Spartan Performance coach Jack Lovett lays down the law on superior cage conditioning.
Fighters may well be judged primarily by their win-loss record, but these shouldn’t be the only digits that count to an MMA athlete or their coaches. It’s vital an athlete be aware of their true, current performance level outside of the cage. This enables both strengths and weaknesses to be identified and developed accordingly.
I love the phrase, ‘If you are not assessing, you are guessing.’ I can’t take credit for it, but it is a sentiment I agree with 100%. To ensure the effectiveness of my programs and quantify the progress of my MMA athletes, I always look to track the following five qualities at all times:
- Aerobic fitness
- Body composition
- Strength
- Power
- Power endurance
Now, I’m going to show you how you too can assess instead of guess and better begin your quest to fight fitness.
1: AEROBIC FITNESS
Resting Heart Rate:
Recording a fighter’s resting heart rate is a good indicator of their current level of cardiovascular conditioning. Generally speaking, the higher the level of aerobic fitness, the lower their resting heart rate will be. I prefer the use of a heart rate monitor to accurately track this. They are cheap and easy to find (ask at your local sports store). However, you can also place your index and middle finger on your carotid artery on your neck. Count the total number of beats in a 60-second time period. Resting heart rate fluctuates throughout the day as well as whether you are standing, seated or lying down. I prefer fighters to check their resting heart rate while walking.
Heart Rate Recovery:
Like with the resting heart rate, recording how quickly a fighter’s heart rate recovers can give a solid indicator of their cardiovascular fitness. The quicker a heart rate comes down after exertion, the greater the level of aerobic fitness and endurance a fighter will possess. This can be used before and after various training methods. A good example would be during MMA training/sparring. Take the fighter’s heart rate at the beginning of a five-minute round then record again at the start and finish of the one-minute rest interval. Continue to do so for the subsequent three to
five rounds.
2: BODY COMPOSITION
Body weight is certainly an important figure in the weight-class-dominated sport of MMA. However, just as important is the quality of that weight. That is where body composition testing comes in. Low body-fat levels are shared amongst the sport’s elite (George St Pierre, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva, amongst many others). All of whom either cut weight for fight night, or in some instances actually increase their body weight. In both cases the ‘quality’ of their weight is never compromised.
3: STRENGTH
As renowned strength coach Mark Rippetoe so eloquently puts it, ‘Strong people are harder to kill.’ Overwhelming strength is a quality all MMA athletes should look to maximize. I look to use the below movements when developing/testing maximal strength in MMA athletes:
- Lower body - squat and trap deadlift
- Upper-body punch - bench press and log press
- Upper-body pull - chin-ups, pull-ups, inverted rows
Simply record a fighter’s best lift (his or her one-rep maximum, or 1RM) on the chosen exercise and retest every 8–12 weeks to quantify progress.
I’m a fan of submaximal loading (sub maximal repetitions in the 75–85% of 1RM range) when it comes to developing an athlete’s strength. This approach places less strain on the CNS and also minimizes the risk of injury.
4: POWER
Power is the number-one physical characteristic of all successful athletes. Testing it is simple and easy to record. Two of my preferred methods are:
- Standing broad jump
- Vertical jump
5: POWER ENDURANCE
Relative body weight strength is extremely important to MMA athletes. In order to dominate an opponent’s body, you must first master your own.
Progress in the gym can be as easily identified and tracked as that in the cage. These simple, objective tests act to provide a blueprint of a fighter’s current performance level. In doing so, both strengths and weaknesses are identified. Armed with this information, effective programs can be developed to maximize the strengths and address the weaknesses
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