Issue 040

August 2008

Here is the problem: you have to train your MMA game three hours a day, and still make time to improve your conditioning and get stronger, all at the same time. Oh, and you only have a few weeks to be in top physical shape. What are you going to do? 

I hope you didn’t answer ‘jog an hour each morning and lift weights for another hour, plus do my fight training’. If you did you are going to be one burned-out fighter come fight night. The fact is you need to be a machine in the cage, so every second of your time had better prepare you for the task at hand. 

Using kettlebell training to replace your jogging and bodybuilding routine can maximise your time and efficiency in the gym, as well as your performance in the cage. Kettlebell training will dramatically improve your conditioning, your core strength and your grip. Most importantly though, it will train your body to be stronger for longer! You will not only build strength and power but also you will be able to utilise this force for an extended period of time. 

Take the fighter who jogs for conditioning; are you ever going to fight at that kind of pace? Or the fighter who spends all his time and energy increasing his bench press; strength is only good until you are tired, then it is gone. Jogging is simply too easy to improve your conditioning, and weight training does not teach your body to sustain strength moves for extended periods of time.

Look at the facts of your sport. Fights last for three or five rounds of five minutes a round, so why not train your body to go as hard as possible for that period of time? This is where kettlebells come in. You can use them when training to simulate the stresses of a fight and prepare the body for what is to come.  

How to structure a kettlebell session 

Here are a few points worth considering:  

• How many rounds is the fight? The drill will have one more round than this.
• How many minutes is each round? The drill will have 30 more seconds than this.
• What are your weak muscle groups?  Always make sure to add extra exercises for your weak points!

Okay, let’s say you have a three-round fight with five minutes per round. That means we will create a drill of four rounds with a time of 5 minutes and 30 seconds per round. This great idea comes from jiu-jitsu black belt and wrestler Steve Maxwell. The extra round and time are to create a buffer so you don’t run out of steam at the end of the fight. You want to feel very strong going into the final seconds of each round, and especially the last round of the actual fight. You want your body and mind to have been there before.

Now that you know your workout times, let’s put together some exercises. It is best to have a mix of dynamic movements (such as the swing, clean and press, or snatch) for explosiveness mixed in with some more static movements (such as windmills or renegade rows) to build static strength.

The reason for including static movements is that a lot of fighters become exhausted during the static periods of wrestling during a fight. Think of the fighter who just got up from being pinned down, and was barely moving for two minutes, yet he is totally out of breath. This is because he had all the muscles in his body contracting hard against his opponent’s force. You need to still have energy, no matter where the fight goes.  

Finally, if your weaknesses are the hamstrings and abdominal muscles you’ll need to focus on those too. 

Example kettlebell fight round 

(Perform for five minutes and 30 seconds):

• Two-hand swing (20 reps)
• One-hand swing (10 reps per hand)
• One-hand high pull (5 reps per hand)
• Military press (5 reps with one hand) then straight into, , ,
• . . .Windmill (5 reps per hand)
• Overhead Lunge (10 reps per hand)
• Snatch (5 reps per hand)
• Turkish get-ups (5 reps per hand)
• Rows (10 reps per hand)
• Kettlebell clean and press burpees (5 reps)
• Rotational cleans (5 reps per hand)
• Kettlebell rack squat (5 reps)
• Overhead push press (5 reps)
• Kettlebell deadlifts (10 reps)

If the time rings before you have completed the circuit, just pick up the next round where you left off. If you have time left when you reach the end you start from the top or just keep swinging. Should a certain muscle group start to give out during an exercise, simply move on to the next one as you are after systemic fatigue here. 

With training like this you want to push the body and mind to new levels of conditioning! You should be trying not to puke during this drill the first few times you try it, as the lactic acid build up will be incredible. You will notice the mix of dynamic and static exercises, again this is to simulate a fight where bursts of movement are often followed by periods of static pushing and pulling.

This is a much larger circuit than many may be used to, so start with a lighter kettlebell because it is crucial that you are able to last the specified amount of time. Average athletes will be fine with a 16kg kettlebell for conditioning purposes. I’ll admit, I have often ditched the bell halfway through the round and used bodyweight exercises to finish off the round, which is far better than simply quitting. 

Strength training with weights definitely has a place in fight preparation, as does slow-state cardio training, but they should not be your priority as they simply will not prepare you to fight. Spend your time on what will make you an animal in the cage. Use the kettlebell fight system to prepare your body and mind for victory!