The best lift for overall strength and explosiveness is the clean.

Many fighters today have well conditioned, muscular bodies, but it is where a fighter is STRONG that makes the difference, as well as Strength Endurance and Cardiovascular endurance. Many fighters with large chests, triceps, and shoulders cannot fight so well even though they look like they can bench press a house. The reason for this is that the push muscles are a FAR second to the pull muscles. There must be muscular balance to prevent injury, to be sure, but far too often a novice does not work on explosive power in the legs--particularly the hamstrings, sartorious, and gracilis muscles of the rear leg--as well as the back, traps, and to a lesser degree, the biceps.

Handling an opponent in the Roman-Greco clinch, cinching an opponant, and throwing an opponent all have to do with pull muscles. Maneuvering an opponent on the ground takes tremendous back muscle endurance as well, all of which can be worked with the clean.

Cleans should be varied. Do light cleans with 135 lbs. for time (how many you can do in 60 or 90 seconds, depending on conditioning); also do cleans for reps, and finally, do max cleans with perfect form...this is what you can do for one rep. When you have cleaned the weight to the shoulders, hold it there for awhile. This will work wonders on your core muscles and overall muscle endurance.~M