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
MMA Training
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
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
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
3 Reasons You Should Train with a Heart Rate Monitor
If you exercise regularly, it’s safe to say you have a training goal. Whether you are looking to lose weight, build some muscle, look better naked, perform better in your sport or maybe simply get a bit healthier, a heart rate monitor may help you achieve your health and fitness goals more efficiently. Your training goals will … Read More
Training Advice
I posted this on my MMA Fight Prep Facebook page the other day, but really, these are not just fitness training tips for combat athletes, but training tips for nearly all athletes and most of these apply to all individuals all around! Ten Fitness Training Tips 1. Squat. I don’t care if you are training … Read More
Conditioning for Fighting: Aerobic Fitness
In part two of Mike’s interview with Craig Marker at Breaking Muscle, Mike shares that designing fighter’s training based on the length of rounds is important, but it is not the only way to train. “In fact, if we can build the other energy systems, we will make the conditions of the fight seem even easier.” Conditioning … Read More
Conditioning for Fighting: Energy Systems 101
I had the pleasure of talking with Craig Marker at Breaking Muscle a few weeks ago. Last week, Craig posted the article with my interview in it. I’d love for you to check it out if you are interested in learning more about how I eval fighters (and athletes) as well as how I program the … Read More
5 Strength and Conditioning Mistakes in MMA
MMA might be the most physically demanding sport in the world. The best athletes are explosive, strong, agile, resilient, consistent and incredibly dedicated. Even if a fighter has all of these qualities, it’s still easy for him to obtain poor information when prepping for a fight. It might not be the fighter’s fault; often times, … Read More