By pioneering ‘Caveman Training’ Sean Sherk became the leading runner in back-to-basics strength and conditioning.
Now the UFC lightweight reveals how the evolution of his training and diet is taking MMA to new extremes.
They say the shark is the greatest predator to have ever lived; a merciless, bloodthirsty killer that has survived extinction while others have perished.
Much the same can be said of perennial UFC lightweight contender Sean ‘The Muscle Shark’ Sherk. His moniker could not be more fitting. In 12 years as a professional mixed martial artist he has sunk his teeth into a formidable roster of deadly opponents, leaving the likes of Kenny Florian battered and bloodied, Nick Diaz ground to a halt and Tyson Griffin outpointed and outgunned.
With devastating wrestling and ground ‘n’ pound, Sherk reached the apogee of his fighting career with the acquisition of the UFC lightweight title in 2006.
Sherk’s success didn’t happen by chance; it came through years of hard work immersed in a grueling training regime. Even at a young age his work rate was evident.
At just five years old he was training wrestling training and by the age of seven Sherk was already lifting weights in his bedroom. By his mid teens he was pumping iron intensively and by the time he hit 24 he was well on his way to becoming a UFC sensation.
CAVEMAN TRAINING
From a small child to a lethal hunter, Sherk has now popularized the infamously hardcore Caveman Training. But what is this ‘prehistoric’ form of exercise and why has it proven so popular among the MMA elite?
“The idea behind Caveman Training is what cavemen would be doing if they were working out in a cave, like throwing and lifting rocks and just using whatever they had available,” explains the now 37-year-old Sherk. “It’s just simple, basic stuff that’s functional and you can do with any type of equipment.
You can grab a big tire and flip it, you can hit it with a sledgehammer, you can climb ropes, you can run up hills, it’s just exercise with anything you can get your hands on.”
A trend setter in MMA strength and conditioning, Caveman Training’s popularity exploded after Sherk was featured on Spike TV in 2007 for UFC All Access, showcasing his state-of-the-art regime at Greg Nelson’s Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy [also interviewed here]. It revealed Sherk engaging in an intense daily routine of tire flips, resisted bear crawls, bag slams and sledgehammer drills to name a few. Unlike the term ‘Caveman Training’ suggested, his workouts were at the forefront of MMA’s rapid evolution and were soon adopted by many of the industry’s leading professional fighters.
At this point, by abandoning traditional and dated techniques, Sherk’s training program would change dramatically.
“I was elated when I started to introduce Caveman Training into my routine as I got to do much more fun and hardcore stuff,” says Sherk. “I used to live on elliptical machines yet I hated it. I took it out of training when I started doing my Caveman Training. It’s just long and boring like running. Running is boring as sh*t!
“Bleachers and stairs are probably my favorite workouts now. Often I’d only do it once a week because after you’re done with it your legs are fried. Usually it’s gonna be on Saturday and it’s gonna be the last workout of the day. You’ve then got all day Sunday to recover. It’s gonna blow your conditioning out of the water.
"I do it to mimic shooting a takedown. You’re gonna blast up that thing and your legs are gonna be trucking forward as hard as they can until you finally catch your opponent.
I run up as fast as I possibly can and jog down then repeat.”
GORILLA DRILLS
Joining Sherk’s extensive repertoire of caveman exercises are gorilla drills. “Those are drills where you get three heavy bags and lay them in a star shape on the mats,” says Sherk.
“You then circle the bags in a sideways motion, touching the bag and the mat while moving on your hands and feet like a gorilla.”
Although Sherk’s naturally gifted athleticism has proved a vital cornerstone to his success, it is equally his passion for intensive training that spurs him forward in the MMA business.
“I’ve never had a problem trying to motivate myself,” he says. “I love training hard and being in the heat of the moment. I believe preparing for a fight has got to be one of the best feelings in the world, especially as you get closer to fight night.
"Your physical attributes change to the point where you feel like you’re superhuman and there’s nothing that can break you. Once I get in those hard workouts, those are the times I live for and are the best moments of my life.”
VISUALIZATION
With a strong work ethic comes a strong mind. Much like the techniques some of the UFC’s biggest stars are utilizing, such as Randy Couture, Sherk adopts visualization tactics into his training to ensure he has a positive and healthy mind frame.
“I spend a lot of time visualizing. People say that I overthink things but that’s a good thing. I spend so much time thinking about weaknesses I have to improve on. I’m also thinking about different combinations and techniques I can add and how to get stronger.
I’m always thinking about different things I can add to my diet. I’m always thinking about mixed martial arts and visualizing how I could better myself and I’m always trying to evolve.
"As the fight gets closer I start thinking about my fight more and more and start to visualize myself fighting in different situations and winning and getting my hand raised.”
It is this mentality to better oneself that has seen Sherk notch up a sensational record of 36-4-1. His strong mental ethos has enabled him to work above and beyond what is expected of a modern MMA athlete. He has now become synonymous with unparalleled work ethic and is revered for his superior gas tank.
ELEVATION TRAINING MASK
Sherk’s latest extreme venture into improved cardio performance has gained him as much (if not more) publicity than when he first revealed Caveman Training to the MMA masses.
Recently releasing the Sean Sherk Elevation Training Mask, he has created a training product that fighters like Kevin Randleman and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson have keenly adopted into their programs and it is rapidly selling.
“It’s a mask that restricts your breathing. It’s scientifically known for doing different things to your body,” explains Sherk.
“It’s going to strengthen your lungs. It’s going to give your lungs more elasticity, giving your lungs the ability to inhale and exhale more oxygen. It’s going to make your blood efficiency rate higher, which makes your oxygen efficiency rate rise. If you use it over time your red blood cell count will get higher.”
The Elevation Training Mask is designed to replicate high-altitude training by mimicking a low-oxygen environment. It allows users to regulate and reduce the amount of oxygen they can breathe during drills in order to improve cardio. By breathing less oxygen, the body is forced to adapt by producing new red blood cells to improve the transportation of the gas.
Aside from the physical benefits, Sherk believes it also has a positive affect on a fighter’s mentality. It’s the old Train Hard Fight Easy ethos once again. “You’re restricting your breathing as you’re training so it’s gonna positively affect your cardio and your mental toughness as well. When you take it off you’ll feel you can breathe so much easier and feel much fitter,” explains Sherk.
“Three years ago we were using these old military gas masks; these big clunky ugly looking things and we’d use duck tape to tape up some of the air holes. When I first put it on I was already in shape so I didn’t get that ‘I can’t breathe’ panicky feeling. I remember putting it on and struggling with it but I was able to acclimate myself to it pretty fast.
"If somebody who isn’t in the best shape puts this thing on for the first time they’re gonna feel it immediately. After a couple of weeks your body will start making all the necessary adjustments.”
Sherk now trains in the mask for up to four days a week, aiming to vary the exercises he performs in it as much as possible. While for many years he has kept it a secret, videos eventually surfaced on the Internet of Sherk wearing it while on an exercise bike and the news rapidly spread. Now, it’s not just MMA athletes who are approaching Sherk to employ it into their training.
“We were contacted by a trumpet player wishing to improve his lungs to play better,” laughs Sherk. “We were also contacted by hunting guys who wanted to prepare themselves for going up to the mountains on big hunts. We were even contacted by a singer who works out running on a treadmill and singing at the same time who wanted to exercise and sing while wearing it. People are finding all kinds of ways to utilize it.”
Strapping a gas mask to your face and doing rounds on the treadmill may seem a daunting prospect for many yet Sherk admittedly trains with the aim of “never being tired, not even by the end of the fight,” and can justifiably say that his hypoxic training has paid off.
“My recovery’s really good,” he says. “A lot of times after I’ve done fighting I feel I could go again and even the next day I feel the same way. Obviously the training’s hard but the diet is one of the bigger aspects too. I don’t leave any stones unturned. My diet is excellent and I believe that’s what helps me push past that point and helps with my recovery as well.”
BABY FOOD
Sherk’s dietary discipline is also second to none. He is well known for the almost draconian measures he puts himself through to ensure his body receives the correct nutrition – some quirkier than others.
“I eat baby food everyday,” he reveals. “It’s so easy, clean and convenient. It’s 100% natural. There’s no bullsh*t in it. I can take it with me anywhere. I tend to eat five to six times a day with little snacks in between. I just leave it right in my truck and when I’m on the go I’ll just pick up a jar and down it. I do carrot and sweet potato flavor as they’re good carbs.”
While it may seem odd that a man who fights for a living eats baby food to give him the edge, Sherk believes anything that can improve his game by just a tiny fraction is a worthy investment.
“I also love eating bison,” he adds. “I eat it when I’m training for a fight to keep the fat levels down. I believe bison and ostrich are the two leanest meats in the world. I just try and keep it lean and try to keep the fat out of my body.”
Apart from the more exotic foods, Sherk indulges on the common MMA fighter’s staple of fruits, vegetables, chicken and fish, while rewarding himself with a steak on Sundays.
He is also an advocate of eating raw, based on the principle that raw food contains more nutrients.
“Raw foods are better because you lose all the nutrients when you cook it,” he says. “If you cook a vegetable you’re gonna lose up to 80% of the nutrients inside it. What’s the point of eating it if you’re gonna lose all the goodness?”
Sherk admits he doesn’t actually enjoy his strict diet but rather sees it as a necessary part of his job. “Diet’s the hardest part,” he says. “It’s just a matter if you have the will power to do it. I mean, my off day is a steak and salad.
"That’s not much of a f*cking day off. It’s not like I’m eating pizza and chicken wings and sh*t. I eat so many raw fruits and vegetables daily. I got a juicer machine so I juice fruits and vegetables a couple of times a day as well.
“I’m not weak minded at all. It’s really not worth having bad food and then going to the gym and training. It’s really gonna show because you can’t fake a good diet and conditioning.
You’ve either got it or you don’t. Essentially, it’s a taste in your mouth that lasts for 30 seconds; 30 seconds after you eat it it’s gone, so what’s the point?”
So how does Sherk deal with the times when temptation for ‘junk’ food becomes too strong? “Simple,” he says.
“I just sniff it. It’s kind of funny when I have cravings for food that I shouldn’t eat because I actually smell it. I’ll just sit and sniff on say, a chocolate brownie for example, for five minutes and for some reason that cures my craving.”
THE RIGHT WEIGHT
It’s a necessary evil that Sherk adopts to keep the weight down, yet he hasn’t always needed to be so strict with his diet. A former welterweight, before 2006 Sherk was fighting above his natural weight class and having to pump his body full of calories.
“I was constantly eating to try and stay heavier at welterweight. Even though I was fighting at welterweight I was only walking around at 178lb. I was trying to force 4500 calories into my body a day and 170g of protein. I was downing all kinds of carbs just to keep that weight on.”
In 2006, Sherk decided to drop down from welterweight to lightweight after he was offered to fight Kenny Florian for the vacant UFC lightweight title. His decision to scale down paid dividends as he avoided Florian’s notorious elbows and was able to use his superior power to wrestle him to the ground and dictate the fight, going on to win the title.
“I felt so much better at lightweight,” says Sherk. “It gave my body a chance to recover better. I took a couple of pounds off and I felt faster, more explosive and my conditioning was amazing. It was a great move for me.”
Known for taking up to 22 different supplements three times a day, Sherk also ditched the pills and replaced them with vegetables. “I’ve reduced my supplements down and balanced it out by adding more fruit and veg to my diet,” he says. “I just figured I could take it naturally instead. Now when I’m training for a fight I’m putting down 15 different types of vegetables in my body a day. I eat raw spinach two or three times a day. I eat blueberries, blackberries, celery, carrots, apples: everything under the sun.
"I still take multivitamins three times a day when I’m training for a fight. I do a B-vitamin and fish oils every single day. I don’t drink milk so I take a calcium supplement. I even eat raw garlic every night before I go to bed.”
While Sherk’s wife is likely to disprove of the smell of garlic at bedtime, it is this extreme dedication that makes him an elite contender. With the prospect of reclaiming the lightweight title spurring him forward, Sherk continues to train with a ferocity and intensity that has earned him such a fiercely respected reputation.
To himself, Sean Sherk is by his own admission, “a hardworking guy who’s always been that way.” To the aspiring warrior, he is a true inspiration – baby food and all.
SHAPING THE SHARK PART ONE - GREG NELSON
Head trainer at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy and long-time friend, Greg explains his role in developing Sean's training regimen.
Q: How did you come to meet Sean?
Greg Nelson: “I met Sean almost 12 years ago. He came into Minnesota Martial Arts Academy and told me he wanted to get into fighting so that’s what we did. We started him off with shoot boxing, shoot wrestling, Combat Submission Wrestling and Muay Thai classes, and as they say, the rest is history.”
Q: What did you notice that was special about Sean?
“When he first came he was just coming out of wrestling so he was definitely a bit leaner because of his weight cutting. He was also extremely tenacious. He never gave in and was constantly driving and constantly pushing. He never gave an inch. He did whatever he could to finish a takedown; he was just none stop. From day one he was a hard worker. If you told him to do something he’d give it 100% and then some.”
Q: Where do you think his work ethic comes from?
“I think it’s the fact that he wrestled since he was five years old. Anyone who’s been a wrestler will know you have to grind and work really hard. You have to cut weight and make a lot of sacrifices. You can’t go out with your buddies as much and it’s such a disciplined lifestyle. The second part of it is his upbringing. He had an older brother who was also a wrestler and they would constantly challenge each other. His work ethic was instilled from the very beginning.”
Q: How has Sean’s training changed over the years?
“The main thing is he’s become smarter with his training. Before he’d work super hard non-stop but he’s learnt how to specify his training more adequately to the skills he needs to succeed while keeping that intensity. He’ll do a lot of striking drills and he now works more endurance on the ground, and ground fighting. We’d do tons of different drills and he’s now really honed it down to a style of training that’s specific to him. His training’s changed quite a bit but one thing that hasn’t changed is the fact he’s a mover and a shaker and a goer. Once Sean says he’s gonna do something he does it.”
Q: What does he excel at?
“I’d say the biggest thing is he’s always been known as that guy who’s gonna get it to the ground really quick. He’s figured out how to line up his shots with really quick and explosive precision. He also won’t stop moving; he’s never gonna let up that pressure whether he’s passing the guard or trying to get out of a submission. It’s just been bred into him.”
Q: How would you describe him mentally?
“He’s extremely tough mentally as well. He can be caught in some of the worst submissions and he’ll just grind his way out. He said to me, ‘If I’m stuck in a guillotine I can hold my breath for a minute and a half so as the long as the blood hasn’t stopped flowing I’m gonna keep fighting.’ You see from his fighting style that even if he’s caught in deep guillotines he just can’t be finished. That’s not only his physical strength but also his mental power to keep driving and pushing through whatever challenges may face him. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on or off the mat, he has that mental toughness that will allow him to persevere.”
Q: What’s the best part of Sean’s character?
“He’s an extremely loyal and team-orientated guy. He’s always been that way. I’ve never had to worry about him jumping ship. He’s always there to help other fighters and will always take care of others. The other thing is I’ve never had to worry about whether he was going to do what he said he was going to do. He’s a guy that never questions, never squabbles and gives you more than you ask for. That type of character seems to be in much shorter supply now in MMA but he’s still a very warm and trustworthy individual.”
Q: What can people learn from Sean?
“The number-one thing is that through hard work you can achieve anything you want. His ability to set his eye on the mark and just go for it and continue to drive and strive and push is second to none. Whatever he needs to do to get there he will do. He’s shown that by fighting with injuries to his shoulder. It’s that hard work and perseverance that ensures he’ll come out on top.”
SHAPING THE SHARK PART TWO - SCOTT RAMSDELL
Scott is Sean's strength and conditioning coach.
Q: How long have you known Sean?
Scott Ramsdell: “I’ve known Sean for just over four years. We met through Greg Nelson who’s a mutual friend of ours. I developed the Caveman Training program for Sean.”
Q:Is this something you came up with?
“Yeah. I’ve been in fitness for about 20 years and I noticed certain things were lacking. Primarily, people weren’t pushing themselves as hard as possible, especially in a sport like MMA. From the strength side, fighters have to be strong and from the cardiovascular side fighters have to have cardiovascular power. I was looking for a way to combine them both and came up with the premise of Caveman Training, which is ‘hard work equals fast results.’ You take the traditional approach to developing a training program such as assessment of the sport and an assessment of the athlete’s energy requirements and then you start building a program.
“In looking at MMA, I studied how the athletes’ bodies were biomechanically moving and what strength, energy and cardiovascular systems they were playing off with. I realized we needed to do some non-traditional exercises that have still been around for some time that everyone has gotten away from. Through some of my own creativity and trial and error, I started putting together a lot of these exercises that have a direct transferable result into the sport of MMA.”
Q: Have you changed Sean’s workouts over the last four years?
“Every workout Sean comes into is different. They all have a progression to them. Day one is different to day 20 as far as duration, intensity and volume of training. Within the program itself, every workout I custom build is based on how he’s feeling. If he comes in and says, ‘This feels good, this doesn’t,’ then I tweak the routine. If he pulls an injury during camp we have to alter the training. I think where a lot of conditioning coaches go wrong is where they are so set in their ways they don’t listen to their athlete and collaborate with them over it. Sean knows his body well. I may have the workout, the structure and the techniques ready from him but he may show up and say, ‘Well this is not feeling good, this is feeling great,’ and I’ll alter it for him.”
Q: What’s a typical day training with Sean like?
“Sean will come in two days a week and train with me for about half an hour to an hour and he’ll also do a lot of traditional strength training. Depending on how he’s feeling he may do some extra cardio-respiratory training and then on top of that he’ll do all the skill development training. Realistically, he’s pulling 12–18 workouts so as his conditioning coach it’s important for me to know exactly what he’s doing so I can systematically approach his training so it doesn’t detract from the rest of his skill development and only enhances it.”
Q: What exercises does Sean excel at?
“Sean’s a special animal. A lot of athletes have got a lot of strength or cardio endurance but not a lot of power and sheer strength. The amazing thing about Sean is he excels in everything. Genetically, he’s built for fighting and has a terrific mental and dietary approach to training."
Q: What is it that keeps Sean motivated?
“He’s always had to work for things. He’s never had anything given to him so I think he’s got a deep appreciation for his position and his place in the universe. It helps that he loves what he does as well. He’s also worked normal jobs trying to pay the bills so I think he’s good at keeping things in perspective and realizes that what he does is a gift that isn’t gonna last forever.”
Q: What aspects of Sean’s character shine through when he’s training?
“Sean doesn’t complain or quit and he always does what he’s asked to. The thing I personally like most is he’s approachable. He’s a blue-collar guy and he likes to work. Obviously he has his up and down days but where a regular athlete may coast on his down day or even take it off, he doesn’t. He realizes that day is another opportunity to become stronger mentally so he just goes for it."
QUICK TIPS
1) Sherk didn't refine his lethal ground 'n' pound by hitting a mounted punching bag: he developed it by engaging in ground bag drills, which are a great way to improve your cardio and develop those ground 'n' pound muscles.
What to do: Using a bag to simulate your opponent, mount the bag and reign down punches while trying to imagine exactly where your opponent's head would be. Try alternating positions by making transitions from one side of the bag to another. To take it to another level, get a partner to try pulling you off the bag.
2) Resisted sprint training is one of the best ways to build muscle strength in your legs and improve your acceleration. Using a stretch cord will seriously give you the edge when it comes to shooting for a takedown, increasing the speed and force at which you're able to drive into your opponent.
