Issue 156
When the Sean Sherk episode of ‘UFC All Access’ aired in 2007, it created shockwaves in the world of mixed martial arts and remains the most-watched episode of the show to this day.
Sherk was seen at the training facility of Athletic Performance Inc (API) doing a series of high-intensity workouts dubbed ‘Caveman Training.’
No one had seen this before: a brutal combination of old-school equipment and never-say-die mentality designed to perfectly prepare athletes for the rigors of an MMA battle.
Like a pebble dropped into the center of a still lake, the ripples spanned the MMA world. Soon, the majority of top coaches and fighters would incorporate elements of this style into their own routines.
“After the TV program, everyone's mentality changed; almost everyone adopted concepts of Caveman Training,” says Sherk.
“It’s all functional, using the muscles and types of cardio you need in a fight. If you’re a swimmer you may be able to do 100 laps of the pool but you'll get tired if you go for a run because your body's not conditioned for it.
“An MMA fighter has to be conditioned for everything: to wrestle, to box, to shoot takedowns, to defend takedowns, to be conditioned for all the ground aspects of the game. This type of training fits exactly into what we’re moulding ourselves to do.”
One of the great things about caveman-style training is that it doesn’t require expensive special equipment. Most of the items can be found in a typical gym or picked up cheaply at the local DIY store.
THE BASICS
Caveman-style training is based on time, not reps. Work on the basis of five-minute rounds: perform each exercise for one minute and then move quickly to the next until the round is finished, then rest.
Make sure the exercise stations are next to each other so no time is wasted.
MIX IT UP
API has 200 different exercises available. Sean stresses that he never performs the same workout twice – so be inventive when creating your circuits. Be sure to include a mix of:
> Cardio-based exercises like sprints, bear crawls or elliptical machine workouts.
> Strength endurance-based exercises like barbell plate movements or sledgehammers.
> Plyometric-based exercises like box jumps or plyo push-ups.
STICK TO A SCHEDULE
“When you're starting out, start slow,” stresses Sherk. “A lot of people, including myself, when they get into the gym at the start of their training camp they want to go hard.
That’s the fighter’s mentality. But over the years the injuries pile up and there have been a couple of occasions when I've peaked three to four weeks before a fight and that’s not good; so you have to start slow and gradually work your way up. Set goals, set time frames and stick to them.”
Begin with three five-minute rounds with one minute rest between them. Limit yourself to about five exercises.
As your fight approaches, workouts should get longer and more intense and the exercises should get more diverse. By the end, aim to be doing five six-minute rounds or six five-minute rounds, with the rest period down to 30 seconds. The pace should also be a lot more intense.
While Caveman circuits should eventually be mercilessly hard, the key is to work your way up to your peak performance.
As Sherk points out: “If I come in and go balls to the wall right out of the gate I’m gonna get hurt or I'm gonna peak too soon, or it’s gonna affect my other training.”
KNOW WHEN TO STOP
The last hard, Caveman-style session should be done 12 days before your fight. It should be one of the hardest sessions of your training camp. Then eight days before your fight do one, final session at a lower intensity – go back to shorter rounds and take longer breaks between rounds as well as cutting out any banging, high-impact exercises.
“You want to recover a bit but you don’t want to stay away from it,” says Sherk. “Physically, missing the last workout probably wouldn’t make any difference but I want to step into the cage knowing I trained as hard as I possibly could.
No second-guessing or regrets. It’s a mental thing for me, I want to know I got that last workout in eight days before.”
GENERAL FITNESS AND CONDITIONING
If you aren’t in a fight camp or preparing for a competition, these exercises can still be used year round.
Keep the intensity moderate and limit yourself to three five-minute rounds. This will give you an excellent base from which you can ramp up the intensity when approaching your fight date.
SKILLS FIRST
Don't neglect your basics. Sean and his coaches are keen to point out that the core of any conditioning program is fight training; the grappling, pummeling, drilling and sparring that should constitute the vast majority of any fighter's gym time.
That’s why Sean says that Caveman-style training should always be done after your normal training. “Skills and gameplan come first.
They’re the first and second workouts I do every single day. The Caveman Training comes last. The skills and technical aspects of my game have to be flawless.
When I train I'm thinking technique, I’m thinking body mechanics, I’m thinking gameplan – it has to be perfect. I can’t create bad habits in the gym because bad habits in the gym come out as bad habits in the cage.
“But if I’m tired and sloppy during Caveman Training, who gives a sh*t? That’s the goal; to just do the work, to move myself, move the tires, move the sledgehammers.
Even if I’m not technically perfect, I’m still moving it. It’s not a technical exercise, it’s a conditioning exercise.”
THE EXERCISES
If you want to earn ape-like strength, unleash your primal performance with the following exercises.
1) GORILLA DRILLS
This exercise is best done with a partner. Set four long punch bags on the floor in a cross formation.
The fighters start at opposite ends of an axis with their hands on a bag, facing each other. When the drill starts, each has to move sideways, like a gorilla, bounding on all fours and alternately placing their hands on the ground then on a bag.
The goal is to try to catch up with the other fighter. The coach can call out changes in direction.
Works: Scrambling, cardio
2) FARMER'S WALK
Pick up two of the heaviest dumbbells or kettle bells in the gym and walk quickly with them.
A variation of this is to perform the exercise as a type of shuttle run, alternating the farmer's walk with sprints.
Works: Grip strength, upper back, cardio
3) SPRINTS & RESISTED SPRINTS
If you have room, sprint longer distances or if indoors perform shuttle runs. A variation is to wear a resistance harness and have a partner hold you back while sprinting to increase the difficulty.
Works: Cardio, explosiveness
4) BAG SLAMS
Take an old, taped-up heavy bag or solid sandbag, pick it up high and slam it into a pile of mats as hard as you can.
Works: Explosiveness, cardio, grappling muscles, strength and endurance
5) SLEDGEHAMMER
Two variations. The simplest version involves simply taking the sledgehammer and beating a pile of car tires with it as hard as you can. The other is done kneeling by placing two tires side by side and striking them alternately.
Switch your grip on the hammer each time to improve co-ordination and help develop your ability to relax between strikes.
Works: Grip strength, strength and endurance, upper body
6) EXERCISE BALL SPRAWL
Throw a large exercise ball at the wall so it rebounds at you at hip or thigh height. Sprawl on top of it then get up as quickly as possible and repeat.
Works: Explosiveness, sprawl
7) BOX JUMPS
Perform standing jumps onto a high box or pile of mats. Keep going as fast as you can.
Works: cardio, explosiveness
8) RESISTED BEAR CRAWLS
Crawl on your hands and feet as quickly as possible while a partner holds you back using a resistance harness or large rubber bands.
Works: Explosiveness for shooting takedowns
9) BARBELL PLATE MOVEMENTS
Using a 20kg (44lb) plate or heavier, perform continuous movements such as 'around the world' (circling the plate around the back of your head), 'steering wheel' (turn the plate in your hands like a wheel, pulling down with your lat muscles), overhead presses and simple rows (lean forward and pull the plate up to your chest in a rowing action). Don't stop or rest.
Works: Strength and endurance, clinch muscles
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