Building the Engine is an 8-week customized conditioning program that will get you in the best shape of your life. Over the last 10 years, Mike has been working with some of the best combat athletes in New England. His e-book, Building the Engine, is the culmination of that work. In this episode of the … Read More
MMA Strength and Conditioning
The Importance of Tension and Relaxation
The most efficient athletes in the world can demonstrate an elegant balance of tension and relaxation. We see this skill represented in strength training, calisthenics, and several field and court sports. Some people balance tension and relaxation naturally, while others have to work at it. Regardless of where you are in your athletic journey, learning how … Read More
Kettlebells and BJJ – A Perfect Match
Today’s topic includes two my favorite things – kettlebells and BJJ! If you’ve spent any amount of time training martial arts or coaching combat athletes, you’ve probably heard that kettlebell training can be incredibly beneficial for these athletes. You will hear things like… Kettlebell Training will improve functional strength. Training with kettlebells is excellent for … Read More
Training Combat Athletes – An Overview
In this episode, Mike discusses his basic template on evaluating and programming fighters. He goes over everything from the FMS screen, table assessments, performance assessments and program design. Connect with Mike: Mike Perry on Instagram Mike Perry on Facebook Skill of Strength: Skill of Strength Online Training Contact Skill of Strength Skill of Strength Instagram … Read More
Post UFC Fight Training Programs
Saturday night, January 20, was pretty special for me. Three of the MMA athletes who train at Skill of Strength fought on the UFC 220 card at the TD Garden in Boston. Yup, that’s our home town! I have prepared athletes for some pretty big fights in the past, but three of them fighting in … Read More
3 Simple Strategies to Improve Your Conditioning Program
If there is something I’ve learned about training fighters over the last few years, it’s what NOT to do. The mistakes I’ve made haven’t been major, but they did provide me with some serious insight on how to better design programs for all athletes, not just fighters. As I often say, I’m happy with 80% of … Read More
It’s Not Rude to Be Happy
Today’s post is a client story that we all need to read. And read again. It’s time to start bringing each other up instead of tearing each other (and ourselves) down. —– Through the Lean in ’16 nutrition program, I have come to the realization that it is time to stop over- empathizing with others’ unhappiness with … Read More
5 Mistakes: Training Mixed Martial Artists
Over the last 3+ years, I‘ve trained a number of fighters. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve helped prepare MMA Fighters for 75+ fights. I’ve learned a ton along the way and I’m hoping all of these “lessons” I’ve learned will aid other trainers who are just starting to work with combat athletes. For today, I’ll just name … Read More
Old School Fitness – Trail Running
There are two types of people in this world, runners and people who despise running. Runners will train with stress fractures and broken limbs, and they’ll be the ones out there in the middle of hurricanes and blizzards. Non-runners generally only run when: Someone or something is chasing them They’re participating in some type of fundraiser or … Read More
Shoulder Mobility Drill to Improve Shoulder Flexion for Overhead Lifting
I’m always trying to find creative ways to improve my shoulder mobility. One of the positions I seem to have lost since Ive started BJJ is a solid overhead position. Don’t get me wrong, I can still get there, but it no longer comes as easy as it used to. A few days ago I … Read More