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FIGHTING FITNESS I have read a few articles recently which dealt with the subject of physical training and MMA. MMA fighters are top level athletes however; several people commented that a few fighters were now training in bodybuilding techniques as opposed to those that were functional to their sport. In other words they were training to look good in front of the mirror and the crowd as opposed to doing exercises which would greatly enhance their fighting skills. This is something that we should bare in mind when we are training. A great many people concentrate a lot of gym time on working bicep curls and neglecting triceps for example. The triceps muscles actually make up three quarters of the arm and provides the power behind strikes. We definitely don’t want to fall into this trap unless we want to be on the cover of Men’s Health. The following is a rough guide that will give you some ideas on how to structure your own basic training around classes so you will be able to get the best from training sessions and also be functional during combat. The types of exercises we want to concentrate in the beginning are cardiovascular and power exercises. Cardiovascular (CV) exercises build endurance by making your heart and lungs more efficient. Power exercises build strength in either single muscles or groups of muscles depending on the particular exercise. If we look at CV we are talking about building up endurance by using aerobic CV exercises such as running, swimming, rowing or cycling. The aim of such exercises is to raise the heart rate into the range where the over load principle comes into effect. If you can maintain this rate for anything over 20 minutes the body will realise that the heart has been overloaded and it will compensate by building extra muscle in the heart and improving your circulatory system to allow you to do it again. The next time you run you should find it slightly easier as your body has adapted. However, if you do not do this regularly the body will return to the norm very quickly. If we look at power exercises the same principles apply. You lift a weight or you do certain exercises with you own body weight. The next day your muscles are sore as they have effectively been torn. With proper rest and nutrition, the muscles rebuild themselves stronger in order to cope with the physical exertion that they have experienced. This is the principle behind all weightlifting and body building. So what we want to do is achieve a balance. We want to be strong and able to produce powerful strikes, whilst remaining flexible but also with a high degree of aerobic capacity. We don’t want do train like a body builder as although they are very strong, they often lack any muscular endurance. At the same time we don’t want to be all endurance and no power. Whilst, an altercation may be over in seconds where not a huge amount of endurance will be required even it may not be and our weekly sessions training certainly aren’t over quickly. So in the beginning lets look at some basic training. If we take running for example then we want to aim for 2-3 sessions per week. We want to be running hard enough to get your heart into the aerobic training range which is between 65 and 75% of your maximum for at least 30 minutes. However, if we don’t alter distance and pace our body will quickly adapt and we won’t see any significant gains. You can counter this by mixing your running sessions up and shocking the body. For example, different runs can be classed in the following ways. A short fast paced run, a longer slower paced run or a basic run where you are going at a comfortable pace where you should be able to hold a conversation easily if you were with a training partner. Why not try the basic run for one week and then the add a long pace or a short fast paced one the next. Just keep mixing it up in order that you don’t get bored and you keep your body guessing. You can use the same principle for cycling and swimming. If we look at power exercises then if we use gym equipment then let’s concentrate on basic core exercises. We don’t need to focus on building small muscles like the rear delts as we are not entering body building competitions. So as a basic we should look at bench press, seated shoulder press, dumbbell or Olympic bar curls, squats or cleans, and lat pull downs. Also exercises for the abdominals. Remember again mix it up a bit, alter weights and rep ranges. Sometimes go for heavier sessions and other times look to up the rep ranges and drop the weight down a bit. Also, look to super set exercises as we don’t need to be in the gym for hours. We have too many other areas to train than to waste our time lifting weights or running all night. If you don’t want to use weights or don’t have access to them then do push ups and look to alter the hand positions, free standing squats or lunges, burpees, squat thrusts, crunches, chin ups. Again, if you don’t have the time commitment then mix your CV and power exercises together. Start with a slow run to warm up, then do some push ups followed by shuttle runs, then do as many crunches as you can for two minutes followed by chin ups then some 50 metre sprints. You are only bound by your own imagination. Try and get a good training partner as they will help keep you motivated. When you don’t feel like training they should be calling you up saying it’s only 30 minutes out of your life. Go to bed 30 minutes later or get up 30 minutes earlier the following day to compensate. Again, before you start any serious exercise you should look honestly at your own fitness and if you have any concerns discuss these with your GP. Again, I would always say its better doing something as opposed to nothing. So even if you can only briskly walk home from work one evening or run around the block twice at night, its better than sitting saying you haven’t got the time. Check out myprotein.co.uk - suppliers of sports supplements. All articles are copyrighted & remain the property of Marcus Houston & may not be reproduced in part or whole by any manner, & cannot be used in any way without the express permission of Marcus Houston. These are the views of the writer and are not the views of the IKMF or any other Association that Marcus Houston has links with.