Jan 01 2011

Frankie Edgar Training Hard

Category: Agility,Conditioning,MMA,Power Training,Quickness,reaction time,Strength Training,Strongman,UFC,Uncategorized — Rob @ 11:35 AM

The lightweight champion is back at UFC 125 on New Years Day, as Frankie Edgar looks to defend his title against the only man to beat him Gray Maynard.  Yesterday we took a look at Maynard putting the Battle Ropes to the test.  Like I said both of these fighters are always in great shape come fight time.

Today we will take a look at Edgar training for this fight.  In this video you will see all the different types of training Edgar does in preparation for a fight.  There are agility ladders to improve his footwork.  As we saw in his last two fights against BJ Penn we saw that edgar had great footwork.  Using the agility ladder in training has helped him improve in that aspect of his fight game.  You will also see him using hurdles to develope lower body power.  Having an explosive lower body helps in all aspects of the fight game from punching and kicking to takedowns.  We also see him using a stabilty ball to help improve dynamic flexibilty and core strength.  The sledge hammer also makes an appereance, just another tool that produces power as well as core strength.  Kettlebells which many combat athletes have now incorporated into their strength and conditioning also make their way into his training.  Turkish Getups with a kettlebell is a great movement to add strength to the entire body.  Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Now remeber when looking at this video be aware that there is a plan or program for what he is doing.  This could be one session where each of the exercises you see stand alone and is not a conditioning protocol.  Many fighters out there see these things and just go out and try and perform them without knowing where it fits in their training.  By looking at the date on the video this is more than likely a General Preparation Session, which is used to get the athlete ready for the work that is to come ahead in the training for the months ahead.

Happy New Year! If you are looking to take it to the next level I do offer online training at a discount for the New Year.  Make the investment in your career and make 2011 your year.

Train Hard Train Smart!

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Dec 29 2010

Brandon Vera Strength and Conditioning

Category: Agility,Conditioning,MMA,Power Training,Quickness,Strength Training,Strongman,UFC,Uncategorized — Rob @ 4:48 PM

As a New Year arrives so does another UFC card, UFC 125.  This one will feature some interesting fights on the card.  First off we have Frankie Edgar defending his lightweight title against the only guy to have beaten him, Gray Maynard.  Also on the card Chris Leben takes on Brian Stann, Leben looks to continue his winning ways in the octagon with a victory.  One matchup I am looking forward to is Brandon Vera going up against Thiago Silva.  This may turn out to be a stand-up war and a very exciting bout.

A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Bradon Vera’s strength and conditioning coach Doug Balzarini. He spoke about training Vera and how he goes about training fighters in general.  If you have not heard the interview give it a listen, you could pick out some important training information for yourself.   So knowing the Vera fight is this weekend I also wanted to give you a glimpse at some of the training Doug does with Brandon as they get ready for a fight.

You will notice the use of the agility ladder in the beginning of the video.  Making a fighter more athletic is one of the keys to creating a championship fighter.  The work on the ladder will improve Vera’s footwork.  After the agility the video moves into some strongman training which will help develop Vera’s overall strength, power and conditioning.  The type of work Balzarini puts Vera through pays dividends the night of the fight.  You can visit Doug Balzarini’s site at http://dbstrength.com.

Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Dec 10 2010

UFC Fighter Jim Miller Strength and Conditioning

Category: Agility,Conditioning,MMA,Power Training,Quickness,Strength Training,Strongman,UFC,Uncategorized — Rob @ 8:13 PM

UFC 124 is just around the corner and once again a Martin Rooney trained MMA fighter is on the card, Jim Miller who will be taking on Charles Oliveira.  Jim and Dan Miller both train with elite strength and conditioning coach Martin Rooney for their UFC fights.  Rooney is one of the coaches in the world and has taken many pro fighters as well as many other athletes to the next level.

In this video we will see one of Rooney’s conditioning sessions with Jim Miller.  Rooney uses many different training implements to get the job done in about 5 minutes.  Miller starts off with the sledgehammer, which increase power in the abdominal region, he then moves on to one of my favorite pieces of equipment the Prowler.  The Prowler will improve a fighter’s lower body strength and power.  This power in the lower body will help improve punching and kicking as well as help develop an explosive takedown.  Next he moves to bands and does a whole bunch of pulling movements.  The agility ladder is next.  This will help improve a fighter’s footwork and coordination.  Since Miller has gone through the other exercises especially the prowler his legs are a bit fatigued, doing the ladder in this fatigued state is more difficult than it looks.  Finally he finishes off with the kettlbell swings, which develops total body power.

Each exercise is done for a minute with a short recovery in between each other exercises.  This type of conditioning is grueling but will get you prepared for a fight.  They are also simple to create pick five exercises and do them for a minute and you have your MMA round.

At the end of the video you hear Rooney telling his fighters that getting their heart rate low in between rounds is important.  If they are able to have a lower heart rate than their opponent at the start of the round then they have an advantage.  An opponent with a higher heart rate will fatigue quicker in the next round, which will be an advantage to you.

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Nov 18 2010

Phil Davis Agility Training

Category: Agility,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Speed,UFC,Uncategorized — Rob @ 8:25 PM

Once again another UFC event is upon us. UFC 123 in the Motor City where Quinton Rampage Jackson will take on Lyoto Machida and completing their trilogy will be Matt Hughes and BJ Penn. The card looks like it should be a good one unlike UFC 122 where I felt it was like the Superbowl some years where the commercials were better than the fights. Well all the cards can’t be winners lucky for us all it was free. One fight I am interested in seeing is Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis take on Tim Boetsch. Davis is one of those fighters that is very athletic. Lucky for us all there is some video of Davis doing some of strength and conditioning training.
Agility is a great skill to have not only in the sport of MMA but just in regular life. Having good agility can help protect you from injury. In this video you will see Phil Davis and Dominic Cruz doing some hurdle hops as well as using the agility ladder to improve their athleticism. You have seen me using agility drills to help improve my fighters speed and agility before. This just proves my point that creating athletic fighters is the way the sport is heading and in reality is already there. So if you are not training for speed, agility and quickness then you better get on it! Enjoy the video! 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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