Christmas is a time of giving, so on this Christmas Day, I am going to give you three tips that will help kick start your strength and conditioning training to the next level. Add these simple training ideas into your strength and conditioning and you will reap the benefits of your hard work.
Gift Number 1:
Add power movements into your program. What do I mean by power movements? Well what I am talking about are exercises that require you as the athlete to move a force quickly. That force can either be your own body weight or an object such as a kettlebell or barbell. Incorporating suck power movements/exercises such as plyo-metrics or the Olympic lifts in your program is essential to taking you to the next level. Now you don’t have to rush out and learn the Olympic lifts immediately. Break them down into the different variations like the push press or jump shrug. These movements alone will allow you to become more powerful. A side note, when adding these power movements into your training, start with them first then move onto movements that require more strength. So get moving fast and reap the benefits to your power development.
Gift Number Two:
Gift number two is one of my favorites. Start adding sprinting into your training. Not only as a conditioning tool but also as an overall training method to help you become stronger and more powerful. Sprinting will lead to better body composition and fat loss as we know can benefit any combat athlete looking to cut weight as well as develop more power in the athlete. Sprinting is a power movement and as a result of adding them into your training you will become more powerful. As for the conditioning side of sprinting you will see great results on the mat in your conditioning level after adding sprint into your program. Some of the sprint protocols I like to use with my fighters are 300-yard shuttles and 100-400 meter sprints.
Gift Number Three:
If you are serious about a career in MMA then you know how much training goes into it. There are several training sessions during the week, which include all sorts of sparring as well as the time spent in the weight room. All of this can lead to overtraining in combat athletes. When you become overtrained you will not see the results you are looking for. Gains physically and mentally will slow down. Fighters are notorious for overtraining. So my final gift to you on this Christmas Day is tell you to cut back on your strength and conditioning training. I have heard of many fighters not only training in the specific disciplines for MMA but also talk about how they are in the gym five days a week as well.
Here is my advice cut back to 2-3 times a week in the gym. As I prepare my fighters for a fight I do not have them training with me for more than three days. Most of the time they train twice a week with a focus on their strength training. This has worked wonders with my fighters as they have shown more energy and better gains in and out of the gym.
So quickly here are your gifts, one, add power to your training, trust me you will be throwing opponents in no time. Two, sprint your ass off, if anything it will help you avoid the neighborhood dog on the loose. Finally don’t overtrain yourself in the weight room. Cut back your session and make those few sessions you have hard.
Merry Christmas from Team Combattrainer.
