Back pain is indeed no joke! I, for the majority of my life lived with memories of my own mother laid out flat on her back, unable to enjoy the holidays or even after work standing due to a back injury she acquired when we were hit directly in the middle of our Dodge Ram on the way to school when I was in the third grade. I remember her grimacing in pain with the smallest of movements and paralyzed in fear that any form of exercise or free mobility would result in her not being able to move her legs.
During a Rugby game in my senior year at Oswego state I suffered a very bad back injury in a scrum down and at that moment I realized the debilitating pain that my mother must have been undergoing all those years. I also, for the first time was introduced to the fear of pain. How suddenly all of my movements were being recorded by my twinges and stabbing pains to the point where breathing hurt. From that moment on, my slipped L3 disc and I had a hate, fing hate relationship.
Countless chiropractors, missed workdays, weight gain and countless fear induced, half assed training sessions later, I met the deadlift. It was just in time too, running, sleeping and sitting all threw my back out, carrying the weight of my own breasts hurt by the midmorning. My hips were becoming misaligned the and one leg was slightly longer than the other due to compression of the disc on one side. It was routine training session that changed the movement of my life.
I remember the stern talking too and the playful yet direct banter concerning bending my arms mid lift that I received from Combat Trainer after our first few sessions of DL’s. The fear of hurting my back was hurting my back. As the weeks went on and my weight increased as did my confidence and form while lifting I realized one day that my back no longer hurt me I could stand and twist and tighten my abs without twinges of pain.
I had to know the science behind my newly found freedom to take my body back from pain. After much research, here are my findings. The Deadlift is one of the most important exercises you can ever do because it works all your muscles under heavy weight. It is an essential component of any, strength and conditioning routine. The DL rears its beneficial head in Olympic lifting, strong man competitions, MMA training and as an overall sign of general strength.
Experiencing backpain during a DL it is a sign that you are doing it wrong. First, you must see the DL as more of a pushing motion instead of a pulling one. You are pushing through your heels, pushing your hips forward and squeezing your glutes as hard as possible. Be sure to not round your lower back because that will stress your spine. Straight back! Chest up and upper body natural. Pull in a big chest breath and keep everything tight. Hold the bar close to your body, arms straight and there ya go.
Mastering the proper DL technique will give you a stronger back, teach you the proper way to lift things from the floor and can illuminate back pain for good.
Mainstream? Yes MMA has gone mainstream if you have not figured it out by now. With the growth of the sport also comes many new participants are joining the ranks in the amateur circuit. Now we all know that MMA training is tough and if you are a serious amateur it is very time consuming.
For the most part if you are serious about getting a career started in the cage you will have to make an investment in yourself. Yes you will have to spend some money on quality MMA training but you will also have to make an investment in your time. Unlike the majority of the pro fighters out there amateurs also have full time jobs that take up their time. Add this on top of the countless hours of training in jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing and muay Thai it can leave an athlete wanting to quit.
I am in the middle of a training camp with Jessica Richer for her upcoming MMA debut this Saturday, May 14th. Jessica is an amateur fighter that has the full time job and is still able to pursue her dream of fighting. With that being said in a few months I am going to put out a manual detailing the training of Jessica. This manual will help guide amateurs in their training and other life commitments. The manual will serve as a detailed guide to help amateur fighters out there reach their potential and be a successful fighter. The manual will also come with a DVD that will have Jessica’s strength and conditioning sessions as well as the program that I wrote for her. If you are serious about a career in fighting then you will want to get your hands on this. Here at Combat Trainer I strive to help everyone achieve his or her goals! Those that want will, those that don’t, won’t.
The most basic necessity is that a fighter relax. He needs to relax during training and he needs to relax during the fight. True mental focus can not be achieved if he is too tense. Pacing, shot selection, power generation, and strategic decisions are all affected by being tense.
One aspect of this is the same as stage fright for performers; it takes repeated exposure to being on stage and performing in front of an audience to get over it. Some kids can never get over this and so they do not progress beyond the novice stage. However, boxing is full of stories of experienced fighters tensing up and blowing big fights. What we are really talking about is ways to manage adrenalin released due to stress.
In the mental game there are these different ego games and they can affect a fighter’s performance. They have to do with the fighter’s internal dialogue, or what’s going on inside his head during the fight. There is positive ego, “I am the greatest” but this usually only carries them so far and if the build up is too big it makes losing more painful than it needs to be. There is negative ego “I can’t do anything right” and this often leads to tentative, low energy performances. There is a third state, a neutral state, where the fighter “gets out of his own way” mentally and stops placing his ego between himself and what he is doing. This is “the zone” where all of the fighter’s training can come out, his reflexes are at their best, and he is able to stay relaxed and give his best performance.
The key to relaxing during training is to have a “happy camp” where the mammalian politics are held to a minimum and the day to day environment is relaxed. If the atmosphere is tense it uses up a lot of energy unnecessarily. Fighters tend to be high strung and they don’t need anyone at camp making this worse, especially handlers, sparring partners or management. In this rap star age many of today’s fighters are very prickly about feeling like they are being disrespected and so this has to be taken into account.
There has to be a level of trust among professionals so that open dialogue can exist between the trainer and the fighter. The trainer needs to be able to make corrections in a way that does not offend the fighter, and the fighter needs to be able to communicate to his trainer what is going on in his body, especially if he is hurt. If there is no trust in this crucial relationship it can lead to disaster.
When I watched trainers like Georgie Benton work with fighters in Joe Frazier’s Gym back in the day the instructions were always positive. “Do this,” they never discussed strategy or tactics during sparring and there was never any criticism. It was a public gym and the press and gamblers were watching the big names. Working in the gym was like a show and they never scolded fighters out loud there. A fighter can’t learn like that, it is all happening too fast.
I found out that they had a small gym, a room really, with mirrors and bags and this is where they worked on specific moves at slower speeds, if need be, in preparation. This work was done in the mornings after roadwork and breakfast, they didn’t start going to the big gym until the afternoon. Everything that needed to be said between fighter and trainer had been said earlier in private, everyone was on the same page, it was just work in the gym. This is how professionals like Benton handled themselves and their fighters with class and at the same time gave the fighter time to learn new skills without the pressure or any lose of self esteem.
The old time trainers were psychologists as well as conditioning experts and boxing coaches. They spent a lot of time with their fighters beyond the hours in the gym. Many of the fighters became dependant upon certain trainers to keep them calm as well as get them in shape. Anxiety decreases wind and so staying calm is an important part of peaking. They talked to them about boxing and played cards with them at night in the age before TV and video games. Even in the 1980’s Larry Holmes hired Ray Arcell, then in his eighties, to come to camp just talk to him about boxing!
Throughout history there have been many attempts to find a method for getting a fighter into the “neutral zone” mentally. Attempts were made in ancient China by melding meditation practices taken from Buddhism and Taoism with martial arts. Today we know that calm repetitive action increases Serotonin levels in the brain while reducing Cortisol levels which reduces stress. Cortisol inhibits memory retrieval of already stored information and is an important aspect of the brain chemistry of stage fright. If you are pushed beyond the level of your conditioning, “taken where you havn’t been before” your anxiety will increase as your energy level goes down. However, there are many examples of fighters who have done the work, are in the best shape they can get in, and still have poor performances because of stress. This is because their stress level has risen until it effects their brain chemistry negatively and they are unable to control their breathing.
Sugar Ray Robinson preferred ping pong for this mental training. It was a way to daily practice getting into that flow, to stop talking to himself and just react, in a context that was fun and had nothing to do with boxing. I recommend it to fighters today but they usually prefer video games. Great champions like Robinson tended to make this level of concentration, “mental energy” as Arcell called it, look easy but it requires daily training for many years to be able to do it under the duress of a fight.
Many fighters have been able to focus and stay calm in fight after fight against ordinary competition, only to “blow it” when they stepped up to a higher level of competition or got a title shot. This effect is especially noticeable when they step up to fight a great champion for the first time. These are the fights that haunt them in their old age, the ones where they know they didn’t give their best performance.
One of the best examples of this sad aspect of the mental game is Ernie Lopez, older brother of featherweight champion Danny “Little Red “Lopez. He was a very good welterweight who fought from 1963 to 1974 and had the misfortune to come along in the era of Jose Napoles, one of the greatest welters ever. At the time of their first meeting in 1970 Lopez was 36 6 1. Ernie was very smooth counter puncher without much power. The hype, the pressure of meeting a great champion, really got to him and he came in “tight”. You can really see this on the film of the fight. The tension is visible in Lopez from the beginning and so his punches fall short and seem to have nothing on them. He was knocked down in the first, the ninth, and KO’d in the fifteenth round. Lopez came back with ten wins in his next twelve fights and got another shot at Napoles’ title in 1973 but it was worse this time and he was KO’d in the seventh round.
For years at the Englewood Coliseum they talked about the night the real “Indian Red” Lopez didn’t show up. He ended his career with a record of 48 13 1 with 465 professional rounds boxed and a KO percentage of 38.71. Lopez passed away in 2009 at the age of 64.
My left wrist knows too well the beating an ill executed kettle bell clean can give. I also know the inspection I often give the fleshy outer part of my wrists to evaluate the previous days cleans. Still, the clean is a vital basic in KB training that aquires mastery before moving too swiftly onto other KB exercises like the clean and press, waiter’s carry etc.
In this leg of Combat Trainer we are pairing a KB clean by one arm and a KB clean and press walked into a waiter’s carry with the other arm. The clean itself is controlled and graceful when done close and tight to the body. The press, strong and purposeful a movement, almost begging to be marched around.
Start with a swing on a one handed gripped KB. As you swing upward from the ground between your legs thrust you hips and shrug your shoulder in as you pull the bell tight to your body tightly and controlled flip the bell over to lie on your forearm. Careful to your keep the arm tucked close to your body and close against your belly. The bell will rest and a on your forarm and a small piece of shoulder.
Repeat this movement with both arms and with one arm press that KB to the sky in one solid controlled movement. Now carry those suckers, one pressed overhead and one cleaned close to your body. Waiter’s walk 100 feet, one minute, 50 to 100 yards, uphill, downhill, go, go,go. Switch arms and go,go,go.
So, what’s the point of all this overhead weighted walking? Core strength for one, your entire midsection is bracing your spine and keeping tight to carry the weight, you are activated. Your glutes are tightened to stabilize you from wobbling side to side.
Your grip and forearms are also being strengthened as your forearms are ignited. Your traps and shoulder stabilizers are activated and conditioning has begun while you walk those KB’s around. Twenty minutes and you will be wondering why gyms have not replaced their treadmills with these two unassuming yet powerful little bells!
When it comes to strength and conditioning training in MMA many people are always looking for the best way to be conditioned for a fight. There are so many conditioning protocols out there that will help, from bodyweight circuits to sprinting. Both of the conditioning tools as mentioned above are free and who does not like free ways to train and get well conditioned as a fighter?
So here is another great way that you can train for free and get a great conditioning session in. Now all of us have a high school around us. Get in your car drive to the local high school. Walk out to the main field and look up at the stadium stairs. Running up and down the stadium stairs is a great way to work on your conditioning.
This is a simple but effective way. The stadium stairs will work on your conditioning but will increase your muscle endurance in your legs as well as develop power in the lower body. Fighters have used running the stadium stairs for years to train. So the other day while training I decided to take the stadium stairs and add a little spice to them. Instead of just running up them I decided that it would be a great idea to bring my two twenty-five kettlebells for the ride. We all know you need good grip strength for MMA, and walking up and down stadium stairs with two kettlebell will definitely help with the grip training. I can tell you my forearms were on fire. So if you want to add a little spice to your stadium stairs add some weight to it. Dumbbells, kettlebells , a weighted vest can all help add some extra strength and conditioning to your basic run up the stairs.
When training for MMA or any of the combat sports balance is essential. How many times have you seen a fighter hopping around on one leg trying to avoid that takedown? If you are a strength and conditioning and are training many MMA athletes you need have some aspect of the training program focus on balance.
One way I like to train balance with my fighters is to incorporate it while I am also working on their strength. A few article ago I posted about the use of a Slosh Pipe. If you want to know more details about the making of a Slosh Pipe check out the previous article HERE.
In this video you will see how I use the Slosh Pipe to increase overhead strength, muscular endurance, core strength and balance all in 100 yards. Holding the pipe overhead for 100 yards really worked the muscular endurance of my deltoids. This helps tremendously when a fighter is getting fatigued and needs to keep his hands up to protect themselves. As you walk with the Slosh Pipe the water will throw you side to side, add a little wind resistance as you will see in the video and you can be in for a long walk. So how does this work balance you may ask? Well when you walk you are always on one leg at a time. Each step you need to stabilize your core in order to control the pipe. Core stabilization is important in all aspects of MMA. As you are able to stabilize you core better, your balance will improve as well as other aspects like punching and kicking power.
So once you get your Slosh Pipe up and running give this one a try.
As you all know I specialize in MMA strength and conditioning training. Training fighters and turning them into athletes is what I do at Combat Trainer. However, I do train people like athletes as well to reach their full potential. For the next couple of weeks there will be some guest post from a member on Team Combat Trainer as I prepare her to compete in the Metro Dash. Not only is she competing but yours truly is also making a run at it. If you don’t know what the Metro Dash is then go check it out and see what fun we are in store for. She will be writing about her experiences training under the Combat Trainer System. So without further delay here it is…
The Education of a Makeup Artist
By Cathy Rivera
“But, you have such a pretty face, if you could only loose a little weight.” The dreaded phrases that every robust teenage girl has heard and most likely reruns through her mind through adulthood. A backhanded compliment only for the ears of a “curvy, chubby, thick, fat, girl.
This darkened compliment is what started my love of cosmetology and hatred for my own body. It became my mask and my blessing. I figured that if my face was all I got, let me slap some war paint on it and get moving.
Weight consumed me as I consumed less and less yet expanded more and more. In college, my weight stabilized due to two hour a day Rugby practices paired with working at the campus gym. Instead of gaining the frosh 15, I lost 20lbs. Rugby was where I first tapped into my own Warrior Spirit. The sport is dirty, strategic, competitive and physically demanding. I lived for the adrenaline and pushing the will and limits of myself and team members.
College ended and so did my involvement with athletics besides the gym and an occasional class. The pounds came faithfully calling despite my three times a week visits to a sports club where they don’t have nor promote sports. My weight obsession shifted focus to feeling defeated, complaining and self-deprivation. Depleted of calories and confidence, life still went on. I got engaged, started night school, worked a full time teaching job and started my makeup business and thankfully found my way standing in front of Rob of Combat Trainer, knowing that I had found what my fitness training needed.
My sneakers were on and I was ready, all my goals out on the table and the belief that true change takes letting go of past failures and a submission to someone who may just know better about what your fitness body needs even if you have been the one lugging it around all these years. I found myself once again being viewed as an athlete. I was again the capable, competitive, driven, athlete with a physical ability to push and grow strong. More than my muscles were understood that day. My Competitive Warrior Spirit was reignited.
I was not being insulted by female marketed promises of thin, pink weights, and glittery activities but treated as someone in control of both her body and fitness. I gained a trainer and a coach because I no longer “work out,” I train!
For me, the statement that launched a thousand deadlifts was uttered mid training during a basement session when most people are winding down their evenings and we are just starting to muster a sweat. “Do you want a sitter’s ass or a sprinters ass?” Rob said as I stood apprehensive in front of a weighted barbell. Four dress sizes, countless enjoyable training hours, increased strength and a sprinter’s ass and legs later it is clear what I have really gained. I have acquired a mentor who has paved the way to my own fitness career, a passion for the workings of my own body, a love for wanting a strong body and mind not simply a smaller one, and a deep desire for others to find a love for themselves. My Warrior Spirit has been reignited after lying dormant for so long.
What better way to pay respect to the trainer and changes I have been blessed with than to join Team Combat Trainer this upcoming May in New York’s Metro Dash! Train, compete, grow and evolve with me throughout my journey to the finish because this warrior is more than just a pretty Doll Face.
