Do you want to gain some serious lower body strength? If yes, keep reading and do this program. Do you want to put some extra muscle on your lower body? If yes, keep reading and do this program. Are you currently 4-6 weeks out from a fight? If yes, don’t do this program. If no, … Read More
Strength
Your Strongest Year Ever
How are you going to make 2015 your strongest year ever? Well, 2014 is over and 2015 is just beginning. When it comes to health and fitness, most people have similar goals: Lose weight Gain lean muscle Eat better Improve their quality of life Get stronger There are several ways to do this, but I … Read More
3 Isometric Exercises You Should Be Doing
For the most part, my training is pretty boring. It’s simple, basic and principle-based. Very rarely will you see me inventing “new exercises that crush your delts” or “5 new ways to increase your internal hip rotation and stabilize your fibular head AT THE SAME TIME!” It’s not that I don’t like new things or … Read More
The Scout Motto
I grew up in a fairly small town. My friends and I played outside every day until our parents yelled our names across the neighborhood to get home for dinner. We pretty much all did cub scouts and boy scouts. I couldn’t tell you exactly who was in my den, but I do remember having … Read More
The Role of an MMA Strength and Conditioning Coach
Lets imagine this scenario for a minute. Two fighters are in the cage ready for battle. They have equal skill, reach and training background. Fighter #1 doesn’t strength train much, isn’t very strong and doesn’t do any extra conditioning besides sparring. Fighter #2 can deadlift more than 2x bodyweight, he can perform strict pull-ups with 50+ … Read More
Strength Training When Dropping a Weight Class
There are times in a fighter’s career when dropping a weight class is vital to his success. It doesn’t usually happen right away, but hints start getting dropped during conversation between coaches and teammates. You start hearing things like “he’s a big 45er” or “ I think he can make 125. Regardless of the reason … Read More
So You Wanna Swing?
Qualify. Pattern. Grind. Practice/train. When it comes to exercise selection, you would think that common sense would go a long way. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Let me start with this. If an athlete is constantly getting injured due to workouts with his/her strength coach, the athlete should fire the coach immediately. Strength coaches should help you … Read More
Core Training Exercises for MMA
If you know anything about contact sports, you probably agree that having a strong mid-section is not a terrible thing. Core strength is a must in MMA and coaches and athletes all agree that your core cannot be too strong. Here are my favorite core training exercises for fighters. These specific drills are high-tension drills. Be careful … Read More
Keep the Goal the Goal – Strength Development
What’s your goal? What qualities are you trying to improve? Do you have smart progressions in your programs? What about de-loads? In my humble opinion, you should have a sound logical reason for everything you do. Remember, success leaves clues and it’s not necessary to re-invent the strength and conditioning wheel. If you read a … Read More
Top 5 Grip Training Exercises for MMA
A few fighters and Strength Coaches have asked me the following question recently. “What are the best “bang for your buck” exercises for fighters. My answer(s) are always the same: Grip work Core work Posterior chain strength I realize these answers are pretty vague, but these types of exercises are vital for fighters looking to improve their fight game. … Read More