Issue 142

June 2016

Start your fight-camp conditioning with a workout from Robbie Lawler’s strength and conditioning coach 

The return of Robbie Lawler to the Octagon has been a revelation. From being an also-ran to becoming the man, he’s taken the welterweight division by storm and defied the odds to become the undisputed 170lb champion. One of the keys to his success is his stamina. All four of his title fights have gone to the fifth round and he’s been able to come out swinging and put a stamp on every confrontation.

The man behind the strength and conditioning regimen that prepares Lawler for 25 minutes of ferocity is Brian Harris. “Robbie and I began working with each at American Top Team when he got the call to come back to the UFC against Josh Koscheck,” he says. 

“From that fight camp to today we’ve shared the same philosophy: train smart and train to become a better athlete. Robbie’s strength and conditioning program has him working on different aspects of training five days a week. A lot of spectators don’t realize his athleticism because of his brawling style. 

“We go by one rule: learn to be comfortable with uncomfortable. If you were to see Robbie performing strength and conditioning throughout the week it would be no surprise why he is able to go into the fifth round maintaining power and energy. As he continues to evolve and grow as a fighter his strength and conditioning is always improving too.”

Staying in shape

Harris offers two components of the champ’s training you can emulate. There’s one weights session that will push your strength to the limit and a workout for the track that will leave you breathless. “Our training regimen revolves around a periodization program, which has different phases throughout the year and weeks leading up to the fight,” he says. 

Weight training

During the off-season, training consists of structural lifts such as: bench press, back squat, deadlift and clean. During the hypertrophy phase (first phase of camp) Robbie will do a workout like this:

8 x reverse lunge

  8 x back squat jump 

  8 x back squat 

Repeat the sequence twice before you set the bar back into the rack. Do three sets with three minutes’ rest between each one.

Track workout

As we get closer to the fight, Robbie will complete two strenuous track workouts a week

Start with a dynamic warm-up: ladder drills, hurdle sequences to open up the hips, soft tissue work (e.g. with a foam roller) and mobility exercises.

Single-leg bounds

 3 x 50 yards on each leg

Strides 

 4 x 100 yards at 50% effort

PRO TIP

A stride is a perfect-form run, with high knees and pointed toes.

SPRINTS

 2 x 40 yards at 70% effort

 2 x 60 yards at 80% effort 

 8 x 100 yards at max effort 

Recover between each sprint by taking some active rest. Do a light jog back to the start line before you begin your next rep.