Sep 29 2010

Leg Conditioning for MMA

Category: Boxing,Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Strength Training,Uncategorized,Wrestling — Rob @ 9:17 PM

Having strong, explosive legs is a key component in any combat sport.  In MMA your legs can be a key component to victory.  Your legs help you in every aspect of the sport from throwing a punch or a kick to driving an opponent up against the cage to attempting a takedown, your legs are the base of your success.

It is not enough to have just strong and explosive legs.  In MMA you must be able to use that strength and power in your legs over and over again.  Even in just moving around the cage with basic footwork can be taxing on the legs and can drain them of energy.

As a fighter, strength, power and muscle endurance in your lower body is important.  Let’s take a quick look at how we can develop all three components.  Performing squats and deadlifts are the sure way to build strength in your legs.  These two exercises are surely the two best in my opinion to get the best results when it comes to strength gains.  After developing a good base of strength or within the same training cycle you can turn that strength that you just gained into power.  Utilizing plyometric training as well as using Olympic lifts such as power cleans, snatches, and jerks.

Now comes taking all the strength and power that was developed and being able to use it over and over again in a fight.  A great way to develop this type of conditioning for your legs or any other muscles in your body is by using complexes. Complex’s is combining two or more exercises with a set amount of repetitions with minimal rest in between exercises. Complexes will maintain your strength and power but also give you some great metabolic conditioning.

The complex in the following video will increase your conditioning in your legs dramatically.  It a complex taken from Dan John called the “Big 55”.  With the use of a Kettlebell you perform two exercises.  For this particular complex we used Kettlebell Swings and Goblet Squats.  This complex is done a little different and will drain your legs.  Starting with the swings you perform 10 reps followed by the squats for 10 reps, then you go to 9 reps of each then 8 reps all the way to 1 rep.  That is a total of 55 reps for each exercise making it a grand total of 110 reps between the two exercises.  All 110 reps are done without rest.  This is great conditioning for your lower body and will allow you as a fighter to continue to use your strength and power.  Give it a try!

Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Sep 27 2010

Saturday Training Session 9/25/2010

Category: Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,muay Thai,Power Training,Strength Training,Strongman,Uncategorized — Rob @ 5:08 PM

Instituting the strongman type training into my overall training has helped tremendously with my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.  In BJJ my grip strength has improved and has saved me from some armbars while rolling.  I can feel that I have more control over partners while rolling.  This control has led to me being able to pull off more and more sweeps.  As for my Muay Thai, the training of my legs during these strongman sessions has given them incredible conditioning.  Since I have been using a lot more footwork during our sparring sessions, I have needed my legs a great deal more.  Usually when using footwork to dodge an opponent your legs begin to fatigue quicker.  Once your legs begin to fatigue then you begin to get slower and slower and that is when you start to get caught with shots.

So this past Saturday I met up with one of my weekend training partners for a pretty intense session.  This is how we conducted the training session:

Dynamic warm-up

Good warm-up opened up the hips and activated the glutes and hamstrings.

Sprinting 6 sets 100 yards working up to 80% of our max speed.

Prepared the legs for the heavier sprinting that was to come.

Kettlebell Work

Kettlebell Squats with two 72 lb Kettlebells

Five to ten squats right into a 100-yard sprint for four sets.

Recovery was the walk back to the Kettlebell

Prowler Training

Fifteen-yard Prowler push with 144 lbs loaded on it.  Once the fifteen yards was done ten reps of pulling the Prowler backwards.  Squat down grabbing the thinner handle on the Prowler, take a frog hop back and pull the Prowler using your lats and legs.  Once done with the ten-rep push the Prowler back for the remaining yards back to the starting position.

Playground Finisher

6 pull-ups into 12 dips

5 pull-ups into 10 dips

4 pull-ups into 8 dips

3 pull-ups into 6 dips

2 pull-ups into 4 dips

1 pull-up into 2 dips

As you can see the leg work in this training session helps with not only the conditioning of your legs but helps with the strength and power development as well.  If you have read my posts in the past you know I am a big proponent in using sprinting to help produce power as well as for conditioning purposes.

Train Hard! Train Smart!!

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Sep 24 2010

Sean Sherk Strength and Conditioning

Category: Conditioning,MMA,Uncategorized — Rob @ 7:33 AM

UFC 119 is tomorrow night! Who else is excited for this card.There are some good fights on the card. The main event pits Mirko Cro Cop going up against former Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. As much as I like Cro Cop, I believe Mir will be able to get this fight to the ground and submit him.
On to another fight that is on the card UFC 119 and that is Sean Sherk going up against Evan Dunham. This should be a pretty explosive matchup. So continuing with my pursuit to bring you the best content in the world of combat sports strength and conditioning I have a great video of the Muscle Shark in training for one of his previous UFC fights.
Sherk could be one of the best conditioned athletes in the UFC. He also has great strength and power. This is a result of a solid strength and conditioning program that focuses on all the different modes of athletic development. Having a wrestling background also makes a difference as we know wrestlers at pretty much all levels are some of the hardest working athletes. No this is not putting down any other athlete or for that matter any Mixed martial artist that has a background in any other art. So take a look at this session by Sherk and see what you think.
Remember Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Sep 22 2010

Frank Mir Strength and Conditioning

Category: Conditioning,Power Training,Strength Training,UFC,Uncategorized — Rob @ 2:24 PM

This week is another fight week leading up to UFC 119 where Frank Mir will take on Cro Cop in the main event. Well at least we are hoping for that if Cro Cop gets cleared come Saturday. But as usual since I love strength and conditioning so much you know I will always go out and find as much video of the fighters on the upcoming card training.
This video will feature former Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir as he prepared for Cheik Kongo at UFC 107. Yeah the video is older but the training is what we are focusing on. This video was from the countdown show prior to that event.
Mir’s strength and conditioning coach for that fight was Mark Philippi. When interviewed he said one thing that I liked a lot and that was “My philosophy to get stronger, you have to lift some weight. You have to put a bar on your back…” Phillipi goes on to talk about how Mir was lifting heavy for that fight doing performing squats, cleans and deadlifts.
Mir looked in top peak physical condition for that fight. He went out to defeat Kongo and looked explosive in doing so. For Mir to keep up with the monsters in the heavy weight division he will have to continue to train in a similar fashion. Well no matter what division he decides to fight in he needs to continue training like this it will only help him become an overall better athlete.

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Sep 20 2010

MMA Conditioning Circuits

Category: Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Uncategorized — Rob @ 4:15 PM

As you have seen in the past on my site I give an inside look at some of the conditioning protocols I use with my fighters.  Be it in the weight room or out on the field you have seen protocols put together using different implements.

When I design these protocols I use the equipment at my disposal.

The object of the conditioning circuits are to challenge the fighter to be able to continue to exert power for a long period of time, very similar to the conditions they will see in a fight.  In designing these circuits I also like to make the training conditions much more difficult than what the fighter would see in the fight.  I have found that pushing the limits of the fighter during these conditioning sessions has a dramatic improvement in their conditioning. Also when they step onto the  Jiu-Jitsu mat or cage, conditioning is not an issue because they have trained harder than what the conditions are during the fight.   A note on recovery between sets, at the start I allow the fighters to take a little longer than a minute to recover, as we get closer to the fight recovery drops to a minute in between each circuit.  Mimicking the times in a fight goes a long way in challenging the fighter during training camp.

The following circuit was performed for five minutes for three sets. It incorporated the use of sledgehammer, battle ropes, an agility ladder and kettlebell cleans. The Kettle Bell cleans need a little fixing but as with anything with more reps comes perfection.  You do not need all this equipment to do this type of circuit training.  Be creative, use what you have and make the circuit challenging.  Remember it’s not what you have to train with its how you train.

Train Hard! Train Smart

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Sep 17 2010

Pummel and Drive for MMA

Category: Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Strength Training,Uncategorized,Wrestling — Rob @ 7:48 PM

All week I have been posting video of a training session I had on the beach with my top Brazilian Jiu-Jitu fighter and soon to be MMA fighter Jessica Richer.  We had a great time and training on the beach was really fun and a great experience.  Next summer I will be doing a lot more training out on the beach.

Jessica brought to my attention a great drill that she learned from one of our fellow Jiu-Jitsu training partners Kevin.  Many of you have seen the video of Jessica pulling the sled to develop strength in her legs to improve her drive during a takedown.  This drill is very similar to the sled dragging we perform.  Jessica called it the pummel and drive.

The drill is performed for 3 min, obviously you can add time if you would like.  First set up to markers 20 yards apart.  To start the drill you begin with twenty pummels.  Once finished with the pummeling, your partner drives you backwards for twenty-yards while you give resistance.  Once you hit the twenty yard mark you begin to pummel again for another twenty reps followed by you driving your partner for twenty-yards. The added resistance in the sand forces you to really drive forward using your quads and hamstrings.  This really mimics driving through an opponent on a takedown or driving an opponent into the cage in an MMA fight.   Doing the drill for three minutes also adds a conditioning element to the drill.  If you are looking to generate more force in your takedowns try the pummel and drive drill with a partner.
Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Sep 14 2010

Takedowns on the Beach

Category: Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Strength Training,Uncategorized,Wrestling — Rob @ 2:57 PM

Fighting ha been around since the beginning of humankind.  People have been going to battle for all sorts of reasons.  With the inception of mixed martial arts people can now take up fighting using all different styles in an organized fashion.  Here in America training in a martial arts dojo is the norm.  But in many countries, many people train outside.  Many Muay Thai camps in Thailand do they’re training in the outdoors.

This brings me to training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu outdoors.  If you have been exposed to Jiu-Jitsu  you have seen many training on the beautiful beaches of Brazil.  Living up in New York I only have a small window of opportunity to get to the beach and train before it gets really cold out.

On the final weekend of the summer, I had an opportunity to train on the beach.  I had the opportunity to train Jessica Richer who is quickly becoming one of the top woman’s Jiu-Jitsu players.  We had a great training session working on our strength and conditioning using gymnastics, bodyweight exercises, kettlebells and sprinting as all part of the session.

To finish off the session we took a page out of the Brazilians book.  We did a takedown drill on the sand.  Going from our feet we just attempted to take each other down.  Once taken down we would get back up and start all over.  It was a great time and different training in sand.  Watch below as you see me get beat up and taken down several times by a future MMA champion!

Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Sep 11 2010

Benefits of Gymnastics for MMA

Category: Agility,Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Speed,Strength Training,Uncategorized — Rob @ 8:24 PM

Gymnastics is one of the oldest forms of exercise.  Its benefits are great for not just gymnast but other athletes as well.  The Spartans, one of the greatest fighting civilizations in world history, were said to train in gymnastics. If you saw the Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen UFC championship fight, you actually saw Sonnen use a forward roll to escape trouble.  The moment I could, my daughter was signed up for gymnastics because of the great benefits.

One of the benefits of gymnastics is learning how to control your body.  Controlling your body in just everyday life is essential but looking at it from a fighting standpoint, any great martial artist knows how to control their body well.  This development of coordination when training in gymnastics can also lead to better balance and can teach an athlete to learn how to fall to prevent injury.

Another benefit of gymnastic that can help any MMA fighter or Jiu-Jitsu player is the development of better flexibility.  Gymnastics athletes are some of the most flexible athletes in the world.  Flexibility plays a key roll in combat sports.  We have seen how flexibility has helped fighters escape from devastating submission that would tap many fighters.  Gymnastics will help fighters become much more flexible in the hips and the shoulder.

Becoming stronger and more powerful is another benefit of gymnastics.  Gymnasts are some of the strongest athletes in the world.  Using gymnastic in a fighters strength and conditioning program will also lead to great strength and power gains.

Above I spoke about how gymnastics teaches athletes how to control their body.  It also teaches an athlete or fighter kinesthetic awareness, which is knowing where your body is in space.  Why is this important to say MMA or Jiu-Jitsu?  A fighter finds himself in many different positions during a fight and sometimes on their back, at times on top of an opponent.

Recently I was reading an article by Dan John, in the article he was talking about different challenges.  One of the challenges was using gymnastic movements.  Using simple gymnastic moves this set of movements placed together challenged cardio and my awareness of where I was.  You will see in the video below how at one point when I get up I am trying to find my balance and find where I was as I headed toward the water.  In the first video I cut out two reps on each of the exercises.  The second part of the video we performed all reps. The small challenge consisted of; 5 forward rolls, 5 rolls over the left shoulder, 5 rolls over the right shoulder, 6 cartwheels a bear crawl finished off by a short sprint.  Give it a try; trust me it’s harder than it looks.

Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Sep 07 2010

Hurdles and MMA

Category: Agility,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,reaction time,Strength Training,Uncategorized,Wrestling — Rob @ 7:34 PM

We all know that combat athletes need to be explosive.  Developing a MMA or Jiu-Jitsu fighters lower body explosiveness is essential in developing an excellent fighter.  Lower body explosiveness transfers over to punching, kicking, takedowns, sprawling and using your hips to escape from compromising positions.  You get the point a fighter needs to be explosive and it explosiveness starts from the ground up.

Hurdle hops are a great way to develop this type of explosiveness.  Before you run off to the local track and start doing these type of hurdle hops you must first develop some strength.  Many athletes and especially martial artist sometimes ignore this fact and just jump into these plyometric type exercises without gaining strength.  This usually leads to not doing the plyometric effectively and causing injury.  A solid strength program with plyometrics incorporated into the program can lead to vast improvement in power production.

To start an athlete can use shorter hurdles to jump and progress to taller hurdles as they become more powerful.  The objective during the hurdle hop is to reduce the ground contact time after each hop.  Essentially a combat athlete wants to limit the amount of time that they are actually on the ground.  As soon as your feet hit the ground you are jumping right over the next hurdle.  Here are a few tips when   performing the hurdle hop, one always stay on your toes, two use your arms to help you jump, just like a broad jump of vertical jump and three avoid staying on the ground to long in between jumps.

Remember this is a little more of an advanced plyometric make sure you progress as an athlete to this point to avoid injury.  Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Sep 01 2010

Explosive Pushing for MMA

Category: Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Uncategorized — Rob @ 8:22 PM

Yesterday morning Jessica Richer and I were at it again and this time on the field.  We are all keeping our fingers crossed that she will have her first MMA fight in December.  Last week we took it easy as we headed in the gym to lift.  This was the first lifting session we have had since she injured her back.  In that session I had her fixing up her cleans, using a progression of exercises that breaks down the clean from top to bottom.  Using just the bar we made excellent progress with her clean technique.  I was quite the happy coach at the end of it.

Anyway yesterday, in the early morning we headed out to the track and worked on an agility and conditioning.  One movement I had her doing was to help her to develop more explosive pushing power.  Now you have seen on the site explosive medicine ball pushups and how it will develop some punching power.  As you know pushing and punching are essential in MMA.  Developing some power in this range of motion can help a fighter control a fight.  Being able to push a fighter up against a cage and being able to hold that position can win you a fight.  Pushing an opponent up against a cage is a total body movement and starts from the ground up.  Being able to drive your opponent you must use your legs as well as your upper body.  Check out how you can develop strong legs using a sled.

In this video I am focusing on the upper body. Using an agility ladder, Jessica gets down in pushup position and moves laterally along the ladder as she explodes and both of her hands and feet leave the ground.  We did this for four sets.  Make sure when you are doing this plyometric movement that you know how to take the impact with your muscles to avoid injury.

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