Fighters Only

Issue 086

March 2012

The second part of our in-depth look at how hill sprinting can explode your training

Last time I kept it simple with some background on running hills and how they help you drop weight while increasing muscle tone and improve conditioning. This time we’re adding elements that will test your fight fitness to the max. Don’t forget, combat athletes need to be strong and explosive despite any fatigue they may feel. They must be able to demonstrate explosiveness even when their legs are tired, after all the feeling of dead, heavy legs is not a comfort on fight night.

Barry Gibson

Strength & conditioning trainer

Barry Gibson BSc and MMA-CSCC is the owner/founder of GrappleFit Training, and an S&C coach focusing on combat sports.

In drill one you’ll sprint up the hill and do 10 tuck jumps and then run back down, run back up the hill and do 20 mountain climbers. (For these, start in a push-up position on your hands and toes, then bring the right knee towards the chest resting the foot on the floor, then jump up and swap feet in the air bringing the left knee forward.) Then repeat with the burpees and squat thrusts. Rest for a minute and repeat 3–5 times.

In drill two, sprint up the hill and do 10 plyo pushups, (For these set up two equal-height boxes about six inches outside your shoulders. Start a push-up on the boxes, quickly remove your hands from them and reach for the floor. As your hands make contact with the floor, quickly decelerate your body’s descent until your torso is an inch or so away from the floor, then explosively reverse direction and try to push yourself off the floor as high as you can before landing softly with your hands on the boxes.) Jog down and sprint up backwards and do 10 jump lunges. Jog down and sprint up sideways then do 10 burpees. Repeat this for 3–8 rounds and alternate your sideways sprinting so you work both sides.

You’ll need a partner for drill three. Sprint to the top of the hill and shadow fight for 30 seconds or 150 punches then jog down. Bear crawl to the top of the hill and do eight double clap push-ups before jogging down. Sprint to the top of the hill and pummel for 30 seconds before jogging down. Then bear crawl up again before doing 10 partner rows.

There you have it, short and not so sweet. Feel free to mix things up a little and add your own combos too. Remember, sprinting on its own is awesome but coupled with some plyometric movements or fight-specific drills at the top of the hill will double your investment.