MMA Training Hub

Bigger Stronger Leaner
101

[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
FightinIrish26 wrote:
Lifted today.

Dumbell Incline Bench- 3x8
Pullups- 3x10
Hang Clean- 3x4
OHS- 3x8
Straight bar curls- 3x10
Tricep extensions- 2x8

Tomorrow I should be working MMA, then the day after that Goju-ryu again. It’s going to be a tough week.

At least you get to train. It sucks not being able to go to classes. But, on the one hand, my elbow injury has improved a lot and should continue to get better with the rest.

By the way, what type of numbers are you putting up on these exercises?[/quote]

Not nearly enough. My weightlifting has sucked in the past three months since I started all this MA shit.

On the DB Bench, I’m putting up around 65-70’s.

Hang Cleans, around 135.

Pullups are my strong point- the ten I knocked off were tough only cause my shoulder is shit, but my best is doing a couple reps with +50 on a dipping belt. I haven’t lost much on those. (I weigh in at around 168-172 now).

The OHS I’m just getting used to, I just used the bar… the balance and all really throws me off.

My personal bests are around 315 for deadlift and 230 for bench, but I doubt I’m that high now, at least for the bench, because of all of the endurance work. My deadlifts have remained strong.

I forget where I read it, but it was something about some UFC fighter who has a hard time going to the gym because he’s always trying to lift heavier and harder, and he forgets that he’s not going there to be a better lifter, but a better fighter. I’m getting to that point now, where i realize that I need explosiveness and endurance just as much as maximal strength, and size really comes last.

I’m still fine tuning, but lifting heavy for a short while seems to be working.

102

anyone else here ever used crossfit for grappling/mma conditioning? i find my competition performance has improved ten fold since using it, i rarely find myself out of breath or unable to deal with the intensity or strength aspects of a fight.

103

[quote]darraghoconaill wrote:
anyone else here ever used crossfit for grappling/mma conditioning? i find my competition performance has improved ten fold since using it, i rarely find myself out of breath or unable to deal with the intensity or strength aspects of a fight.[/quote]

Some people like it. I know BJ Penn endorses it, but if you have seen BJ fight past 1 round I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing, haha. Personally I can’t get past their elitist bullshit, and I can handle creating my own GPP drills or look to Ross Enamait for inspiration.

104

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
I forget where I read it, but it was something about some UFC fighter who has a hard time going to the gym because he’s always trying to lift heavier and harder, and he forgets that he’s not going there to be a better lifter, but a better fighter. I’m getting to that point now, where i realize that I need explosiveness and endurance just as much as maximal strength, and size really comes last.

I’m still fine tuning, but lifting heavy for a short while seems to be working. [/quote]

I think it was Forrest Griffin that said that when they did that All-Access show on him. It’s a good point.

105

[quote]Donut62 wrote:

Some people like it. I know BJ Penn endorses it, but if you have seen BJ fight past 1 round I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing, haha. Personally I can’t get past their elitist bullshit, and I can handle creating my own GPP drills or look to Ross Enamait for inspiration.[/quote]

I agree BJ isn’t exactly the best person to be endorsing it given his usual conditioning! and i totally agree on the elitist thing, i just ignore it by not reading their message board or comments, i just do the workouts and leave them be. In my personal opinion it’s one of the best conditioning system for MMA or BJJ.

106

BJ was in much better condition for his recent Pulver fight and he has said on his web site to putting much more prep into conditioning.

107

Like Donut said, I prefer coming up with my own conditioning routines, but I do think Crossfit has some good ideas. I stay away from their message boards, too, but I do admit to “borrowing” an idea or two from some of the workouts posted there.

108

Conditioning Work
Time: 40 minutes
Notes:

Barbell Complex, 3 sets w/75 lbs. of:
Bent-over rows
Hang Cleans
Push Press
Front Squat
Romanian DL
Did 6 reps of each exercise.

Rest 45 sec.

Bodyweight Circuit, 3 rounds of:
Medicine ball push-ups
Squats
Various ab movements
Did 10 reps of each exercise and 3 sets of each exercise per round

Rest 30 sec. between rounds

Sprints, 4 sets (1 lap around indoor track) with 1 min. rest between sets.

Did some much-needed foam roller work and stretching afterwards.

Got some good news today in that I’ll be able to go to BJJ tomorrow morning. So, at least I’ll get some sport-specific work in this week.

109

MMA tonight. Drilled the heavy bag, four rounds, around 2 mins. a piece. My combo of choice is becoming the jab, hook head, hook body. Being a southpaw, I think it will throw people off to have that right hook coming in at the ribs. Man, I love that.

Target pads, then some grappling work, ground and pound, etc. Got throttled pretty badly. The hand positioning being so crucial is throwing me off… I got tagged by a triangle at least three times.

110

BJJ (no-Gi)
Time: 90 min.
Notes: Drilled a variety of half-guard passes today, as well as an armbar from half-guard (where you set it up as if you’re going to attempt a kimura, but instead, you straighten the arm out and over-under lock your wrists and pull. Matt Hughes used this on Royce Gracie in their fight).

Got in 20 minutes of rolling where we went until the guy with half-guard claimed full guard or got to his feet; or the guy on top got cross-side, mount or a submission. I was able to pass guard a few times and did good work on the bottom as well. I really focused on relaxing on the bottom and controlling my breathing, too. Good class.

111

There are two complexes I like to use that I got from Alwyn Cosgrove. 4 sets of the complex with 6 reps per movement

Complex One:
Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Bent Rows
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Good Mornings

I find this one much easier than complex two

Complex Two:
Snatch Grip Deadlift
Snatch High Pull
Upright Rows
Power Snatch
Reverse Lunge
Push Press
Jump Squats

This one is absolute death.

I don’t know much about crossfit. I think Ross Enamait’s conditioning workouts are excellent.

112

SDot,
Thanks for posting those complexes. I’ll have to give them a try…although that second one looks brutal.

Had to skip the gym yesterday b/c of work, but was able to get in today.

Strength Workout
Time: 45 min

  1. Box Jumps, 5x3: BW
  2. Squats, 1x3RM: 285 (3)
  3. Good Mornings, 3x12: 140 (12)
  4. DB Incline Bench, 3x8: 70 (8), 75 (8), 75 (8)
  5. Chin-ups, 3x8: BW (8)

Did some stretching afterwards.

113

Beat to hell today. Hungover and tired and had to Christmas shop, so I didn’t lift.

I knocked out about 50 knuckle pushups on cement, 100 situps of all types, and a bunch of BW squats just to make me feel better though.

114

How’s it going fellas, I am glad to see an mma forum on here. If it’s all the same with you all I’ll be joining in discussions here. A little about me. I’m a Fireman down here in miami, this is my first time doing any MMA training. I am just looking for a different type of workout. I have never wrestled or Boxed, only previous exp is Kenpo Karate and that was almost 10 years ago now. I have been lifting for years on and off and I’m an ex football player.

This was my second week at the mma school I signed up at, I will not be training to get in a cage and fight, just want to learn something new and get back in shape. I haven’t trained regularly in the gym since march of this year and these classes are kicking my ass, lol. At my school we work on boxing, m thai kickboxing, wrestling, BJJ. Each class a different discipline and then theres open mat every day of the week. My school is open 24 hrs which I like.

I wanted to know if anyone has some advice on workouts for someone like me who is new to mma. Right now I’m doing mma classes 2X a week and an open mat session 1 or 2 times a week. I tried lifting week one but when I went to class my body fatigued immediately and it sucked. I’m use to power/strength training and basically thats all i know. This has been a humbling experience so far.

Thanks and Happy Holidays.

115

[quote]T-FireMan wrote:
How’s it going fellas, I am glad to see an mma forum on here. If it’s all the same with you all I’ll be joining in discussions here. A little about me. I’m a Fireman down here in miami, this is my first time doing any MMA training. I am just looking for a different type of workout. I have never wrestled or Boxed, only previous exp is Kenpo Karate and that was almost 10 years ago now. I have been lifting for years on and off and I’m an ex football player.

This was my second week at the mma school I signed up at, I will not be training to get in a cage and fight, just want to learn something new and get back in shape. I haven’t trained regularly in the gym since march of this year and these classes are kicking my ass, lol. At my school we work on boxing, m thai kickboxing, wrestling, BJJ. Each class a different discipline and then theres open mat every day of the week. My school is open 24 hrs which I like.

I wanted to know if anyone has some advice on workouts for someone like me who is new to mma. Right now I’m doing mma classes 2X a week and an open mat session 1 or 2 times a week. I tried lifting week one but when I went to class my body fatigued immediately and it sucked. I’m use to power/strength training and basically thats all i know. This has been a humbling experience so far.

Thanks and Happy Holidays.[/quote]

Welcome aboard. You’re not the only one to have little background in MA before getting into MMA. That was me when I started.

I don’t think lifting had anything to do with your body fatiguing, it’s just something that happens to pretty much everyone when they first start these classes. So, if your strength levels are at a good level, perhaps focus on conditioning work (barbell complexes, strongman medley, sprints, bodyweight circuit, etc.) at least once a week and lifting twice a week with a focus on compound lifts?

Not sure what your schedule is like, but here’s an example of what I’m doing:

Sun: off
Mon: lift
Tues: BJJ
Wed: conditioning and/or MMA
Thurs: BJJ
Fri: lift
Sat: muay Thai or conditioning

116

I don’t think strength is an issue right now, everyone keeps telling me i’m strong when we roll and barely anyone has submitted thus far, but i haven’t even lifted in ages, so I don’t know if it’s just because these guys don’t have a lifting background or what. I’ll start trying to life 2X a week and see what happens. The class when I fatigued quickly I had lifted the day before. I’m gonna try to start running in the AM at a steady pace since I go to classes and open mat at nights. I was wondering if full body circuits were good enought for now since I haven’t been training in a while? Maybe that would be a good idea until my body adjust to the work load of the classes and the circuits?

As far as my schedule, I work one day and I’m off 2 days. I can lift at work we have a gym, prefer to lift there since the gym at work has much more equipment than our gym at the mma school. Just trying to get in the groove of things right now with the classes and how sore I am lol.

What supplements do you guys take if any?

Right now I’m taking Flameout, Surge (pw), HRX, Metabolic Drive Complete 1x during the day and right before bed, glutamine which I believe is helping tremendously with recovery, and my multivitamin and minerals.

117

I know there’s varying opinions on this, but at least from my experience, doing jogging has no carryover affect to MMA. You’d be better off doing anaerobic conditioning during that time…it translates better to MMA.

118

[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
I know there’s varying opinions on this, but at least from my experience, doing jogging has no carryover affect to MMA. You’d be better off doing anaerobic conditioning during that time…it translates better to MMA.[/quote]

So you feel a session of sprints or something like that would be better than runniing a mile or so?

119

[quote]T-FireMan wrote:
Djwlfpack wrote:
I know there’s varying opinions on this, but at least from my experience, doing jogging has no carryover affect to MMA. You’d be better off doing anaerobic conditioning during that time…it translates better to MMA.

So you feel a session of sprints or something like that would be better than runiiing a mile or so?

[/quote]

Yep. Jogging just doesn’t do anything for you in terms of building up your stamina for MMA. You need to train in short, intense bursts, as they more accurately simulate what takes place when you train/fight MMA.

120

[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
T-FireMan wrote:
Djwlfpack wrote:
I know there’s varying opinions on this, but at least from my experience, doing jogging has no carryover affect to MMA. You’d be better off doing anaerobic conditioning during that time…it translates better to MMA.

So you feel a session of sprints or something like that would be better than runiiing a mile or so?

Yep. Jogging just doesn’t do anything for you in terms of building up your stamina for MMA. You need to train in short, intense bursts, as they more accurately simulate what takes place when you train/fight MMA.[/quote]

just figured the running would build up my cardio endurance and then later on i could work on the intensity of it.