Issue 022
February 2007
By Barry Gibson
Before we start this month’s fun, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has bought my Grapplefit DVD so far. Your support is much appreciated, as is your feedback, so please feel free to email me with your comments.
Strength and conditioning, endurance, cardio, fitness work, call it what you like. This aspect of training needn’t be difficult. Too often combat athletes delve too deeply into the science behind training and tend to think a bit too much. While the pursuit of knowledge is a good thing, sometimes it’s necessary to get off your backside and actually go train!
This month I’m making it complex, but not in the way you may think. We’re going to use complexes to boost our conditioning. These are a great way to maximise your training time and cripple your heart and lungs.
A complex is done by putting exercises together in a non-stop manner. A very basic example would be with a kettlebell in your right hand, one swing, one clean and one snatch performed immediately after one another – and which would be one rep. You would repeat with this same side for your desired rep scheme then change hands. So to clarify, if you do six reps on one side, in total you’ve actually performed 18 reps. If you count both sides, that’s 36 reps, therefore we make the most of our time. You can even perform a series of exercises back-to-back, resting only when all exercises are complete and repeating the series for two or four sets – see below for details.
Complexes focus on improving muscular endurance and lactate tolerance. The effect of lactate on the muscles can be devastating, as most fighters will know. It is not uncommon for the arms, legs or shoulders to “lock up” as a result of the build up of lactic acid. Fighters need to work their muscles metabolically with high intensity activities for extended time intervals.
Performing this type of work will “educate” the fighter to become more efficient at buffering the effects of the acid. This buffer system, simply put, is the body’s method of utilising lactate as fuel for immediate use or to create glycogen for later. A fighter’s lactate threshold is the level at which their body becomes less effective at buffering the lactic acid (characterised by a drop in performance). In the field of sports science, this is known as onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA).
Complexes are an ideal way to improve a fighter’s threshold. You can perform complexes with kettlebells, sandbags, dumbbells, barbells etc… Whatever you choose. Here, as usual, we’re talking kettlebells. Use one or two bells – the choice is yours. If you’re new to kettlebells, stick to one. As an aside, you could wear a mouthpiece/gum shield for your routine to add an extra element of realism and specificity.
What follows is a ‘simple’ complex routine (no pun intended) that can be performed anywhere with minimal space.
- Snatch
- Clean and Press
- Front Squat
- Lunge
- Bent Over Row
- Swing
- Kettlebell Burpees
You can perform this routine one of two ways:
No rest between exercises
Rest 90-120 seconds between sets
Each exercise is 6 reps
Perform 4 sets
OR:
No rest between exercises
Rest 90-120 seconds between sets
Drop a rep with each successive set e.g. 6 reps on first set, 5 reps, 4 reps, 3 reps etc
Each week, try to limit your rest until you’re working and resting as you would in your particular fight event. You could shadow box or pummel with a partner during the active rest periods. By doing this, you’re training your body to fight through fatigue. These are just some ideas to try. As usual, don’t be limited by your own imagination. The sky’s the limit – but who needs limits?
Barry Gibson is a judo player, an exercise professional and a qualified kettlebells instructor. His DVD Grapplefit is available through his website GrappleFit.com. Any questions or comments regarding his articles can be directed to [email protected].
