| Question: I'm an aspiring MMA fighter. I currently | | | | do any steady state, traditional aerobic based |
| train jiu-jitsu and kickboxing for a total of three to | | | | cardio. You should be getting plenty of effective |
| four times a week. My question is in regards to | | | | conditioning while training in your sport. If you're |
| weight lifting/cardio. I want to make sure my | | | | not, you should time your rest intervals between |
| training is appropriate for my goals. Here's a break | | | | rounds and make sure that they're progressive. If |
| down of what I'm currently doing. Does this look | | | | you can't do this, have your coach do it for you. |
| good? | | | | Since there's no off season for your sport and |
| Day 1: | | | | you're training in it three to four times a week, |
| 1 hour of cardio before I train (chest and triceps:) | | | | you need to be concerned with time so you don't |
| Flat bench dumbbell press 3 x 14-20 | | | | over train, therefore, you should select exercises |
| Incline dumbbell press 3 x 14-20 | | | | that give you the most return on your |
| Decline press 3 x 14-20 | | | | investment. I would also only weight train two to |
| Cable fly 3 x 14-20(Dips 3 x 14-20 | | | | three times a week. I can't promise that you still |
| Cable pushdown 3 x 14-20 | | | | can't over train since I don't have enough |
| One arm pronated pushdown 3 x 14-20 | | | | information form you (namely diet) but there's |
| Day 2: | | | | certainly less of a chance than what you're |
| 1 hr of cardio 2 hours before I train | | | | currently doing. |
| Shoulders and abdominals | | | | Here are some better exercise choices. Select |
| (Smith Military Press 4/5 x 10-12 | | | | only one exercise from each group: |
| Lateral raise 4/5 x 10-12(Front raise 4/5 x 10-12 | | | | Pressing Exercises: |
| Shrug 4/5 x 10-12 | | | | Incline dumbbell press, palms facing each other |
| Abs | | | | Parallel-bar dips (Close grip barbell bench press, |
| Day 3: | | | | shoulder width grip |
| Same cardio as day 1 | | | | Barbell or dumbbell floor press(Standing barbell |
| Back and biceps | | | | press |
| (Lat Pull down 4/5 8-12 | | | | Upper-Body Pulling Exercises: |
| Seated Row 4 x 8-12 | | | | Parallel grip chin-ups |
| Cable row upper 4 x 8-12 | | | | Supinated shoulder-width chin-ups(Wide grip |
| Back Extension 4 x 12-20 | | | | pronated grip chin-ups) |
| Preacher curl 4 x 6-10 | | | | Incline dumbbell rows (One-arm dumbbell row) |
| Dumbbell curl 4 x 4-8 | | | | Rope face pulls (Parallel grip seated rows) |
| Seated curl 4 x 8-10 | | | | Leg Exercises, Hip and Knee Dominant: |
| Cable curl 4 x 8-12 | | | | Back squats (Front squats) |
| Day 4: | | | | Dead lifts, clean-grip, sumo, or snatch-grip |
| 1 hr cardio | | | | Romanian dead lifts |
| Day 5: | | | | Power cleans |
| Same Chest routine as Monday | | | | Split squats |
| Day 6: | | | | Lunges, decelerative or accelerative |
| Legs( | | | | Assistance/Remedial Exercises: |
| 45-degree leg press 4 x 8-12 | | | | Elbow flexor family (bicep) |
| Leg extension 4 x 8-12(Leg curl 4 x 8-12) | | | | (Elbow extension family (tricep) |
| Calf raises 4 x 8-15 | | | | (External rotator family |
| Answer: This is a typical body building style | | | | (Calves family( |
| program and it's not of much use for an aspiring | | | | Abdominal family |
| MMA fighter, any grappling sport, or any other | | | | So here's a three-day sample routine that |
| sport for that matter. Here are some problems | | | | shouldn't take more than an hour. (Listed are |
| with your current program: | | | | exercise, sets x reps, tempo, and rest interval): |
| 1) You're training too often. You don't get | | | | Day 1 |
| stronger while lifting weights but rather from the | | | | (A. Power Cleans: 4 x 3-5 x 11X0 x 240 second |
| recovery process that should take place. Based | | | | rest |
| on your program, you only rest one day and for | | | | B1. Standing barbell press: 4 x 3-5 x 20X0 x 120 |
| all I know you're still doing jiu-jitsu or kickboxing | | | | second rest |
| on that day since you didn't specify what days | | | | B2. Parallel grip chin-up: 4 x 3-5 x 3010 x 120 |
| you do those on. | | | | second rest |
| 2) You're doing too many sets per muscle group. | | | | C1. Lying decline dumbbell tricep extension: 3 x 6-8 |
| On day 1 alone there's 12 sets just for chest. This | | | | x 3010 x 90 second rest |
| is way too much. You should focus on the | | | | C2. Seated zottman curls: 3 x 6-8 x 3010 x 90 |
| minimum amount required to elicit the desired | | | | second rest |
| training adaptation. Any more than that and you're | | | | Day 2 |
| just cutting into your energy reserves that could | | | | (A. Clean-grip dead lift: 3 x 6-8 x 2110 x 180 |
| be used for recovery. | | | | second rest |
| 3) Several of the exercises chosen are poor | | | | B1. Dumbbell floor press: 3 x 6-8 x 31X0 x 90 |
| choices (leg extension, smith machine press, front | | | | second rest |
| raise, cable flyes, etc.) or redundant. For instance, | | | | B2. One-arm dumbbell row: 3x 6-8 x 3110 x 90 |
| all your elbow flexor exercises (bicep exercises) | | | | second rest |
| are with a supinated grip and again, you don't | | | | C1. Incline bench powell raise: 3 x 10-12 x 60 |
| need 16 sets to get the job done. | | | | second rest |
| 4) The strength qualities needed for MMA or any | | | | C2. Incline garhammer raise: 3 x 10-12 x 3020 x |
| grappling sport are: Relative strength, explosive | | | | 60 second rest |
| strength, and strength endurance. (Functional | | | | Day 3 |
| hypertrophy could also be included unless your | | | | (A. Telemark squat: 3 x 12-15 x 2010 x 75 |
| body fat is very low and you're already within | | | | second rest |
| your weight class.) The majority of your | | | | B1. Parallel dip: 3 x AMRAP (as many reps as |
| repetition ranges are for strength/endurance. | | | | possible) w/body weight x 2010 x 60 second rest |
| There's no work done for the other two strength | | | | B2. Pronated grip seated cable rows: 3 x 12-15 x |
| qualities. | | | | 2011 x 60 second rest |
| 5) You're performing straight sets when you | | | | C1. Seated dumbbell external rotation, arm on |
| should be super setting antagonistic muscle | | | | knee: 3 x 10-12 x 3010 x 60 second rest(C2.) |
| groups. This will allow you to get more work done | | | | Seated calf raise: 3 x 15-20 x 2210 x 60 second |
| in a shorter given unit of time and will assure that | | | | rest |
| your body is balanced on both sides of joints so | | | | Take one day off between workouts. |
| you're structurally sound. | | | | Once every four to six workouts you should |
| An example of straight sets is doing a set of a | | | | change all loading parameters: sets, reps, tempo, |
| barbell bench press, resting, and then doing | | | | rest interval, and exercise selection. |
| another set of barbell bench presses. An example | | | | Keep in mind that this is only a sample program |
| of super setting antagonistic muscle groups would | | | | and there are many other great exercises you |
| be doing a set of the barbell bench press, resting | | | | could do that will help you, also, in order for a |
| the desired amount of time based on your goals, | | | | weight lifting program to be more specific for |
| and then doing a set of seated cable rows. | | | | you, I would have to do a structural balance |
| 6) The cardio workouts you're doing are way too | | | | assessment on you and get more detailed |
| long and close to your weight training workouts. | | | | information. |
| Stop doing cardio before lifting weights and don't | | | | |