Oct 18 2010

Training with the Big Boys

Category: Conditioning,Power Training,Strength Training,Strongman,Uncategorized — Rob @ 2:23 PM

Every elementary school picture I was ever in I was always the one holding the class picture sign.  That meant one thing and one thing only being the shortest one in the class.  For God’s sake my mom took me to the Dr. cause she thought something was wrong with me because I was not growing like she thought I should be.  That doctor put me on human growth hormone.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen good all HGH.   Thinking about that now I should have listened to my cousins who were lifting weights all the time when they told me to start lifting with them.  I would have been one jacked up sixth grader.  Here a better idea let me go find that same doctor and see if I can get some HGH now, hmm not a bad idea especially if insurance covers it.

Well the reason I have this recollection from my past is because on Saturday I went out to play with some of the big boys.  Every Saturday I head out and meet up with some guys and we do some strongman training.  Now this Saturday I trained with some big dudes.  They towered my and could possibly have outweighed me by 100 pounds.  I knew right from the outset that I would be moving a ton of weight on a brisk Saturday afternoon.

In one of my many journey’s of reading I once came across a saying and I wish I could remember who wrote it or said it but it has slipped my mind, I guess that comes with old age but it has stuck in my mind since I read it.  It tells people when they train to train with someone who is better than you, someone who is equal to you and someone who you are better than.  They say this is the best way to get the most out of training.  The guy who is better than you pushes you to reach that level, the person you are equal to tests your skills day in and day out and the person you are better than pushes you so you remain better.  Well Saturday that was thrown out the window cause the other four people I was training with were stronger and more powerful than me.  So if you encounter a training session like this there is one thing you should do, and that is step on to the field, in this case it was a parking lot and play with the big boys.  Playing with the big boys produced a pretty great strongman training session.  This is what we ended up doing…

1) Warm-up 10 minutes

2) Prowler Pushes with 90lbs for 20 yards for 10 minutes alternating between 5 guys.

3) 80lb each hand Farmers Walks followed with Clean and Presses with 80lb and 60 lb D-Balls.  Following the Farmers walk 4 clean and presses with the 80lb D-Ball then 4 Clean and Presses with the 60lb D-Ball (3 sets)

4) Chain Drags- With two 150 lb chains attached to a seated rowing handle we pulled the chains about 20 feet for two sets.  Then we unloaded one chain and did pulls one way for 20 feet and pushes the other way for 20 feet for 2 sets.

5) Sandbag carries alternating arms- Sandbag weighed 75lbs and we ran 25 yds with the bag.  (4 sets)

6) Clean and Presses as many sets of singles in 10 minutes.  But as time went on singles became doubles and triples.

Finisher

Single side Farmers walks with 170lbs for 10 feet (4 sets)

So sometimes being the smallest has it’s benefits as you learn how to train with the big boys and get stronger.

Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Aug 17 2010

Strongman and MMA

Category: Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Strength Training,Strongman,Uncategorized — Rob @ 12:32 PM

The summer has been great and training has been even better.   Usually I have a pretty solid training program that I go by but this summer because of the crazy schedule I have had, I have been training in all sorts of different ways.  Some days it’s Jiu-Jitsu other times I am in the gym lifting and many times at the track doing speed, agility and quickness drills on top of sprinting.

Another modality of training that has been added into my training has been some “strongman” training.  Lucky for me I was able to meet some guys that train once a week together and I was invited to join in on the training fun.  So once a week we load up a van and head out to the local school.

Every session we start off with a warm-up using a Dynamax Ball, we throw the ball around in different ways to get our upper and lower body ready to go.   We break the sessions into three circuits.  The first circuit was as follows:

Circuit One

Kettlebell Clean and Presses 40lb Kettlebell

Sand Bell Clean and Presses 75lb Sand Bell

Keg Clean and Presses Approximately 40 lb keg

Each person was at a station and completed six reps at each station.  Using three different implements for the same exercise was great.  Each exercise tested our muscle in a different way.   Each has it’s own little technique to be able to perform the lift.   Each had a different feel to them as well.  The Kettlebell with proper technique just glides into position. The Sand Bell, which by the way is one of favorite pieces of equipment to use, you need a little more power to get it up.  Finally the keg, you need to learn how to pop it off your hips to get it up.  After 3 sets we moved onto the next circuit.

Circuit two was brutal, and the one reason it was, The Prowler!  The Prowler will break you down, my legs were done after this circuit.

Circuit Two

Prowler Push 40 yards

Overhead Keg Walks 15 yards

After the first Prowler push I was feeling pretty good.  Even the second was not to bad until I picked the keg up overhead and began to walk that’s when the legs started to wobble.  But I was able to maintain my balance and able to walk it.  By the fourth set the overhead keg walk became a keg carry for the 15 yards.  After this circuit the legs were Jell-O but on we went.

Before we moved onto the next circuit we needed a short break so we decided to a deadlift variation with the Rolling Thunder handle.  We did four sets increase in the weight slightly each set.  This acted as an active recovery.

Next up was the last circuit.  For this circuit we had to perform a total of 100 swings using three different implements, the Kettlebell, Clubs, and a Mace.  I really did not have too much problem with the clubs and the Kettlebell.  However it was the first time I was using the mace and boy was it tough to get a rhythm with the technique.  Just as with anything else I know I will get better with it with a little more practice.

So what are some of the benefits of this type of training in relation to combat sports like Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.  There are three key things that I have noticed on the mat since starting to incorporate this type of training.  First my overall strength has improved, I have noticed I am able to control people better on the mat and hold my own better with bigger and stronger guys.  Second my grip strength is awesome.  Grabbing on to an opponents wrist or even holding a grip to defend against an arm bar have improved dramatically.  Grip strength is so important in combat sports and I am very happy my grip has become stronger. Finally my conditioning level has also improved.  This type of weighted conditioning has really helped when rolling or sparring in the gym.  Even the conditioning level during pad work has been great.

So as summer starts to draw to a close, I am going to incorporate these sessions into my own programs from now on.  As for my fighters they will be getting some of the strongman love!

Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Apr 08 2010

MMA and the Olympics?

Category: MMA,Power Training,Strength Training,Uncategorized — Rob @ 10:00 PM

We have heard rumors about Mixed Martial Arts maybe one day being part of the Olympics. Who knows if this will ever happen but this is not what this post is about. I want to discuss training that has been over looked by not only fighters but many athletes as well. What am I talking about? I am talking about the Olympic lifts. Recently on the UFC Primetime show, we saw George St. Pierre (GSP) doing the Snatch. This is proving that the Olympic lifts are valuable to any strength-training program.
What are the benefits of the Olympic style lifts? These lifts are known to develop power as well as great flexibility in the hips, legs and shoulders and the whole body is trained when performing these lifts.
When I learned the lifts two years ago I saw the immediate benefit to doing them. I instantly began to incorporate them into my fighters program. When fighters ask me what are the best exercises the Clean and Press is always mentioned. Obviously there are benefits from the other lifts as well.
There is one negative about the Olympic lifts. For most athletes or fighters they are hard to learn. There is a lot of technique that goes into these lifts and it takes a while to get the hang of them. The better your technique gets the more you will be able to lift. With the Olympic lifts poor technique equals bad results. But if you can get good at them it will extremely improve your athleticism. Trainers say it’s a waste of time to teach these lifts because they take so long and fighters need to focus on other types of training before a fight. What about the time that they are not preparing for a fight do these trainers just stop strength training all together? This is the perfect time to teach your fighters the Olympic lifts. During this time you can focus on showing them one lift and let them get good at it. Then you can incorporate them into their program.
When I teach my fighters these lifts I am not looking to make them Olympic weightlifters, I just want them to learn the lift effectively enough to be able to perform the lift explosively and not get hurt. The key here is to teach them how to control their bodies while exploding during the movement as fast as they can. In upcoming weeks I will be posting more about the Olympic lifts.
Below is a video of someone I used to train MMA with. He was also an Olympic lifter in high school when I met him. I ran into him at the gym a few weeks back and he trained with me. Here is video of him power snatching. Take a look at his technique pretty good after a couple of years lay off.

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