ARTICLE: Cardio Training - Part 3 (MMA Specific)

Cardio Training
Part Three: Sports Specific For MMA

Feel fit when doing a 5 mile run, but gas too fast when fighting? You may not be doing the most effective cardio training to support your sports performance. Find out what you should be doing in this article!

In last month’s article, we stepped it up a notch from the basic steady state cardio to interval training. This month, I will detail some more ways to perform your cardio training in a more specific way to improve performance in MMA. It should be noted that this is high level training, and you should be comfortable with some of the harder interval variations from last week before attempting this specific training. This type of training is not needed, nor is it recommended, for beginners

Why Do We Need Sports Specific Training?

As I mentioned in the intro, it is often the case that a fighter takes some time off sparring and does a lot of ‘road work’ involving long steady runs, feels fit and good but ‘gasses’(gets out of breath) quickly when he comes back on the mat or in the ring. The reason for this is basically that the person hasn’t been training the correct energy systems. As I mentioned in my previous article ‘Steady state vs. interval training for MMA’, there are 3 different energy systems that overlap to provide energy to perform different functions. In the above example, jogging would be primarily working the oxygen dependent system or aerobic system. The problem is that wrestling, kickboxing or MMA is primarily an anaerobic activity performed in short burst with lower intensity recovery periods, and uses the ATP-CP and glycolitic systems. Therefore training with standard road work in not an optimal means of improving performance for MMA, and the most relevant systems need to be improved instead.

You may have heard of a term called ‘SAID’. This nifty acronym stands for ‘Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands’, which basically means ‘you get better at what you train’. For example, in the above example of the athlete doing a lot of road work, it is probable that his performance in long distance racing would have improved considerably – however, unfortunately that wasn’t what he was training for. Research has shown us that the higher the level of an athlete, the more specific the training has to be in order to show increased results. Therefore, what worked for you when you started training may not work as well now if you are at a higher level in the sport.

The problem we now how have to solve is how to train the energy systems for MMA and get an optimal response. It should be noted that this is where the boat is most commonly missed in training for MMA, and also the method which has the potential for highest results. This area is one that I am continuously trying to explore in order to maximise the effectiveness of my training regimes. The start of our answer is to look at the things that occur in the sport. Some things that obviously stand out when watching an MMA contest are:
• Rounds last five minutes
• Rest between rounds is sixty seconds
• Fights involve rapid powerful movements, followed by periods of lesser activity
• Fights often involve fighting for position for extended periods
• Fights last for a maximum of three rounds, unless a title fight
• Fights take place both standing and on the ground

Using just these guidelines, you can begin to get an idea of what you should be doing to prepare for this type of contest.

• Make the work periods roughly five minutes
• Attempt to only rest sixty seconds
• Perform explosive movements
• Perform static holding style movements
• Perform at least three rounds
• Perform exercises in a variety of positions

On top of this, we should consider that this specific type of training must match the sporting movements closely in order to get an optimal training effect. This means that the most specific exercises will be the same (or very close to) the sporting movements in terms of the following parameters:

• Muscles used
• Range of motion
• Direction of force
• Type of muscular contraction
• Duration
• Speed
• Resistance

Putting It All Together
Ok, that’s the theory over with for now, onto the good stuff! Here are some ideas for the type of thing you could do in your sports specific circuits for MMA.

Example 1:
Jab/cross then sprawl x 12
Suplex with band x 12
ABC crunches* x 24
Mounted Band Punches (kneeling on punch bag) x 50
Guard Hangs** x 30 sec
Sledgehammer Swings x 12 e/s
Push-ups on med ball x 20
‘Shoot’ style lunges in various directions x 20

* ABC crunches – Similar to a ‘snapdown’ in wrestling, holding two bands with arms straight pull in and through the legs, then to one side followed by the other.
** Guard Hangs – Hang from a bar, off a towel if brave, with elbows tucked and legs pulled up as if pulling guard. Hold for time.

Example 2:
Split jumps x 20
Band resisted knees* x 20
Partner/Sandbag pickups** x 12
Guard twisting sit-ups*** x 20
Push-ups with sit-out x 20
Med ball squat thrust and throw x 10
Low kick to bag x 10 each side
Jump squats x 20

* Band attached to ankle with ankle cuff or looped
** Use whatever style of pickup you want to work on
*** Hold a partner in your guard, sit-up and twist either to grab an arm or to throw a punch/elbow. Can also be done with partner holding a pad.

Summary

As I said at the start of this article, these circuits are for more experienced fighters and are absolutely brutal! This type of training is the kind of thing you would perform more regularly in peaking for a fight, and can really be the difference between a good fighter and a great fighter. The examples given are just general templates and by no means set in stone, experiment and get creative and see what you can come up with – I’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to see some examples of how to perform some of the exercises mentioned in this article, check out www.hardcoresportstraining.co.uk under the video section.