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Answers from Danny M O'Dell:

Q. I have a patient coming to see me for treatment for acute low back pain. (I am a chiropractor). My patient is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and hurt his back the other day during practice. I myself have recently started taking classes and have come to really enjoy it although it is an intense workout. I am a good size guy 5"10, 220 lbs and work out with free weights a lot, but I feel that some of these smaller guys are stronger than me when we practice. I wanted to know what type of training routine would you recommend to help improve my overall strength and power, such as cleans, snatches or more dynamic exercises like walking lunges, flipping tires etc.

Thanks

Craig Sollose DC CCSP

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Answer:

Hi Craig,

Perhaps the smaller guys are able to express their strength faster than you are. By this I mean they have developed their training program to include not only strength exercises but power and speed as well. In order to catch up to them I suggest that you make certain that you are as strong as they are in the primary exercises such as the squat, military press, bench press, dead lift, barbell rows and the power cleans. Next, if you are as strong as your competitors, then start working on the development of speed by using weight loads in the 30-40% 1RM ranges for six to nine sets of three reps. Time every rep so you know if your are getting faster.

Use very fast movements against resistance, such as that provided by standard exercises. Medicine balls thrown in various manners against walls, outward, upward, sideways…, catching and immediately re-throwing a medicine ball, jumps with and without weight for height and/or distance, low level plyometrics, examples of which are one leg hops, bounding, skipping for distance and height, clap push ups, medicine ball drops and re-throwing upward.

Remember you have to train as you play and that does not involve many slow movements. Those that are slow are of the isometric type where you are holding your opponent.

Danny M. O’Dell, MA, CSCS*D