Your Strongest Year Ever

By Mike PerryCoaching, Strength 1 Comment

How are you going to make 2015 your strongest year ever? Well, 2014 is over and 2015 is just beginning. When it comes to health and fitness, most people have similar goals: Lose weight Gain lean muscle Eat better Improve their quality of life Get stronger There are several ways to do this, but I … Read More

The Scout Motto

By Mike PerryCoaching, MMA, Strength

I grew up in a fairly small town. My friends and I played outside every day until our parents yelled our names across the neighborhood to get home for dinner. We pretty much all did cub scouts and boy scouts. I couldn’t tell you exactly who was in my den, but I do remember having … Read More

The Role of an MMA Strength and Conditioning Coach

By Mike PerryCoaching, MMA, Strength

Lets imagine this scenario for a minute. Two fighters are in the cage ready for battle. They have equal skill, reach and training background. Fighter #1 doesn’t strength train much, isn’t very strong and doesn’t do any extra conditioning besides sparring. Fighter #2 can deadlift more than 2x bodyweight, he can perform strict pull-ups with 50+ … Read More

Strength Training When Dropping a Weight Class

By Mike PerryMMA, Strength

There are times in a fighter’s career when dropping a weight class is vital to his success. It doesn’t usually happen right away, but hints start getting dropped during conversation between coaches and teammates. You start hearing things like “he’s a big 45er” or “ I think he can make 125. Regardless of the reason … Read More

So You Wanna Swing?

By Mike PerryKettlebell Training, MMA, Strength

Qualify. Pattern. Grind. Practice/train. When it comes to exercise selection, you would think that common sense would go a long way. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Let me start with this. If an athlete is constantly getting injured due to workouts with his/her strength coach, the athlete should fire the coach immediately. Strength coaches should help you … Read More

Core Training Exercises for MMA

By Mike PerryStrength 3 Comments

If you know anything about contact sports, you probably agree that having a strong mid-section is not a terrible thing. Core strength is a must in MMA and coaches and athletes all agree that your core cannot be too strong. Here are my favorite core training exercises for fighters. These specific drills are high-tension drills. Be careful … Read More

Keep the Goal the Goal – Strength Development

By Mike PerryMMA, Strength

What’s your goal? What qualities are you trying to improve? Do you have smart progressions in your programs? What about de-loads? In my humble opinion, you should have a sound logical reason for everything you do. Remember, success leaves clues and it’s not necessary to re-invent the strength and conditioning wheel. If you read a … Read More

Top 5 Grip Training Exercises for MMA

By Mike PerryMMA, Strength

A few fighters and Strength Coaches have asked me the following question recently. “What are the best “bang for your buck” exercises for fighters. My answer(s) are always the same: Grip work Core work Posterior chain strength I realize these answers are pretty vague, but these types of exercises are vital for fighters looking to improve their fight game. … Read More