… First of all, if you say that about Hapkido in class, they’ll all be lying around laughing at you, so don’t.
I’ve tried to do a consistent workout. But honestly weights are an afterthought. Between running here to train going somewhere else to workout with another person, it is hard to have a deadset routine. Throw in the fact that most of us work fulltime jobs, have wives and kids, need to fight once in a while to make enough money to cover our expenses and you get in a workout whenever you feasibly can. Not only that but hard sparring sessions don’t make it fun to wake up and try to get to the gym for a heavy lifting routine before work the next day.
If you trained in your martial art forms consistantly for a while you know where you are lacking. Maybe your shoot is slow, maybe you don’t get your hands back fast enough after punches. You have to evaluate your entire game. Then you work your weaknesses into your program. Also remembering to keep the fundmental lifts for strength and power.
You need to define what your goal is. How serious of a competitor do you want to be? Take that goal break it down into steps realizing that you can’t accomplish them all by tomorrow. Then the hard part is getting to it and sticking with your plan, without getting side tracked.
sorry to ramble, the main thing is to enjoy every painful second of what you do.
and remember. No matter what the obstacle, challenge, or goal.
There is no place you rather be.
Rorion Gracie vs Hapkido instructor.
When it comes to designing a MMA specific routine, circuit training and complexes are the first thing which are coming to my mind. Sandbag training and strongman stuff is also a good idea. Focus on compounds exercises, short rest intervals unless you are targeting max strength, but don’t forget that you are not training for a powerlifting meet. You have to prepair your body for the battle, you have to stay strong after several grueling rounds.
Jason Ferruggia has a lot of great stuff over at his site www.combatconditioningsecrets.com.
I’m getting ready to order his book.
[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
lol i wasn’t even gonna answer this but yes rossboxing.com is the correct answer.[/quote]
You gotta ask the question before buying anything. I’ve had plenty of peers point me in the way of Paul Chek and Peter Twist in my time.
[quote]dudsman wrote:
Just got his infinite intensity book the other day with my main sport of BJJ/catch wrestling and will be following his ideas from next week onwards so i’ll let you know in a few weeks how good it is[/quote]
For sure. I’d like to hear how you go with this program.
If your training for MMA, you will have constant injuries. By that I mean something will always be hurting. Having more than enough damage done on your body, try to find the least stressful movements.
Ricisan
Here’s a good workout - no gym or weight equipment needed:
I do a run weekly where I run a loop of public schools (3).IMMEDIATELY upon arrival at the playground/pullup-dip bars (some schools still have this equipment) I do:
20-plyometric lunge jumps-switch feet
15-handstand pushups against a wall
15-hanging leg raises or knee to elbows
15-dips
15-pullups
20-burpees
immediately run to the next school or just run around the block a few times if you aren’t in an area with a lot of schools. use the jog as time to work on recovery while maintaining good intensity.
Also, if you are lucky like me a school may have some poles for climbing- I’ll hit these before the handstand pushups and grab one in each hand and cruz up like a monkey- works good for hand strength. -enjoy
Another question… how long till your match?
No need to get too complicated in training for MMA if you’re not a pro and doing it full time.
I’d say for strength concentrate on strict overhead presses, chins and deadlifts. A good goal is bodyweight press, 2.5 bodyweight deadlift, and six strict chins with 25-50 pounds around your waist.
Your bodyweight is what you walk around at, not what you fight at. So, for example, if you fight at 185, but walk around at 210, you’d want to deadlift 525. This is minimal good strength–obviously there are many who can do much more. If you train MMA Monday, Wednesday, Friday, do a weightroom workout on Saturdays concentrating on these lifts and take Sunday off you should do fine.
As far as gpp why not pick one thing to do after each of your MMA workouts. Do the deck of cards pushups and squat routine, do farmers walks, or partner carries, or bear walking, or… You get the idea.
[quote]Axel wrote:
No need to get too complicated in training for MMA if you’re not a pro and doing it full time.
I’d say for strength concentrate on strict overhead presses, chins and deadlifts. A good goal is bodyweight press, 2.5 bodyweight deadlift, and six strict chins with 25-50 pounds around your waist.
Your bodyweight is what you walk around at, not what you fight at. So, for example, if you fight at 185, but walk around at 210, you’d want to deadlift 525. This is minimal good strength–obviously there are many who can do much more. If you train MMA Monday, Wednesday, Friday, do a weightroom workout on Saturdays concentrating on these lifts and take Sunday off you should do fine.
As far as gpp why not pick one thing to do after each of your MMA workouts. Do the deck of cards pushups and squat routine, do farmers walks, or partner carries, or bear walking, or… You get the idea. [/quote]
Why the 2.5x bodyweight for deads? I don’t understand why people think that’s the standard for guys in MMA. I’d be willing to bet good money that a lot of guys DON’T train the deadlift or if they do, can’t pull 2.5x bodyweight and are still plenty strong.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the deadlift is an important exercise but I just don’t see why having a 2, 2.5 or 3x bodyweight DL matters in the grand scheme of things.
[quote]Axel wrote:
Your bodyweight is what you walk around at, not what you fight at. So, for example, if you fight at 185, but walk around at 210, you’d want to deadlift 525. [/quote]
I know where you got this number. You look foolish repeating it. The author who invented that number has himself backed away from the position after people who have trained numerous MMA champions mocked it as arbitrary and unrealistic.
[quote]Ricisan wrote:
If your training for MMA, you will have constant injuries. By that I mean something will always be hurting. Having more than enough damage done on your body, try to find the least stressful movements.
Ricisan[/quote]
I would not exactly agree with this. I’d say that after a bit of training your body adapts to the hits and scuffs and toughens up. After a while percussive and abrasive stuff shouldn’t bother you. As far as recovery and injuries goes, it depends. If you eat enough and sleep enough you will recover well and be ready to train most of the time. If you are constatnly getting injured then you should think about why? Do you have shitty training partners? is it your joints (take more fish oil[liquid form])?
I find I come around few random unavoidable injuries from training MMA. I get more injuries from running (good thing I stopped) and trying to do fun aerial tricks. If you train safely and you’re not a pussy then you shouldn’t have to worry about constant injuries. And be sure to have a GOOD Chiropractor that is recommended by other athletes. I suggest a BIG chiropractor as well. I find the bigger the guy the more assertive the adjustment.
-chris
[quote]XXman wrote:
Here’s a good workout - no gym or weight equipment needed:
I do a run weekly where I run a loop of public schools (3).IMMEDIATELY upon arrival at the playground/pullup-dip bars (some schools still have this equipment) I do:
20-plyometric lunge jumps-switch feet
15-handstand pushups against a wall
15-hanging leg raises or knee to elbows
15-dips
15-pullups
20-burpees
immediately run to the next school or just run around the block a few times if you aren’t in an area with a lot of schools. use the jog as time to work on recovery while maintaining good intensity.
Also, if you are lucky like me a school may have some poles for climbing- I’ll hit these before the handstand pushups and grab one in each hand and cruz up like a monkey- works good for hand strength. -enjoy[/quote]
these types of work outs are the funnest I’ve ever had. I like to bring my sledge hammer and go for a jog to the play ground and do a circuit of fun shit and then pound the hell out of the gravel for a tabata, then leave.
Running around with a sledge gets you some funny looks.
-chris
[quote]Axel wrote:
No need to get too complicated in training for MMA if you’re not a pro and doing it full time.
I’d say for strength concentrate on strict overhead presses, chins and deadlifts. A good goal is bodyweight press, 2.5 bodyweight deadlift, and six strict chins with 25-50 pounds around your waist. [/quote]
Why deadlift standard? Dead lifting is great for ALL athletic endeavors but there are few MMA guys out there that even bother lifting heavy. Most of them think more along the lines of “How many times can I lift my BW”
What about tuesday, thursday? sport specific movements (punches wrestling etc.) progress best when trianed freqently. If possible I’d say make it into the gym on those days too, even if you just do a little technical work and no wrestling. There are no days when most olympic athletes don’t train. Sunday off is a good standard though.
[quote]
As far as gpp why not pick one thing to do after each of your MMA workouts. Do the deck of cards pushups and squat routine, do farmers walks, or partner carries, or bear walking, or… You get the idea. [/quote]
If you want to extend your MMA workout for whatever reason then why not do more MMA specific drilling. I would bet my long scrotum that 4 minutes of takedown/sprawl drilling is far more intense GPP than any kind of push ups etc. Also It builds your skills. If you have to do shit try and make it MMA shit.
Gymnastics would be one of the few great transitionary things to do with MMA. Only because it is ‘the’ sport for teaching your muscles to recruit more motor units over your whole MuscSkel system. Oly lifts come at a close second then sprints.
But each to his own. The key is to always ask “why?”
-chris
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Axel wrote:
Your bodyweight is what you walk around at, not what you fight at. So, for example, if you fight at 185, but walk around at 210, you’d want to deadlift 525.
I know where you got this number. You look foolish repeating it. The author who invented that number has himself backed away from the position after people who have trained numerous MMA champions mocked it as arbitrary and unrealistic.[/quote]
-
I didn’t “get” this number anywhere. Are you thinking of Chad Waterbury’s numbers?–I think his number was higher (3x bodyweight for deads).
-
It’s not arbitrary or unrealistic. You can be a great MMA fighter without this kind of strength, of course, and a terrible one with it. But for someone just starting out who wants a goal this is a good one–something someone of average ability can achieve without using peformance-enhancing drugs.
[quote]Axel wrote:
2. It’s not arbitrary or unrealistic. [/quote]
I will explain once why this # is stupid. Hopefully you get why.
If I were building an MMA robot, I would give it inhuman strength and power. Strength and power matter. No debate.
The problem is you don’t get to build a robot from scratch. You have a human being who has finite time. In this time he has to develop strength, endurance, and most importantly, technique.
To get a 2.5x BW deadlift, you have to devote scarce time to lifting and recovery. So if someone can somehow optimize his technique while getting a 2.5 x BW deadlift, great. Really. But it’s unlikely that the time would not be better be spent training technique. There is not single expert (no, not one) who claims otherwise.
So there is a likely a very good reason few (if any) champion mixed martial artists put up big numbers.
I’m not sure why guys like you make shit up instead of focusing on what winners do. I guess you know better than everyone else, 'eh?
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Axel wrote:
2. It’s not arbitrary or unrealistic.
I will explain once why this # is stupid. Hopefully you get why.
If I were building an MMA robot, I would give it inhuman strength and power. Strength and power matter. No debate.
The problem is you don’t get to build a robot from scratch. You have a human being who has finite time. In this time he has to develop strength, endurance, and most importantly, technique.
To get a 2.5x BW deadlift, you have to devote scarce time to lifting and recovery. So if someone can somehow optimize his technique while getting a 2.5 x BW deadlift, great. Really. But it’s unlikely that the time would not be better be spent training technique. There is not single expert (no, not one) who claims otherwise.
So there is a likely a very good reason few (if any) champion mixed martial artists put up big numbers.
I’m not sure why guys like you make shit up instead of focusing on what winners do. I guess you know better than everyone else, 'eh?[/quote]
personally i would agree here. Let’s say for example we have a fictional trainee. He has 7 days per week to train. Each day but one “should” be spent training either:
Striking
grappling
both
So that’s 6 training sessions already. That leaves little time or recovery for lifting, but our man is a hard ass, so let’s say we can give him 2 short training sessions of non-MMA training for a total of 9 sessions per week. This would only be possible with optimum nutrition and a motivated trainee.
I would say that it is hard as heck to develop a 2.5 x BW DL along with equivocal numbers in press and squat. Of course DL would be included in one of those two days. But with only 2 days per week of DL stimulation it is highly unlikely that your trainee will develop a 2.5 x BW DL in anything less than a year. That is given he is a short bastard like myself (400# DL @ 170 [took me ages without a full MMA schedule]) who is geared for DLing.
I would say that a goal like “be able to do 100 burpees in 10 minutes” would be more transitional for MMA. Burpees get you to change levels, press, jump, keep your arms up etc.
-chris
Crossfit, Rossboxing, basic strength lifts (deadlift, squat, pullup, bench, shoulder press), powercleans and explosive jumps, interval cardio (sprints). Check out Stephan Kesting’s DVD of BJJ/grappling drills or wrestling drills (sprawl,sitouts etc.) If you have not started class yet, you will probably get the most out of improved cardio. No matter how good you are, MMA will gas you if you have not specificaly trained for it.
EDIT* another good source would be JC Santana and Rhadi Ferguson, they have several conditioning products for the MMA guy. Jeff Monson trained with them for some period of time and Thadi is an accomplished Judoka.
Wow thats a lot lol.
I am 5’10" 157lbs
Chins BW+50x5
Dead 315x1
Press 140x1
Bench 220x1
Squat 245x1 (no excuse)
clean 170x1
All right so you guys aren’t fans of weight lifting, but what about weighted clothing? They make heavy hands/feet/vest, could I incorporate those into my training for sprints and sandbag?