Fighters Only

Issue 049

May 2009

By Alex Gold.

Moving on from training for power (in last month’s article) this is about training for speed. In MMA, maximal strength is second to speed in order of importance. It doesn’t matter who is strongest if you are not able to display this strength. In terms of stand-up fighting, speed trumps strength almost every time.

The goals of this phase are:

Increase co-ordination between muscles
Improve time to maximal contraction of the muscles
Improve anaerobic power (maximal power output in a short time).

The duration of this phase will normally be between two and four weeks. This phase will often blend into the power phase, with elements of both being present at once. For instance, a session may start with depth jumps, then proceed to power cleans, before finishing with a few sets of heavy squats. But the emphasis would be on the speed work, which is what is noted in this article.

Strength training

The strength training in this phase is probably the most individualised of all the phases. Exercises to address individual game plans and weaknesses will be added based on analysis of the athlete’s condition. Emphasis will be on fast movements with little or no resistance, minimising time to perform each movement.

Similar to the power phase, the work periods should be short (under ten seconds) and the rest periods complete (five minutes or more on taxing exercises). A high number of sets can mean that this type of training requires the most gym time, with most of it being rest. To counteract ‘standing around syndrome’, I like to do abdominals / accessory / rehab work in-between sets of the big exercises as a form of active rest.

Energy system work

Aerobic work will be maintained, but only at a maintenance level. The majority of energy system work will be focusing on speed, fast movements with short duration to increase anaerobic power. As a rough guide, 5-10 sets of around 30 seconds work with two-minute rest periods will work well to achieve this. Work periods may be even shorter if you choose to use highly intensive means such as sprints or ‘punch out’ drills on the bag.

EXAMPLE PROGRAMME

Note that this is just a very rough and incomplete outline of the strength and conditioning portion of the programme, and does not take into account sports-specific training, maintenance work, or recovery methods.

Strength training

Warm-up

As for the power phase, I suggest a longer warm-up for speed work, ensuring the body is fully prepared prior to starting the session. As before, a general framework similar to below will work well: