1 copyright © 2008 mike hanley. all rights reserved http


At The Training Studio, we gear our MMA training sessions toward accomplishing two different training goals. One session is geared towards increasing their maximum and explosive strengths and the other is directed towards maximizing their conditioning level. With fighters, a great amount of their time is devoted to sport conditioning i.e. conditioning through performing Muay Thai, BJJ and grappling; so we contribute strength conditioning. In this article, I will detail the specific methods we use to train our combat athletes. I will include several weekly program schedules you can use with your combat athletes as well as some bonus secrets we have been using for some injury prevention and rehabilitation. This rehab/prehab (preventing the need for rehabilitation) is intensely important when working with fighters due to the obvious physical demands of their sport. Description of Maximum Effort & Dynamic Effort Two methods must always be considered when putting together a comprehensive training program-The Maximum Effort (ME) and Dynamic Effort (DE). These two methods have been used with great results by Louie Simmons of the world famous powerlifting club Westside Barbell. These are the two main efforts used at Westside to produce some of the strongest powerlifters in the world. Now you may be saying to yourself, what in the world does powerlifting have to do with combat sports? That is a very good question. Read on I will explain how these two methods of training have had a huge impact on the power an athlete brings to the sport. Maximum Effort Method Zatsiorsky defines the maximal effort as “lifting a maximal load” and “exercising against maximal resistance”. You might think that the definition would be more detailed but that’s it. It is simply taking a maximal amount of weight and lifting it for no more than 3 reps while keeping the weight at or about 90% of your 1RM. For safety and functional purposes, this method is only for compound lifts such as the squat and dead lift. The pros to using the max effort method are that you get really, really strong. Another pro to this method is that you get really, really strong. Need I say more? Max lifting requires the athlete to tap into not only their muscle but their CNS (central nervous system). By doing this the CNS adapts to the load and teaches the body to handle that amount of resistance. The max effort method will train an athlete’s body to recruit to the greatest number of motor units he or she can for that lift. This method has the greatest benefit to sports that have a weight class (not necessarily bodybuilding however they would benefit as well.) The most obvious sport that benefits from this method is powerlifting however athletes from the Olympics, figure skating, track & field would benefit tremendously from this method. Where there are performance advantages, the max effort method, if misused, can negatively affect how an athlete performs. For example, too much max effort training will lead to the CNS getting burned out. If you notice an athlete that has symptoms like


decrease in energy, increase in depression or anxiety. If the athlete feels tired in the morning or has high blood pressure in a resting state than he/she could be over trained. Another caution with the ME method is an increased risk of injury. This training is not for the newbie. If the athlete has never trained before than I would avoid using this method until they mature as far as training is concerned. The reason I like the use of ME training with my fighters is that they are so use to training for conditioning, training for endurance, training for basically every other type of muscle recruitment except this method of muscle recruitment. The saying “only the strong survive” is not always necessarily true however being stronger does have its advantages. Obviously if two fighters have an equal amount of skill and an equal amount of conditioning then the one who is stronger is going to win. The way we train our fighters with the ME method is by choosing an upper body and a lower body exercises to perform one time a week with many sets (4-7) using a reps in the 1-5 range. We will switch exercises after using an exercise for 2 weeks using the ME to keep the fighter from overtraining. For lower body we use many types of squat and deadlift variations for this method. For the upper body we use weighted pull-ups as well as many forms of the bench press. Many people think that fighters have no need for the bench press. I disagree. I find using bands and chains on the bench press has helped many of our fighters create accelerated force throughout the entire punch. We find that the bands and chains can help teach a fighter how to accelerate through a movement since you must do this very thing while using accommodating resistance. We also use many other variations of the press to increase the fighters striking power. Dynamic Effort Method The dynamic effort method is designed to lift a sub-maximal weight with the greatest force possible. What we are looking for is SPEED with this method. The weight being used is usually between 40%-70% of an athlete 1RM and it should be lifted as fast as possible. This type of training is used to improve explosive strength. Dynamic effort method can also be considered plyometric training. In this type of training an athlete is using his power to jump, run, or throw as strong and fast as possible. This is very similar to the dynamic effort. Example of the dynamic effort would be box squats for speed, squat jumps, depth jumps and the various Olympic lifts (cleans, snatches, etc.) This does not limit the use of the dynamic effort to these lifts. You can take almost any exercise and make it dynamic by making the concentric portion of the lift as fast as possible. We feel that our fighters benefit from this method as well because it teaches them how to use this new born strength from the max effort method as fast as humanly possibly. In combat sports the combination of maximum strength turned into speed strength or power can be a deadly combination. Our fighters will use a number of different exercises to produce this explosive power. For the lower body they use box squats with bands, chains or straight weight, heavy


kettlebell swings and snatches as well as box jumps, hurdle jumps or depth jumps. For the upper body we use the bench press with bands, chains, or straight weight, Plyo pushups, med ball throws. We have also been using the grappler device and doing shoulder punches with a body twist with as much speed as possible. This has been working for some of our fighters especially on their non-dominant side punches. Description of Interval Style Training Many fighters have heard about and started training complexes. A complex is grouping typically 4-6 exercises using different muscle groups, many times without putting the barbell or dumbbells down between movements. Where as I have used this method, I have found something similar to be even more challenging and effective, resulting in a more aggressive approach to strength conditioning. I more often use an interval method. Another very common name for what we call our interval training is referred to as the Tabata Method. This timing method is a very powerful tool to get one’s stamina and conditioning level at its maximum capacity. We take a select number of exercises and perform them in a circuit fashion with each exercise being done for a specific amount of time before moving on to the next exercise. Once a full round of exercises is complete is rest given. Our rest period between rounds is usually 2 minutes depending on the level of the athletes. We do this in intervals of 20 sec on/10 sec off, 30sec on/15sec off, 45sec on/20sec off. This is not for the de-conditioned. It will put a beating on your stamina. We like to use all types of exercises in this method ranging from Olympic lift variations, kettlebells, sandbags, bodyweight, sleds, tires, sledgehammers, etc. We also like to vary the amount of weights being used. At times we use a light to moderate weight to get in a s many reps as possible during the given time frame and other times we like to use a moderate to heavy weight and work at a comfortable pace for the prescribed time interval. Although we do like going heavy on these movements we will never give our athletes a weight in the maximum percent ranges, that would be a recipe for injury. We want our movements to be controlled as well as fast and explosive. Why We Use These Styles? The reason we use these two styles of training is very simple. When I look at the type of training that my fighters go through on a weekly basis it is quite intense to say the least. What I notice is that most of our fighters training whether it be in BJJ, kick boxing, grappling, etc is that they train for long lengths of time. The volume of training that is accumulated in a fighter’s weekly regiment is extensive. I do not prefer our fighters to train more than twice per week with weights. We keep there weight training session geared towards quality NOT quantity. So if their sport training involves a tremendous amount of volume on the body, strength training should be keep at the bare minimum needed to get results. In my experience, intensity and volume cannot be at the same level in any athletes training. If one is training with a lot of volume and than adds too much intensity, the results are a burned out athlete. Similarly, if an athlete is training with a ton


of intensity and adds too much volume the intensity levels will start to decline. To get the best results we use more intensity, heavier weights and much less volume. We time their rest periods because they are always looking to start the next set too early. This can cost them the energy needed to complete the desired reps in proper form. Even in our interval training sessions, we believe that the weights should be kept moderately heavy using low rep ranges. How You Can Integrate into Your Week This type of training can be worked into any fighter’s regiment quite easily. What we do is go on a rotational schedule. It is very similar to the type of cycles we would use with a powerlifter who is limited to a 2 or 3 day training week. We train our fighters twice a week and rotate the training sessions into the two days. Weekly Plan Samples This is a sample of our weekly plan for our fighters. Like I said we use a rotational schedule. We train our fighters 2 x week and rotate 3 training sessions into that schedule. Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Day 1 ME Lower/DE Upper

Interval Session ME Upper/DE Lower

ME Lower/DE Upper

Day 2 ME Upper/DE

Lower ME Lower/DE

Upper Interval Session ME Upper/DE

Lower

ME Lower Exercises Pick any of the exercises below and work up to a 3-5 RM. Rotate every 1-3 ME workouts. • Squat

High or Low Box Vary Types of Barbells Wave the use of Bands, Chains, Straight Weight Use Front Squat Variations


• Deadlifts

Use Sumo or Conventional Stance Perform on elevated platform Use Trap Bar Variation Add Bands or Chains Rack Pulls (Various Pin Positions) Zercher Style Squats and Rack Pulls (excellent for fighters)

DE Upper Exercises Pick any of the exercises below and perform 6-10 sets of 2-5 reps depending on the exercise. • Bench Press w/ Chains or Bands

Take 40-50% Max Bench Press + band or chain weight.

• Plyo Push Ups

Use various Box Heights to land onto Vary type of Plyo Push Up (Box, hands , body, clapping)

• Kettlebell Jerks • Grappler Barbell Punch Press

ME Upper Exercises Pick any of the exercises below and work up to a 3-5 RM. Rotate every 1-3 ME workouts.

• Bench Press

Use Various Grips Use Various Bars Add Bands, Chains

• Weighted Chin Ups/ Pull Ups • Log Press


DE Lower Exercises Pick any of the exercises below and perform 6-10 sets of 2-5 reps depending on the exercise. • Box Squats

Take 40-50% Max Bench Press + band or chain weight. Use various Barbells

• Box Jumps* • Hurdle Jumps* • Kettlebell Snatches* • Power Snatches*

*Can be performed Unilaterally & Bilaterally with one leg or one arm.

Supplemental Posterior Chain Work

Choose from the various exercises below:

• RDL (Romanian Deadlift) • Good Mornings • Glute Ham Raise • 45 Degree Back Raise* • Reverse Hyper Extensions * • Back Raises* • Pull Throughs • Sled Dragging

* Can be performed Unilaterally & Bilaterally

Supplemental Back Work Pick any of the exercises below: • Pull Ups (All Variations) • Rows (All Variations) • Shrugs • Scarecrows • Band Pull Aparts • High Pulls • DB Power Cleans


Abdominal Work Pick any of the exercises below: • Planks (All Variations) • Weighted Sit ups (Bent & Straight Leg) • Hanging Leg Raises • Grappler Barbell Twists • Wood Choppers (All Variations) • Sandbag Throws • Suitcase Deadlifts Strongman/Conditioning Exercises • Prowler Push • Sled Dragging • Tire Flips • Sledgehammer • Farmers Walks • Log Presses

Sample Workouts ME Lower/DE Upper:

A. Box Squats with bands (parallel) – 6-8 sets of 3 reps

B. Plyo Push Ups on 12” Boxes – 6 sets of 5 reps

C1. Incline, weighted glute-ham raises – 3 sets of 8 reps

C2. Towel Grip Pull Ups – 3 sets 6-8 reps

D1. Grappler Barbell Twist – 3 sets of 8 each side

D2. Standing DB Power Cleans – 3 sets of 6-10 reps each


ME Upper/DE Lower:

A. 14” barbell bench press w/ chains – 6 sets of 3 reps

B. 1 Legged Box Jump – 6 sets of 3 reps

C1. KB Renegade Rows – 4 sets of 12 reps

C2. Reverse Hyperextensions – 4 sets of 10 reps.

D1. Thick Bar Holds – 3 sets of max time

D2. Band Pull Aparts - 3 sets 12 – 15

Interval Training #1

The exercises below are to be done in a circuit fashion with 30 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest. The circuit should take about 5 minutes to perform followed by 2 minutes rest period. This can be performed for 3 to 5 circuits.

1) Sandbag Clean & Squat 2) KB Renegade Row 3) MB Wood Choppers 4) KB On Hand Snatch 5) KB Alternating Floor Press 6) Lying Leg Lifts 7) Grappler Barbell Twist

Interval Training #2


1. Plyo Box Push Ups 2. KB Double High Pull 3. MB Russian Twist 4. KB Get Up 5. Jump Stretch Band Standing Power Rows 6. Push Up Hand Walks Fwd/Bkwd 7. Farmers Walks


Interval Training #3-Strongman Variation


1. Farmer’s Walk 2. Prowler Push 3. Sledgehammer On Tire 4. Tire Flip 5. Log Press 6. Sled Dragging Backwards 7. Sandbag Shouldering


MMA Power Program

Exercise Index & Descriptions


Plyo Push Ups

Windshield Wipers

Sandbag Clean & Press


MMA Power Program

Kettlebell / Strongman Workouts


Sample Combination Kettlebell / Strongman Workouts

Here are a few sample combination workouts you could setup you’re your athletes. It

combines some functional kettlebell and strongman training geared toward the combat

athlete.

Sequence Exercise Reps Warm-Up

General Jump Rope 60sec Leg Swings 10ea Core Woodchoppers 8-10 Back Extensions 6-8 Specific Lunges Various High Knee Skips Various

Workout 1 Depth Jump 4-6 2 Deadlifts 6-8 3A Kettlebell Pullthroughs 12-15 3B KB Front Rack Walks 60sec 4A KB Front Racks Alternating Knees 10-12 4B Towel Pull-ups 8-12


1. Depth Jumps, 3-4 sets, 4-6 reps 2. Deadlifts, 3-4 sets, 6-8 reps


3A. KB Pullthroughs, 3-4 sets, 12-15 reps 3B. KB Front Rack Walks, 3-4 sets, 60 seconds


4A. KB Front Rack Alternating Knees, 3-4 sets, 10-12 reps 4B. Towel Pull-ups, 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps


Sequence Exercise Reps Warm-up

General Face Pulls 10-12 Plate Halos 10-12 Core Decline Sit-ups w/ Med Ball Throw 6-8 Back Extension with Twist 6-8 Specific Bodyweight Squats 10-12 Gator Crawling 25-50’

Workout 1 Depth Jump into KB Snatch 4-6

2 Alternating KB Floor Press with Torso Rotation, or Bridging One Arm DB Press 10-12

3A Turkish Getups 6-8 3B Tire Flipping 10-12 4A Zercher Walks 100’ 4B Sledgehammer Tire Slams 60sec


1. Depth Jumps into KB Snatch, 3-4 sets, 4-6 reps


2. Alternating KB Floor Press with Torso Rotation, 3-4 sets, 10-12 reps OR 2. Bridging One Arm DB Press, 3-4 sets, 10-12 reps


3A. KB Turkish Getups, 3-4 sets, 6-8 reps


3B. Tire Flipping, 3-4 sets, 10-12 reps 4A. Zercher Walks, 3-4 sets, 100’

4B. Sledgehammer Overhead Slams, 3-4 sets, 60 seconds


1 copyright © 2008 mike hanley. all rights reserved http

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