One of my previous posts talked about how some people limit their potential by restricting their workouts to one tool. The piece of equipment I may have seemed to pick on was the kettlebell. Although I think they are slightly overrated by many who say they're the ONE tool you need, I still believe they can be extremely effective when utilized properly (not just to say "I train with kettlebells").
The following circuit is an example of how to implement kettlebells into your training rather than limit yourself to them.
Perform each exercise for the given amount of reps. Round length: 6 minutes. Rest time: 1 minute. Repeat for 3 rounds. (KB-kettlebell MB-med ball SB-stability ball).
- KB Get-ups 3 reps on each
- SB Twist - 12 - with feet on ball and body in pushup position, bring one foot off the ball and tuck your knee to your chest. Turn your hips and rotate as you reach your right leg under your left leg.
KB Clean and Jerk - 6 reps on each
MB shotput - F reps on each
KB Swing - 12-16
Russian Hops - 6-8
KB Pushup Walk - 12 steps - with a kettlebell in each hand, start in a pushup position, without bending your knees lift one kettlebell and move it forward about 1ft. Repeat for 12 steps as you slowly walk your feet up as you move.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
TRX Challenge w/ UFC's Frankie Edgar
Here's a video of UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar doing the TRX Challenge circuit that I posted last week. Frankie finished it in 3:05 including the time it takes to change from one position to the next. By the way, this was after six rounds of conditioning. Check it out!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
It's Not The Tools, It's How You Use Em'
If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say "so you do kettlebell training" or "I used to do kettlebell training", well, I'd have a few hundred bucks. Of which, maybe I'd use to by more kettlebells. The problem with these comments or statements is not the fact that involves kettlebells, rather, that certain tools have become such a fad or trendy that people are basing their entire conditioning program on them. A hammer is a great tool for construction, but if you had to build a house, is that the only tool you'd use? Absolutely not! And if you would, I feel sorry for whoever has to sleep under that roof.
Now, don't get me wrong. Kettlebells are an excellent tool. I use them in just about every session. But to develop every aspect of the athletic performance skill set, you need the help of as many tools possible. For example, ketllebell swings are a great way to develop good hip drive and glute activation. The problem is, what's the most weight you can push using a kettlebell? 80? 90 pounds? Instead, take that same hip drive and reinforce it in other ways (and with potentially more weight).
Developing an effective training program is less about the actual tools and more about how you implement them into your program and why. Just because you saw a crazy exercise with a TRX, stability ball, or kettlebell doesn't mean it works. Even if it does work, make sure you're using it at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reason. Not just to look cool for YouTube.
So you saw a great exercise to help develop lower body power. That's the easy part. Now, when is the most effective part of your workout to incorporate it? Is it more beneficial to use it before or after another exercise? Is this circuit or that circuit? A hammer and a saw are both great tools, but would you nail a board down and then cut it?
All in all, rather than asking "do you do kettlebell training", you should ask "how do you use kettlebells in your training".
Now, don't get me wrong. Kettlebells are an excellent tool. I use them in just about every session. But to develop every aspect of the athletic performance skill set, you need the help of as many tools possible. For example, ketllebell swings are a great way to develop good hip drive and glute activation. The problem is, what's the most weight you can push using a kettlebell? 80? 90 pounds? Instead, take that same hip drive and reinforce it in other ways (and with potentially more weight).
Developing an effective training program is less about the actual tools and more about how you implement them into your program and why. Just because you saw a crazy exercise with a TRX, stability ball, or kettlebell doesn't mean it works. Even if it does work, make sure you're using it at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reason. Not just to look cool for YouTube.
So you saw a great exercise to help develop lower body power. That's the easy part. Now, when is the most effective part of your workout to incorporate it? Is it more beneficial to use it before or after another exercise? Is this circuit or that circuit? A hammer and a saw are both great tools, but would you nail a board down and then cut it?
All in all, rather than asking "do you do kettlebell training", you should ask "how do you use kettlebells in your training".
Monday, September 12, 2011
MMA Conditioning FAQ's
Over the past 3 years, when talking to current or potential clients who compete in mixed martial arts, I tend to receive the same series of questions. Usually my answers are not what they expect to hear or what they have heard from other trainers. However, the reasoning behind my answers tend to click in their head once I go a little more in depth. Here are the three most common questions I get:
"HOW LONG SHOULD I DO CONDITIONING BEFORE A FIGHT"
Although I don't think that a 6 or 8 week conditioning camp is necessarily a bad thing, I feel that fighters should be in a conditioning program year round. Obviously there will be times to back off a little and times to rest completely. Just like every aspect of training, there needs to be a balance between work and recovery in order to benefit the most from both. That being said, is taking two months off after a fight before starting an 8 week conditioning camp really the best option? Of course not. The easiest way to explain this is to imagine how much more you can accomplish every time you drill, hit pads, or spar if your conditioning is always good. In an 8 week training camp, you're really just starting to hit stride a few weeks in, leaving you with only a month or so of being able to train the other aspects (BJJ, boxing, wrestling, etc.) "in shape". Think about the improvements you can make long term if you're focusing on technique rather than just getting through a session because you're sucking wind. I always hear the phrase "technique over strength". What if you had both? All the time. When you're out of shape, you'll be more likely to try to just get through a training session rather than really getting the most improvement out of it.
So the answer to this question is, you should always be training. Just like training in jiu-jitsu is cumulative, you can continually make gains in all areas of your physical performance. Rather than being so worried about "peaking" at the right time, focus more on gradual and consistent gains. Your program design should still enable you to peak at the right time, but training consistently will make that "peak" that much higher.
"SHOULD I RUN LONG DISTANCE"
The only time I use distance running is for recovery. I long jog when you're sore can help, but will long runs really help your performance in the cage? MMA is very unique in that it is one of the most unpredictable sports when it comes to what you may encounter. An offensive lineman in football knows that he has to work at an extremely high intensity for a short period of time, followed by about 40 seconds of rest. And their movements are generally limited to so many things. In MMA, the pace can be slow with just a handful of high intensity bursts. It can be a fast paced fight standing up, a slower fight on the ground, a fight that is constantly changing from stand-up to grappling against the cage to the ground and back up, and so on. So how will running 5 miles at a consistently pace help? The answer: it doesn't. Now, of course, it's better than nothing but definitely not your best option.
My key to running/track/sprint workouts is to mimic a "fight gone bad". Rather than long, moderate intensity, aim for high intensity intervals with short breaks. I like to throw in some active rest, as well. Shadow boxing immediately after a hard series of sprints will help you maintain your technique when you fatigue, for example. Training at a very high intensity with minimal rest time will help your recovery time not only between rounds, but between different aspects of a fight. If you only train at a long, moderate pace, imagine what you're going to feel like after 1:00 of exchanging punches non-stop or defending a takedown like you're about to go to the ground against a Gracie. Think you'll be able to recovery quickly to continue to perform well? Or will you be looking for ways to catch your breathe and regain your strength?
The other great thing about this style of workout is that it takes less of a toll on your body long term. Training to compete in MMA puts enough stress on your body, why add the possible chronic injuries that can be associated with distance running? If you're training for a 3 round fight, your sprint workouts can potentially be completed in less than 30 minutes. Short, sweet, effective, and to the point. Here's an example of a simple sprint workout I use.
"SHOULD I LIFT HEAVY, I NEED TO STAY AT ______ LBS"
This is a pretty simple one. You'd don't need to get bigger to get stronger. And just because you're getting strong doesn't mean that you're going to put on a ton of weight. Sure you may put on a few pounds of lean muscle mass, but nothing that will keep you from making weight. A lot of the strength gains that you make can be more neuromuscular than anything. You can make improvements in your kinetic chain, activation and sequencing, and getting your body to function like the machine that it is. When it comes to sports performance, isolating muscles rather than movements is like having a fancy car with no horsepower. The proper training systems will getting your body to function as a unit better, therefore increasing the amount of force it can produce. More importantly, proper programming allows you to produce force in a dynamic, "functional" environment. Bench pressing is an excellent exercise, but will making it the foundation of your strength training help you produce more force when you need to supports your own body at the same time?
Again, these are just a few of the questions I get on a regular basis. If you have any of your own, feel free to post them in the comment section and I'll answer anything you throw my way!
"HOW LONG SHOULD I DO CONDITIONING BEFORE A FIGHT"
Although I don't think that a 6 or 8 week conditioning camp is necessarily a bad thing, I feel that fighters should be in a conditioning program year round. Obviously there will be times to back off a little and times to rest completely. Just like every aspect of training, there needs to be a balance between work and recovery in order to benefit the most from both. That being said, is taking two months off after a fight before starting an 8 week conditioning camp really the best option? Of course not. The easiest way to explain this is to imagine how much more you can accomplish every time you drill, hit pads, or spar if your conditioning is always good. In an 8 week training camp, you're really just starting to hit stride a few weeks in, leaving you with only a month or so of being able to train the other aspects (BJJ, boxing, wrestling, etc.) "in shape". Think about the improvements you can make long term if you're focusing on technique rather than just getting through a session because you're sucking wind. I always hear the phrase "technique over strength". What if you had both? All the time. When you're out of shape, you'll be more likely to try to just get through a training session rather than really getting the most improvement out of it.
So the answer to this question is, you should always be training. Just like training in jiu-jitsu is cumulative, you can continually make gains in all areas of your physical performance. Rather than being so worried about "peaking" at the right time, focus more on gradual and consistent gains. Your program design should still enable you to peak at the right time, but training consistently will make that "peak" that much higher.
"SHOULD I RUN LONG DISTANCE"
The only time I use distance running is for recovery. I long jog when you're sore can help, but will long runs really help your performance in the cage? MMA is very unique in that it is one of the most unpredictable sports when it comes to what you may encounter. An offensive lineman in football knows that he has to work at an extremely high intensity for a short period of time, followed by about 40 seconds of rest. And their movements are generally limited to so many things. In MMA, the pace can be slow with just a handful of high intensity bursts. It can be a fast paced fight standing up, a slower fight on the ground, a fight that is constantly changing from stand-up to grappling against the cage to the ground and back up, and so on. So how will running 5 miles at a consistently pace help? The answer: it doesn't. Now, of course, it's better than nothing but definitely not your best option.
My key to running/track/sprint workouts is to mimic a "fight gone bad". Rather than long, moderate intensity, aim for high intensity intervals with short breaks. I like to throw in some active rest, as well. Shadow boxing immediately after a hard series of sprints will help you maintain your technique when you fatigue, for example. Training at a very high intensity with minimal rest time will help your recovery time not only between rounds, but between different aspects of a fight. If you only train at a long, moderate pace, imagine what you're going to feel like after 1:00 of exchanging punches non-stop or defending a takedown like you're about to go to the ground against a Gracie. Think you'll be able to recovery quickly to continue to perform well? Or will you be looking for ways to catch your breathe and regain your strength?
The other great thing about this style of workout is that it takes less of a toll on your body long term. Training to compete in MMA puts enough stress on your body, why add the possible chronic injuries that can be associated with distance running? If you're training for a 3 round fight, your sprint workouts can potentially be completed in less than 30 minutes. Short, sweet, effective, and to the point. Here's an example of a simple sprint workout I use.
"SHOULD I LIFT HEAVY, I NEED TO STAY AT ______ LBS"
This is a pretty simple one. You'd don't need to get bigger to get stronger. And just because you're getting strong doesn't mean that you're going to put on a ton of weight. Sure you may put on a few pounds of lean muscle mass, but nothing that will keep you from making weight. A lot of the strength gains that you make can be more neuromuscular than anything. You can make improvements in your kinetic chain, activation and sequencing, and getting your body to function like the machine that it is. When it comes to sports performance, isolating muscles rather than movements is like having a fancy car with no horsepower. The proper training systems will getting your body to function as a unit better, therefore increasing the amount of force it can produce. More importantly, proper programming allows you to produce force in a dynamic, "functional" environment. Bench pressing is an excellent exercise, but will making it the foundation of your strength training help you produce more force when you need to supports your own body at the same time?
Again, these are just a few of the questions I get on a regular basis. If you have any of your own, feel free to post them in the comment section and I'll answer anything you throw my way!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Friday Challenge Workout
Each week I will post a different "challenge" style workout. Today's challenge is using a TRX suspension trainer. If you don't own one, I suggest you do in the near future. No other piece of equipment has the versatility of a TRX.
Enough of the commercial, here we go:
Complete this circuit as fast as possible with the given amount of repetitions at each exercise. I suggest writing down your time so you can try it again in a few weeks to track your progress.
Atomic Pushups - 10
Single Leg Burpees - 10 each leg
Single Leg Squat to Reverse Fly - 10 each leg
Bicep Curl - 20
Twist Tuck - 10
Mountain Climbers - 20 each leg
If you want to turn this into a quick workout, rest for 1/2 the time it took you to complete the circuit and repeat, trying to match your first time. Three times through this and you can call it a day!
A video of this workout will be posted here on Monday along with some of the times our athletes were able to do.
Enough of the commercial, here we go:
Complete this circuit as fast as possible with the given amount of repetitions at each exercise. I suggest writing down your time so you can try it again in a few weeks to track your progress.
Atomic Pushups - 10
Single Leg Burpees - 10 each leg
Single Leg Squat to Reverse Fly - 10 each leg
Bicep Curl - 20
Twist Tuck - 10
Mountain Climbers - 20 each leg
If you want to turn this into a quick workout, rest for 1/2 the time it took you to complete the circuit and repeat, trying to match your first time. Three times through this and you can call it a day!
A video of this workout will be posted here on Monday along with some of the times our athletes were able to do.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Integrating Strength and Power Movements into your Conditioning
These circuits demonstrate an easy way to integrate both strength and power movements into a conditioning workout. Power and endurance are usually seen as being completely unrelated, however, good program design can help a fighter produce high levels of power for a longer period of time. Rather than having an extremely high max power output and a huge drop-off over time, fighters need to be able to maintain a high power output for longer, even if their max is slightly lower.
- Warmup (5 minutes
- Include jog, backpedal, shuffles, and stance drills
- Dynamic flexibility (Iron cross, scorpion, lunges, leg swings, etc.)
- Complete each circuit 3 times. Circuits consist of a heavy strength exercise followed immediately by a power exercise of the same movement. Work quickly between exercise 1 and 2, and quickly between 3 and 4.
- Circuit 1
- Bench Press - 6 reps
- Plyo Pushup - 6 reps
- Barbell Deadlifts - 6 reps
- Box Jumps - 6 reps
- Circuit 2
- Power Cleans - 6
- Med Ball Granny Toss - 6
- Dumbbell Push Press - 8
- Med Ball Shot-put - 4 each arm
- Circuit 3
- Barbell Front Squat - 6
- Russian Hops - 6
- Pulldowns or Rows - 8-12
- Med Ball Slams - 8-12
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