Combat Sports, Fast Twitch Freak, and Jacked Athlete 31

Hi Coach!

I am currently planning a 10 week prep for my upcoming Muay Thai fight. With the demands of skill training and 3-5mile runs 2-4 times a week, I will plan for 2 days a week only in the gym. I will add 2 more fast twitch days in the last 3 weeks leading up, probably home workout loaded stretching, and another home workout sprints and drop&catch.

I’m aware with the amount of fatigue in a 6 round PadWork session or a 10 round sparing session, coupled with 3, 4, and 5 mile runs, I will not be able to turn 100% fast twitch, and it would be disadvantageous to do so. The goal in the first 6-7 weeks is to maintain as much as possible speed and power as I can, then to build it in the last 3-4 while maintaining the built stamina.

The general plan is to go heavy 90%+ on Mondays, and do Explosive work with 40-60% speed and/or anaerobic Power Work on Fridays. Then at the end, switch to accelerative strength skill on Mondays, swap out Wednesday’s run/lengthy Kettlebell session for loaded stretching, do Jumps and Olympic lifts on Friday’s, and swap out Saturday’s run for sprints and drop&catch.

I have 2 questions:
1 - does this sound solid, and make sense?
2 - From Jacked Athlete 31, I have seen strength speed, speed strength, and Power days. Which one would be my best pick for the last 3 weeks leading up to the fight?

Thank you for your time, Coach!

I understand you are busy, Coach, I just want to give this a boost so it doesn’t get lost.

I would have gotten to it. But as I explained many times in the past. BUMPING questions is a HUGE no-no for me. Few things irk me as much.

I find it to be disrespectful. Like you are demanding an answer.

Now, you were polite when you bumped it so it kinda lessen the blow so I might get to your question. Maybe not. It will depend on my schedule as I’m leaving for Ireland soon.

The lifting days themselves as well as you progression looks fine. I’m more worried about the impact that those running sessions might have on a next day lifting session. Endurance training leads to lingering central fatigue which leads to a decrease in the excitatory drive to the muscles, making it much harder to recruit the fast-twitch fibers even with the use of specific methods for that purpose. In an ideal world you wouldn’t do fast-twitch work the day after endurance work.

That’s why a red flag lit up when you mention 5 days a week of running.

Besides that, it looks fine.

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Thank you, Coach, I will remember that next time I have a question.
In any case, I meant no disrespect.

Thank you for your help, Coach!

At the start of the prep I will need at least 3, ideally 4 long runs a week unfortunately. From past experience, if I don’t run enough, I REALLY feel it on fight night.

The upside is, it seems to me endurance/stamina is a lot easier to maintain than build, which is why I will cut the runs to 2 at the end, try to schedule them away from lifting days, and add 1-2 more fast twitch days. The last 3-4 weeks should be ample to ‘sharpen’ some of those fast twitch fibers, based on your Fast-Twitch Freak article.

Obviously if there is an issue with recovery or performance, I will make changes on the fly as best as I can.

I’m still finalizing the plan and will make tweaks based on your advice!

Thank you!