strong foundation...

My father was an advocate of strength training and started me lifting weights in my early teens (about the same time I began martial arts).

He taught me that upper body strength was useless if you did not have a solid foundation under it. He built a small training room for me that had a heavy bag and a barbell, weight bench. Part of my training regimen included hill climbs, running sprints, and most importantly, free weight squats.

Nowadays, I am often asked what strength training exercises a person should do to be stronger in martial arts. My answer is always the same, “Squats!”

Free weight squats are one of the most beneficial weight lifting exercises you can do, but unfortunately they are also the exercise least often seen performed at the gym. Part of the reason for this is because of DOMS or “delayed onset muscle soreness”.

This soreness usually is at its peak in the second or third day after the workout. The legs are the largest muscle group in the body and therefore produce the most post-workout acids (soreness) after lifting than the smaller muscle groups. This is especially true if the weight lifter is inconsistent with their squatting exercises. The body is made to adapt. If squats are a consistent part of your workout routine, you are going to find yourself recovering more quickly than if you only do squats once every few weeks.

The primary muscles that benefit from squats are the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus muscles, spinal erectors, abdominals, and the calves. However, squats will incorporate virtually every other major muscle group.

Squats also create an overall anabolic environment in the body that maximizes lean muscle gains from other exercises. Because squats are a multi-joint movement, involve a large muscle group, and require a tremendous amount of energy, they trigger the release of extra testosterone and growth hormone. That natural boost helps to build the entire body, not just the legs.

One of the myths about squats is that it is bad for the knees--In 1989 researchers at Auburn University found that men who performed a full squat, bending their knees and lowering their bodies as far as possible for 8 weeks did not lose any knee stability. The researchers also observed that men who squat long-term have tighter, stronger knee ligaments than guys who don't squat at all. In addition, physiologists at the Mayo Clinic have determined that free weight squats place less stress on your knees than leg extensions, a popular machine exercise.

As for squats in martial arts, we Judoka have a special need for that particular type of strength. Many of our throwing techniques rely on our ability to get our center of gravity lower than that of our opponent. In MMA, we need that leg and core strength to secure and defend takedowns, throw powerful strikes, maintain balance, and to accelerate on command.

Everyone wants to be a champion, but not everyone wants to train like a champion. Champions do squats! If you want to build your fitness foundation, it begins here.