There are not many times in the life of an adult that can send your anticipation wheeling like a child awaiting Christmas or a visit to your favorite theme park.  When you are lucky enough to recapture these feelings of excitement as a “grown up” you would be a fool not to jump at the chance, or in this case, jump squat at the chance.  Visiting Martin Rooney and taking part in the Training for Warriors Level 1 Instructor Course was just this type of experience for this fitness professional.

Upon entering the Parisi Speed School location in Paramus New Jersey you are immediately in training awe.  The facility itself is impressive beyond most people’s training dreams and a feeling of wanting more is palpable.  Within minutes will be some of the most impressive motivational as well as physical teaching and mentoring possibly in existence.

Martin has an amazing presence that makes you want to share both his belief in physical and mental fitness as well as pushes you to question the things that you have been sold by the fitness industry.  It becomes obvious the difference between a job and a calling to this man, if it was just a job he would push you to think what he thinks, when it is a calling as he has he drives you to find your own meaning and place amongst greatness in the field.

When you enter a Training for Warriors Certification you will also find yourself amongst like minded people from places as far as Spain and Canada who have very purposefully landed in front of this man to gather all he has to know as well as challenge themselves physically.  Personal Trainers, Army Rangers, Law Enforcement, and champions meeting in one location with intentions to absorb as much as possible.

The information both shared and experienced hands on is priceless.  There is more given and received in two days at the TFW Certification Seminar than in most month long courses, including physical challenges that your body will not soon forget.  No secrets kept, no fitness miracles just hard work and result oriented training, common sense and a willingness to question “why”?

Martin’s methods of evaluating client’s physical weaknesses are practical and vital to good training.  The TFW concepts on addressing these weaknesses in “prehab” as well as  warmup components are helpful and can instantly be added to your personal as well as your client training sessions.  Martin explains the place new and popular workout gadgets have in a program and when the good old basics of fitness should be relied upon.  Sprints, barbell complexes, and multiple challenges are explained to keep clients physically challenged and mentally engaged.

Be willing to release the Warrior Within, enter Rooney’s world with an open mind, a hunger to change both yours and the lives of others and not just physically.

This Sunday the UFC will be live on Versus. In the main event Rick Story will be taking on Nate Marquardt. In this segment of mma strength training, Story and his coach are working on agility using the agility ladder and a band. The agility ladder is a great tool to use, well for agility. Actually there are a couple more uses for the agility ladder. One being in preventing injury, especially in the feet and ankles. I recommend if you use the agility ladder to train with it barefoot as it will help strengthen your feet and ankle.
There a re a few more ways in which the ladder can improve your athletic performance. Using the agility ladder as a warm-up is a great way for an athlete to get their heart rate up, loosen up their muscles and get your central nervous system firing for the training that is to come. Another way to use the ladder is as a conditioning tool. For example preparing one of my fighters for her last fight, I had her doing ladder drills for nine minutes straight which was the amount of time her fight was. Now she choked the girl out in the first round but the ladder really did improve her conditioning.
In the video below Story uses the ladder not only for agility but with his coach pulling on his waist while performing the drill it also forces Story to use his core to stabilize himself as he goes down the ladder. The progression here would be to get the drill, which is a jumping jack down the ladder down first then add the band into the mix.

UFC Live on Versus is this Sunday and with a pretty good card to boot. Since I have not written for the site recently, this week I will feature some of the fighters MMA strength and conditioning training. The first person I will feature is Matt Mitrione. Mitrione takes on Christian Morecraft in a heavyweight battle. This TUF alum has really made a name for himself and is proving he belongs in the UFC. With each fight he has you see great improvement in his game.
In the video below produced by none other that Mitrione you will see how explosive this combat athlete really is. His strength coach combines plyometric hurdle hops with the twenty yard shuttle. Using track hurdles you see lower body explosiveness out Mitrione as he jumps over six hurdles. These hurdle hops help Mitrione generate force off the ground. Being able to generate alot of force of the ground will help combat athletes become more powerful strikers and help them have explosive takedowns. As soon as he finishes the hops he sprints to a set of three cones for the 20 yard shuttle. the 20 yard shuttle helps all kinds of athletes with their agility.
Separately these two exercise are great, when combined it adds a little conditioning element to it. My recommendation is to not go out and try this short combo of movements but to train them separately. work on your power using the hurdles but remember in order to do the hurdles you need to develop some kind of strength. As for the agility make sure when performing agility drills to get ample rest in between sets. They are agility drills intended to work on your agility not your conditioning.

Over the last few years I realized that I was missing something in my training.  Now I was training hard and seeing results but there was one component that was missing.  The thing that was missing was actually training for a purpose.  In my mind that meant some type of competition.

So I was always looking for something to compete in.  Then in December while I was on Facebook I came across an ad for the Spartan Race.  So I clicked on it read that it was a three-mile race with obstacles and I was instantly hooked.  I signed up as fast as I could.  Finally I found something that I could train for that really interested me.

So last week I took the Spartan challenge in Tuxedo, New York.  Did I do as well as I thought I would?  Not a chance.  So while I was in the middle of the race I just kept thinking about two things.  Finishing the race and not quitting and how I could change up my training to do better the next time out.

When you try something new in your life especially something physical like this you quickly realize your weaknesses.  Let me restate that, your weaknesses smack you in the face.  My main weakness was my aerobic capacity.  Running up and down a ski slope can make you realize this quickly.   Now those of you that know me, I do not run long distances, just not my thing.  So in my training I tried to run the least amount, plus the aggravating shin splints also restricted too much running.  While running up those hills and crawling under barbed wire I was reminded of another weakness that I have known about but been avoiding.  My hips were so tight, in other words I need to increase my hip flexibility.  Running up hill as your hips tighten up, not so pleasant.

So after rinsing all the mud off of me and walking to the car for the hour drive home, I just kept thinking about the ways to fix these problems as I train for the next Spartan Race.  So as I gear up for the Spartan Sprint in Massachusetts I am making the minor adjustments in my training.  I will be adding a lot more single legwork in my strength training for my hips and adding some running to the program.  But most of the running will be going uphill pulling a sled behind me.  With these adjustments in training I will see better results.

If you are interested in competing in one of theses obstacle races and would like to know how to train for one please contact me.

Train Hard! Train Smart!

“Six A.M. may be too early for me to handle you,” Combat Trainer snarls in a less than chipper tone.  From the back, of the car chimes in my husband who states, “She can be a lot for most people.”  I dismiss them both and continue being a mixture of anxiety and sheer joyous excitement.

8:30 is the start of the Metro Dash NY/NJ leg and we are en route to The Meadowlands Arena.  I am a person who functions very well on very little sleep.  Oddly keeping very alert and enthusiastic especially when nerves or new adventures are ahead.

Once at the Dash I am suddenly quiet and observant.  A dynamic warmup and preview, a few pee breaks and a quick walk around the perimeter of the course later and our “heat” begins.  Luckily, I find three woman athletes who welcome me as the fourth in their group.  I insisted to not be in the same go around as Rob so our friendship does not hinder his competitive streak.  It worked out well as he was finishing I was just beginning.

Much of the Dash in afterthought is a blur.  I can however, fully recall all my areas of weakness.  As a competitor I find my success often is short lived in exchange for trying to improve what I deem as weaker points or failure.  The 16 foot cargo stands out as the largest nemesis of the day, followed by the 8foot wall climb and monkey bars, gasp.  I climbed my Combat Trainer clad ass up all 16 feet to only find myself unable to throw myself over the top to descend back down.  Fear of falling and thudding onto the gym class mat below as a previous athlete in an earlier heat had done as well as the fear of kicking my heat mates in the face proved to be overwhelming.  My own thoughts deafening me, making me unable to from hearing shouts of advice and encouragement from below.

The Dash itself was fun.  The obstacles a good mix of expected and “oh shit”.  My upperbody mocked by rope climbs and monkey bars, my legs pleased by climbing and carries.  My finishing time 18:25 with three sets of penalty burpees.

On the way home all I could think of was that I wanted to turn back and do it again, immediately, and what I could do better.  I was also reminded of what my husband had said on the ride in, using the words “most people”.  I was never so happy to not be “most people”.  The “most people” who were still asleep in comfort as I fling myself over wooden walls, banging my shins on sledgehammers, swinging kettlebells, and dragging sleds in the dark at my trainer’s house for late training sessions.  Nine months ago I may have been “most people” but all I know is at this time, stronger, fitter, thinner and a warrior feels good and I will take it because I will do what most people won’t!

By Cat Rivera

Training for an event like the Metro Dash does something to your thought process.  With all the mental and physical preparation that takes place in your quest to attain such a goal, you begin to clearly see how internal competition, mental toughness and willingness to go through obstacles are so prevalent to so much of our lives.  How complicated we as people make so many things in our lives like change, yet how simple we accept other things like failure.

Along with these things that can “throw you” or “grow you”, come the ability to actually put into better perspective the small things that often derail us. The Dash has allowed me to push my own limits as to what I expect from myself mentally and physically.  It has also allowed me to shake off more easily the nay sayers and negative people who really mean they feel they can’t when they say that I shouldn’t.  Accomplishing physical feats in the recent months has only strengthened my resolve to overcome my own self inflicted limitations.

One activity that favors an athlete’s ability to change quickly, deal with mishaps fast and without the luxury to harp on small failure that Combat Trainer has implemented as a vital part of our Dash training is the agility ladder sequence.  This is when you follow your partner through a sequence of agility drills designed to make your feet and mind fast.  Synchronizing movements and then having to quickly regain composure at your quickest speed in order to keep going is important in all sports and life.  No time for self doubt or to harp on a small mishap.  Get back in step and catch up.  There is also something therapeutic about following someone on their heels and knowing that they will be right behind you too.

A 10 minute round of constant movement during these agility activities will indeed work up a sweat and condition you as well.  Cycling through high knees, icky shuffle, bunny hops, even adding sprawls will make you faster in footwork, build leg and knee stability and leg power as well as mental responsiveness.  These activities in repetition look deceptively easy but are fun, fast and important in training both in general and for the Dash.

So, move forward in your training always, keep quick in mind and body, follow a good leader, don’t harp on small mishaps in footing or life.  Do not make failure simple or success complicated, just keep it moving!

When training for MMA or any of the combat sports balance is essential.  How many times have you seen a fighter hopping around on one leg trying to avoid that takedown?  If you are a strength and conditioning and are training many MMA athletes you need have some aspect of the training program focus on balance.

One way I like to train balance with my fighters is to incorporate it while I am also working on their strength.   A few article ago I posted about the use of a Slosh Pipe.   If you want to know more details about the making of a Slosh Pipe check out the previous article HERE.

In this video you will see how I use the Slosh Pipe to increase overhead strength, muscular endurance, core strength and balance all in 100 yards.  Holding the pipe overhead for 100 yards really worked the muscular endurance of my deltoids.  This helps tremendously when a fighter is getting fatigued and needs to keep his hands up to protect themselves.  As you walk with the Slosh Pipe the water will throw you side to side, add a little wind resistance as you will see in the video and you can be in for a long walk. So how does this work balance you may ask?  Well when you walk you are always on one leg at a time.  Each step you need to stabilize your core in order to control the pipe.  Core stabilization is important in all aspects of MMA.  As you are able to stabilize you core better, your balance will improve as well as other aspects like punching and kicking power.

So once you get your Slosh Pipe up and running give this one a try.

Train Hard! Train Smart!

As you all know I specialize in MMA strength and conditioning training. Training fighters and turning them into athletes is what I do at Combat Trainer. However, I do train people like athletes as well to reach their full potential. For the next couple of weeks there will be some guest post from a member on Team Combat Trainer as I prepare her to compete in the Metro Dash. Not only is she competing but yours truly is also making a run at it. If you don’t know what the Metro Dash is then go check it out and see what fun we are in store for. She will be writing about her experiences training under the Combat Trainer System. So without further delay here it is…

The Education of a Makeup Artist

By Cathy Rivera

“But, you have such a pretty face, if you could only loose a little weight.”  The dreaded phrases that every robust teenage girl has heard and most likely reruns through her mind through adulthood.  A backhanded compliment only for the ears of a “curvy, chubby, thick, fat,  girl.

This darkened compliment is what started my love of cosmetology and hatred for my own body.  It became my mask and my blessing.  I figured that if my face was all I got, let me slap some war paint on it and get moving.

Weight consumed me as I consumed less and less yet expanded more and more.  In college, my weight stabilized due to two hour a day Rugby practices paired with working at the campus gym.  Instead of gaining the frosh 15, I lost 20lbs.  Rugby was where I first tapped into my own Warrior Spirit.  The sport is dirty, strategic, competitive and physically demanding.  I lived for the adrenaline and pushing the will and limits of myself and team members.

College ended and so did my involvement with athletics besides the gym and an occasional class.  The pounds came faithfully calling despite my three times a week visits to a sports club where they don’t have nor promote sports.  My weight obsession shifted focus to feeling defeated, complaining and self-deprivation.  Depleted of calories and confidence, life still went on.  I got engaged, started night school, worked a full time teaching job and started my makeup business and thankfully found my way standing in front of Rob of Combat Trainer, knowing that I had found what my fitness training needed.

My sneakers were on and I was ready, all my goals out on the table and the belief that true change takes letting go of past failures and a submission to someone who may just know better about what your fitness body needs even if you have been the one lugging it around all these years.  I found myself once again being viewed as an athlete.  I was again the capable, competitive, driven, athlete with a physical ability to push and grow strong.  More than my muscles were understood that day.  My Competitive Warrior Spirit was reignited.

I was not being insulted by female marketed promises of thin, pink weights, and  glittery activities but treated as someone in control of both her body and fitness.  I gained a trainer and a coach because I no longer “work out,” I train!

For me, the statement that launched a thousand deadlifts was uttered mid training during a basement   session when most people are winding down their evenings and we are just starting to muster a sweat.  “Do you want a sitter’s ass or a sprinters ass?” Rob said as I stood apprehensive in front of a weighted barbell.  Four dress sizes, countless enjoyable training hours, increased strength and a sprinter’s ass and legs later it is clear what I have really gained.  I have acquired a mentor who has paved the way to my own fitness career, a passion for the workings of my own body, a love for wanting a strong body and mind not simply a smaller one, and a deep desire for others to find a love for themselves.  My Warrior Spirit has been reignited after lying dormant for so long.

What better way to pay respect to the trainer and changes I have been blessed with than to join Team Combat Trainer this upcoming May in New York’s Metro Dash!  Train, compete, grow and evolve with me throughout my journey to the finish because this warrior is more than just a pretty Doll Face.

You are an athlete!

UFC 128 is Saturday night and the Urijah Faber will be making his UFC debut going up against Eddie Wineland. In the video below you will get to see the beginning of a strength and conditioning session with Faber. You will get to see pieces of a dynamic warmup as well some of the plyometrics his coach had him perform.
On the site I have not really wrote much about the way I warm my fighters up. After watching this video you will have a basic idea of the right way to warmup before a training session. The days of doing a bunch of static stretches and then believing your are not only warmup but are ready to prevent injury are over. Warming up dynamically has many benefits. First it get the core body temperature up as well as raising the heart rate. It also makes you stronger in different positions and works on your balance as well.
If you are still warming up the same way to train as you did when your parents were in elementary school then you need to stop now and start warming up the correct way. Another point I would like to make is that warming up does not have to take half the training session. All to often coaches warmup their athletes for way to long. Learn some of the basics of a dynamic warmup and start to utilize it in your training. So check out this video and enjoy the fights on Saturday. Next week I will post up a dynamic warmup I use with my fighters.
Train Hard! Train Smart!
Rob DeCillis (CSCS)

UFC 128 is coming your way on Saturday night. Mauricio Shogun Rua is taking on one of the most exciting young fighters in the MMA world Jon Jones. The card is stacked once again with some really exciting fights. If you are new to site, first welcome and enjoy, you will notice that the week leading up to a fight I will search out the fighters on the cards performing their strength and conditioning routine. This helps those that are new to the sport or trying to learn new ways to train to get stronger and in better condition. Just a word to the wise. Some of the routines you see are designed as part of a program. This is not the only type of training that the fighters perform. So it is wise to do some research on strength and conditioning or ask a professional like myself.
In this video you will see Kurt Pellegrino and Miguel Torres performing a five minute conditioning circuit. Pellegrino, who is taking on Glieson Tibau has a great strength and conditioning coach in Jon Chaimberg. The five minutes mimics the time in a round. The circuit consists of many different exercises. You will see sprints, plyometrics as well as medicine ball work and bodyweight exercises. The circuit is designed to raise the athletes heart rate the way that it would in an actual fight. This is a real tough workout so if you do give it a try make sure you work up to five minutes. Meaning maybe instead of doing it for five minutes the first time you try do a similar circuit but start at three minutes. Watch within a week or two you will be rocking and rolling at five minutes.
Train Hard! Train Smart!

Rob DeCillis (CSCS)