Issue 132

As well as the fighting arts, MMA champions have drawn from a wide range of Olympic events to boost their fitness for fighting.

OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING

Unlike other types of weight training, the two Olympic lifts (the snatch and the clean and jerk) aren't just about strength or muscle building. They both involve getting a barbell off the floor and over one's head, a large range of motion that requires flexibility, coordination and explosive strength. 

These are all desirable attributes for a fighter so it's no surprise these lifts form an important part of many fighters' routines. They are technically demanding and can easily cause injury if performed incorrectly so specialist coaching is essential. 

Even UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who has said he doesn't believe in strength and conditioning, hires Canadian Olympic team weightlifting coach Pierre Roy to power up his training camps.

ROWING

Nearly every gym includes a stationary rower for a reason. The muscular endurance and aerobic stamina required translates perfectly into MMA, which is why stars like UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell pull on the artificial oars throughout conditioning training. 

CHUCK LIDDELL’S OLYMPIC ROWING CIRCUIT

Chuck Liddell's coach, John Hackleman, would push him through this punishing circuit in training camps to get ‘The Iceman’ into knockout condition. 

KEY: ACTIVITY - DURATION

Rowing - 800 metres

Wrestling - 2 1/2 minutes

Rest - 1 minute

Perform this circuit five times. Hackleman's advice is to start with knees bent, bare feet strapped into footrests and to keep your rowing pace under 150 seconds per 500m. "The machine works mainly the legs but also the lats," says Hackleman. "By the time Chuck finishes 800 meters and wrestles, he's exhausted – it simulates how tired he'd be in a fight. To make it worse, I'll have him start wrestling on his back and fight his way to the top of his opponent."

TRIATHLON (SWIMMING, CYCLING, RUNNING) 

UFC stars Nick and Nate Diaz are both known for their love of this event which consists of swimming 1.5km, cycling 40km and running 10km without stopping. Nick feels the confidence in his endurance that triathlons create is invaluable.

He says: "Fighting is 90% mental, and knowing that 15 or 25 minutes are no problem can help you sustain that mental advantage over your opponent. What's 25 minutes when I've been pushing 80% of my maximum aerobic threshold for three hours? Most fighters don't understand what their limits are, don't understand what their thresholds are and it takes time to learn. You've gotta get out there to find out.”

The three components of the triathlon are Olympic sports in their own right and can all add to a fighter's fitness base. Swimming is low-impact and great for muscular endurance while the other two can seriously raise your VO2 max (aerobic capacity).