Issue 040
August 2008
Rough House fighters go for the eye of the tiger.
Top fighters in the UK in their weight classes, welterweight Jim Wallhead and lightweight Andre Winner are two of the most well-conditioned fighters on the domestic scene. There are no good genetics to place blame on here – both fighters are gifted athletes, but their success comes from their hard work with strength and conditioning trainer Ollie Richardson. Fighters Only caught up with the team as they worked out at professional rugby team Leicester Tigers’ impressive facility to find out how they get in fighting shape.
Ollie, you’re the strength and conditioning coach for Leicester Tigers rugby team. How do you start working with MMA fighters?
I predominantly work for Leicester Tigers and also England Saxons. I got in to working with MMA fighters through Nathan Leverton [grappling and MMA coach to Jim and Dre]. I have watched MMA on and off for years but never found the right place to try it out for myself. Leicester Shootfighters was perfect for me – when I first went down there I spoke to Nathan about what I did and he liked the sound of my ideas and he introduced me to Jim and Dre.
MMA and rugby are both full contact sports, but what, if any, differences did you have to consider when designing their training compared to that of the players?
I suppose the biggest difference is that with rugby players I don’t have to worry about putting too much muscle on them, whereas in MMA I obviously need to be mindful of their weight categories. Having said that, I think that trainers can be too scared of putting weight on fighters. Putting muscle on is actually very hard when fighters are also doing hours of training in their other disciplines.
With Jim and André we mainly concentrate on developing relative strength and power. The other differences are that with fighters we are preparing for competition every 12 to 15 weeks, whereas with the rugby guys they are competing every weekend for most of the year. This impacts on what I do quite significantly. From my perspective it is much easier to plan to peak over a 15 week period. I can afford to be more detailed and have more time to develop exactly what I think they need.
What are your main goals when getting them ready for a fight?
My main aims change through out the cycle towards the fight. A long way out (weeks 15-10) my main aims are to re-balance their muscle groups (push, pull), work on their weaknesses (rotator cuff, necks, shoulders) and make sure they are ready for the higher levels of training that are coming, whether that be via massage, stretching, or by sending them home and making them rest.
From there on in the sessions are aimed towards increasing their relative strength capabilities and increasing their power. Five to six weeks out the emphasis changes again – strength and power is still addressed but the priority is conditioning. We use general conditioning such as strongman-type sessions up to this point, but from here on in the conditioning becomes as specific as possible.
I believe that in both MMA and rugby the best way to get fit for the sport is to play the sport, but because they are contact activities it is too risky to just play, so the next best thing is to adapt the sport to reduce the risk of injury. That’s why the drills work to serve that purpose.
You work with them three times a week, how long does an average session take?
Strength and power sessions are never over 50 minutes and conditioning is around 20 to 30 minutes. I always emphasise quality over quantity. At the end of the day the fighters are going to compete for 15 minutes at a very anaerobic intensity. Is there a cross over between training for 90 minutes to two hours when you are competing for 15 minutes? I would suggest no, and try to tailor the sessions accordingly.
Have you taken any MMA stuff and applied it to the rugby players’ training?
Yes definitely. Since being involved with Jim, Dre and Nathan I have implemented a wrestling and grappling conditioning program at Leicester. The combination of clinch work and short interval running suits the specifics of rugby really well.
How do Jimmy and Dre stack up as professional athletes? Are they on a par fitness-wise with athletes from other sports?
The work ethic of Jim and Dre is phenomenal and their commitment and drive to become the best at what they do is unbelievable. However, some of their ideas on training were a bit backward and I like to think I have helped them change them for the better, especially about balancing the need to train and the need to rest. In terms of comparing them to other athletes, their relative strength is pretty good.... An under hand chin up with a 50kg weight plate would be a good score in most sports. They still have some work to do with their squat and deadlift totals but they both adapt to training stimuli very quickly.
Do you communicate with their other coaches when designing their training?
No not really, but I think that will be the biggest step forward a fighter could take. I think it’s a bit early in the UK but there is a real need for a performance director for fighters – someone who can oversee the balance of training. It stands to reason that if you have three or four different coaches all wanting to improve their fighters, the week can get a bit over crowded. In the US, where fighters can train all the disciplines under the same roof, they could easily implement a performance director role. Without someone overseeing the schedule the chances of doing too much or too little are significantly increased. It is something we have spoken about and might try to implement in the future but it’s not practical just yet.
JIM WALLHEAD AND ANDRE WINNER'S STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROGRAM
Tuesday: strength
Thursday: power
Saturday: conditioning
The content of the strength and power program varies greatly depending on numerous factors, such as the time until the fight, the volume and intensity of the training week, individual strengths and weaknesses and current injury status.
Strength program
Below is an example of a strength session for Andre 9-10 weeks out from competition. This is known as an accumulation phase.
- A1: Back Squat (deep), 5 x 8, 30secs rest before A2
- A2: Romanian Deadlift, 5 x 8, 120secs rest
- B1: Dumbbell Bench Press (neutral grip), 4 x 6, 0s rest before B2
- B2: Chins (wide grip), 4 x 6, 90secs rest
- C1: Elbow on Knee External Rotations, 3 x 10, 60secs rest
The program is modified as the athletes approach fight time. The volume decreases and the intensity increases. This is the intensification phase. The concept behind this method is to have the fighters at their strongest when they fight.
Power program
The power program is tailored the same way. Below is a session Jim regularly performs 5 -6 weeks out from a fight.
- A1: Power Cleans, 5 x 3, 90-120secs rest
- B1: Explosive Rev Sled Pull-Thrus, 4 x 5 pulls of 50kg (max distance),15secs rest
- B2: Exp Med Ball Throw Circuit, 4 x 3-4 circuits (stop as soon as peak power drops off)
- C1: Barbell Roll Outs, 3 x 8, 60secs rest
Conditioning program
Jimmy and Andre’s conditioning program is also periodised the same way as the strength and power program. Further out from a fight the conditioning is ‘non-specific’ general fitness. This may consist of exercises such as strongman work (farmers carries, tyre flips, sled drags), off-feet work (such as rowing) and running work (such as short intervals). As the fight nears the conditioning gradually changes and becomes more and more specific. Sessions then include exercises such as shoot and lift drills, Gable wrestling drills, competitive clinch work and fresh partner grappling drills.
Example conditioning program
Both fighters would complete a similar session around 5 weeks out.
- Alternate tyre flips, 60secs
- Shoot and lift drill, 60secs
- Competitive clinch drill, 60secs
- Exp sled pull-thrus, 60secs
- Gable drill, 60secs
- Rest, 60secs
Repeat four times.
All of the conditioning work is done in five minute blocks with rest periods of one minute. Each session consists of four rounds, unless they are preparing for a title (five round fight) when they will train for six rounds.
Recovery
Physical
The recovery protocols are vital to maximise their ability to train at their best, week in week out. They will use different protocols and methods depending on the training they are recovering from. Ice baths, contrast showers, sauna and massage are all used at some point.
Sometimes when Jimmy or André come to training the best thing for their athletic development may be for them to have a massage or to warm up and complete a flexibility session instead of completing their scheduled strength or power session. This can make the difference between a good strength and conditioning program and an average one. As a trainer, you have to be able to look at the bigger picture.
Nutritional
Both fighters use high quality, high dose fish oil, as well as protein and glutamine supplements, and will take a multi-vitamin.
Jim and Andre both appear on the July 12th fight show Cage Warriors: Enter the Rough House in Nottingham, England.
For details go to www.cagewarriors.com
