Issue 086

March 2012

Why slow and steady wins the race when it comes to a training routine 

Rosi Sexton

Pro fighter & sports therapist

Rosi Sexton is a leading professional fighter, sports therapist and registered osteopath. 

Think back a few weeks to the beginning of January. Remember how this was supposed to be the year we were going to get fit, lose weight, change our training routine, start competing, step up a level, or win those big fights? On March 13th, we’ll be a fifth of the way through the year. How is it going? 

If your plan for world domination is proceeding on schedule, you can stop reading here – clearly you don’t need my advice. On 

the other hand, if the first part of the year hasn’t quite gone to plan, perhaps it’s time to think again. 

We all know those fighters who seem extremely talented in the gym. They do things in training that nobody else can. But you only see them every couple of months. There’s always a reason they can’t make it to class, they skimp on their conditioning and when the going gets tough they’ll happily sit a few rounds out. These are the guys that frustrate MMA coaches the world over – the fighters who ‘could have been the next big thing,’ but didn’t have the dedication to carry it through. That doesn’t apply to you though, does it? 

While that is an extreme example, consistency in training is something that most of us could improve on. The popularity and novelty of MMA as a sport has led to a lot of bandwagon jumping. People with a new training method or product to sell find a ready audience amongst fighters looking for a quick-fix solution, or indeed anything that will give them an edge over their opponents.  

We’re always hearing about the latest buzzwords or what cutting-edge training our favorite fighters are doing and often we find ourselves questioning what we’re doing – is our training program out-of-date? Should I be doing Tabata’s or circuit training? Olympic lifts or plyometrics? Crossfit? Caveman? Kettlebells? Core stability? Should I spend money on the latest fitness fads and gadgets? Or that personal trainer who will guarantee unbelievable results, fast? And where does this fit in with my wrestling, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, padwork and sparring sessions? 

Making gradual improvement

Perhaps you know the perfectionist who tries a program for a week or so – until he.finds something that looks more impressive on the internet. He’s so busy researching and tweaking the program to make use of the very latest methods that he doesn’t actually do enough of anything to progress.

Without consistency, even those with an impressive work ethic can find themselves at sea. Fighters with a ‘more is better’ attitude often try to cover all the bases and do everything, all at once. This typically lasts for a few weeks, maybe a month or two – but sooner or later it all falls apart.

Maybe you made a heroic effort to start a new strength and conditioning program. You had it all planned out – three sessions a week. You hit the first one like a maniac, struggled gamely through the second... and then it unravelled when you couldn’t walk for a week.

Improvements come gradually in this game. Champions are the fighters who can keep up a training routine week after week, month after month and year after year. Slowly and steadily making things better, not looking for the one miracle program which is going to change everything. 

I’m not advocating a return to the old-school training methods, exemplified by the traditionalists who prefer things the way they have always been done without resorting to ‘new-fangled nonsense’. It is important to recognize where innovation and research can benefit athletes. The more we understand about the human body, the more we can get the best results from the time we spend training. To an MMA fighter, time is always at a premium and overtraining commonplace. In a complex sport that is evolving quickly, change is both necessary and inevitable. 

Careful planning is crucial, though, to make sure that the ingredients of your training program fit together in a coherent way. You don’t cook by throwing a bunch of your favorite foods together randomly (bacon, ice cream, curry, chocolate sauce...), and yet I’ve seen many fighters take this approach to their training. 

Then, once you’ve designed your perfect training plan, the secret lies in showing up. Consistently.