Hit Harder with Training

By Bud Jeffries


This piece gives you three exercises you can do in your workouts that may make you stronger and permit you to transfer that power without delay over to hitting harder.

Sledgehammer Workout. Swinging sledgehammers for building muscle, strength, conditioning and striking power was a tremendous secret of the old time boxers. Men who could hit ACTUALLY hard. It's also symbiotic with the kettlebell swing. Working a total body explosive movement with heavy stress on the shoulders, wrists and abdominals. Teaching your body the correct explosive sequencing to hit harder while at the same time building its physical powers.

Isometric Strikes. There are many ways to try this, but I am going to share with you one way. I put a chain around a non-moving object (low for kicking, high for punching), and attach either a strap to put around my foot or a handle to snatch with my hand and then as closely as I possibly can I simulate the precise trail a correctly thrown strike would take pulling against the chain. I make certain that my body as well as the limb that I'm punching with follows all the actions that a properly thrown strike would take. I work the isometric along multiple parts of the path of the strike beginning at the generation and going out along a link or two on the chain until I'm able to the finish. Be sure to work both hands or legs. And you can hold for whatever time or reps you see fit, just work it tough.

The Dennis Rogers Lever Wrist Curl. I'm doubtless not meant to let this kitty out of the bag, but I am going to sneak around and share it with you. Dennis is as you know, possibly one of the world's foremost authorities on hand strength. He's got some totally original exercises that you'll be hearing about from him very soon. I am going to share with you a variation of one he taught me, because I think it will be one of the best hand and wrist strengtheners you will ever do and because it will be a big key toward strengthening your hand and wrist movement to guard it and empower it for awesome striking.

Dennis does it with a short barbell, but I prefer to do it with a dumbbell solely for convenience sake. What you fundamentally do is overload one side of the bell by 3 to 10 pounds dependent on your strength and the length of the bell you use. You then perform a normal one arm wrist curl with it. Alternating between the overloaded side being on your thumb side or on the pinkie side. By doing this you are strengthening the wrist, but in essence performing a levering and wrist curl at the same time. The unbalanced load puts additional stress on the fingers as well making it a very complete hand strengthening movement. Extremely strong and plenty of bang for your buck.

Add these into your routine and you will be able to double your striking power.




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