Strength Training for Judo: Guide & Training Program

Judo is the most popular of all martial arts and even one of the most popular sports in the world, second only to soccer. It is also a sport that requires a combination of technique, balance, timing, and the ability to throw someone twice your size like a sack of potatoes. But when skill levels are equal, strength can mean the difference between victory and getting slammed.

In this article, we’ll break down the importance of strength training for judo, from developing the power you need to generate more power in your throws to improving balance and stability to injury prevention. We’ll also provide a complete 14-week training program that puts theory into practice without sacrificing agility or endurance.

***

Want to jump right into the training program?

Click here for the Strength Training for Judo program.

Table of Contents

Benefits of Strength Training for Judo

For a long time, traditional judokas and trainers were quite skeptical about strength training, and Kano Jigoro, the founder of judo, emphasized “maximum efficiency, minimum effort” (seiryoku zen’yō). The old-school mentality—especially in Japan—was that judo, as a martial art designed for smaller, weaker practitioners to overcome larger opponents, shouldn’t rely on brute strength, which would contradict judo’s core principle of using an opponent’s force against them.

By the way, the myth that strength training and gaining muscle makes you slow, inflexible, and “muscle-bound” permeated not only judo but many, perhaps the majority, of non-strength sports worldwide.

The shift began mid-to-late 20th century, especially when non-Japanese competitors started winning big international competitions. European and Soviet judokas embraced strength training early, and their success forced a rethink.

By the time judo became an Olympic sport, strength training was starting to creep into elite-level preparation. By the time the 20th century drew to a close, sport science had also debunked the myth that strength training somehow hinders technique.

What was once viewed as a shortcut or even a crutch has become standard—essential even—in most sports, including judo.

We now know that you can use any strength you gain in the weight room to boost your technique rather than replace it. Today, strength and conditioning are more or less standard in all sports, and almost every elite judoka incorporates strength training, Olympic lifting, and plyometrics into their judo training plan.

Strength alone won’t win fights, but if two equally skilled judokas meet, chances are the stronger one comes out on top.

That being said, some purists and traditionalists still believe that lifting weights makes judokas muscle through throws instead of setting them up properly, increases injury risk, and leads to weight class issues (since added muscle can bump a judoka into a heavier category).

The last one is true—muscle mass does add to the scale—but it’s a case where the benefits outweigh the potential rigamarole of dealing with a few extra pounds and making weight. Besides, the typical outcome when someone starts hoisting iron is to gain some pounds of fat-free mass and lose some pounds of fat. That means improved body composition and performance, not necessarily too much weight gain.

So, while some old-school folks might still side-eye the squat rack, modern judo recognizes that weight training is gold—as long as strength complements technique, not replaces it. If you’re not hitting the iron, you’re probably getting thrown on your head by someone who is.

Here are the top benefits of strength training for judo.

Force Production, Power & Speed

Judo isn’t a strength sport per se, but that doesn’t mean that strength isn’t hugely beneficial for judokas.

The stronger you are, the more force you can apply when you grip or off-balance an opponent and execute throws. Heavy compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and rows increase your maximal strength and allow you to overpower your opponents in clinches and groundwork.

Yes, judo is mostly about technique, but you’re not the only one trying to perfect yours. Your opponents are, too, and when you meet someone equally skilled, simply being stronger than them gives you the advantage.

In addition, strength training, especially Olympic lifts (cleans, snatches, and variants) and plyometrics, improves your so-called “neuromuscular efficiency” and your ability to generate force quickly. Stronger muscles contract faster, which means that you can execute transitions, attacks, and counters more rapidly.

In short:

Strength training directly improves your ability to generate force.
It boosts power to make your attacks more explosive.
You can react faster and execute your techniques with fewer missed opportunities.

Grip Strength and Upper-Body Control’

Grip strength is so vital in judo that it gets its own little benefit section.

Controlling your opponent’s gi is essential and requires both muscle endurance and raw grip strength, both of which you can improve with forearm and grip exercises like farmer’s carries, towel-grip pull-ups, and bar/plate holds.

You also prevent hand and forearm fatigue during long matches, and the upper-body strength you get from these exercises gives you the upper hand, whether attacking or defending.

Injury Prevention

Judo can be tough on the body. Throws, falls, and submissions put a lot of stress on a judoka’s muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments.

Some studies have found that judo, when viewed over the entire career, has some of the highest injury rates among sports—higher than ice hockey and soccer—with upper-limb injuries, particularly dislocations, being more common.¹ Acute injuries during matches, however, especially among elite level judoka, are relatively low.² ³ More judo injuries occur during practice (63%) than in matches, although match-related injuries tend to be more severe.

It is always better to prevent sports injuries than having to treat them after the fact. And the fact is that strength training is the number one thing you can do to avoid them. That goes for sports in general, and judo is no different.⁴ ⁵ Stronger muscles absorb impacts, resist sudden directional changes, and protect your joint against outside forces, like those you are constantly exposed to on the tatami.

How Should Judo Athletes Strength Train?

Judokas are hybrid athletes. They need a mix of strength, speed, power, and endurance to handle intense matches, grip battles, and throws. These demands have gone up because the rules changed—now, a 4-minute match can keep going without a time limit until someone is ruled the winner. In other words, they also need a great deal of stamina. In addition, their training needs to be designed to prevent injuries from the specific demands of the sport.

What does that mean in the gym?

It means a big focus on building maximum strength and power. As a result, your force production, speed, and explosiveness increase as well.

Max Strength Training

Improving your maximum strength allows you to control your opponent, maintain dominant positions, and execute throws with as much force and control as possible. Focus on heavy compound exercises with relatively low reps (2–6 reps) at 80–95% of your 1RM (your one rep max is the maximum amount of weight you can lift for a single repetition). These will build the prime movers in the sport and give you the raw strength to grip, lift, and toss your opponents like rag dolls and add lean muscle mass to your frame.

Squats and deadlifts build the explosive leg and hip power you need for shooting in, lifting, and driving through throws.
Bench presses and overhead presses are essential for upper-body strength for controlling grips, stiff-arming opponents, and finishing turnovers.
Pull-ups and rows give you pulling power for throws like uchi-mata, seoi-nage, and harai-goshi and make it harder for opponents to break your grip.
Farmer’s carries, plate holds, and towel pull-ups ensure you never lose a sleeve grip due to fatigue.

And no, adding muscle won’t slow you down—it’ll make you faster, more explosive, and harder to stop. The idea that muscle mass makes you sluggish is outdated and debunked. Research even shows that judokas can improve their flexibility with resistance training, leaving more time for actual sport-specific judo training instead of stretching.⁶

Power Training

Once you’ve built a foundation of muscle mass and strength, it’s time to turn that strength into speed and explosiveness—the difference between a slow, telegraphed throw and one that sends your opponent flying before they can react.

For maximal power training, use moderate weights (50–75% of your max) and move explosively. Focus on speed, not grinding out reps until failure. Keep sets to 3–5 reps, and stop once your speed drops.

Box jumps, squat jumps, and medicine ball slams for explosive lower-body and core strength.
Olympic lifts like power cleans and snatches train triple-extension (ankles, knees, hips) for the explosive power and movement patterns you need for lifts and throws.
Speed-focused barbell work is great for training speed-strength.
Use resistance bands on throws or pulling movements to develop speed and acceleration.

You don’t need—and shouldn’t—train to failure in power work. If the weight starts slowing down, the set is over. You want every rep to build explosiveness, not fatigue.

Periodization and Traing Cycles

Judo is a high-intensity sport with no strict “off-season” like some sports. Your calendar can be packed with competitions year-round if you want it to be, and there’s always another event to prepare for.

However, you can’t go 100% year-round and expect to stay in one piece.

You have to take strategic breaks to recover, adjust your training cycles, and peak for major competitions (if you compete, that is—doing judo for fun and fitness is how millions enjoy the sport). Recovery is one of the most important aspects of long-term success in any sport, and judo is no different. No one is in their best shape year-round, and while these strategic breaks might not be a true off-season, they allow you to plan your training cycles to maximize performance and avoid burnout.

This “off-season” training often has two main phases: one where you build maximum strength and one where you turn that strength into power, speed, and fight-ready explosiveness.

Rotate between these blocks for the best results and continuous improvement.

After a period of light training or after a competition, I suggest you start off with general strength and hypertrophy training, where you lay the groundwork for maximum progress during the two main phases instead of jumping right back into the heaviest weights possible.

Macrocycle: The big picture (months to a year or training).
Mesocycles: Smaller blocks focusing on specific qualities (like the strength and power cycles lasting 4–6 weeks each).
Microcycles: Weekly or bi-weekly progressions within each mesocycle.

In each phase, you build upon the previous one, going from foundational strength and hypertrophy to max strength to explosive fight-ready power training.

Functional or Sport-Specific Strength Training for Judo

“Functional” training is a very hyped concept, meaning you primarily do strength exercises that mimic what you do in your sport. Judo has special considerations that a good strength training program for judo must include, but at the same time, it can become too specific, to the point where it neglects fundamental resistance training principles.⁷

Becoming stronger is functional. A base of general strength improves everything—speed, endurance, agility, and power, and if “functional training” only involves sport-like movements, there’s a cap on how much strength you can gain. Strength from compound exercises (squats, deadlifts, presses, pull-ups), transfers across many movements, while hyper-specific training often only benefits the exact movement being trained.

In other words, train like an athlete, not just like a guy pretending to play their sport in the gym. Include judo-specific exercises, but not at the expense of missing out on foundational strength gains from traditional lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses.

How Often Should Judokas Strength Train?

Most judokas benefit from lifting 2–4 times per week, depending on their training load, competition schedule, and experience level.

Beginners/Recreational (2x per week). At this level, the focus is on general strength, building a foundation of muscle mass, and injury prevention. You want to learn how to perform each exercise and not overdo it.
Intermediate/Competitive (3x per week). Three strength workouts per week are an excellent balance between strength, power, and endurance, with enough rest to recover and allow for judo practice.
Elite-Level Fighters (3–4x per week). At this point, your program calls for advanced periodized programming for continuous improvement while preparing for competitions. At the same time, more is not always better, and more than four weekly workouts offer minimal additional benefits in the form of strength gains, especially considering the impact on your recovery.

Here’s an example of a weekly training schedule for an intermediate judoka athlete with three full-body strength training days and one rest day:

Day	Session Type	Focus/Goal
Monday	Judo Practice	– Technical development – Tachi-waza (standing techniques) – Newaza (ground techniques)
Tuesday	Strength Training	– Full-body strength
Wednesday	Judo Practice	– Randori and situational sparring – Speed & agility work
Thursday	Strength Training	– Full-body or upper-body and pulling focus
Friday	Judo Practice	– Application in mock competition – Tactics & strategy
Saturday	Strength Training	– Full-body or lower-body focus
Sunday	Rest Day	– Active recovery or total rest

You don’t have to adopt a full-body approach; another example of a great split is one full-body training session, one upper-body workout, and one lower-body workout (with even more possibilities to split your training week into different days for different body parts if you go for a 4-day approach). However, full-body training is one of the best and most time-efficient ways to program your strength training and one I often recommend when personal preference doesn’t call for something else.

Strength Training Program for Judo

This is a strength training program for judokas who want to develop maximum strength, power, balance, and stability while strengthening the body to withstand the rigors of the tatami and prevent injuries. It’s suitable for the “off-season” (see above) and for intermediate-level judokas and above.

This program works best if you already have some strength training experience. It features many different, relatively complex exercises, and if you have never lifted weights before, it might be too much for you to jump right into.

If you’re new to the gym, start with one of our beginner programs, like the Beginner Barbell Training Program. You train three times per week, alternating between workouts A and B.

Workout A

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squat	3	8–10
Bench Press	3	8–10
Barbell Row	3	8–10

Workout B

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Deadlift	3	6–8
Lat Pulldown (or Pull-Ups)	3	8–10
Overhead Press	3	8–10

These are some of the most transferable exercises to judo, so beginners can’t go wrong.

In other words, you’ll train workouts A B A week one and B A B week two, then go back to week one and keep alternating between the two.

This beginner program (any many more) are available for free in our workout log app, StrengthLog.

You can use the strength you gain in judo, and you teach your muscles, brain, and nervous system to play together, allowing you to move on to more complex programs.

If you do have some weight training experience, you’re ready for Strength Training for Judo.

14-Week Strength Training Program for Judo

This program will run for 14 weeks, split into three main parts, separated by deload weeks. It includes compound lifts, accessory movements, and judo-specific considerations (like grip strength, pulling power, and hip/leg strength)

General Strength and Hypertrophy: Build a foundation of lean mass and strength gains.
Maximum Strength: Increase the maximum amount of force your muscles can produce.
Power and Max Strength: Translate your gains into power output and speed.

Click here to open the program in StrengthLog.

Program Structure

Duration: 14 weeks.
Frequency: 3 full-body workouts per week.
Structure: Three 4-week progressive blocks with deload weeks in between.
Focus: Strength, power, and athletic performance for judo.
Sets and Reps: 3–4 sets per exercise, 3–10 reps (depending on block) per set for compound exercises, higher reps (10+) for isolation exercises.
Rest Between Sets: 2–4 minutes for compound movements , 1–2 minutes for isolation work.
Progression: Gradual increase in intensity or volume each week.

Follow This Training Program in StrengthLog

This program and many more are in the StrengthLog workout tracker app. The app is free to use, forever, with no ads. This program, however, is a premium program (it offers built-in progression and advanced periodization), which means it requires a premium subscription.

We offer all new users a free 14-day premium trial. You can activate it in the app without any strings attached.

Download StrengthLog and start tracking your workouts today:

Download StrengthLog Workout Log on App Store Bodybuilding Blitz

Download StrengthLog Workout Log on Google Play Store Bodybuilding Blitz

Repetition Ranges

Week 1–4: Do 8–12 reps for most exercises.
Week 6–9: Do 4–6 reps for most exercises.
Week 11–14: Do 3–5 reps for most exercises.

You can see the exact number of reps (or distance or time, like for the farmer’s walk and plate pinch) for each exercise, workout by workout, week by week, in StrengthLog.

Start with 5–10 minutes of dynamic movements like arm circles, leg swings, bodyweight squats, lunges, and jumping jacks to increase blood flow, loosen joints, get your heart rate up, and prep your muscles for heavy lifting. Optional but beneficial.

Workout 1

Exercise	Sets
Power Clean	3–4
Squat / Front Squat	3–4
Pull-Up	3–4
Overhead Press	3
Farmers Walk	3
Ab Wheel Roll-Out	3

Workout 2

Exercise	Sets
Bulgarian Split Squat	3–4
Romanian Deadlift	3–4
Dumbbell Row	3
Dips	3
Towel Pull-Up	3
Hanging Leg Raise	3

Workout 3

Exercise	Sets
Deadlift	3–4
Box Jump	3
Bench Press	3–4
Chin-Up	3
Wood Chop	3
Plate Pinch	3

Try to add weight or do one more rep each workout. When you can do the designated number of reps for each set, increase the load the next time you hit the gym.
Every 4–6 weeks, reduce the loads (and/or sets and reps) by 30–40% to allow your body to recover fully.

The program is detailed in full in your StrengthLog workout tracker, down to the exact number of repetitions per set.

Strength Training Exercises for Judo

Here are detailed descriptions of all the exercises in the Strength Training for Judo program in the order they appear.

Power Clean

You take a barbell from the floor and catch it in a racked position on your shoulders in one fluid movement—that’s the power clean, an explosive weightlifting exercise that builds strength, power, and coordination, and a fundamental move in Olympic lifting, many different sports, and functional fitness.

Learning how to power clean is the best way to improve triple extension (hip, knee, and ankle extension) strength, which a judoka uses to generate maximum force from the ground up, making it easier to lift, unbalance, and throw opponents.

If you don’t have the technique down pat, drop the weight and master the movement before you start loading heavy weights on the bar. Form first, then power. Consider working with a coach if you’re new to Olympic lifts—they’re technical but very rewarding and some of the best exercises you can do for athletic performance.

How to Power Clean

Step up close to the bar, so that it is about over the middle of your foot.
Lean forward and grip the bar with an overhand grip, about shoulder-width apart.
Hold your breath, and brace your core slightly.
Lift the bar in a smooth but fast motion. Bend your knees slightly and receive the bar on the front of your shoulders.
Stand up on straight legs again.
Lower the bar in front of you, with control.
Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Squat

The squat, and variations of it, is the number one exercise for improving athletic performance. It involves many muscle groups all over your body but is primarily a lower-body exercise for your quads, glutes, and adductors.

Every major judo throw depends on a stable stance, and your ability to drop, lift, and drive through your opponent improves if you get stronger in the squat. It also becomes easier to maintain balance when you use your upper body for control and to resist takedown attempts and getting countered.

You can vary the regular squat with the front squat, a squat variation where you place the barbell on the front of the shoulders instead of on the upper back, making it more quad-centric. The upright torso position is more similar to how you use your legs and core in Judo than the back squat, which leans you forward more. However, back squats allow you to use more weight and are the single best strength training exercise for increasing full-body power, so including both in your judo strength workouts is a good idea.

How to Squat

Place the bar on your upper back with your shoulders blades squeezed together. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the bar.
Take two steps back, and adjust your foot position.
Squat as deep as possible with proper form. You don’t have to go into a full squat where your butt almost touches the floor, but go as deep as you comfortable can while maintaining form.
With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
Exhale on the way up or exchange air in the top position.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Pull-Up

The pull-up is a compound bodyweight exercise where you pull yourself up using an overhand grip until your chin clears the bar. It’s been a staple in calisthenics and bodybuilding since forever for building a wider back and functional pulling strength. It works the back (primarily the lats), biceps, rear delts, and grip strength (as long as you don’t use lifting straps).

Every judoka benefits from doing pull-ups on a regular basis. They give you the strength to pull your opponent off balance, break their posture, and yank them into a throw.

If you’re busting out reps easily, strap on a weight belt or wear a backpack with a weight plate for extra resistance. Conversely, if you struggle to do enough pull-ups, use resistance bands to help you up.

How to Do Pull-Ups

Stand beneath a pull-up bar and reach up to grasp it with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you), slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Ensure your grip is secure and comfortable.
Hang freely from the bar, fully extending your arms. Your feet should be off the ground.
Engage your core muscles by squeezing your abs and glutes.
Inhale and initiate the movement by pulling your body weight up towards the bar by bending your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Focus on using your back muscles rather than relying on your upper arms.
Continue pulling yourself up until your chin reaches or clears the bar. Keep your torso upright and avoid excessive swinging or kicking with your legs.
Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position while maintaining control and stability, fully extending your arms.
Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Overhead Press

The overhead press, also known as the shoulder press or military press, is a fundamental upper-body pushing exercise where you press a weight (barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells) vertically overhead from shoulder level. It trains your shoulders (mainly the front delts), upper chest, traps, and triceps, along with stabilizing muscles all over your body.

For judokas, becoming strong in the overhead press is a way to develop the power behind your throws and defenses. Mastering it will make you harder to off-balance and stronger in gripping exchanges, and pressing strength transfers to techniques like seoi nage (shoulder throw) and o goshi (hip throw), where you need upper body drive to lift and off-balance your opponents.

How to Do Overhead Presses

Place a barbell in a rack at about chest height.
Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and step close to it.
Tighten your abs, unrack the bar and let it rest against your front delts while you step back from the rack. This is your starting position.
Push the barbell up, extending your arms fully, while exhaling.
Bring the weights back down to your shoulders, slow and controlled, while inhaling.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Farmer’s Walk

Going for a farmer’s walk (also called the farmer’s carry) means carrying heavy weights (like dumbbells, kettlebells, or special carry handles) for a set distance or time. You might not think carrying heavy objects from point A to point B sounds much like a judo exercise, but it builds the grip, core strength, stability, and muscle endurance you need to ragdoll your opponents.

Far from a walk in the park, carrying farmer’s walk handles forces you to generate full-body tension, like when you execute a throw like seoi nage or uchi mata, plus they train your fingers, forearms, and wrists to clamp down like a vice on your opponent’s gi.

In addition, walking under load teaches your body to resist being tipped over—just what you need to stay on your feet and to counter attacks. The stronger your core, the harder it is for your opponent to off-balance you (kuzushi).

How to Do Farmers Walk

Step in between two farmers walk-cases, or similar implements.
Inhale, lean forward and grip the handles.
Hold your breath, brace your core slightly, and lift the weights.
Look ahead, and start moving forward in small steps. Increase the stride length as you increase the speed.
Try to keep your body in a straight line and not lean excessively forward as you walk.
When you are done, lower the implements back to the ground in a controlled manner.

Ab-Wheel Rollout

The ab wheel rollout is basically the lovechild of a plank and a slow-motion faceplant—except, if you do it right, you’ll have one of the most effective exercises for building your entire core instead of eating the floor.

Rollouts are great for judo athletes because they build core strength that directly benefits throws, takedowns, and your stability on the tatami: power transfer and control for everything from hip throws to sweeps, and the ability to resist excessive spinal extension (aka, not getting bent backward).

You’ll likely want to start with kneeling rollouts, as few people, even professional athletes, can do the regular variant where you stand on your toes without having specifically practiced it. You could even start with smaller kneeling rollouts and gradually increase the range of motion as you get stronger.

How to Do Ab Wheel Rollouts

Start by kneeling on the floor with your hands on the ab wheel, placed directly in front of your knees.
Engage your core and slowly roll the wheel forward until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your head.
Be sure to keep your back straight and your core engaged throughout the entire movement.
Reverse the movement, roll the ab wheel back towards your knees, and return to the starting position.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat is a unilateral lower-body exercise where you elevate one foot behind you on a bench, box, or step while squatting down with the front leg: essentially a split squat with an extra stability challenge because of the raised rear leg. Split squats train your quads, glutes, adductors, and stabilizing muscles all over the body.

Judo requires explosive single-leg power for throws like uchi mata, osoto gari, and harai goshi, and split squats force you to stabilize through your core and legs, making you stronger and more stable when unpredictable weight shifts inevitably happen during a match.

Also, since the split squat works one leg at a time, it reveals strength imbalances. Almost everyone has a dominant side, and some asymmetry is acceptable for judo athletes, but it shouldn’t be too big. Some research suggests that if one side of your body is more than 15% stronger, your risk of injury can increase and your performance decrease.⁸ Including unilateral training in your strength work is the easiest way to fix such imbalances.

How to Do Bulgarian Split Squats

Place a bar on your upper back or hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands.
Stand with your back turned against a bench, which should be about knee height. Stand about one long step in front of the bench.
Place your right foot on the bench behind you.
Inhale, look forward, and squat down with control until right before your right knee touches the floor.
Reverse the movement and extend your front leg again, while exhaling. Your back foot should only act as support.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions, then switch side and repeat with your right leg forward and your left foot on the bench.

Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a hip-hinge movement for the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Unlike the traditional deadlift, the bar (or dumbbells) doesn’t touch the ground between reps—which keeps tension on these muscles and makes them work harder.

Doing the RDL teaches you how to hip hinge, which is essential for judo athletes for many throws, like the osoto gari, where you leverage hip extension to initiate a sweeping motion with your leg. It’s also great for íncreasing flexibility and makes you stronger within a more extended range of motion.

You can also do single-leg RDLs to improve your balance, hip stability, and unilateral strength even further.

How to Do Romanian Deadlifts

Get into the starting position by deadlifting a barbell off the floor or by unracking it from a barbell rack. Stand feet hip-width, inhale, and brace your core slightly.
Lean forward by hinging in your hips. Keep your knees almost completely extended.
Lean forward as far as possible with good form (no rounding your back). You don’t have to touch the barbell to the floor, although it is OK if you do.
Reverse the movement and return to the standing position. Exhale on the way up.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Note: The dumbbell Romanian deadlift is a viable alternative to the barbell variant demonstrated in the video above.

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row is a classic upper-body exercise that hits your back muscles, specifically the latissimus dorsi (lats), rhomboids, and traps, plus your rear delts and biceps. It makes you better at pulling things, training the exact muscles you need for grip fighting, pulling your opponents, and staying in control during throws and groundwork.

You want to go heavy for maximum benefits—train for strength and explosiveness—but without losing control with sloppy reps. Focus on power but keep control.

How to Do Dumbbell Rows

Place a dumbbell on the floor beside a bench or some other sturdy object. Stand facing the bench and place your left hand and left knee on top of it.
Grip the dumbbell with your right hand. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat and your torso roughly parallel to the floor.
Engage your core muscles to stabilize your torso throughout the movement.
While maintaining the position of your upper body and keeping your elbow close to your side, inhale and pull the dumbbell up towards your torso by retracting your shoulder blade. Focus on squeezing your back muscles as you lift.
Continue pulling the dumbbell until it reaches the side of your torso. Row it closer to your hips to target your lower lats. Squeeze your lats at the top of the movement, ensuring a strong contraction in your back muscles.
Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position while exhaling, maintaining control and good form throughout the descent.
Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions, switch sides, and perform the above steps rowing with your left arm.

Dips

Dips are a compound upper-body exercise for the triceps, chest, and shoulders, where you lower and raise your body using parallel bars or rings. It builds explosive pushing strength, which you need when pummeling, posting, and framing in judo, and helps you maintain heavy top pressure in pins and transitions. If you’re not doing them, you’re missing out on one of the best upper-body exercises of all time.

Stop at or just below 90°. That’s enough of a range of motion to maximize the benefits for the muscles you want to train, and you protect your shoulders.

If you’re a beginner, you can start with assisted dips using resistance bands or assisted dip machines.

Bar dip with band assistance starting position

Bar dip with band assistance bottom position

As your strength improves, you can progress to unassisted dips and eventually add weight for increased resistance.

How to Do Bar Dips

Grip a dip station about shoulder-width apart, and climb or jump to get into the starting position.
Lower yourself with control until your shoulder is below your elbow, or as deep as you comfortably can.
Reverse the motion and return to the starting position.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Towel Pull-Up

The towel pull-up is a grip-strengthening variation of the regular pull-up. Instead of gripping a regular bar, you wrap one or two towels (or your judogi) around it and hold onto them while pulling yourself up.

If there ever was a sport-specific exercise for judo, this is it. Holding onto a towel replicates the grip demands of judo by strengthening your fingers, wrists, and forearms while building the upper body pulling power you need to control and throw opponents.

You can do towel rows (loop a sturdy towel around an immovable object (like a pole or door), grip both ends, lean back, and pull your chest toward the anchor point) if pull-ups are too hard, or add a weight belt if you can do more reps than the Strength Training for Judo program calls for.

How to Do Towel Pull-Ups

Lay a pair of towels over a pull-up bar. Grab one in each hand.
Inhale and pull yourself up as high as you can.
Exhale and lower yourself with control until your arms are fully extended.
Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Hanging Leg Raise

The hanging leg raise is one of the best strength exercises for your abs, obliques, and hip flexors. Plus, you train your grip strength just by hanging there.

Building strong hip flexors and abs with leg raises helps you perform hip throws (like o goshi and unchi mata) and resist takedowns. You also improve knee positioning and leg dexterity for guard play, sweeps, and counters.

Note: if hanging leg raises are too challenging, bend your knees and do hanging knee raises instead.

How to Do Hanging Leg Raises

Grasp a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, shoulder-width apart.
Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
Engage your core and keep your back straight.
Raise your legs towards your chest, as high as you can, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Deadlift

According to recent research, many elite-level judokas and judo coaches consider the deadlift the most valuable lift for judo.⁵ It primarily strengthens the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back), along with your quads, which is essential for lifting, throwing, and resisting takedowns, and delivers on almost every other front as well: hip drive, grip strength, explosive full-body power, balance, and core stability.

Depending on where you are in the Strength Training for Judo program, you’ll be doing deadlifts with very heavy weights or a lighter weight but with maximum speed.

How to Deadlift

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your toes pointing slightly outward. The barbell should be over the middle of your feet, close to your shins.
Bend at the hips and knees to reach the bar. Grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. You can use an overhand grip (both palms facing you) or a mixed grip (one palm facing you and the other facing away).
Keep your back straight and chest up. Engage your core and ensure your shoulders are slightly in front of the bar. Your hips should be higher than your knees but lower than your shoulders.
Pull the bar close to your body, with a straight back, until you are standing straight. Keep the bar close to your body, and your arms straight throughout the lift. The bar should travel in a straight line vertically.
Reverse the motion by hinging at the hips and bending the knees. Lower the bar to the starting position in a controlled manner, maintaining a straight back.
Reset your position if necessary.
Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Box Jump

The box jump is an exercise that either makes you feel like an explosive, spring-loaded athlete or reminds you why shin protection is important. You jump from the ground onto an elevated surface, usually a box or platform, training the fast-twitch muscle fibers in your entire lower body.

Judo requires explosive power, agility, balance, and quick reactions, and box jumps hit all four and can improve your athletic performance according to research.⁹ They develop the hip, knee, and ankle extension you need for launching an opponent and help you explode into movements for a throw, sprawl, or escape, faster.

How to Do Box Jumps

Select a box that is appropriate for your fitness level and jumping ability.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, a few inches away from the box. Your knees should be slightly bent, and your hips pushed back in an athletic stance, like a mini squat.
Engage your core and swing your arms back to generate momentum. Keep your chest up, and your weight balanced evenly across your feet.
Push through the balls of your feet, extending your hips, knees, and ankles as you jump up. Swing your arms forward and upward to help propel yourself onto the box. Jump with both feet leaving the ground at the same time.
As you land on the box, aim to have both feet hit the surface at the same time. Bend your knees slightly to absorb the impact, keeping your chest up and back straight.
Once you’ve landed on the box, stand up tall, extending your hips completely to finish the jump.
Step off the box one foot at a time, and reset your stance before attempting the next jump.
Repeat the movement for your desired number of jumps.

Bench Press

The bench press is often called the king of upper body lifts and is a staple of almost every gym goer’s ego (I mean, routine). It is a compound pushing exercise for the chest (pectorals), shoulders (deltoids), and triceps.

While the bench press doesn’t directly translate to judo-specific movements, it’s one of the best exercises for upper-body strength, stability, and control, which helps you with pushing opponents away, framing, and controlling grips.

Feel free to vary your benching by doing inclines (targets the upper chest more), declines (lower chest), and using dumbbells instead of a barbell.

How to Bench Press

Lie on the bench, pull your shoulder blades together and down, and slightly arch your back.
Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Inhale, hold your breath, and unrack the bar.
Lower the bar with control, until it touches your chest somewhere close to your sternum.
Push the bar up to the starting position while exhaling.
Take another breath while in the top position, and repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Chin-Up

The chin-up is a variation of the pull-up where you use an underhand grip (palms facing you). It is similarly effective for your back, but the underhand grip puts your arms in a stronger mechanical position, making your biceps do more of the work.¹⁰

Whether you’re pulling for a throw (like seoi nage), yanking your opponent off-balance (kuzushi), or defending against a takedown, chin-ups give you the grip strength, pulling power, and upper-body control to pull (ha!) it all off.

When you’re doing chin-ups in the Strength Training for Judo program, I want you to focus on bringing the chest to the bar instead of trying to clear it with your chin at any cost to form. Stop and squeeze your back and biceps at the top for a second, focusing on getting a good muscle contraction before slowly lowering yourself back down again.

How to Do Chin-Ups

Stand underneath a pull-up bar and grip it with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width or slightly narrower apart.
Hang with your arms fully extended and your body in a straight line with a slight bend in your knees.
Engage your core and retract your shoulder blades, drawing them down and back.
Pull yourself up by bending your elbows and raising your chin above the bar.
At the top of the movement, your elbows should be fully flexed.
Pause briefly at the top of the movement and focus on squeezing your biceps before lowering yourself back to the original position.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Wood Chop

The high-to-low wood chop is a dynamic, rotational core exercise that involves pulling a cable or resistance band from a high position down diagonally across your body—much like swinging an axe or chopping wood (minus the splinters and (optional) lumberjack beard). It works your abdominals and obliques, as well as your shoulders, back, and hips to a lesser degree.

Throws like seoi nage, uchi mata, and harai goshi rely on torso rotation and explosive hip movement, making the wood chop a gold mine for judo athletes. In addition, controlling the downward chop trains your anti-rotational strength, preventing opponents from breaking your posture.

To maximize its carryover to judo, perform the movement explosively during the concentric phase, similar to how you initiate a throw. Also, doing it from different angles (e.g., low-to-high variations instead of only the high-to-low chop) can further improve your rotational strength and stability from more than one angle.

Note: You can do this exercise with either a resistance band (like in the video demonstration above) or a cable pulley system.

How to Do High to Low Wood Chops

Fasten an elastic band high up. Grip the band with both hands, step away, and stand sideways to the band’s anchor point.
With almost straight arms, make a sweeping, chopping-like movement diagonally downward.
Return to the starting position in a controlled manner.
Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Plate Pinch

The plate pinch is a grip exercise where you hold one or more weight plates together using only your fingers and thumb, squeezing to prevent them from slipping. It’s a killer way to build grip strength, finger endurance, and wrist stability.

Doing plate pinches is popular among climbers, powerlifters, and strongmen, but it’s also a great exercise for judo athletes, because judo involves a ton of gripping and controlling your opponent’s gi. And in chokeholds and pins, like the hadaka jime and osaekomi, grip strength is ultra-important for keeping your opponent where you want them. Regardless of what you’re doing, if your grip fails mid-throw, mid-hold, or mid-grappling, you’re in trouble.

How to Do Plate Pinches

Grab a pair of weight plates in a pinching grip with your right hand.
Lift the weight plates off the ground.
Hold them for as long as you can, and then put them down in a controlled manner.
Repeat with your left hand.

Strength Training for Judo: Final Rep

You have reached the end of this guide to strength training for judo. 🥋

Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed it and learned things that take your judo training to the next level.

To follow the training routine in this article, download our workout log app and start tracking your workouts today: