A high performing and resilient body is built on a a strong and durable core.
All of human movement originates from the core and it generates nearly every move on the mat.
A weak core means less powerful sweeps, takedowns, and passes, and a more vulnerable lower back, hips, and spine.
Most people try to work the core directly with ground moves like planks, crunches, and sit ups.
But the core must work together with the entire body, especially while in a standing, upright position.
The following high-value moves train the core in an integrated way that not only builds core strength and resilience, but improve total body movement, mobility, and mat strength.
1. heavy club Pullover
At first glance, the Heavy Club Pullover looks like an arm and shoulder exercise. Once you master it however, you realize it’s actually a standing core movement.
This exercise demands anti-flexion of the core, meaning you resists extending backward when the club is behind. You must flex the rectus and obliques to keep the ribcage down while you allow only the thoracic spine to extend.
The beauty of this movement is three fold.
First, you gain shoulder and thoracic mobility simply by performing this movement.
Second, you integrate the lats with the core in a very functional way. The lats actually attach to the pelvis at the bottom, and are absolutely part of your “core.” You also build the lats with the “pull” part of the pullover, and stretch them when going over head.
Third, the pullover is mainly performed from a standing position. This allows you to develop total body integration, maintaining the stacked relationship of the shoulders, ribcage, and pelvis.
The Pullover is also the first overhead move to learn with heavy clubs.
2. Kettlebell Side Clean
The most neglected aspect of most training routines is rotation, yet it’s the most important primary human movement.
Club swinging is the best way to train rotation, and the Pendulum, aka Side Clean, is the best club core movement you can do.
But clubs are rarely available at gyms and most people more likely have access to kettlebells.
You can train the same Club Pendulum pattern with the Kettlebell Side Clean, and reap all of the amazing rotational strength and core benefits too.
You just need to be more careful that you don’t hit your knees on the swing, as the size of the kettlebell makes this more likely than with the club.
The Side Clean ignites the obliques and fortifies the lower back while the spine and hips are rotated – a very important quality that needed for injury-free BJJ.
3. Iso Chin Up With Knee Tuck
Isometrics are an extremely beneficial training method for BJJ strength and longevity. Everyone knows the rewards of pull ups and chin ups for grappling, but adding the knee tuck takes them to new levels.
When done properly, the standard chin up should be a total body exercise with a heavy emphasis on the core.
When you raise the knees to 90 degrees, you demand even more from the core, specifically the often underdeveloped lower core.
By holding the 90 degree position of the arms, you are adding lat, arm, and grip strength and endurance on top of building the core and hip flexors.
Jiu-jitsu requires long periods of holding tension, and the Iso Chin Up with Knee Tuck builds this quality for BJJ like almost nothing else.
Aim for multiple 30-60 second holds before adding weight between the legs.
Final Thoughts
It’s no secret how important the core is for not just resilient jiu-jitsu, but a high-performing and resilient life.
My favorite core exercises for BJJ can be found here, but the above exercises may be new to you, and offer a new set of benefits to help you move better and stay pain-free for longer.
When designing programs I prefer to spend time on high-value moves that deliver the most benefits with the least time demands.
The moves above build total body strength and even mobility, while strengthening your core and fortifying your lower back.
Skip the crunches and sit ups, and add these to get more from your training in less time.
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