Brian Stann had to be in tremendous shape as a decorated US Marine officer and then UFC fighter, and it’s something he’s maintained as a football and MMA commentator. Here’s what you can learn from the mind of a hero.
STATS
Height: six-foot-one
Weight: 206lb
Home: Scranton, Pennsylvania, by way of Tokyo, Japan
Occupation: UFC and AAC Football commentator and analyst
As the sun begins to peek over the horizon, Brian Stann is just waking up to hit the sidewalks of Johns Creek, Georgia. He jogs past the white picket fences of his neighborhood with red, white and blue flags rippling in the morning breeze. It’s a world away from the intensity of war-torn Iraq and the UFC Octagon.
A recipient of the Silver Star Medal, the 34-year-old has traded life on the dusty battlefields and the bloodstained canvas for a cageside seat as a color commentator and analyst, but his fitness regime hasn’t plummeted. If anything, he says his physical output has increased.
“I’m not nearly as productive as a professional if I don’t work out. I still do striking, wrestling and it’s important for me – especially on the announcing side – to stay on the cutting edge,” he tells.
“If I’m calling the fight and the guys are executing techniques I’ve never seen before or they’re doing something strategy-wise that I don’t understand or I can’t describe then I’m failing at my duties for the fans.”
Stann was in great shape when he joined the forces thanks to interval, circuit and mixed martial arts (MMA) training, but the traditional kind of army fitness that you’ll remember from Hollywood movies like running, push-ups and more running is the military’s recipe for creating a hardened soldier.
“Specifically being an infantry officer, you live outside for days at a time. You tend to walk or run everywhere you go and you have to carry a lot of weight,” he says.
“You’re going to be sprinting up steps to a rooftop or you’re going to be sprinting to a building to take cover, so you’ve got to train yourself and your heart rate to recover from that as quickly as possible while also being able to keep your focus, even when feeling you’re exhausted, which is very similar to fighting.”
When the former military Captain hung up his rifle in 2008 he had already competed in six professional MMA bouts and become the light heavyweight champion of the WEC organization. He used accumulated leave to train and fight while still serving on active duty.
“I took a fight because the training and dealing with the anxiety of it would help prepare me to lead a platoon into combat,” he says. “What ended up happening was, the sport didn’t help me in combat that way, but what benefited me more was constantly keeping in a military mindset.
“Even in my hobbies, I was looking for gaps in my opponents that I could exploit and I was always thinking on a tactical level, not to mention maintaining an incredible physical fitness.”
Staying in combat-ready shape helped Stann become a warrior in the Marines and in the cage. And even though he’s finished his service in both, he’s still fighting, this time as the president and CEO of Hire Heroes USA, a non-profit organization that helps ex servicemen find jobs.
“We help veterans and spouses of servicemen find jobs because it’s a difficult transition. We help them write their resumés, we help them interviewing for a job, we help search for employers that makes sense for their skill set.”
From young man to US war hero, Stann is the epitome of the American Dream and a perfect role model for young military men and upcoming fighters.
OPERATION MATADOR
In May 2005 Stann was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines and commanded the 2nd Mobile Assault Platoon. During Operation Matador insurgents ambushed his unit. Under the attacks of missiles, bullets and bombs, Stann and his 42 Marines held out for six days behind enemy lines and returned home with a 100% survival rate. Following his heroic act, he was awarded the Silver Star, America’s third highest award for valor in combat.
WAR HERO WORKOUT
Use this platoon-specific circuit to train like a US Marine
4 x 10 reps
Place a box or crate behind you. Bend your knees and explode up, so your feet leave the ground, touch the box with your bum and go again.
3 x 10 reps
Begin in the squat position with your hands on the floor. Kick your back behind you so you're in a press-up position. Return to your feet and repeat.
4 x 2 reps
Hold a medicine ball to your chest. Bend your knees and hips and explode upwards and throw the ball over your head when your legs leave the ground.
3 x 15 reps
Lie on the ground with your knees bent and feet under something. Keep your back straight and raise your torso as far off the ground as you can then lower yourself.
3 x 1 minute
Lie face down on the floor with your legs straight. Set your hands beneath your chest so your body weight rests on your forearms. Raise your body onto your elbows and toes and hold.
3 x 30 seconds
Get into the plank position then shift your body weight onto your right arm as you roll onto your right foot. Lift your body off the ground and balance on your right limbs, flex your abs.
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