Aug 24 2010

Frankie Edgar Strength Training

Category: Conditioning, MMA, Power Training, Strength Training, UFC, Uncategorized — Rob @ 2:03 PM

UFC 118 is upon us as is the long awaited rematch between the UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn as well as Randy Couture taking on James Toney. As you all know I love to give you a taste of how some of the top fighters/athletes train for fights. Now it’s hard to find recent video of strength and conditioning sessions for upcoming fights, so I just dig into the past.

In this video you will be taking a look at the current UFC Lightweight Champion of the World Frankie Edgar. We all know in the first fight Edgar was able to push the pace on Penn. He was able to use a lot of constant movement to squeak out a victory to win the championship.
How was Edgar able to keep this pace throughout the fight? It had to do with the type of conditioning sessions he was putting himself through. Edgar performed circuits that mimic what a fight would be like. The way to make these circuits work for you is to make them harder than the actual fight. When doing conditioning sessions prior to a fight you need to make sure that those sessions are going to be harder than what you will experience during the fight. The point is when you get in the cage you will be able to push the pace because your body has adapted to going harder in training.

So here is the Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar as he performs a pretty brutal conditioning session using circuit style training.

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Aug 19 2010

Sleds and MMA

Category: Conditioning, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Power Training, Speed, Strength Training, Uncategorized — Rob @ 10:02 PM

I know winter is only a couple of months away but I am still going to have a discussion about sleds.  Not the sleds you ride down a snow covered hill on in the middle of winter but the sled that will turn you into a well conditioned, powerful fighter.

Sleds can be used for different reason’s, sleds can increase strength, power and can be used for conditioning purposes.   Another great reason to use the sled is to help with the development of speed in sprinters.  The sled forces the athlete to maintain the posture needed in the acceleration phase of a sprint.  This phase in a sprint is almost similar to when an athlete in MMA, Jiu-Jitsu or wrestling takes a shot for a takedown.

The sled pull in the video below is to teach my fighter how to drive off the ground and use the force off the ground to develop speed.  I was not working on sprint mechanics I was trying to make the fighter stronger in a position that she will find herself in.

As you will see I loaded the sled up with a good amount of weight to force Jessica to really drive off the ground.  This not only developed strength in the range of motion needed it also worked on her conditioning.  This is the first step in using the sled to develop a faster shot for a takedown.  Step two will be to lower the load and have my fighters sprint with the sled and the last step is going to be having my fighters take actual shots with the sled with a light load.  This is one of my field studies to see if I can develop much faster shots with my athletes.
Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Aug 14 2010

MMA Team Training

Category: Boxing, Conditioning, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Mental Training, Power Training, Uncategorized — Rob @ 10:39 AM

In the past I have discussed the concept of team training in strength and conditioning.  Yes combat sports are based on individual achievements but there is a team aspect to the sport as well.  Having a great fight team is important to the success of the team and the individual.

It is essential to have a good core of teammates that have similar goals around.  If you have a team with the same vision it makes for a winning enviroment.  It is no different when it comes to a tough strength and conditioning session.  Having a solid group to train with in a brutal session can be beneficial to your success.  You now have someone to push you as they stand side by side doing the same training.  The element of competition also kicks in as you are now forced to push yourself to compete with others.  If you slack of, miss a rep or stop your team will know it and you will be letting them down and yourself down.

One MMA fight team that is doing the team strength and conditioning concept right is Lloyd Irvin Mixed Martial Arts Academy in the Washington D.C. area.  Irvin has a great fight team that consists of Brazilian Jiu-Jitu players and MMA fighters.  The group comes together for strength and conditioning team training.  They use a circuit type model to accomplish this.  Each fighter is assigned a station and they perform the exercise at that station for either a specific amount of time or reps then move onto the next station. This type of training mimics the match that the fighters will be competing in.  As you will see in the video a circuit like this can be a daunting task but with the support of a good coach and solid team members it becomes that much easier to accomplish and compete.

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Aug 11 2010

Power and Agility for MMA

Category: Agility, Conditioning, MMA, Power Training, Quickness, Speed, Uncategorized — Rob @ 7:26 PM

Speed, agility and quickness are key essentials in any fighters program. These types of drills to improve speed and agility can turn the average fighter into a better athlete. So adding these drills into any program is a must.
Here is the thing and coaches out there should be careful especially with fighters. Fighters in my experience feel that every drill has to be conditioning. This is not the case especially when training speed, agility and quickness. You must make it clear to the athlete that these drills are designed to improve these different aspects of training. They are not meant as conditioning drills. Of course if you want to make them into conditioning protocols by all means reduce the rest time in between drills and go for it, no one is stopping you. Usually when I tell a fighter to perform the next set when they are ready they go to fast, so to combat this I now wait about two minutes before I tell them to perform the set.
Another thing that a coach or if you are training yourself that you want to be aware of is to perform these drills if possible before you strength and power work. So before you hit the weights perform your speed and agility drills. You want to make sure that you are a fresh as possible when performing the drills, this way you are fresh. You will move a lot faster than say if you lifted first and then performed the drills. These are just a few pointers to help fighters understand and learn how to train effectively.
In the drill below you will see one of my fighters Mike Savarese perform a drill using a hurdle. Mike jumps over the hurdle forward and backwards as quickly as possible, which helps with his quickness and agility and power. As an added bonus, Mike performs a sprawl after landing on the backend of the hops. This makes Mike have to react quickly as he lands off the hop and go right into a sprawl. Just a small way for the fighters out there to add a little combat sport component to this drill. In this video you will see normal hurdle hop followed by the MMA style hurdle hop.
Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Aug 09 2010

Kettlebells and Sprinting

Category: Conditioning, MMA, Speed, Strength Training, Uncategorized — Rob @ 10:19 PM

One night in my search for training equipment I finally found some bumper plates that I had been looking for on Criagslist.  When I arrived at the guy house he took me to his garage to get the plates.  He had all sorts of great training equipment; clubs, sand bells, kettle bells, plyo-boxes and the list could go on and on.  But we began to talk and he said that he and some friends get together on Saturdays and train in the parking lot of a local school and he asked me to swing by.  So the training session came and went and it was great.  Now I am hooked and go out to train every Saturday I can.

The last time I was able to train, he started to talk to me about a strength and conditioning coach by the name of Dan John.  John is a contributor on the site T-Nation.  In one of his articles he talks about former world champion hammer thrower, Sergey Litvinov.  That day we did a modified version of what is called the “Litvinov workout”.  Here is what Litvinov used to do.  He would head out to the track, front squat 405 pounds, rack the weight and sprint 400 meters.  He would do three sets and call it a training session.  That’s a pretty brutal session.

So I now started to incorporate this workout into my training and that of my fighters. But this type of training needs to be adapted, for I do not recommend front squatting 405 pounds then sprinting 400 meters to start.  So following the idea of Dan John, I take one exercise and have been using kettlebells to do this.  Either a swing, a squat, a clean, a press.  I perform the movement for the predetermined reps and then sprint 100 yards.  I perform 3-5 sets and call it a session.

So this is how it would look on paper:

Kettlebell Swings 5-8 reps

Sprint 100 yards

Kettlebell Overhead Presses 5-8 reps

Sprint 100 yards

Repeat 3-5 times.

You can also modify it by adding more exercises and reducing the yards on the sprint for instance:

Kettlebell Swings 5-8 reps

Sprint 50 yards jog back

Kettlebell Squats 5-8 reps

Sprint 50 yards jog back

Kettlebell Clean 3-5 reps

Sprint 50 yards jog back

You get the point you can add more movements or add distance on the sprint.  This is just another type of training to incorporate into your program or that of your athletes.  Below is just a short clip of a movement and the sprint!



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Aug 03 2010

Ricardo Almeida Strength and Conditioning

Category: Conditioning, MMA, Strength Training, UFC, Uncategorized — Rob @ 8:35 PM

UFC 117 is only a few days away and this card is stacked from top to bottom. We all know the main event pits Chael Sonnen going against defending champ Anderson Silva for the title. The one sided war of words has been well documented over the last few months and soon enough it will be time to close the mouth and step inside the Octagon.
For the next couple of days I am in hot pursuit of finding strength and conditioning videos of some of the fighters that are on the card at UFC 117. For starters I am going to begin with Ricardo Almeida who is taking on a legend in Matt Hughes. This is going to be a battle and I see it going to the judges. That being said both fighters will have to be in top condition.
Ricardo Almeida’s strength and conditioning coach is the world renowned Martin Rooney. If you follow strength and conditioning Rooney is one of the leaders in the industry and I myself have learned quite a bit from this great coach.
The video below is a short one. The deadlift is one of the best movements an athlete can perform. The deadlift builds the muscles of the posteiror chain. In this video Rooney has Almeida doing a variation of the deadlift. Rooney calls this modified version the sprawling deadlift. Obvious the sprawl is essential in MMA. The key to this lift is to do it as fast as possible and generate power. So don’t load the bar to heavy because it will not allow you pull it up fast. So check out this video. And don’t forget to watch Almeida take on Hughes this weekend.

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Jul 31 2010

Stair Climbing for MMA

Category: Boxing, Conditioning, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Strength Training, Uncategorized — Rob @ 10:16 PM

Since I have been on a conditioning rant as of late here on my site, I might as well continue with the theme. Many fighters in MMA, Jiu-Jitsu and boxing use the running of stairs or steps as a tool for conditioning. Hill sprints can also be added to this category of conditioning. If anyone has tried any of these conditioning tactic you know first hand how difficult they can be.

Running or sprinting up steps tests an athlete’s anaerobic conditioning, lower body strength and endurance. Usually in the gym the Stair Master is the piece of equipment that is not being used, just like the rower or the Versa-Climber. The reason many people avoid it is because it is hard to do. It makes you work hard!

As many of you know, I was on vacation this past week. Hanging out with the gang of Sesame Street was great and I had lots of fun. Lucky for me I was able to get a training session in at the fitness center in the hotel. After leaving Sesame Place we headed to Philadelphia for a little historical learning. If you are into fighting and combat sports you know that Philadelphia is where the famous movie Rocky takes place. We all know the famous part of when Rocky sprints up the stairs of the art museum during his final preparation for his fight against Apollo Creed. So of course I had to go and run the stairs that Rocky ran up. So carrying my daughter I took off up the stairs and we both made it. What a great time and a memory that will last forever. Here we are running up the steps of the museum!

So how can you make stair-climbing work for you? The first thing you want to do is make sure that the stairs you are using are sturdy and safe. There is no reason to injure your self. Second you when running up the stairs go as hard as you can without making yourself fall over. Ok done with the safety issues. Just like any type of conditioning you have seen on my site, I like to organize it into sets or rounds just to give it more of a MMA feeling.
A typical set or round can look like this:
Sprint up five to ten flights of steps followed by a rest interval. For rest walk back down the flight of steps you just sprinted up. This should be sufficient amount of rest. If you need a little more then take it when you reach the bottom. Repeat this for 5-8 sets
As you increase your conditioning level, there are some things you can do to make it more difficult:
You can reduce the rest interval,
You can increase the number of sets,
You can increase the number of flights you sprint up
You can add a weighted vest, which will challenge your anaerobic and lower body strength. Carrying my daughter was like using the weighted vest.
Remember Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Jul 28 2010

UFC Fighters Conditioning Routine

Category: Agility, Conditioning, MMA, Power Training, Speed, UFC, Uncategorized — Rob @ 11:07 AM

Saturday night Dana White is giving us all a free UFC event on Versus. The card is pretty stacked, and if you are a big fan of the UFC you have been itching for the last month for some octagon action. The main event of the card is Jon Jones taking on Vladimir Matyushenko in the light heavyweight division. This can be a big stepping-stone for Jon Jones young career as many see him as the future champion of the division. With all that raw talent and youth on his side I tend to believe this as well. Jones is a pure athlete and the future of the sport.
Also on the card Mark Munoz will be taking on veteran Yushin Okami. Last April Munoz had a great come from behind victory over Kendall Grove defeating him with some vicious ground and pound. Munoz like Jones is a rising star in the UFC. Munoz is still going through some of the growing pains as all fighters do but he is well on his way up the ladder and becoming a serious contender in the near future.
As a treat for the site I was able to find some of Munoz’s strength and conditioning training. In this video he is doing a ten-minute non-stop conditioning circuit. In the circuit Mark is wearing a weighted vest. In this circuit you will see all different types of training going on. Each exercise is done for thirty-seconds. The circuit includes: speed and agility training, you will see him testing his core with medicine ball tosses, he performs plyometrics in the circuit to develop explosive power sledgehammers swings and some fight specific movements that you will see throughout the protocol such as ground and pound. So sit back and enjoy the next ten minutes and wish you were doing the circuit.

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Jul 26 2010

Vladimir Matyushenko UFC on Versus

Category: Conditioning, Interviews, MMA, Strength Training, Uncategorized — Rob @ 10:56 PM

We are a little less than a week away from the UFC on Versus. The card is pretty good and since the last PPV I have been waiting patiently for some MMA. The main event on this card is Jon Jones going up again Vladamir Matyushenko. I am looking forward to this match up. I want to see Jones and his awesome athletic ability in the octagon. He never disappoints in a fight.
So since I love MMA and I love strength and conditioning, I am trying my best, even though they are hard to come by, to find video of the fighters training for these upcoming fights. I want to show the different styles that strength and conditioning coaches have when training combat athletes for fights.
In my search for some kick ass strength and conditioning video of these fighters I came across an interview with Vladimir Matyushenko. The interview is not really what I am concerned with, it’s the video that goes along with the interview. They show some of the exercises that “The Janitor” has in his strength and conditioning program.
Matyushenko trains at a Velocity Sports Performance, which is one of my former places of employment. The first two minutes he discusses his training and the video shows him doing some one-arm medicine ball tosses as well some muscle snatches and my personal favorite overhead squats. So enjoy the video it’s the best I could do for strength and conditioning video of Matyushenko. The UFC on Versus will air on Saturday, August 1.

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Jul 24 2010

MMA Here We Come!

Category: Agility, Conditioning, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Speed, Strength Training, Uncategorized — Rob @ 9:46 AM

Another gorgeous day this past Thursday and the boys from Staten Island, New York made it out for another training session. If you remember Mike Savarese is an aspiring MMA star and is currently training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Almeida at RABJJ.
Last time I met with Mike we hit the weight room and then headed to the field for some speed and agility work.
After our first session I knew that Mike would be a future star in MMA. He is dedicated and trains hard with no complaints. And we all know in this day and age athletes like to complain. For this session we headed out to the field to train. Our focus was speed, agility and conditioning.
The first thing we started with was some speed drills. These drills are designed to place the athlete in accerleration position and to generate force off the ground. How does this transfer to MMA you may be asking, well after you are done with this post check out my post titled Usain Bolt v.s. GSP Part 1 and 2 http://bit.ly/cVCQTO http://bit.ly/au0RP After we hit the speed work we moved onto some agility drills, the first time I trained Mike in these drills he was not as fluid as I wanted him to be. He was very tense up top almost robotic. In this session he looked looser, his arm action when moving was vastly improved. Like I have been saying, I train my fighters to become better athletically and that will transfer into into being a better all round fighter. We also hit some work with mini-hurdles and there is more to come on that in a later post this week.
Finally we came down to the conditioning portion of the session. To start we worked some kettlebell swings into 100 yard sprints for three sets. And as his brother Patrick said while Mike was running, :Who knew he was that fast?” After the three sets we moved onto a circuit using, Battle Ropes, sledgehammers, and Medicine Balls. This time I increased the time on the circuit by thirty second, the last training session we had we did a three minute circuit. Increasing it slowly will increase Mike’s work capacity and increase his level of conditioning. So check out the video below, let us know what you think! Oh yeah sorry about the shaky movement of the camera I was trying to get down the field. Train Hard! Train Smart!

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