The Post-Fight Training Block

You just finished a fight…what’s next? What changes will you make? Do you have strength and conditioning game plan? Should you jump into the same old routine? Are you planning to start another strength cycle? Is your goal conditioning-based? What qualities are you trying to develop? If you are planning on fighting in another 12 weeks or so, here are a few things to consider:

1. You just cut anywhere from 12-25 pounds for weigh-in’s. What effect did that have on your muscle mass? Your Strength? Your cortisol levels?
2. Fighting is mentally and physically demanding, how did your last camp go? Were you tired all the time? Did you get sick at all? How was your sleep?
3. Did you sustain any damage in your fight? Joint injuries? Ligament sprains? Muscle pulls? Contact-related Edema?

Most likely, some of the things I mentioned above occurred.

Here are some post- fight training tips tokeep you healthy and get you back on track!

Take Creatine

Creatine might be the most researched supplement on the planet. If taken correctly, it’s a great supplement for power development, recovery, strength, and hypertrophy. So why creatine now? During your weight cut, you most likely lost a little bit of muscle and a small amount of strength. Now that bodyweight isn’t as much of an issue, its time to get that strength and muscle mass back! Most studies say that 5 grams of creatine a day is a perfect amount and in my experience, this works very well. Here is some great information on the benefits of creatine. Once you read the list, you will see why it’s a no brainer!

Hypertrophy Training

If you’ve ever wanted to focus on “getting yoked,” now is the time! There are very few times when I tell fighters to focus on hypertrophy, but post-fight is the perfect time. This is a completely different way to train than I normally recommend for fighters, but you should get some excellent adaptations and put on some lean muscle. The goal is not to become a bodybuilder, but to put on a couple pounds of muscle in 4-5 weeks.

Here is a 3- day program to try out:

Things to note:

• Complete 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps for each exercise
• :90 recovery in between each set
• Work at approx 65% of your perceived rate of exertion

Day 1

DeadliftPlyo push upBench pressIncline dumbbell pressSkull crusher

Day 2

SquatPull-upBent over rowInverted rowBarbell bicep curl

Day 3

Barbell bridgeBB RDLHeavy get upsOverhead carriesLandmine press

Add in some different GPP

Post-fight training is an excellent opportunity to learn some new exercises, train your weaknesses, and change it up a bit. Now, I’m not saying it’s time to become an Olympic lifter or long distance runner, but change can be good. Here are some things to try:

• Hardstyle kettlebell training
• Battling ropes
• Hill sprints
• Grip work
• Advanced core training
• Medball throw variations

You can try anything that seems fun, just make sure it has a purpose and is not just a physical beat down. Remember, any idiot can make another idiot tired. After this short hypertrophy block, it’s time to re-focus on strength and power. Try to set up your program so you finish your main lifts 10-20lbs heavier than your previous strength cycle. Strength takes time. If you can make small jumps every cycle, just imagine where you will be in a couple years!! Train smart, train hard!