Maurico Shogun Rua takes on Jon Jones at UFC 128. In previous articles on the sight I showed some of the training that Jon Jones performs in preparation for a fight. In this video segment we are going to take a look at the how Shogun prepared for his fight against Chuck Liddell.
The first part of the video is what I am most concerned with as it shows some of his strength and conditioning routine to prepare for a fight.
In the first minute and forty five seconds we see Shogun performing lots of plyometrics. Plyometrics, also known as shock training to some helps an athlete develop power. Pretty much the athlete learns how to move their body fast through a series of exercises. This is key especially in combat sports like MMA. Being able to use your body and develop power with it is essential for striking, takedown and defense. In the video Shogun uses some weighted plyometrics as well as those performed with his own body.
For someone that is just starting out, learning how to perform plyometrics is important. Learning how to absorb the shock is a key to not injuring yourself. So before you just go ahead an follow what Shogun is doing, learn some of the basic plyometrics, like the vertical jump or broad jump. Learn how to absorb the shock and then move on to adding more difficult movements.
Train Hard! Train Smart!
Rob DeCillis (CSCS)

UFC 128 is Saturday night and the Urijah Faber will be making his UFC debut going up against Eddie Wineland. In the video below you will get to see the beginning of a strength and conditioning session with Faber. You will get to see pieces of a dynamic warmup as well some of the plyometrics his coach had him perform.
On the site I have not really wrote much about the way I warm my fighters up. After watching this video you will have a basic idea of the right way to warmup before a training session. The days of doing a bunch of static stretches and then believing your are not only warmup but are ready to prevent injury are over. Warming up dynamically has many benefits. First it get the core body temperature up as well as raising the heart rate. It also makes you stronger in different positions and works on your balance as well.
If you are still warming up the same way to train as you did when your parents were in elementary school then you need to stop now and start warming up the correct way. Another point I would like to make is that warming up does not have to take half the training session. All to often coaches warmup their athletes for way to long. Learn some of the basics of a dynamic warmup and start to utilize it in your training. So check out this video and enjoy the fights on Saturday. Next week I will post up a dynamic warmup I use with my fighters.
Train Hard! Train Smart!
Rob DeCillis (CSCS)

UFC 128 is coming your way on Saturday night. Mauricio Shogun Rua is taking on one of the most exciting young fighters in the MMA world Jon Jones. The card is stacked once again with some really exciting fights. If you are new to site, first welcome and enjoy, you will notice that the week leading up to a fight I will search out the fighters on the cards performing their strength and conditioning routine. This helps those that are new to the sport or trying to learn new ways to train to get stronger and in better condition. Just a word to the wise. Some of the routines you see are designed as part of a program. This is not the only type of training that the fighters perform. So it is wise to do some research on strength and conditioning or ask a professional like myself.
In this video you will see Kurt Pellegrino and Miguel Torres performing a five minute conditioning circuit. Pellegrino, who is taking on Glieson Tibau has a great strength and conditioning coach in Jon Chaimberg. The five minutes mimics the time in a round. The circuit consists of many different exercises. You will see sprints, plyometrics as well as medicine ball work and bodyweight exercises. The circuit is designed to raise the athletes heart rate the way that it would in an actual fight. This is a real tough workout so if you do give it a try make sure you work up to five minutes. Meaning maybe instead of doing it for five minutes the first time you try do a similar circuit but start at three minutes. Watch within a week or two you will be rocking and rolling at five minutes.
Train Hard! Train Smart!

Rob DeCillis (CSCS)

The other day I posted a couple of videos of Jon Jones training. Jones is a great athlete and is well on his way to becoming champion one day. But before he can become champ he needs to defeat another great athlete in Ryan Bader at UFC 126.
In this video Jones is performing one the best strength training exercises, the deadlift. The deadlift is a great movement that will work on improving strength in your hamstrings, glutes and lower back. I have all my fighters and even the average clients perform deadlifts. Deadlifts can help with picking up opponents off the ground, can increase both punching and kicking power and help with a fighters takedowns.
In the video below you will see Jones performing the deadlift. Now what I love about this video is the proper technique Jones uses on the lift as well as the fact that he re-sets after each rep. The deadlift is a tough exercise and with heavy weight it can really tax the body. Re-setting after each rep of the deadlift will ensure proper technique in the lift and will reduce the risk of injury.
So if you are looking to add deadlifting to your training mix take a look at this video for the proper way to do it. Is it by far perfect? No, but Jones does show some really good technique. Add deadlifts to your training and you will see your strength improve greatly.

UFC 126 is this Saturday. In the main event Anderson Silva will be taking on Vitor Belfort for the Middleweight Championship of the world. That fight alone would sell tons of pay per views but the rest of the card is stacked as well.
The fight I am really looking forward to is between two of the most explosive athletes in the UFC today as Ryan Bader takes on Jon Jones. Since I began this website I have been talking about how the future of MMA champions will be determined by how athletic they are. I guess the future is hitting a little sooner. Both Bader and Jones show true athleticism when they are in the Octagon.
So in my hunt for training video of these two great fighters I was able to come up with some Jon Jones videos to show. In this segment I am going to show you two videos. The first is of Jones pushing a sled in almost like a bear crawl fashion. Now you have seen on my site before some of the sled work as well as plate pushes across the turf. The sled pushes that Jones is training in the video help with strengthening the legs. I will tell you his quads are filling up with blood and he is getting a nice burn as he performs this exercise. The sled pushes also help with explosive leg drive which in the sport of MMA is essential in not only takedowns but in punching and kicking power as well.
The second video is of Jon Jones working on explosive front raises using some kind of pulley system. This exercise works on Jones’ power as well as his muscle endurance in his shoulders, which can come in handy in later rounds of the fights. This can also be done with bands that give the right resistance. As you do them feel your shoulders burn.
So check out both videos and if you have not already done so get out there and buy yourself a sled and start pulling and pushing that thing around.
Train Hard! Train Smart!

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.

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.

UFC on Versus. Main Event Brandon Vera takes on Jon Jones. Here are my picks for the fights on the main card.