt them to your body size, weight and strength. As an example... there's a guy in my gym that's fucking huge, i tried to do a kimura to him and... didn't even bend the fucking arm... and im big too but just didn't work... a triangle was almost impossible because of the size of his back and the amount of preassure he was doing was amazing... obviously there are other techniques that work very well with this type of people (Such as: armbars, omoplata, gogoplata, leg locks, etc...) but some of the most common techniques are almost impossible.

[@OldSchoolPatrick]

Thanks, Ramsey, you always come through!

[@jackreacher4297]

I’ve been training cardio in between everything recently because of how winded I was after my first grappling class.

[@kevinkioko2778]

Ramsey is one of the most jacked fighters I've seen

[@RamseyDewey]

I’m pretty fair to middlin’ in the muscle department. Watch more fights, my friend!

[@hop-skipthechewtoys1836]

Specifically for combat sports? I'd honestly recommend Indian pushup/squat combo along with a good kettlebell for Turkish getups, a lot of cardio, and yes absolutely pullups!

[@husrav8517]

Sir you have an amazing voice

[@randymuaythai492]

You've just gave me idea. Taekwondo mitt can be used to train punches. Thanks bro

[@jbeihl1]

Push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, jump rope

[@rafaelcarrera9436]

1) Proper Steroid Cycling 2) Celebrity Status > any performance based ranking system. 3) Skill and Physical development if time permits. And last but not least, some words of wisdom by NFL analyst Chris Carter. 4) "Just in case y'all not going to decide to do the right thing, if y'all got a crew, you got to have a 'fall guy' in the crew,"

[@timadams3979]

The old belief that "lifting" ie: strength training, whether bodyweight (one of the best btw), or weights, or other similar exercise, has always been part of martial training (Greece, India, China, Japan, Okinawa, Europe), and only became "a thing" in modern practices. Everyone from Wrestlers to Judoka to Boxers all used strength and endurance conditioning--and you should too. I think the reason it was avoided by modern martial artists in the West was that they had limited training (usually one or two years of military deployment) and so they were young men who were already very physically active/trained by the military.

[@mxu111]

I like your clarification of technique versus strength/power.

[@dennisnordlund902]

What about cleans? It is usually considered the premier athletes lift. My recommendation would be squat, clean and push press.

[@RamseyDewey]

All good things!

[@coryclutterham5858]

That bonus points submission was so cool I had to watch it thrice

[@sixstringrevolver6742]

I've always been a huge fan of Bruce Lee, so it was pretty cool to see that guy get so much gains with only body weights -- since Bruce Lee also believed a lot in bodyweight training for fighting. He had some cool exercises with immovable objects too. Like a handle on a metal chain attached to the floor. Btw, beard's lookin awesome, man. Kinda jealous, not gonna lie. haha Thanks for another great vid.

[@RamseyDewey]

Yes, Bruce Lee did a lot of body weight exercise, but he also lifted weights regularly. Mr Lee is usually remembered as the guy with the idea of hybrid martial arts, but I personally think his most important contribution to martial arts was his emphasis on strength and conditioning- which is something a great deal of martial artists have been ignoring entirely for decades.

[@sixstringrevolver6742]

@@RamseyDewey Agreed. He truly was an inspirational man. A modern day Renaissance man. Not the "Legendary Bruce Lee" that the myths and One-Inch Punch videos make him out to be, but still a legend. And definitely not the first to mix styles or borrow from other styles by any means, but he definitely sparked interest in martial arts around the world. You're right. It's amazing to see the things he was doing, it's even more amazing when you realize how little was known about nutrition and conditioning then. I wonder if any fighters still put egg shell powder in their shakes though? haha

[@MrAds213]

Thank you very much this has been the question I needed an answer to!

[@xmark9x598]

Where you mentioned your friend who built his physique solely with calisthenics.. body weight exercises are great to some degree, but doing f ex 1000 pushups daily will definitely have a worse impact on your joints and ligaments than some weight training combined with bodyweight exercies

[@mikeshoults4155]

Bruce Lee said Core core core It seems that every fighter focuses on core strength, boxers, wrestlers ect.

[@fabolousninenine30]

Obviously. Strengthening the core is a great thing to do. Especially if you want to loose fat.

[@EasyDubai]

@@fabolousninenine30 Not how it works. Spot reduction like that doesn't exist. A built core improves your posture so you are harder to break down, increases rotational strength, and forms a more connect kinetic chain for punches and kicks.

[@TheUnkBoogie]

I know what you mean coach, I used to be a swimmer, different training for different endurance requirements.

[@lvc.7676]

You have a great Radio voice

[@RamseyDewey]

Thanks

[@GeorgeOu]

One arm kettlebell clean and press is really good. Many things in sports including MMA involve asymmetric strength. Punches and Sprint's are asymmetric explosions in power even though you switch off both sides. Regular clean and press are also really good. Horizontal rotation with extended arms on the cable pull is really good and translate to punching. Don't make the mistake of using good body builder form with isolated hips. Move the entire body. I can pull the entire stack across my body with arms fully extended and people are shocked how hard I hit for a 175 pounder. Bodyweight exercises are not appropriate for most people because they are simply not strong enough to do most of the exercises. For example, you can't just tell most people that do a bunch of Pull-Ups because I just can't do it. Weights make it easier to vary the resistance. Not only does it allow you to use more than body weight, more importantly it lets you use less than body weight.

[@metrfulton9708]

All blessings i appreciate your sharing of knowledge , thanks✌

[@CapybaraEnthusiast882]

eddie hall on pads is just brutal though-

[@bigwavesun]

One of your best videos dude

[@henchgamer6996]

That motivated me to get stronger

[@TheHYENA87]

The cal guy you posted is Daniel Vandal fitness faq. Daniel does lift weights also, he isn’t purely cals. I have a body from his ring program that looks like I definitely lift weights , but I truly don’t. But it is true, a good cals workout from him is an hour minimum, usually hour and half, lots of sets and reps and lots of time under tension. So it produces shredded muscular physiques. Body by rings is a great program. Almost a bodybuilding program on the rings. Highly recommend it. Don’t get trapped in the super high rep sloppy form of calisthenics. You will go nowhere and just tire yourself out.

[@Samson2323]

My bjj instructor is bjj brown belt, he used to do powerlifting and minimal bjj then now as he gets older he is now focus on bjj. He is still jacked those muscle wont die

[@Stryfe52]

For me, I’d probably go something that’s good for fighting and everyday life. I want to carry all the groceries in one trip.

[@manny3191]

slapping my donkey always prepares me for a cage match.

[@andyperkins2523]

Jiu jitsu is not about strength doesn’t hurt but it’s not the most important part. Staying connected to your opponent feeling the movement move yourself not your opponent he pushes you pull he pulls and you push stay relaxed and breathe. Now that being said if the guy has same or better technique than you yeah your in trouble unless you get lucky which can happen or be an expert at surviving the storm of strikes and submission attempts and then take em out when they get tired which is also a point of jiu jitsu. But in competition with time limits really takes away from jiu jitsu but who knows fights are unpredictable to a large degree anything can happen.

[@uexkeru]

Within the fundamentals, one thing I like to do that I believe transfers heavily to martial arts - speed days. Maximal strength is great, but you gotta have that lightning bolt feeling of explosive strength in your hips, and you get that from lifting submaximal weights with good bar speed - throw in some jumping and sprinting, some hitting stuff. Other than that, my favorites are deadlifts, front squats, pull ups, barbell and dumbbell bench and overhead presses, farmer walks or whatever else I can do on the fly for a mean grip.

[@Taterzz]

i know that submission, it's a very famous number.

[@AB-ro3fu]

I swear if covid end im moving to your school im honored to be your student yes sir 🙏❤️

[@kenaddoh4693]

Great advice!

[@rowdyzack5914]

The answer is yes

[@giovannip.1433]

I recall 5BX and XBX training books 'back in the day' for calisthenics. Then there's isometric stretching... I found in the past that it can be hard to keep a balance of speed, strength and endurance. If you look at rowers, they have to be able to 'draw' strokes explosively, powerfully but consistently though the entire race - they are strong but relatively lean...

[@RamseyDewey]

One of my first students in Shanghai was a competitive rower. He was incredibly strong on one side of his body, and fairly average on the other, since he always rowed on the same side.

[@GhostRider-hy9zt]

There’s another way to practice strength for a snapdown. I don’t know the name of the machine, but it’s the one where you pull down and the weights go up. With that you add the double rope attachment, get into your stance for grappling and snapdown it’s good for snapdowns.

[@mrmoth26]

Do you ever deadlift sumo or do you only do conventional?

[@RamseyDewey]

I do both- and also hack squats (not the machine, like a deadlift from behind the legs), Jefferson deadlifts, RDL’s, SLD’s, and trap bar deadlifts too.

[@sangyedorje3564]

The point about jiujitsu not being immune to superior strength is very important, yet it’s what anyone who trains it is in deep denial about.

[@Diesel249]

hard work works

[@amhawk8742]

Consistency is so important with any type of program but especially bodyweight training. I mainly train with my bodyweight along with some light dumbbells and stretches. I only go to the gym once a month (to test my strength), and each time I go I set a new PR in something despite having been training for several years. Being on a lean bulk helps I guess. High rep ranges used in bodyweight training increases muscular endurance while powerlifting increases raw strength. Even though I've been putting on muscle, I've kept my flexibility/mobility by stretching a couple times a week. The only thing that's suffered is my cardio (I didn't bother doing cardio since I used high rep bodyweight training as my cardio).

[@gingercore69]

Great video! I have a QUESTION: Here in argentina there is a martial art that claims to be ancient, but historical records place it as an offshoot of hapkido... Sparring andncompetition is basically lightcontact mma + some weapons sparring(not together... Different types of competitions for those too) MY QUESTION is... Should i care that the history they claim to have is fake if the techniques and training is legit? The martial art is called SIPALKI the one they teach near me is mostly focused in weapons and hand to hand combat

[@brianfarley4814]

It's not promising that your teacher is lying about the style's origins. I'd be very leery of it, because even if the techniques are real, I wouldn't be surprised if they were performed and taught a little incorrectly. Most schools with fake backgrounds mean that the teacher probably has a bit of knowledge about multiple styles rather than a true expertise at anything. Someone told me a long time ago to look at the teacher's best student to determine if that's someone you really want to learn from, and I've found that to be solid advice. Good luck.

[@gingercore69]

@@brianfarley4814 well, its not the teacher here who created the lie, its the founder... The guy who created the art did... History time... There was once a guy who trained in hapkido, became really good at it... But also was obssesed with a military manual called muye dobo tongi or domething like that... He and his family went to mongolia for a while, came back to korea... And finaly moved to argentina... When he came he noticed that hapkido was already pretty big, so... He couldnt make much money with hapkido since they were already organized... So, since he was pretty good with weapons... He told the story of how his family protected the "ancient style of sipalki" moving to mongolia during japanese ocupation of korea... And then came to argentina to spread it... People called him out as a fake and tried challenging him... After henbeated the crap out of any challenger, including a bodybuilder who was a blackbelt karateka and was known for beating the crap out of martial arts masters in challenges... He became famous and so did his style... The multiple times muay thai and kickboxing world champion cristian "serpiente" bosch called it in an interview "the closest thing to mma in argentina before the ufc" and when someone asked him how hard it was to change from sipalki to full contact, muay thai and kickboxing... He said "pretty hard... There were many things that i could do in sipalki competitions that were not allowed in those sports" So... The techniques are solid... Its just hapkido, but more brutal and militaristic... Punches to the head are allowed... There are many weapon comprtitions too... And they practice against multiple oponents on a regular basis... In other words... Its mma with a jacket, swords, knives, sticks bow and arrow, whips, etc...

[@brianfarley4814]

@@gingercore69 It sounds like a good school then. The origin of a system doesn't matter that much. Even BJJ isn't particularly old, but no one would question its effectiveness. As long as the other stories were legitimate, it sounds like you found a good system.

[@imawarrior313]

Jokes aside, I recommend you guys to watch the Rocky 3 and Rocky 4 training montage. Although cinematic but it's quite authentic when it comes to what fighters need!

[@RamseyDewey]

And I recommend you watch Rocky IV dubbed over with Punch Out sounds! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZzRcqiZjs6dpJo

[@imawarrior313]

Ramsey Dewey hahahaha! Man Ramsey ure a masterpiece my friend .. Here's to you .. Oh and always remember, i live alone and i train alone! 👊🏼💪🏼 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoO3p2yXZ6apg9U

[@AgustinGarcia-kd1gg]

Zercher squats instead of back or front squat? And what about dead rows instead of pullups? I had been told that rows are better to gain pull strength with than pull ups but idk Thoughts?

[@RamseyDewey]

Do all of them. Periodize and accessorize.

[@martynblackburn1977]

I like squats and hate pressups and dips. I have serious pain with doing dips and Ive done gironda dips and still feel pain. I did squats once and pissed blood afterwards, but only once. Love doing deadlifts. Press ups give me pain and lactic acid sets in really quick.

[@anatolyalperovich9069]

One must avoid the pump and work aerobic and explosive power , a part . But not in same time. Also, no anaerobic training in last 22 days, before competing. For some issue with mitochondrial proliferations

[@tranquilowey1735]

strength and technique are not mutually exclusive in any context - I dig your content

[@samtheman9002]

Any swimmers? swamming to swim is a good way to get fit to fight too you know :D

[@jackreacher4297]

Nate Diaz and Kron Gracie are all about iron man competitions (biking, runnning, swimming).

[@jayjayy3425]

swimming is awesome.. definitely tests my cardio more than other things

[@onezerotwofour184]

Cro cop had a nice quote about strength. Essentially something like "strength is the most important skill." I think about it often because most people I've done well against in BJJ have honestly been weaker than me and most people who've beat me were somewhat stronger. I'm still a white belt though and I've never had a purplebelt or better in a truly bad spot so the strength variable is probably expected to be the main factor for beginners. In my experience there are a lot of spots (when the technique isn't applied great for whatever reason) where it almost becomes a question of should I try to fix my technique (prob better for the long term) or just step on the gas? I can remember never having submissions on plenty of people around my skill level until I just started actually putting force into things so it's been a question of mine if I'm actually giving BJJ the right approach. I've been criticized by multiple coaches for opposite reasons. Going too lightly against weaker people (giving them a chance) and going too hard against the same group (not giving them a chance), so idk anymore.

[@AlexEinherjar]

Master the mechanical part of the techniques then you start applying more force to them. It's what Ramsey said in this video, if the guy is much stronger than you, some techniques will fail unless your mastery of different techniques is superior than that of said opponent.

[@adamgrimsley6455]

Sparring is practice. Let them have a chance. Then they let you try your stuff. Give and take like puppies playing. Don't hurt each other. Job done!

[@sarivata]

I watch your videos because they help remind me to stay motivated. Thanks for the consistency. Also, weird question. What is your experience with people as they prepare to harm another human being for sport? I learned Tai Chi becasue I only wanted to know enough to keep me safe on the streets, which it did. When it works it has an amazing habit of diffusing situations quick in a way that does not involve cops. Now I want to try local combat sports but, despite the violence I overcame, I have never hurt someone physically. No one is going to tap out due to bruised ego and I doubt I am that good at defense i could hold them off for that long. Is this something I have to find in the moment or is there a book you got?

[@Poxyquotl]

Strength I think is one of the most important things for a successful grappler ESPECIALLY IN NO GI. IN the Gi grips and clever lapel/collar usage can negate a lot of power based escapes. Without the added grips of the Gi Technique can get you a long way but without strength you’re punching up hill. Take the finals of the Most recent CJJ welterweight tournament. I really think Nathan Orchard was probably the most technical grappler but when it came to overtime Kody Steele just had such a strength advantage that once he had Orchard in a position where he could force it to be a strength vs strength battle he had Orchard dead to rights.

[@EthanNoble]

I do pull-ups chin-ups dips and goblet squats with a 55lb kettle bell. That’s all I really care to do. Also have a half lb and 2lb jump rope working at getting the front lever

[@Aditya-cs2jn]

Great advice sir, thank you

[@v312ym34n_is_very_mean]

You mentioned that some techniques have a maximum disadvantage of like 30%, and in another video you talked about one guy who was so much stronger than you he ripped through your armbar and submitted you by one-hand squeezing your skull. What are other crazy things you've seen work that are only possible with a huge strength advantage?

[@NerdyPro]

I am also interested in this.