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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

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!



Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jul 21 2010

How Would You React?

Category: Boxing, Conditioning, Power Training, Speed, Uncategorized, reaction time — Rob @ 8:55 PM

In sports a second can be the difference between a winning and losing. As the competition gets better reaction time is critical. For example stuffing a take down in the final seconds of a fight can get your hand lifted at the end or send you back home a loser. I have been doing my research and reading a lot on reaction time. Strength and conditioning coaches all know it is an important component to training. All athletes should be working on improving their reaction time.

So what is reaction time? Reaction time is the interval time between the presentation of a stimulus and the initiation of the muscular response to that stimulus. Some examples in combat sports such as MMA or boxing are avoiding a punch with say a slip or bob and being able to sprawl in time when you see a takedown coming.

Some athletes and people are born with great reaction time. But that does not mean that you cannot increase the ability of your reaction time with practice. In a fight there are many different stimulus’s a fighter must react to. Within those stimuli there can be many different reactions. The more choices a fighter has in ways to react the slower the reaction time will be. So when starting off training reaction time you want to keep it simple with your fighters. You may want to start off with giving them only one choice to make. So say they are working on their boxing, Give them only the choice to parry a punch, as they get better add the slip.

These are some of the more sport specific ways to train reaction time. As a strength and conditioning coach you don’t have to be as sport specific in your training to start off. Using different exercises that we have done before you can add the element of reaction time within them.

In this training clip I incorporate medicine ball tosses with reaction time. So as you will see this thirty second set incorporates, power, acceleration, reaction time and conditioning. Focusing on the reaction time, after tossing the ball you must turn around track the medicine ball and react to where it is going and get to it before two bounces. As for reaction time it’s on an easier level because you kind of know where the ball may land. To make this harder have someone throw the ball for you then turn around and chase after it. So check out this video and more to come on training reaction time. Train Hard! Train Smart!

P.S. This was done the morning of my second anniversary. Happy Anniversary Baby!



Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jul 14 2010

What is the Super 32 Challenge

Category: Boxing, Conditioning, Interviews, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Strength Training, Uncategorized, Wrestling — Rob @ 10:08 PM

In a few days all visitors will be in for a treat as I will be interviewing JR Joyner, owner of Triumph Athletics.  We will all be a little bit smarter because of the knowledge JR brings to the table.  His website is http://www.triumphathletics.com JR is very passionate about strength and conditioning.  This is what he loves to do and he is very good at what he does.

JR trains some high level athletes including  some of the top high school wrestlers in the country.  He has prepared these wrestlers for the Super 32 Challenge.  Super 32 is a national wrestling tournament held every year in Greensboro, North Carolina. The best wrestlers in the nation compete in this tournament.

Here is a great video of JR’s team training for this elite wrestling tournament.  The interview will be posted in a couple of days.  If you are a combat athlete that competes in wrestling, jiu-jitsu, boxing, or MMA or just a strength coach it will be of benefit to you to listen to this interview.  You will learn a ton!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Next Page »