Aug 23 2011

Training for Warriors Weekend

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.

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Jul 27 2011

Periodization for MMA Training

Periodization for MMA Training:

It is of no surprise that to get stronger and accomplish physical feats in MMA Training that one must work hard.  A more difficult concept to accept is that although there is a time and a place for spontaneous physical activity in MMA training and “seizing  the workout moment”, in order to see consistent growth one must plan a route to get there, this is referred to as Periodization.

What is periodization for MMA training?

Periodization is the structuring or cycling of your MMA training in a particular order to achieve certain goals.  Your goal may be to accomplish something in a certain time period, lasting all rounds,  going a certain distance, reaching a personal max.  Each of these things are reachable goals if you have a plan to reach them.Periodization is beneficial to athletes and people involved in MMA training for a variety of reasons.  Periodization will assist in avoiding getting stuck in plateaus, you can plan to change your training regimen to avoid slumps and boredom. Having a plan for your MMA training will also guard against overtraining.  When you plan your training there must also be a plan for a deload or resting period of a day or week, depending on how you are training.  Avoiding overtraining is essential because during deload is when you will reap the gains from your  MMA training program.  It also allows for life to occur while training, giving balance between training and other obligations.

MMA TrainingThere are many types of periodization depending on your MMA training focus.   In most cases the trainee will chose linear and non linear also known as undulating. Many programs begin with linear. Linear simply means that you should start out light in load. Use a light load and a low number of repetitions (reps) and sets. Over a period of weeks increase the weight, number of reps, and sets of your exercise routine. Not making these changes in weight and reps are the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make in their MMA training. They join, and start out light which is good. But they never progress. If you are trying to firm or build muscles with one set ten pounds and you don’t see any results, doing one set with ten pounds for years won’t do anything for you. You will have to progress to a more intense exercise routine and heavier load. Unfortunately, even linear periodization will stop working for you eventually. When this happens it’s time to introduce undulating periodization to your MMA training routine.

Undulation by definition means to go back and forth. Your body will inevitably adjust to the stress of MMA training, that you are putting it through, in order to make more gains then you must shock your body.  In non linear you do this by a planned variation of weight, reps and time.  You can go between these two phases for a lifetime of  MMA training.

Not planning your workouts is like planning to stay stagnant in your training.  Plan well, plan ahead and plan to succeed.

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

—-Muhammad Ali

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Jul 09 2011

Recovery for MMA Training

Professional athletes from those who participate in MMA training to marathon runners train hard, that is no surprise to the majority of people.  Professional athletes also take the time and use their good sense to recover and listen to their bodies.

MMA Training Recovery Methods:

There are many different methods to recovery, use some of them or all of them but find a method that will allow you too adequately recover and your body and mind to repair.  Some of these methods fuel your body, some ease your pains, others refresh your mind and will help keep you focused on your goal, to be the best, most fine tuned athlete that you can be.

MMA Training Recovery Method 1:

Foam rolling, stick rolling, ice baths interval hot and cold showering, sleep, food, hydration, recovery days, deload weeks and are all methods of recovery often used in MMA training camps professional and even high school athletes for the simple fact that many of them are free and all of them work.

Foam rolling and stick rolling is also referred as Self-myofascial release or active release techniques.  These massage tools are used when a muscle stretches near the point of injury. Foam rolling stimulates the muscle and works it so the athlete can work in a more complete range of motion without the muscles shutting down from over working. Also, massage techniques are helpful in fixing soft tissue adhesion and dissipating scar tissue build up as well. Foam rollers are relatively cheep as id pvc pipe and wooden sticks, all three of these will do the job.

MMA Training Recovery Method 2:

MMA Training

Ice baths are a jolting yet priceless addition to a recovery schedule.  With intense exercise also comes small micro traumas that occur, tiny tears in muscle fibers.  Ice baths constrict blood vessels to flush waste products like lactic acid from the muscles.  The decreasing of metabolic activity and slowing the swelling and tissue breakdown is also an added benefit of ice bathing.  Lastly, the rewarming process increases blood flow speeds, circulation and faster healing time.

MMA Training Recovery Method 3:

Rest and sleep has always been an essential part of training. Building recovery time into any training program is important because this is the time that the body adapts to the stresses of exercise and true physical growth is made.  Recovery also allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues.

MMA Training Recovery Method 4:

Food should not be overlooked as a recovery tool.  Working your body to its physical best and then feeding it the man made worst is a disservice and insult to your body and hard work.  After training meals should be balanced with proteins to feed your body, veggies to refuel your vitamins and nutrients and healthy complex carbs to replenish the energy you just expended.  Protein shakes and post workout drinks can also assist in this aspect.

MMA Training Recovery Method 5:

Hydration as a recovery tool should also be of no surprise.  Warding off dehydration before during and after training is vital to recovery and performance.  Simple body functioning relies on H2O to work correctly at all times.

Importance of Recovery in MMA Training:

Building recovery time into any training program is essential because it is during this time that the body adapts to the stress of exercises and builds muscle. Recovery allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. Exercise causes changes in the body such as muscle tissue breakdown and the depletion of energy stores on top of as fluid loss.  Recovery time allows these stores to be replenished and allows tissue repair to occur. Without time to repair and replenish, the body will continue to breakdown from intensive exercise instead of building up.  Short term recovery occurs in the hours following a workout as well as time inbetween sets.  Deloading or long term recovery can span a week or longer depending on the exercises and training intensity that you are undergoing.

So, training is not only what you do, but can sometimes be the work you do after you think you are done, or even doing nothing, for a scheduled period of time.  So, in MMA training, remember to train hard, train smart and recover correctly!

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May 31 2011

No More Back Pain

By Cat Rivera:

Back pain is indeed no joke!  I, for the majority of my life lived with memories of my own mother laid out flat on her back, unable to enjoy the holidays or even after work standing due to a back injury she acquired when we were hit directly in the middle of our Dodge Ram on the way to school when I was in the third grade.  I remember her grimacing in pain with the smallest of movements and paralyzed in fear that any form of exercise or free mobility would result in her not being able to move her legs.

During a Rugby game in my senior year at Oswego state I suffered a very bad back injury in a scrum down and at that moment I realized the debilitating pain that my mother must have been undergoing all those years. I also, for the first time was introduced to the fear of pain.  How suddenly all of my movements were being recorded by my twinges and stabbing pains to the point where breathing hurt.  From that moment on, my slipped L3 disc and I had a hate, fing hate relationship.

Countless chiropractors, missed workdays, weight gain and countless fear induced, half assed training sessions later, I met the deadlift. It was just in time too, running, sleeping and sitting all threw my back out, carrying the weight of my own breasts hurt by the midmorning. My hips were becoming misaligned the and one leg was slightly longer than the other due to compression of the disc on one side. It was routine training session that changed the movement of my life.

I remember the stern talking too and the playful yet direct banter concerning bending my arms mid lift that I received from Combat Trainer after our first few sessions of DL’s.  The fear of hurting my back was hurting my back. As the weeks went on and my weight increased as did my confidence and form while lifting I realized one day that my back no longer hurt me I could stand and twist and tighten my abs without twinges of pain.

I had to know the science behind my newly found freedom to take my body back from pain. After much research, here are my findings.  The Deadlift is one of the most important exercises you can ever do because it works all your muscles under heavy weight.  It is an essential component of any, strength and conditioning routine.  The DL rears its beneficial head in Olympic lifting, strong man competitions, MMA training and as an overall sign of general strength.

Experiencing  backpain during a DL it is a sign that you are doing it wrong.  First, you must see the DL as more of a pushing motion instead of a pulling one.  You are pushing through your heels, pushing your hips forward and squeezing your glutes as hard as possible.  Be sure to not round your lower back because that will stress your spine. Straight back! Chest up and upper body natural. Pull in a big chest breath and keep everything tight.  Hold the bar close to your body, arms straight and there ya go.

Mastering the proper DL technique will give you a stronger back, teach you the proper way to lift things from the floor and can illuminate back pain for good.

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Mar 10 2011

Deadlift! Deadlift! Deadlift!

Life is full of so many choices, should I get my coffee at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, should I shave Sunday night or Monday morning and the list goes on and on.  When it comes to training there are also a slew of exercises that we can choose from to help us achieve our goals.  But if I had to make a choice between exercises as to which one I would use to get strong I would choose to deadlift.

So why would I choose to deadlift over all other exercises. First off the deadlift kicks ass and is fun.  Now let’s get into some quality reasons. The deadlift is a great exercise to help train and make the posterior chain stronger.  In combat sports or any sport for that matter the posterior chain is of utmost importance for optimal performance.

The deadlift works on improving strength in your hamstrings, and glutes having a strong posterior chain will help in combat sports when trying to take an opponent down or picking an opponent up.  We all know why having strong glutes and hamstrings will help your performance but a strong back is also essential when involved in sporting events.  Along with strong glutes the deadlift will also increase the strength in your back.

In combat sports a strong back is key, as many movements during a fight require you to pull an opponent. If you are pulling some heavy deadlifts in training you will see how much easier it will be to pull your opponent all over the mat or cage. Having a strong posterior chain will help in combat sports when trying to take an opponent down or picking an opponent up.

Deadlifts will also increase your grip strength.  In my own training I have seen my grips improve dramatically especially in jiu-jitsu gi training and in the clinch.  Deadlifting has given me a strong grip, which has save me from submission plenty of times on the jiu-jitsu mats.

Deadlifting can also reduce the risk of injury.  By adding deadlifts into your programs you will be doing your body a favor by keeping it injury free.  Deadlifts can also help with the rehabilitation of IT Band injuries, which are common in many athletes.  If you use sprinting in your training you can run into an IT Band issue.

If you are looking to improve your performance in the field of battle then you need to really start to deadlift.  If I had to pick one exercise to do for the rest of my life I would make the choice of deadlifting.  Below I will give you two videos that you should watch if you want to improve your technique on the deadlift.

Rob DeCillis (CSCS)

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Feb 17 2011

Bear Crawls in the Snow

Using your body to train is one of the main ways in which martial artist still condition their bodies.   Gymnasts are always using their own bodies to train and are some of the strongest athletes in the world.  One of the main reason why you should place your children in gymnastics classes early, is that it will not only get them stronger but teach them how to use their own bodies so they can prevent injury.

When I train fighters or any athlete for that matter I use bodyweight exercises within the athletes program.  Either through agility drills or during conditioning the movements I use will help the athlete learn their own body without anything loaded on it.

One of the most fun but grueling exercises that is done with just your body alone is the bear crawl.  Basically the exercise is what it says it is.  Crawl like a bear and you will be doing the exercise.  The bear crawl works your entire body.  It is a really great exercise for dynamic strength in both your lower and upper body.  You will gain lots of stabilization strength in your shoulder and if done for the right amount of time or distance is a great conditioning exercise.

Since the weather has been so bad here in the Northeast United States my outdoor training has pretty much ceased with the exception of shoveling snow.  Which is a great GPP training session.  While out there hours at a time I get to thinking about what else I can do in the snow.  Many of you have seen my sprint in the snow, where I fell flat on my face for the enjoyment of the world and my family.  But during the last snow storm as I was digging out car, driveways and racing around the block so the plow could get down my street, I though to myself that bear crawling in the snow would be a great way to train in the snow.

So after I was done with the heavy snow lifting, I hit the backyard and decided to bear crawl in the snow.  At the same time I threw out the challenge to my friend and she decided to also do a little crawling in the snow.  She even had strapped a band to her waist and did resisted bear crawls in the snow.  I guess her training with me has really worn off on her.  So next time you are snowed in, get of your butt and start sprinting and bear crawling in the snow.

Train Hard! Train Smart!

Rob DeCillis (CSCS)

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Jan 15 2011

Children and MMA

By now we all know that MMA is mainstream, we are seeing it pop up everywhere.  With this explosion MMA gyms are popping up everywhere and the influx of new students is growing daily.  This is great for the sport and it will only continue to help the sport grow in the future.

This brings me to my next point.  These MMA gyms are not only being joined by adult students, but children as well.  I see the sport of MMA or grappling at the youth level as the next big sport here in the United States.  The children are the future of the sport and it will only help grow the sport to new levels here in the United States.

The one thing we need to be careful with, however, with our youth joining these gyms is trying to specialize these children to early in the sport.  Just like early specialization in other youth sports such as soccer, football and hockey, this could have a negative impact on the child athlete.

Having kids active in sports is great it sure beats sitting inside the house all day doing nothing but being lazy.  I strongly believe that we should have our children involved in some type of sports from a young age.  I particularly love when children are involved in gymnastics and martial arts from a young age.  Both of these sports allow the child to learn their bodies naturally by using different movements.

Now like I said earlier there are some things to look for when children are specialize in sports to early.  In his manual, The Development of the Russian Conjugate Sequence System, Tom Myslinski writes about how the Russian had a system of training their athletes from a young age.  He wrote that the goal of the Russians was to have the children be exposed to a whole range of different activities.  This would help develop their “functional capacities, motor abilities and knowledge base.”  (Myslinski, p5)

Myslinski also has a great chart where he explains some of problems that happen when early specialization takes place.   Two points that he makes that are of importance are, one, that there are “performance inconsistencies within competitions” and two, usually the athletes start to “burnout” by the age of eighteen.  (Myslinski, p6) With the burnout issue also comes injuries from overuse of the same muscles, joints and tendons.  Day in and day out, year after year of training in a very similar fashion will do this to any athlete especially at the younger level because their bodies are still growing.

So what is the take home message here?  As the sport of MMA grows more and more children will want to get involved.  Some parents will become crazy about their children winning it’s just the nature of the beast.  But as adults of these child warriors it is our responsibility to make sure they train the right way.  We have to make sure that these children learn how to use their own bodies before trying to control someone else’s.  Get your children involved in the sport of mixed martial arts but let them play all different sports as well.  This will only enhance their athletic ability in the future and just make them that much of a better fighter if they decide to take that path.

Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Jun 28 2010

Develop an Explosive Punch!

We all know that punching power is very important in combat sports that require you to, well punch.  Some of those would include boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA.  There are a whole bunch of other martial arts out there that use punching but these are just to name a few.  If you look at some of the most powerful punchers from the past like Mike Tyson, you will see that they use there entire body to generate force to deliver those knockout blows.  So we can all agree that punching is a total body movement from the ground up?  Great!

How do we develop a little added extra punching power?  There are many different exercises that can help us obtain a little added power to our punches.  Explosive pushups will help you increase the power of your punch as well as if you compete in such combat sports such as Judo or Jiu-Jitsu when you go to grab an opponent by the neck or gi for a takedown or to just control them.  We all know pushups are great for you and can make you strong.  If you have not already signed up for your FREE copy of the MMA Bodyweight Workout, you can do that up in the right hand corner.

Ok now back to what I was saying.  There are many different variations of pushups and all the different variations serve a purpose.  Explosive pushups help you develop power in your chest, shoulders and triceps all muscles that help when you are punching.  In a regular explosive pushup you go down in a normal pushup and when you hit the bottom position you push yourself up and your hands leave the floor.

The variation I will show you below is the explosive medicine ball pushup.  As you will see below this is a great exercise to not only help develop that explosive power but also help with your balance and as well as strengthening your stabilizing muscles.  As you strengthen your stabilizing muscle around the shoulder and chest you will notice how will become stronger and more powerful.  Just as a side note when performing this variation of pushup try and get the ball to stay still, you do not want to be chasing the ball around as you explode out from the bottom position.  This could lead to injury.  There are a couple of ways to add these in to your training. You can use them as part of a conditioning protocol or you can perform these after a compound movement like the squat or deadlift.  I personally would not use them after a set of bench-pressing because I want the exercise to be powerful or it defeats the purpose if you do it slow or already fatigued.  So check it out.  Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Jun 26 2010

Muay Thai Conditioning!

One thing I love to do is research.  Either, reading, listening or watching videos I love to do me some strength and conditioning research especially when it comes to the topic of MMA or any other combat sport.  If you don’t know already combat athletes are some of the best-conditioned athletes on the planet.  The amount of training that they do on and off the mat is incredible.  As strength and conditioning coaches we must work closely with these athletes and make sure they are training the right way to prevent injury or as with many that fight, over-training.

Designing a solid strength and conditioning program is imperative to having your fighter come out on top.  So in my travels of research I was looking at videos of some conditioning protocols that could be used with some of my fighters.  I came across a video from Alter Center Combat Conditioning.  The conditioning protocol features former Lumpini champion Neungsiam “the Rock” Samphusri, yeah say that again.  This protocol is designed for MMA and Muay Thai fighters.  Some of the exercises you have seen before others you may have not seen.  If you are looking to change up your conditioning protocol this will definitely give you a little boost to your training sessions.

So check out the video below and don’t forget sign up for your FREE Bodyweight Training Manual for MMA in the top right hand side.  In this manual you will get some great strength, power and conditioning with just the use of your bodyweight.  So make sure you get your copy.  Sorry bout the pop up ads on the video not my doing.

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May 27 2010

Be Like Atlas!

The other day I reviewed a product called The Rotator.  It is an excellent tool to help prevent injury in the shoulders as well as to aid in the recovery of shoulder injuries.  As we all know the shoulder strength and flexibility is vital in combat sports like MMA, jiu-jitsu and boxing.  So how can we develop stronger shoulder’s.  I am going to give you a couple of exercise that will give you some strong shoulders.  Instead of just giving you some of the normal exercise that will just isolate the shoulder muscle I am going to give you a set of exercises that will not only work your shoulders but your quads and hamstrings.  As usual I will add a visual so you can see what the exercises look like, I know I work best with a visual as well as description.  With all these exercise start with just the bar as it can be taxing on the shoulder. As you get stronger add more weight.

The first exercise I want to discuss is the overhead press with a squat.  Start with the bar on your across you back as if you are going to squat, with your hands in a snatch grip.  As you lower yourself in the squat position you want to press the bar at the same time over your head.  At first it may be “hard” to do both movements at once but I know you will get it.  I like to stand with my feet a little wider in the squat more like a powerlifter to really get at those hamstrings.

The next exercise is the overhead squat.  In the same position as the overhead squat with a press and starting with the snatch grip, press the bar overhead and hold it there for the entire set.  You will now drop down and squat while holding the bar overhead.

The last exercise is and overhead press with a lunge.  You can do these stationary and alternate legs or you can find a stretch of the gym where you can walk and get at least eight reps in.  You will begin by pressing the bar overhead with the snatch grip.  You will then proceed to lunge forward alternating legs.

We can use these exercise for building strength and a conditioning protocol as well.  For strength gains do the following:

Overhead Press and Squat

4 sets 6-8 reps

Overhead Squat

4 sets 6-8 reps

Overhead Lunge

4 sets 6-8 reps

For Conditioning: (Using light weight)

Complete a  set of Overhead Presses and Squats for 8 reps followed by Overhead Squats for 8 reps followed by Overhead Lunges for  reps.  Do not rest in between

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