Recently I have been working on my conditioning levels. This way when I go and train MMA, jiu-jitsu and muay Thai I can train for longer and still keep my technique sharp. Now I just train the martial arts for fun but I will tell you even when it’s just for fun you better be in good condition or you will be in for a long and hard training session. It’s no fun to gas out while rolling or sparring, you just end up getting your ass kicked and what fun is that?
In my experience just training the martial art itself will get you in good shape but you also need extra conditioning sessions on the side. These are the sessions that really get you to perform at a higher level. Being a well conditioned combat athlete will only benefit you in the long run.
Two benefits of being in great condition are:
1. Being able to train for longer. Which in turn will make you better because you will have more training time under your belt.
2. Being able to perform techniques when you are tired. Have you ever had someone in your guard and trying to pull off a submission but are just to tired. If you are well conditioned you will be able to apply the submission.
These two benefits will only make you a better combat athlete. That being said last night I performed a conditioning session in the gym. Lucky for me my gym has a Concept II Rower which of course no one but me uses. Using the rower and bodyweight exercises I designed a circuit for conditioning purposes.
Here is what it looked like:
Concept II Rower- 2 minutes (Get your heart rate up to 175-180)
Explosive Push-ups- 15 reps
Russian Twists- 30 reps
Rest Interval-30-45 seconds
Continue doing the circuit for a total of 5-6 minutes depending on the fight you are training for. If you are new to this type of training or just getting back into the swing of things do 3- 5 sets and increase the sets as you get better.
So next time you hit the mat in training or a fight you will be able to go longer and improve your game overall.
Train Hard! Train Smart!
Jun 02 2010
MMA Conditioning Protocol
May 03 2010
Gymnastics and MMA?
In my You Tube adventures over the weekend I ran into this pretty cool video by world-class strength and conditioning coach Martin Rooney. If you don’t know who Martin Rooney is you should without a doubt pick up some of his books such as: “Train to Win”, “Training for Warriors” and his new book which should be a good one, “Ultimate Warrior Workouts”. He trains some of the best MMA fighters in the world. The first seminar I ever attended as a personal trainer back then was being co-hosted by Rooney. That seminar was the “Training to Win” seminar. It set me on the path to become a strength and conditioning coach. From that time on I have learned a lot from Rooney’s training techniques and philosophies. If you train fighters or any athlete you should look into Rooney’s methods of training to help guide you as a strength and conditioning coach.
In this video Rooney talks about some of the research he has been doing on kinesthetic awareness.. Basically kinesthetic awareness is being able to coordinate your body’s motion and awareness of where your body is in that moment and space. He shows us three gymnastic moves that will help improve our kinesthetic awareness. The three exercises he shows us are the cartwheel, the round off and the handstand. Sometimes we get caught up with the latest technology or new equipment in the strength and conditioning field, but many times going back to old school methods delivers just as good as results if not better. So check out the video below and don’t forget to Train Hard, Train Smart!
Apr 20 2010
Take a Break from MMA!
If you are a strength and conditioning coach then you know the importance of having deloading weeks in their programs. Many coaches fail to have their athletes deload and this can lead to weaker athletes as well as injury. For those of you that are MMA athletes or grapplers let me briefly explain to you what deloading is. Deloading is a segment of training session that aid in the recovery of your body. They normally happen every four to eight weeks after an intense training program.
If you are training an MMA athlete you must have deload weeks placed in their programs.
MMA athletes are notorious for intense training weeks of many different aspects of each discipline required to be a MMA fighter. On top of that they add strength and conditioning sessions and that can lead to problems because they never allow themselves time to recover. Recovery for these athletes is imperative and must be taken seriously.
That being said if you are an MMA fighter you must look into deloading in your overall training. I know, I said it, basically you should schedule weeks within your training to deload from all aspects of training. Yes that means all aspects of training, don’t try and sneak a sparring session in on your deload week. Here is what I am proposing you can pick a cycle of training, be it four, six or eight week cycle and deload on that last week.
What are some of the benefits of deloading? No you are not just sitting on your ass during the deload week eating and watching TV. For starters it is an active recovery session. These deload sessions will help reduce the risk of injury or rehab an injury, help with the repair of muscles or muscle building, help your flexibility and help you mentally.
How do you organize your deload week? You can have three or four sessions during your deload week. During this week you are focusing on active recovery. Make the sessions short and sweet. So in each session you should have some type of dynamic stretches to increase your flexibility and get more blood flowing to the muscle. You can also use body weight exercise to get the blood flowing as well. If you want to do any training in any specific martial arts you will just do the technique work. NO SPARRING OR ROLLING!! One thing you can do during your deload week is look at tapes of fights or jiu-jitsu tournaments. This will vastly improve your game as well and will pump you up when you get back into training the following week.
I know this is hard for the MMA athlete but it is important to making gains on and off the mat. At first these sessions will be very strange to you. You may not even know what to do with your free time during that week but you will see improvement in your skills and gains in your strength and power. So remember add the deload week in your training, you will thank me later. Train Hard! Train Smart!
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