Words & photos: JJM Staff
From the Jiu-Jitsu Magazine archives: Issue 10, October/November 2012, pages 102–106. Original instruction and photography are presented in their historical context; training prescriptions and product references reflect the original publication. The dummy-lifting paragraph has been lightly edited to remove an unsupported assurance about injury risk.
Core is key when it comes to jiu-jitsu. You never want to rely on strength; instead, technique should always be the first priority. However, when you’re faced with someone whose technique matches yours, if you’re on the short side of physical strength or endurance, the one with the better physical presence is often the victor.
With that in mind, we partnered up with Kelly Babb and Jon Lee Brody of Cage Fitness as they showed us a few core and conditioning exercises from their Cage Fitness routine. The Cage Fitness routines center around their Cage Fitness Dummy, which is a 25 lb dummy that’s used during all the workouts and, as you’ll see, doubles as a grappling dummy for some techniques. The Cage Fitness routine is endorsed by Matt Hughes, Chael Sonnen, Brian Ebersole, and other MMA fighters. We’ve picked out the best exercises for us grapplers.
The routines chosen all use the 25 lb Cage Fitness Dummy. If you don’t have one, you can try substituting with a light punching bag, sandbag, or a large duffle bag filled with 25 lbs of sweaty gis.