Structural Exercises

Weight Training

These are some of the fundamental weight training exercises that will help strengthen many of the movements you use durring everyday activities. The focus will be on those which translate directly into MMA relevant movements.

Structural exercises are defined as those which load the spine. It is important that we only choose those which translate to both our MMA training, as well as the activities of daily living. This includes squatting, lunging, twisting, bending, stepping, pulling, and pushing. Below are some of our most highly used exercises, and down below you will find a collection of NESTA videos, which demonstrate and describe several of them.

Always remember to focus on form first, then gradually increase the load (weight). These exercises teach the basics of human movement and help to prepare for much more extreme training in the future. Adding resistance to a movement that is not stable will cause your muscles to have a flawed output everytime you make similar movements. Power and flawless movement go hand-in-hand.

If an individual needs help getting the movement patterns right, machines are often used by Nesta certified trainers. This is a great way to teach a pattern without struggling to achieve it, since the machine will force a person to follow a pre-designed motion with no verying, allowing the muscles to learn how this motion is meant to be achieved.

Chest Press

A seemingly simple exercise, most people will find great difficulty as they attempt to stabilize the weight. Because of this, we always begin people with bench presses to reduce the stress placed on the stabilizer muscles.

Remember to bring the weight down at the level of the lower pectoral muscles, stopping when the arms reach 90 degrees. Keep the hands directly over the elbows at all times. Most will struggle with this at first, which is why we begin with little weight added.

Triceps Push Down

The key element in this exercise is to keep the elbows stationary right at the sides. Do not move your elbows! Only raise the hands as far as they can go without the elbows moving.

Pushing down, remain mindful of your elbows (yes, elbow movement is the number one mistake). They tend to move back as people push down, and forward as they come up. To maximize the benefit to your triceps, pay attention to this.

Curl

Just as is the case with the triceps push down, elbow movement is an issue, here. Many people try bringing the bar to their neck. This causes the elbows to come forward, turning this into a shoulder exercise. Only raise the bar as far as you can without moveing your elbows.

Front Lat Pull Down

A great exercise for developing pull-up strength, this exercise not only works the lats, but the trapezius, as well.

A point that cannot be stressed enough is to NEVER pull the bar down behind your head. The shoulder joint was not meant to move like that. Anytime you move in this way, you are grinding your rotator cuff, and adding weight to this movement certainly isn't helping.

BAD TRAINER!!

Squat

Squatting is one of the three basic exercises used in assessing one's overall strength. An excellent alternative

Forward Lunge

Start out practicing this exercise without any weight added.

Deadlift

Many people fear this exercise. If performed wrong, it can lead to a terrible back injury. However, when it is performed correctly, there is no risk to the back. Instead, this edercise strengthens the lower back.

Begin with only a bar (no weight added), and watch yourself in a mirror, assessing your own form. Keep an eye on your back! Don't allow yourself

Dumbbell Row

Start out practicing this exercise without any weight added.

Roman Chair Extensions

Start out practicing this exercise without any weight added.

Knee Extension

Start out practicing this exercise without any weight added.