So You Wanna Be a Fighter: Part 2
By
Casey S. Rusbridge
This article is part two of a two-part series.
Let’s be very clear—I don’t know shit. Not about constructing the ultimate
training paradigm, not about recovery, and certainly not about conditioning. But
what I do know is that I love physical training, and I have a great passion for
learning about the strength and conditioning field.
If you’ve been involved in combat sports, you know that the second you start
feeling tired is the second you start feeling vulnerable. Confidence falls, and
it’s harder to launch an assault because you’re constantly thinking about your
gas. This is a very scary place to be as you’re scrambling to survive while
someone is trying to smash your head in, choke you unconscious, or break your
arm.
The “Training for Warriors” system helped me dramatically improve my
conditioning. It focuses on using treadmill sprint intervals and various forms
of body weight, SPP, barbell exercises, and Strongman equipment to increase your
energy system. Martin really put a lot of work into this program, and his proof
is found in the successes of Ricardo Almeda, Frankie Edgar, and Jim and Dan
Miller. Hell, Jim’s conditioning was put to the test when he had less than two
weeks notice for a fight against TUF 5er Matt Wiman, drawing great praise in Joe
Rogan’s fight commentary.
I can’t release Martin’s program because he makes money from this (book and
DVD), so just buy it. What I will do is breakdown some of the other drills I
used to help condition myself. You’re not going to see anything new or
groundbreaking. I pretty well stole everything from guys like Martin, Alwyn
Cosgrove, Zach Even-Esh, and Joe DeFranco. Buy, read, experiment, and reap the
benefits.
Warming up: The six Ps
If you’ve ever worked in a factory, you know a machine can only run so long
before it breaks down. Sensors get gummed up, coolant is dirty and needs
changing, and metal shavings can find themselves in the strangest of places.
Millwrights know this, and with the support of smart managers, will often
schedule “preventative maintenance” to ward off breakdowns. This is usually a
period of time when the absolutely filthy machinery is taken apart and cleaned,
often lasting an entire shift. However, a few minutes spent cleaning and
monitoring the machine daily can minimize both necessary (and unnecessary)
downtime.
Your body is like the machine, and all the training wears you down pretty
quickly. If you’re not careful, injuries are guaranteed. The most effective
method to prevent injury is to follow the six Ps—proper preparation prevents
piss poor performance.
The fastest and most effective way to prepare for any weight room training
session is to use the Parisi warm up. I’ve been doing this for the past year and
never skip it. As I often train late at night, if there isn’t enough time to
warm up, train, and cool down before the gym closes, I will bump my
training session to the next day. It elevates the body temperature, heart rate,
and warms up not only the muscles but the joints. Buy it, and perform it. Save
yourself downtime thanks to careless operation!
Conditioning drills
As a rule of thumb, all conditioning work is performed wearing my mouth guard.
The rationale behind this is that I must adapt to the reduced oxygen intake that
I will experience in a fight. Again, I don’t have scientific papers to back me
on this, but I feel it’s the best method for me.
Plate pushes
No cash for a prowler? Well, start saving you cheap prick! In the meanwhile, if
you’ve access to enough room, an exercise mat, and some plates, you can
accomplish this excellent conditioning exercise. Place a mat (or towel) on the
ground, put plates on the mat, push. It’s that simple. Read Jim’s article on the
prowler challenge and do your best to accomplish these workouts. Using this
method sucks because you’re perpetually stuck pushing at a low angle.
It’s gonna hurt but whatever. It probably won’t kill ya.
Try 60 yards for five rounds with 60 seconds rest between rounds. It’s a great
place to start.
Wrestler’s circuit
This is a wrestling coach’s circuit, and I found it very effective. Aim to use
70–80 percent of your competition weight (the top of your weight class). This is
going to take you anywhere from 1.5–2 minutes to complete, which was perfect for
the round lengths of my SportMMA tournament.
A 185-lb fighter could use 135 lbs to start with:
- Clean X 5
- Romanian deadlift X 5
- Front squat X 5
- Overhead press X 5
- Clean X 5
Perform with as minimal transition time between exercises as possible.
Legal eagle drill
I found a fitness qualifications manual for the RCMP or Canadian Army as some
standards for their applicants. You can customize this to your own nation’s
requirements. It’s just simply something to play with, and it’s very
customizable. I’d recommend throwing it in every so often and testing to see
where you’re at. Once you beat the standards, make it more difficult.
2.5 Kms/1.5 mile run, 11 minutes minimum, 9 minutes is ideal
40+ push-ups
40+ sit-ups
5+ full ROM pull-ups
Add blast straps, a weight vest, the incline on a treadmill, or weighted
pull-ups to increase the difficulty level.
Barbell complexes
These are familiar to everyone by now thanks to Alywn’s infamous articles. Here
is an example:
- Deadlift
- Romanian deadlift
- Shrug
- Clean
- Upright row
- Overhead press
- Back squat
- Row
You can literally create any combinations that you dream of. Rep ranges are
dependent on you, but it is recommended that you stick between 6–8 reps. The
rule is keep the bar moving quickly. A simple method is to perform one round,
add weight, and perform again for time. Here’s an example:
Circuit one
R1: Start with the barbell.
R2: Add 10 lbs to the bar (55 lbs).
R3: Add another 10 lbs to the bar (65 lbs).
R4: Remove 10 lbs (55 lbs).
R5: Just use the bar.
Rest periods can last from 30–60 seconds.
Louie’s Olympic “tri-plex”
This is a simple Olympic lift complex where a single lift is performed in each
of the three exercises. Then you rest for 30 seconds. Start each rep with your
knees on the floor to help build up explosive power in the hips
- High pull
- Clean
- Clean and press
When working with Kevin Randleman, Louie is rumored to have used this circuit
to build up Kevin’s amazing explosive speed and strength. Mind you, Kevin used
200 lbs. Start slowly and work your way up in both time and weight.
Station circuits
This is something I’ve experimented with and have found great success.
Originally I was trying to follow a “Tabata” 2:1 work ration, but I’ve now upped
the workload to 50–60 seconds with 10 seconds or less rest between stations.
Again, use a round format and continue to try to improve your work capacity by
increasing the length and weights used.
Here are a few examples:
- Plate push X 30 yards
- Medicine ball chest pass X 30
- Dumbbell/kettlebell swings X 10
- Medicine ball slam X 10
- Box jump X 10
Repeat three times. Each circuit lasted about two minutes, which was
approximately the length of my match.
Circuit two
R1) Dumbbell swings
One-arm floor press
Plate push X 60 yards
R2) Turkish get-ups
Dumbbell power cleans
Plate push X 60 yards
R3) Louie’s burpees
Grappler’s lunge
One-arm clean and jerk
R4) Plate push X 3 minutes at walking pace
Perform all exercises for one minute each with a one-minute rest after each
round. For unilateral exercises, it stands to reason to perform each exercise
for 30 seconds per arm. This is perfect if you’ve got three-minute rounds, which
are standard for the regional amateur MMA bouts in Quebec (which I’m currently
training for).
Circuit three
R1: Dumbbell swings
Sledge swings
Plate push
R2: Agility shuffle
Louie burpees
Box jumps
R3: Dumbbell power cleans
One-arm floor press
Half Bosu ball plyo jumps
R4: Explosive step-ups
Turkish get-ups
Db Snatch
R5: Plate push X 40 yards (approximately 30 seconds)
“Fedor” pogos with 18 lbs ‘body bar’ X 30 seconds
(repeat R5 X 4)
Circuit four
R1: Dumbbell swings
Sledge hammer around the world
Fedor pogos
Bulgarian split squats
R2: Medicine ball alternating push-ups
Medicine ball slams
Explosive step-ups
Dumbbell cleans
R3: Louie burpees
Turkish get-ups
Grappler’s lunge
Russian twists
R4: Medicine ball vertical throws
Box jumps
Agility pads
Seated good mornings
Recovery
Static stretching is supposedly dead. Foam rollers are junk. I don’t really
follow all the latest industry trends or understand some of the science behind
the “whys.” I simply use what seems to be improving my performance. After every
gym session, I perform about 5–10 minutes of foam roller work, starting with the
calves and finishing with my pecs and biceps. Buy a foam roller, watch some
videos on YouTube, and do it.
FIT MMA is very fortunate to have a yoga practitioner in our midst and an
incredible amateur MMA fighter in her own right. Anna has opened my eyes to the
value of a good cool down. She leads us through a 15-minute session at the end
of a three-hour grappling/MMA night. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. “Yoga is
gay. Does EliteFTS sell stretchy black pants and a pink tank top so I can at
least look bad ass?” I thought the same thing. But you know what? At the
end of the first session, I felt more relaxed and less beat up. That instantly
made me a believer. Since then, I’ve experienced a dramatic shift in my
flexibility, and I’ve sustained zero in gym/on mat injuries. There is no more
proof required than that in my eyes. Now I end every weight training or
conditioning session with yoga. Hell, sign up for a couple classes and learn the
basics at your local studio. You may pick up some valuable flexibility movements
and a yoga bunny.
Closing thoughts
There are literally hundreds of possibilities for conditioning drills,
and I’ve provided you with a few examples of what I’ve been doing. Keep trying
to find not only what works for today but continually search for methods to push
yourself harder! If you’ve been using 30-lb dumbbells for a couple weeks, switch
over to 32.5 and then to 35. Building work capacity is essential to improving
your gas and helping you under the bar!
The most valuable tool you have is education, so get reading. Read stuff by
every coach on EliteFTS.com regarding maximal strength and conditioning. Find
out who they read and buy those books and videos. Use wrestling websites and
forums for research. Even read things by the guys you don’t necessarily agree
with. There is a kernel of truth in everyone’s program, as they have identified
a need based upon weaknesses they’ve seen in their athletes. Also, read
critically! There is a ton of bullshit out there, so be brave enough to
experiment! If it doesn’t improve your performance on the mat, throw it out and
move on.
MMA and BJJ is perhaps the only sport where you are competing every time
you’re on the mat. Once you’ve educated yourself, have enough faith in your
abilities to write your own programs. You can pay someone hundreds of dollars to
train you, but you will never reach self-mastery. Your trainer had to learn from
someone, had to experiment to find what was most effective, and likely underwent
the same training at some point. Why wouldn’t you want to be able to take
responsibility for your own destiny? Read, experiment, evaluate, reformulate,
and repeat. That is the road one must walk to go from student to master.
In my next article, I’ll share the experience of my first SportMMA tournament
along with weight cutting and dieting and what I’m currently experimenting with
in the gym.
Casey S. Rusbridge is a post-graduate with a bachelor’s degree in film
studies. He is a novice powerlifter in the IPF and currently trains in his
garage facility outfitted exclusively with EFS.com equipment. Casey encourages
every reader to step up to the platform and test themselves—regardless of the
outcome.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
