You can easily spot fellow CrossFitter outside the box because he/she is sporting a box shirt.

Box shirts are the preferred top wear among CrossFit athletes. You probably notice that it’s common practice for CrossFitters to collect and wear box shirts and it’s not that difficult to imagine why.

Box shirts are useful and comfortable. Materials used in box shirts are carefully selected by manufacturers and box owners. They’re durable, comfortable and you’d wear them anywhere. Box shirts also help a CrossFitters promote their home box. Sometimes these shirts start conversations.

Here are three common box shirts:

1. Home Box Shirt. The home box shirt is usually the first shirt that a CrossFitter gets and is usually purchased within the first week of signing up. It’s usually a minimalist shirt with the box logo and name. The home box shirt is also the most used workout shirt among the box shirts.
2. The Event Shirt. CrossFitters are not just treated as family by the community. they are also treated as athletes. CrossFit boxes often hold events ranging from “just for fun” competitions  to “more serious” competitions.” Coaches encourage everyone to join after attending enough WOD’s even if it’s just for fun, these events enhance an athlete’s fitness capacity and mental toughness. As a result of signing up for these events, the CrossFitter gets an event shirt. Some event shirts are box specific, some event shirts are team specific. Event shirts are often worn during difficult WOD’s to remind the athlete what he or she is capable of. Some CrossFitters refer to Event Shirts as “Competition Shirts” or “Shit just got serious shirts.”
3. The Box Visit Shirt. Some CrossFitters travel on a regular basis and while away from their home box, they visit local boxes in the location that they’re staying. Some CrossFitters just enjoy moving around and exploring other affiliate boxes to add to the variety of their workout. For people who visit different boxes, it’s not uncommon to buy the local box shirt as a souvenir from the said box or as an expression of gratitude for the hospitality of the box they visited.

Different CrossFitters have different reasons why they collect box shirts.

Box Shirts gives CrossFitters a sense of home. CrossFit is more than a gym membership. It’s a strong community, much like a family. Home box shirts remind CrossFitters of experiences and people related to their home box.

Box Shirts gives CrossFitters a sense of pride. Each box shirt has a story. The first home box shirt reminds the CrossFitter how he or she started and how far they’ve come. It’s usually old and well worn. Sometimes it’s a little oversized and looking at often makes the CrossFitter smile. Box provided event shirts often acts as a reminder of struggles and victories.

Box shirts are a fun souvenir to collect. Let’s face it, box shirts are awesomely designed! Logos are often a pleasure to look at. Box names are often magic words that grant the CrossFitter with an identity that screams mental toughness and pure badassery.

Box shirts are a reminder of your good experiences. What do you remember when you look at your box shirts?

Functional Fitness, just like any sport, will require you to invest in some gear. Investing in these is really a must especially as you take your fitness journey a little more seriously. It’s not uncommon for a lot of new CrossFitters to start with regular athletic wear. But over time as you attend more workouts, you’ll notice that gear that’s specifically designed for functional fitness training is more appropriate.

It’s a good practice to start with what you have, and upgrade as you do more work. The last thing you want is a collection of nice gear that you rarely use. It’s also important to note that the sequence of upgrading the gear is just as important to consider. Gradual upgrades enable you to experience the benefit of the gear you purchase as you increase your strength and capacity.

First things first

Invest in a pair of CrossFit shoes. The right shoes will help with your stability and confidence with your movement.

The Nano’s are nice minimal shoes that’s light and good for running. It also has a flat bottom surface that gives stability for squats and heavy lifts.

Workout bag. This is already a given. You can use what you have on hand but if you commute, you want to invest in a gym bag one that’s big enough to carry your clothes, shoes and other gear.

Shirts/Tanks and Shorts/Capris

The right clothes will help you move comfortably and freely. That said, you want your clothes to be comfortable, breathable, durable and give you the maximum range of motion. CrossFitters are known for their box shirts, so that’s already a given. But performance tees will ensure that even as you do the toughest WODs and lifts, those shirts won’t tear and will stay comfortable. With regards to shorts, best that you invest in those that won’t tear even as you do squat heavy. The more functional the better!

Getting more serious

Jump ropes

Over time, you would want to transition from single unders to double unders. This is a common CrossFit movement that you need to practice. Having your own jump rope with the perfect length will help you master the skill more comfortably.

Hand Guards, Gymnastic Grips and/or Gloves

There’s a lot of argument whether one should wear or not wear gloves. But if you’ve done your best and still experiencing difficulty gripping or holding on to the bar, wear gloves and decide for yourself if it helps you with your workout. Gloves also help minimize rips and tears in your palms with pull ups.

Gymnastic Grips allow you to glide through the bar and rings to minimize the rips and tears to your hands as you kip and do muscle ups.

Lacrosse Ball and Foam Roller

These are maintenance gear that you’ll use to help you recover, as you do heavier work. Most local boxes have these also.

When Things get heavy

Wrist Wraps –  Provide extra support for heavy and Olympic lifts.

Knee sleeves – These keep your knees warm and will minimize the wear and tear of intense workouts.

Lifting belt – Helps build up compressed air in the abdominal cavity that keeps your spine aligned. Only used during maximum weights.

Knee High Socks – While some would say these are mainly for fashion rather than function, these socks protect your shins from scratches and bruises.

Olympic Lifting or Oly Shoes – Gives you the maximum stability and balance during heavy lifts.

So this is the full list of the proper gear ordered in the sequence that you’ll be using. Did we miss anything? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

We all know that functional fitness is pretty intense. It’s common to encounter beginners who faint or vomit in the middle of the workout and experience major soreness days after. That’s normal though as a lot of people are not used to pushing their body beyond its physical limits. After a week or two, you will get used to moving and will no longer feel a lot of pain (aside from the soreness, of course, which is a constant). After a month or so, two days a week will become three and eventually four or five. As you gain strength, each of the workouts will be enjoyable.

Often, CrossFit boxes follow their own programming but because each coach and CrossFitter values “safety first”, movements in the WOD can be scaled down to fit your fitness capacity.

After doing it for months though, you will eventually shift states from “being in pain” and “surviving the workout” to “completing the workout”. As a result, you might experience a sort of plateau which will make you ask yourself if it’s time to intensify the workout.

Before we dwell into how to intensify your workout, it is important to leave your ego at the door and check your intentions why you want to intensify your workout.

Are you trying to meet an unrealistic aesthetic goal? Are you trying to force your body to become stronger for a competition?

The difference between an athlete and an amateur is that an athlete trains intelligently. Too fast too soon is a formula for disaster. So here are some stuff to remember as you intensify your workout:

1. No pain is a good thing. When you begin to get comfortable with the workouts, focus on your form and make sure you get each movement perfectly. The right form minimizes chances of getting injured and maximizes the growth of each muscle.

2. Build on your victory and learn from your failure. After mastering the form you can gradually increase the weight. At this point, you need to listen to your body and increase the weight gradually and find the weight that’s comfortable for you.

3. Increase the days. The top CrossFit athletes have rest days. You can workout four, five or six days per week but make sure you also focus on recovery and nutrition.

4. No comparing with others. They are only there to show you what is possible. As a CrossFitter, your only competition is yourself. The slow track is the fast track. Having a solid foundation to build upon and a lot of small victories will amount to you achieving your big goals, just be sure to give it time while your do your best.

As you get comfortable at being uncomfortable you can slowly expand your comfort zone. Don’t be embarrassed to decrease the weight. Remember what we said at the beginning about leaving your ego at the door? Yeah, that’s important. Aim for consistency. Listen to your coach and more importantly, listen to your body.

The 2016 CrossFit Games are upon us and the excitement is keeping everyone motivated to do their best. There’s a lot of speculation happening from the workout to be done to the athletes who’ll be in the top five but people are more interested in watching what will happen.

There are hundreds of athletes to watch out for but if you’re new to watching this event, here are the 5 athletes from each division we expect to thrive in this competition.

Men’s Division:

Ben Smith. The defending champ from the Mid Atlantic region and CrossFit Krypton. A lot of people are saying this is Mat Fraser’s year but he has to take away the title “Fittest Man on Earth” from Smith. This is his 8th straight Games Appearance and he’s poised to make another podium finish!

Scott Panchik, 28, from CrossFit Mentality has always been considered a dark horse. He has made 5 appearances at the Games and has never placed outside of the top 6. Will this be the year he finishes at the podium? He certainly has the tools and the competitive fire to do so!

Noah Ohlsen. Hard to believe this is already Noah’s 3rd straight Games. There has always been hype surrounding this kid from Peak 360 CrossFit, especially after he contested for a top spot in the 2014 Games. Just by volume alone, he definitely puts in the work in his training and we’re looking forward to seeing how that will translate at the Games.

Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson. No one expected him to finish 3rd in last year’s Games. But that’s exactly how he his–silently effective and consistent. He’s not the strongest athlete but he definitely has the capacity! We expect him to have another strong showing this year!

Mathew Fraser. Judging by how he dominated this year’s Regionals (by a mile!), it’s safe that say that Mat’s back with a vengeance and he won’t settle with another 2nd place finish. He has improved on all facets and he’s very, very hungry. The other athletes better watch out! They will all have to be on top of their game to hold this guy off.

Women’s Division:

Kara Webb. Dominant is a fitting word to describe the Kara “Big Dubb” Webb. She dominated this year’s Pacific Regionals, taking first place in events one, three and four. She had a couple bad breaks and injury issues in the past 2 years at the Games (It’s not difficult to imagine what could’ve happened if she hadn’t lost consciousness after Murph last year). We can be sure though that it won’t happen again this year.

Ragnheiður Sara Sigmundsdottir. The rising star from Iceland is known for her consistency when she competes. Sara did an amazing job at Regionals. She held on to first place most of the weekend last year before being taken over by the Fittest Woman on Earth, Katrin Davidsdottir. That was close. Will this increase her drive and determination in this year’s games? We’re about to find out.

Samantha Briggs. “The Engine from England” is always favored to compete for a spot at the podium. She already won the whole thing back in 2013 and she’s still hungry for more. Now that her immigration issues are settled, she’ll be back with a vengeance–more disciplined and faster, just like how she set the fastest record at 16.5.

Annie Thorisdottir. The only woman to win the CrossFit Games twice (in 2011 and 2012). A CrossFit legend! Things weren’t so smooth the past few years, but this year though, she’s rested, recovered and ready to get back on top! Annie is one of the most exciting athletes to watch.

Lauren Fisher. She took first place in event 3 of the Regionals and tenth in the games. The 22 year old athlete from CrossFit Invictus who started CrossFit when she was fourteen and had been surprising us and the world with her strength ever since.

We expect the same top three for the male and the female. As we watch closely, there’s usually one small mistake that can cause a dramatic shift in the rankings. One no rep will be a bigger deal this time around because the elite athletes are expected to be, more or less, on the same level.

The contest will be determined by efficiency, accuracy combined with power and speed. As fellow CrossFitters, we’re all excited to see the best go at it and learn a thing or two as we move forward with our fitness journey.

What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments below.

Training isn’t always fun. It requires discipline. It’s often painful at the beginning. We put in a lot of effort to ensure that life doesn’t get in the way. We become consistent by prioritizing training in our schedules. We spend money to keep ourselves accountable. We wake up early or stay a little later than we have to just to make time. We may skip out on eating out, coffee with friends, TV shows or anything else we might do during our personal time to stay on track. That’s a lot of effort. It’s difficult especially for new athletes to adjust to this life change.

We recommend that you start with what you can and as you get comfortable, expand your comfort zone. If you can do only only once or twice a week, do just that. Explore adding a training day after consistently achieving your small target.

An “okay” plan that you can stick to is far superior to the “perfect plan” that you’ll quit after a few days or weeks.

Overcommitting leads to early failure and burn out. Overexerting yourself leads to exhaustion. Both situations make you feel like a loser fighting an uphill battle. You need to set yourself up for victory instead of failure–slow progress that makes you feel like you’re winning. When you’re happy you’ll last longer, get to do more and achieve more.

Here are some thoughts to consider that can help you keep the joy in the training.

Track the right things.

Take note of your benchmarks. How much weight can you lift? How many reps or rounds were you able to do? How fast were you? How was your form? Every few months compare yourself with your past performance. Consider shifting from aesthetics goals to performance goals. Aesthetic goals are a by product of achieving performance goals. You have little control over the aesthetic part but perfect control over the performance part.

Acknowledge what you’re doing and appreciate your progress. It might take some time for you to reach your goals but consider this. You are far ahead of everyone who needs to make changes to their life but are doing nothing. Document your progress. Write down the workout. How did you do? How many rounds? How do you feel? In one sentence, what did you learn or need to improve? Celebrate the small wins.

Get better at your new skills

What movements have you unlocked that you previously could not do?

Do you now have strengths that were previously your weakness?

What was previously hard for you that is now easy?

Track your results correctly.

Don’t base your progress on pounds lost. How much fat and muscle mass is more accurate. You’ll need to use more complicated tools to measure your results. Here’s a trick. As early as you can take bathroom selfies after every workout and compare them every two or three months. If selfies aren’t your thing you can also log your waist line.

Make friends and have fun.

Don’t compare yourself to others. You can admire what they can do as you cheer them on. People who are ahead of you are there to show you what is possible when you achieve as soon as you reach their level. Don’t take things too seriously. Just have fun as you do what you have to do.

Nothing good ever comes easy. The road to your goals is often long and hard but with the right attitude and the right strategy, you can keep the joy as you train to achieve your goals.

CrossFit is life changing for many people. And once you get hooked, everything changes, from your mindset to your diet to even your choice of clothing. Not everyone though can make those changes right away. So here are a few tips to get you on the right track.

Think like an athlete. Instead of just focusing on aesthetics, you can also focus on your performance during training. An athlete has a professional work ethic and does things more systematically than the regular person who works out.

Commit your workouts. Make a plan to go to the gym 3-5 times a week. Follow the schedule. Stick to the time. Block off your calendar from activities that will prevent you from working out that day.

Take notes. Pay attention to your progress. What did you do for today’s WOD (work out of the day)? How did you do? How do you feel after the workout? How much sleep did you get? What did you eat that day?

In line with taking notes here are more tips that you can consider.

Eat healthy food. Nutrition is the foundation of Crossfit because you can’t out exercise your mouth. If you Google Crossfit in 100 words you’ll find

“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.”

So try to minimize your fruit and sugar intake along with junk food and starchy carbs. Read up and experiment with paleo, slow carb diets, Ketogenic diet, zone diet, intermittent fasting, carb backloading which a lot of other CrossFitters are currently doing. Explore all of them and see what works for you. The diet you’ll stick to, even if it’s just “good enough” is a better diet than the “perfect diet” that you’ll quit after a few weeks.

Get enough sleep. Recovery is equally as important as a workout. Yes. You read that right. Recovery is equally as important as a workout. If you didn’t get enough sleep last night. Don’t work out. Get some sleep. Your body needs to recover and grow your muscles to get stronger. If you can’t do it and you work out, you’re actually doing yourself more harm than good. Also lack of sleep negatively influences your fat storage hormone. Be sure to organize your time so you have enough for your workout and sleep. Set a sleep alarm instead of a wake up alarm to remind you to sleep.

Pay better attention to your breathing. When the workout get’s difficult, it’s easy to forget to breathe. Remember to take deep breaths between your reps. It will make a huge different on your overall performance.

Be mindful to your posture and your form. Just like breathing, it’s easy to lean too forward, put your weight on your toes instead of your heels, round your back or lift incorrectly. Be careful to avoid injury.

Work on your mobility on your free time. Many times you’ll encounter a workout movement that will feel difficult to execute. The reason for that is that your body is not used to doing the movement and you have less mobility. Stretch and do mobility work.

Embrace your new can-do attitude. You’ll notice that as you complete your workouts, you’ll feel more confident. Your confidence also increases as the shape of your body improves. You’ll feel stronger, better and faster. You’ll feel like you can do anything. Enjoy the confidence that working out gives you. You worked hard and you deserve it. Test your skills in other activities.

Stay humble. There’s always someone stronger than you. Don’t let your new confidence turn into arrogance and get you injured in the process.

Do less. The biggest reason for failure is over committing and over exerting. If you try to do too much too soon you might burn yourself out or when your progress doesn’t go at the speed that you imagined. Just do less than you think you can. Make sure you’re well adjusted before increasing your weight or trying a new change.

As you already know, functional fitness workouts are punishing. As a result, over time you’re going to develop mental toughness.

Mental toughness begins with self awareness. If you know exactly what you want, you can take on even bigger challenges. Many people look for posts on mental toughness hoping to find a formula on “how to be mentally tough tomorrow.” The truth is, if you believe such a thing exists, you’re just kidding yourself. Getting mentally tough is a process.

Developing mental toughness is a worthwhile goal because it doesn’t just allow you to push further, harder and persevere against any workout but also to anything life throws your way. As you keep strong in the face of adversity, you’ll learn that shifting your focus to your goals will help you stay determined despite the difficulties that you encounter. Here are the steps you’ll encounter as you achieve mental toughness in your training.

1. Be clear and honest about what you want to achieve. What are your goals? What do you really want to achieve with your workout? Be specific with the numbers. Do you want to do 30 burpees unbroken? You want to do 10 strict pullups? Do you want to lose three inches off your waist? Are you interested in losing five to ten percent body fat? Write it down and review your goals on a regular basis. People who write down their goals have a higher likelihood of achieving them.
2. Manage your expectations. Achieving your goals follow a process and a progression. Establish your current performance levels. If we use unbroken burpees as the example, how many can you do right now? Write it down so you can track your progress.
3. Take really small steps forward. You might have heard this more than a dozen times but let me say it just so you’re aware that this also applies to your situation. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” It was built brick by brick. So can your growth in the workout. You don’t become mentally tough tomorrow because you decide to. It starts by pushing yourself one or two reps further than you think you can every workout. Make small progress over time.
4. Get familiar with your situation. As you keep working out. The difficult part becomes familiar. Corrections to your form are made. Your efficiency with the workout increases. Your breathing gets better despite the tougher workout.
5. Use your victories to build confidence. Celebrate your wins. Receive that high five after the workout with pride. Be fully aware that you are making progress and over time you’ll hit your next short term goal and eventually your long term goal.
6. Use your failure to refine your strategy. Some days you might bite more than you can chew. That’s okay. You might increase the weight you’re lifting sooner than your body is able. You might run out of gas before the workout timer ends. You might go to a workout without enough sleep and perform less than you expect. That’s okay. Learn to forgive yourself and identify the problem point. Make sure that you pay attention to the lesson because each of these small failures are temporary and at the same time, will make you a better athlete.
7. Build a habit of slowly exploring out of your comfort zone. As you collect wins and lessons, your confidence will increase and eventually many of your goals will be met. It doesn’t end there. Exercise is a lifetime commitment. Arnold Schwarzenegger was once asked by an interviewer about complaints because people who stop exercising get fat. To which he responded, “whoever told them to stop?” Don’t set goals for the sake of setting goals. Every person has different priorities. Set targets that genuinely make you happy. That could mean lifting your kids or future grand kids when you’re seventy or feeling like a superhero everyday. Don’t make mental toughness your goal. If you really want it, I’ll tell you the secret. Mental toughness is a by-product of everything that you already do in the box. There’s no need to stress over it or worry about it. You have it. It’ll just grow as you continue to train.

The Navy SEALs have a saying “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” As you learn to push past discomfort, you’ll notice that you can learn how to perform well in your situation instead of escaping from it.

If you’ve had some training in sports, martial arts, weightlifting, running, cycling or any physically demanding activity, functional fitness will feel terrible at the beginning. Doing functional fitness exercises will make you realize how unfit you are at many tasks. Working on one particular discipline will often enable you to do well at one or two aspects of your fitness, but the specialization limits your ability to train yourself in other functions that are “unimportant” to your specific sport.

CrossFit founder Greg Glassman tells a story of how he worked out with the fittest guys he knows but he noticed that they could all beat him at one thing but noticed that he could easily beat others at other fitness activities. As you begin functional fitness exercises, you’ll feel a combination of discomfort and pain. You have nothing to worry about though. You are simply using muscles that you haven’t used before. Over time you will notice that you are stronger, faster and more comfortable in each of the movements. You’ll have a feeling that you’ll be more physically capable to do certain things compared to when you’ve only focused on one or two disciplines.

Obstacle Course Races require you to be prepared for anything. Some of the obstacles include, but are not limited to climbing over walls, carrying heavy objects, traversing bodies of water, crawling under barbed wire and jumping through fire. These activities will test your endurance, strength, speed, dexterity and mental toughness. Many movements in obstacle course races are not the type of movements that you get to prepare for in every day gym or sports practice.

That said, being a little more prepared for these movements can mean a world of difference. Functional movement and total body exercises work more effectively than isometric or concentration exercises. Most CrossFit movements are actually perfect if you want to take Obstacle Course Racing seriously. A burpee, for example, is a favorite exercise among OCR enthusiasts. It’s a total body movement that would improve your upper body strength as well as your explosiveness. Some workouts even feature the actual movements featured the Spartan Race and Tough Mudder such as the sand bag carry and rope climbs. Event some events in the CrossFit Games feature elements of OCR challenges.

There’s no arguing that Functional Fitness and OCR go hand in hand. If you’re an avid CrossFitter who wants to try OCR for the first time, then go for it! It’s good to mix things up a bit. If you want to try OCR but don’t know how to train for it, try dropping by a CrossFit box and tell the coaches that you specifically want to prepare for it.

You begin by exercising a few times a week. At the first few days, you only think of how to survive the session. After the second or third week, you begin to complete the workouts and seek to do better. Over time, spending time with coaches will influence you to also make better lifestyle choices like eating better food and making sure your body recovers properly.

A challenge that we all encounter are commitments that conflict with our current workout schedule. You might have a job that involves traveling regularly or days when your schedule is full and it’s not convenient to visit the box. Instead of feeling guilty, we prepared some examples of workouts that you can do at home or from anywhere.

The basic movements:

Pushups – If you’re having difficulty maintaining the standard form, just plant your knees on the ground but maintain a straight back and keep your core tight. For hand release pushups, simply lift your palms from the ground after every rep.

Sit ups – Keep your feet planted on the ground all throughout the movement. Be sure to touch both the floor above your head and your toes.

Squats – Ass to the grass. Make sure your feet are spaced appropriately and drive the weight on your hills. Don’t tiptoe when the movement gets hard. Simply slow down.

Walking lunges – Inhale at the top. Hold your breath. Lunge. Exhale when you get back to the top.

Burpees – Don’t speed up at the beginning. Maintain a slow and steady pace and speed up toward the end. Make sure your thighs and chest touches the floor on the down position and smile as you get back to the top position.

Pistols – This is an advanced movement. If you can’t do this, scale down to an air squat.

Always be mindful of form.

Here are some WOD’s that you can do from home:

• 5 pushups, 10 sit-ups and 15 squats for 20 minutes, as many rounds as possible (AMRAP)
• 10 walking lunges, 10 push-ups for 10 rounds
• 20 jumping jacks, 20 burpees, 20 air squats for 3 rounds
• 10 hand-release push-ups, 10 v-ups, and 10 squats for 10 rounds

If you’d like to scale up the difficulty try these exercises:

5 handstand push-ups and 10 pistols, AMRAP 10 minutes

If you have a pull up bar (or somewhere to hang) and a jump rope you can do these workouts:

Angie – 100 pull-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 squats (for time)

Barbara – 20 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, 50 squats (5 rounds for time 3 minutes rest between rounds)

Chelsea – 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats (EMOM for 30 minutes)

Mary – 5 handstand push-ups, 10 pistol squats, 15 pull-ups (20 minutes, AMRAP)

Functional fitness helps your body get stronger for everyday life. In the event that life gets in the way, do the workout out of the box.

Last month I competed in two tournaments, faced four different opponents and was able to come away with four victories all by armbar! First was the BJJ Tour California which was held in Asuza, CA. I travelled down with my girlfriend Keila and her son Gabe and she was really excited to watch both of us compete. It was only the little man’s second tournament and after two tough fights he came away with the gold! I only had one opponent in my division which was my friend Vinny Di Lucia. He’s a really nice guy and we’re buddies but when it was time to fight we both went for it all out. In the end I was able to get the armlock from the sidemount which I showed in my last Technique of the Week and came away with the gold!

Only one week later I competed again in the BJJ American Cup. There were supposed to be five people in the bracket including my good friend and training partner Osvaldo Queixinho but he was unable to fight due to the birth of his little baby boy only a day before the event. So happy for him! Since Queixinho was unable to fight it left only his intended opponent, Caleb Kahn of Ralph Gracie, alone on the opposite side of the bracket, advancing automatically to the final. On my side of the bracket I would have to face two tough opponents in Manny Gonzalez, also of Ralph Gracie, and Itabora Ferreira, of Alliance, before facing Kahn in the finals. Manny Gonzalez is an athlete that I’ve always wanted to compete against ever since blue belt. We would always fight in the same tournaments, often in the ame division, but by chance we had never crossed paths. I always liked his style of Jiu-Jitsu and I always thought it would make for an exciting match. And I was right. Luckily I was able to stay up on points for most of the match but Manny was really game and I had to do everything I could to keep him under control. Towards the end of the match I was able to secure a tight armbar from the closed guard for the victory.

Next was Itabora Ferreira. Itabora and I used to train together and I even faced him once in a tournament as a blue belt so I’m very familiar with him. He’s a very good guy and even though he could have fought a couple age divisions up he was very brave in deciding to compete in the adult division. Fortunately I was able to secure a wrist lock from the closed guard armbar in this match as well (set up can be found in a past Technique of the Week) and with that I was through to the finals.

The finals would be against Caleb Kahn. He is another competitor who I am very familiar with, having seen him compete against multiple teammates of mine throughout the belt levels. We competed against each other for the first time at this past year’s BJJ Tour US Open and I was able to come out on top on points after a very tough match. This time the match was tough as well, but after escaping three tight armbar attempts I was finally able to secure one tight enough to finish the match and take the Gold!

Please check out the highlight of these four matches here and go back into the archive of my Technique of the Week’s to see the explanation of the moves applied!!

Stay Tuned!! Ossssssssssssssss

In the 1960’s, the late president John F. Kennedy had proposed a rigorous physical education program because he recognized the need to revitalize the next generation’s mental and physical vigor. The special program was introduced and implemented at La Sierra High School in California. This was successful and eventually a few more schools followed. However, for some unexplained reason, the interest for the program decreased and the program was eventually abandoned.

“A country is only as strong as its citizens” – John F. Kennedy

In his TED Talk, recognized educator, Paul Zientarski noted that the US Physical Education Program had gotten easier and easier and at the same time the average American had become more and more unfit.

They attempted to test and see if replicating the practice of a rigorous exercise will benefit their school. As a result, they found that an improvement student’s fitness level is often followed by an increase in attendance, alertness, participation, and general academic performance.

Following suit, several schools implemented a rigorous exercise program. The most popular was CrossFit.

The constantly varied functional movements of CrossFit offered a way to monitor their progress with quantifiable data through performance benchmarks like improved movement execution, decreased workout time, increased number of reps, etc.

The CrossFit program addressed each student’s need to be challenged because the students are able to scale up or scale down the difficulty of the workout depending on their fitness level.

The schools had reported similar results in the improvement of their students’ performance since CrossFit was introduced.

An initial challenge the schools faced is that only the school athletes will be interested in joining the CrossFit program. Interestingly enough, each class is a mix of athletes and straight A student’s. In fact, people who don’t have a specialty or competitive sport and is only interested in getting fit are more likely to join a CrossFit program. A PE teacher notes that it’s heartwarming to see camaraderie and cooperation between different groups of students that are often not found together.

Observations of different PE teachers:
– There appears to be an increased desire for the students to participate and challenge themselves through the workouts.
– Students become more independent.
– They volunteer assistance to correct each other’s lifting form.
– There is a noticeable increase in a student’s exertion of effort and since implementation a momentum had formed and the benefits other areas of a student’s life including academics and confidence.

Adapting a CrossFit program to replace the traditional Physical Education program requires careful consideration as several proposals had been met with strong opposition. That said, the benefits are also consistent among the schools who conducted the test. Perhaps more schools will adapt the CrossFit program into their educational system. Only time will tell.

This is Nathan Mendelsohn back again with another Technique of the Week! This time I will be showing you guys the attack I used to win gold at the BJJ Tour California two weekends back which is my Armbar from the Side Control. I also cover here some very important details about how to put pressure on your opponent while controlling them in the Side Control! Hope you enjoy!!

Stay Tuned Each Week for a New Technique!!

The CrossFit programming is developed to enhance a person’s ability to perform at all physical tasks. CrossFit athletes are known to conquer different physical challenges, from everyday activities to outdoor sports and other sporting disciplines. In fact, this level of fitness is required and practiced by the military and even law enforcement personnel.

Here are some facts about CrossFit and the US military:

• CrossFit helped the military change the attitude of their soldiers regarding physical fitness. This isn’t just something that will give them a better physique—CrossFit will enhance their overall general physical preparedness (GPP) and mental toughness which are crucial in the Military.
• CrossFit is adapted by the military to reduce the occurrence of injuries while performing daily duties. Since they’re in top physical shape, they’ll be able to perform their routines and tasks better.
• CrossFit pushes its athletes physically and mentally beyond measure. CrossFit avoids routine to fight complacency and keeps the athletes on their toes. A heightened General Physical Preparedness enables people doing CrossFit the ability to take on several unexpected challenges we might face in life.
• Group training increases the camaraderie between CrossFitters and helps develop a “no quit” attitude—these two are essential in the Military.
• The objective of every workout is to stimulate what law enforcement describes as a foot pursuit or physical confrontation with a suspect.
• The military and law enforcement were among the first to adapt CrossFit. The U.S. military is one of CrossFit Inc.’s largest followers.
• The bond between CrossFit and the military goes so deep. It honors the deaths of military personel who died in the line of duty with WODs named after them (Murph, Randy, Tommy V, etc).
• CrossFit has a big military following because of its intensity, community and, specifically, the functional fitness soldiers need in the field.

CrossFit is yet another fad

CrossFit is not just a status symbol or a fad. It doesn’t just operate on making your body beach-worthy.  While the ideal CrossFit body can turn heads, CrossFit is more than weight loss. CrossFit founder Greg Glassman says that CrossFit is an attempt to achieve competence in 10 recognized fitness domains, namely: accuracy, agility, balance, coordination, flexibility, power, respiratory endurance, speed, stamina, and strength.

Workouts are varied and different each day, so you can try something new each time you’re in a “box” or an affiliated CrossFit gym. You can expect  a changing WOD (workout of the day) that mixes powerlifting, gymnastics, rowing and Olympic weightlifting. Unlike conventional workouts that focus on isolated muscle repitations, CrossFit mimicks natural movements and engages multiple muscles and joints. Good diet is the foundation, but you also need cardiovascular conditioning and proper muscle control.

You have to be fit to CrossFit

This is utter nonsense.  The reason you CrossFit is to get in better shape, not because you’re already where you want to be. CrossFit is a varied workout designed to be one hundred percent scalable.  You may get the wrong impression from watching all those videos of CrossFit athletes. What you may not realize is that these athletes didn’t just walk into some random gym and fantastically become Supermen. They had to start somewhere, just like you.  The majority of those who try CrossFit are common everyday people. Various workouts are designed for the whole class to do, but these can be modified based on your needs. So, yes, anyone from competitive athletes to Gran and Gramps can WOD.

The competition is too intimidating

Since CrossFit is a highly scalable workout, your best competition is yourself.  Everyone who is dedicated to CrossFit is a Firebreather, which CrossFit legend Greg Amundsen defines as: 1. One who faces the triumphs and tribulations of great physical opposition with an indomitable spirit. 2. An optimistic energy associated with the heart of an athlete.

CrossFit competitions held around the world do not aim to form an “elite” group.  Rather,  these are opportunities for you to have fun, make friends, and push yourself.  In CrossFit, it’s your individual progress, attitude, and character that matter most.

Don’t let those fears hinder you from being strong and fit.  Decide to get out of your comfort zone and try CrossFit.

I competed in two tournaments in the past two weekends and I’m really starting to feel my rhythm build towards the IBJJF Pan which will be coming up in a week and a half. First came the BJJ Tour Florida two weekends ago and then the UAEJJ New York Pro this past weekend. Besides a couple missed/cancelled flights both of the trips went fairly smoothly. I brought home a gold from Florida and $500 dollars in prize money in the Under 208lb Black Belt Pro Division and a silver from New York in the under 187lb Black Belt Pro Division. My beautiful girlfriend Keila accompanied me and supported me on both trips and we had an awesome time.

In Florida I had two tough fights in my division, one against Vitor Schlosser and the second against Diego Gamonal. The fight against Schlosser was very tough and very close. I came up on two points from a fake guard pull to take down which made up the deficit of a sweep that I had suffered in the beginning of the match and I ended up winning on advantages. During one exchange I tried to jump a flying closed guard which resulted in slamming my mouth into Schlosser’s forehead which opened a gash in my mouth which you can see in the picture. The final against Gamonal was also a very tough match in which I was losing for the majority of its duration. I have seen Gamonal fight for a long time and I have a lot of respect for him and knew right from the beginning that he was no pushover. I suffered to sweeps in the beginning of the match and was behind by four points until managing to return one sweep leaving the match at 4-2 for my opponent. During one of my attempted Berimbolos, Gamonal twisted his knee and needed a medical timeout but decided to continue. There wasn’t a whole lot of time left at this point. Gamonal must have figured my strategy would be to pull guard and attempt to sweep him to tie up the score because he began to pull guard himself at any given opportunity. I knew my only chance to win was to pass and passing being my strongest part of my game I went straight to my favorite sequence of moves and was able to secure the sidemount for the three points I needed right in the end of the match. The final score was 5-4 and I came away with the gold medal and the $500 in prize money.

In the absolute I came across another really tough competitor and former training partner of mine, Victor Silverio. We fought for the first time last year at the IBJJF New York Pro in which he was able to defeat me by 2 points earned from a sweep. I decided to pull guard on him this time instead of fighting from the feet like I did in our last fight and he was able to almost get a pass forcing me to turn my back. He was able to put the hooks and get his four points but then I was able to escape and answer right back with a sweep earning myself two points of my own leaving the score at 4-2 and that was how it stayed until the buzzer. He had defeated me by two points again but it was an exciting fight and I look forward to facing him again. This fight highlighted again something that I have to work on which is escaping the back position without giving up either the choke or the four points. When I first got to black belt I lost some matches by submission because my back choke defense was weak. Now I am defending the choke and escaping well but I am giving up four points in the process and this is something that I am working on a lot in training now.

The following weekend I travelled out to Brooklyn, New York City to compete in the UAEJJ New York International Pro. First I came up against Robson Gracie Jr. and after almost getting a deep armbar on him in the beginning of the match I was able to pull off an 8-2 victory on points from a sweep and two guard passes. The final was against Murilo Santana who is someone I have been a fan of for a long time. He pulled guard on me in the beginning of the match which is good for me but I wasn’t able to force him into my preferred positions. He was able to pull me into a half x guard and I tried to counter with a back step escape to a diving berimbolo but ended up on the bottom. He came up onto my weaker side of my half guard and was able to get into a strong smashing position. This is something I was aware that I had to avoid but was not able to. From that point on I did a lot of struggling to try and recover to no avail. This is one of the reasons I lose so much weight to fight at light weight in big tournaments. When going against elite level athletes at the lower weight classes I have the strength to recover from bad positions. With Murilo I was not able to create space for the life of me. Still, I always improve from every competition experience and I am very excited now to drop to Middleweight for Pans next week and take to the mats again after the gold!

Stay Tuned!! Osssss

With CrossFit’s steady rise to fitness mainstream fame, access to CrossFit boxes has also grown with its popularity. Now, the problem has shifted from where do you find the nearest box to which box you should be a member of.

Some boxes are better than the others. There are also boxes that are good in their own right, but do not necessarily address your needs. Selection of your ideal CrossFit box should start with your own personal goals. The more you understand your own goals, the better chances you have at achieving them. Why have you decided to train in a CrossFit box? Do you want to compete? Or do you want to integrate CrossFit as a part of your healthy lifestyle?  Some coaches are experts in specialized areas, so this is something you should take into account when you do your research (more on this later). If you’re into CrossFit as a part of your general healthy lifestyle advocacy, then a box with health and nutrition programs should be very helpful to you. Pin down your own goals first – budget, time commitment, etc. – before you examine your available options.

Once you’ve done that, you take your goals with you when you do your oculars. When you get to the box, take a good look at their floors, mats, kettlebells, barbells, and their other equipment. Are they clean and well-maintained? Are disinfectants and rugs readily available for the next user? You’re going to lie down and roll on the same floor other users in the box step on. It’s very important that it’s clean and disinfected.

Is the box well-lit? It should be. Lighting affects focus in ways you don’t think about. You could injure yourself in a box where areas that are supposed to be well-lit are dark. Does the box have a clean bathroom?

5-star luxury isn’t what you’re looking for in an ideal CrossFit box but at the very least, it should be clean and comfortable. Safety is a big deal in CrossFit. If the CrossFit box ensures the functionality and cleanliness of their equipment, it’ll give you hints that the box management will take care of its clients. Functionality includes the strategic placement of equipment.

Check out how the management designs its classes. Are there enough classes for beginners? Are there dedicated classes for lifting? Do they hold special training for people who are interested in joining competitions and throwdowns? Match their classes with your own goals. If you’re a beginner, prioritize the foundation classes and see if they fit your schedule.

Who conducts these classes? The coaches determine the quality of these classes. Their experience and certifications matter. Do they have L1 or L2 certs? What is their reputation in the local fitness community? The last question is just as important for people who want to do CrossFit as part of their cross training. If your coach happens to be a former basketball player, s/he can use that experience to recommend which exercises in the box are best in enhancing your performance in the court. What training philosophy do they adhere to? Are you more comfortable with the nurturing type or do you see results when subjected to tough love?

At this point, it’s a good idea to schedule a trial class. CrossFit boxes usually offer it for free. That way, you experience the coaching style first-hand. It’s also the opportune time to determine if the community is right for you. CrossFit is built on community but every community is different.  The community should be a source of encouragement and motivation, not of insecurity and gossip.

Take advantage of the trial and see how it goes. If the discussion points in this article meet your goals, then it could be the right box for you.

Last month I had the amazing experience of traveling to Europe for the first time in my life to start off the 2016 competition season with one of the three biggest IBJJF tournaments of the year: the IBJJF Europeans. This year’s Europeans was held in Lisbon, Portugal and was the biggest IBJJF tournament EVER to date. I travelled with Lucas Hale, a good friend of mine from here in Santa Cruz, CA who has travelled to many places across the globe and though he doesn’t do jiu-jitsu himself he was super excited to travel around Portugal with me and add another country to his list of places he’s visited. I got in a few days ahead of the tournament to get adjusted and by the time fight day came around I felt like I had pretty much recovered from the jet lag. I even got into the water and surfed one day at Carcavelos, near Lisbon, before the big day.

In the end the tournament didn’t go the way I wanted it to but I still got a lot of good training out of it for the rest of the competition season. I lost two tough fights, both on points in my weight and absolute against much heavier opponents. I decided to fight in the Superheavyweight division for this tournament so even in my weight category it felt like the absolute.  I felt like I started slow in both matches and though I stayed in the game all the way to the end I wasn’t able to dig myself out of the hole I’d gotten in towards the beginning. After the tournament Lucas and I went up to Nazare and spent a couple days there watching guys tow in to 20ft + surf.

The week after I got back from Portugal the IBJJF held the San Jose Open only thirty minutes from where I live in Santa Cruz. I had already decided I wasn’t going to compete because I had arrived from Europe in the middle of the night only two nights before and was still feeling jet lagged. However, I woke up in the morning with a desire to fight and I decided to go fight only my first match, win or lose. I ended up winning by 7-0 and got myself back into a winning trend for 2016.

Next up is the BJJ Tour Florida this weekend and then Abu Dhabi Trials in New York next weekend then the big one, The Pan, coming up quickly after! Stay Tuned!! Osssss

Edwards vs Powers – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

Techniques

First off – stop competing.  If you’ve taken a headshot, you need to stop competing in your sport.  You’re done for the day, even if your competitive spirit says otherwise.  Continuing will only allow the damage to become worse.  Immediately halt play and start rest.  Seek medical attention.  You’re likely having difficulty thinking, feeling slower, and lacking the ability to concentrate.  A headache may appear, coupled with nausea and sensitivity to noise and light.  You may feel irritable, sad, nervous and anxious.  The top treatment will be peaceful rest, coupled with acetaminophen (Tylenol), not ibuprofen or aspirin (which increase your risk of bleeding).  Yes, even after all we’ve achieved in technology as a species, a Tylenol and rest is still the top treatment for concussions!

Vitamins

Using vitamins can help your body enjoy the best environment for healing and recovery in the days or weeks after a concussion occurs.  Vitamin B complex has long been used to help patients maintain proper brain function, and is also recommended for use following a concussion to quicken recovery.  Two doses per day is ideal!  Vitamin C (500 to 1000 mg per day) reduces any oxidative stress which can occur in the brain.   Use 24IU of Vitamin E each day, as it will improve cognitive function and also serve as an anti-oxidant.  Excessive use can cause bleeding.  Finally, add magnesium, which has been proven to be scarce in the body following a head injury.  Keeping those levels high ensures many of the standard body and brain functions can occur during this important time period.

Supplements

Aside from rest and Tylenol, you may also choose to use supplements to help the body repair and recover faster following an impactful injury.  Protein (from whey/casein powder, or from foods) and Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are very useful for aiding muscle repair via protein synthesis.  Omega 3’s and Fish oil have been used in the medical field to help patients recover from traumatic brain injury, and can also be used to help quicken your concussion recovery.   Curcumin (turmeric extract) is a powerful anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory which can also work to reduce brain swelling and allow for faster repair following injury resulting from concussion.

Keep your head on a swivel and your eyes open.  Protect yourself.  Avoid unnecessary risks.  You’ll dodge most concussion opportunities.  However, when they do happen, you should do everything possible to respond quickly with treatment, as well as supplementation to mitigate any long-term damage.   Plenty of time and rest are essential, but you can boost recovery by using vitamins and supplements in a support role.  Good luck, and stay safe!

Losing weight – particularly body fat – is one of the most difficult tasks for a wrestler to do. The average sedentary adult can add a mile of daily walking to his otherwise exercise-free lifestyle and lose ten pounds of body fat in a month or two. When you’re doing nothing, just a little ‘something’ can make a huge difference. However, losing body fat weight can be much more difficult for wrestlers, given the facts you’re already extremely active, and probably have a bit less body fat to lose. Therefore you need to employ intelligent nutrition, relentless cardiovascular training, and the latest in sports supplement technology if you want to lose the body fat.

One tool at your disposal is a very popular supplement known as Branched Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs. On the surface, BCAAs may just seem like any other supplement you’d find at your local GNC or online at any supplement store. But below the surface, they offer some utility that wrestlers my find highly beneficial. You can consume big stacks of various meats and vegetables to ingest these same BCAAs, or you can enjoy them in handy supplement form. They’re used by bodybuilders and those in the powerlifting and fitness worlds, but have found a new home among athletes looking for the ultimate in pre-, during and post-workout nutritional advantages.

The addition of Branched Chain Amino Acids to a balanced diet and steady exercise system have been proven to lead to greater muscle synthesis and a higher rate of fat loss in athletes. Sugar is better regulated in the body, and you experience a metabolic boost as your body learns to burn more stored body fat for energy, as opposed to carbohydrates. Muscles are more resistant to breakdown, which is particularly useful for wrestlers who engage long workouts of drilling, weight training, running, and more.

BCAAs can be used before, during and after workouts. You can take them in capsule form, or enjoy them in drink form. They really don’t taste that bad, compared to supplements from decades past. Taking them following a workout will deliver additional assistance in terms of muscle fiber recovery following a tough training session. Consume plenty of water to help the BCAAs move through the body, getting the repair process underway sooner!

As always, you should record your results when using Branched Chain Amino Acids (as with any supplement) to determine their effectiveness in helping you bounce back faster from workouts and grow stronger from week to week. Weigh yourself and use the mirror (and yes, even the measuring tape) to determine if you are growing leaner each week as a result of BCAAs being combined with your standard training and clean eating system. Good luck!

I wanted to share with you guys again the explanation of my closed guard armbar. I filmed this back in May and then I was able to nail it again in competition at the BJJ Tour Nevada in November in the exact same way I had explained it to you so I thought it was worth anothter look! Hope you guys enjoy and are able to get it to work for you as well as it does for me!! Ossssssss

Stay tuned!!

You’re relatively new to CrossFit, but you love the results so far!  You’re seeing weekly improvements to your strength, speed, stamina, as well as a lower body fat percentage every time you check it.  The gains are terrific and you are happy to share tales of your experience with others.  However, as is the practice with most highly successful people, you continually examine and analyze your current actions to see if there’s anything you could be doing better.  And let’s be honest, there are always things we can improve, no matter what our level.  Let’s check out a few tips you can employ to maximize your CrossFit experience!

Breakfast = Protein Grams!

Start your day with a beefy breakfast.  Whether you choose eggs, bacon, sausage, turkey, or something else, you should always begin your day with a nice stack of decent-fat proteins.  If you think about it, your body has been in a state of starvation for over 8 hours, the time in which you slept.  Protein is needed when you wake up!  A piece of fruit might feel good for breakfast, but a stack of hard proteins will certainly do more to fuel your workout later!

Warm-Ups

The excitement seen by CrossFitters rivals that seen by those participating in almost any other sport.  As a result, many trainers will run headfirst into a workout, without taking time to gradually acclimate their bodies to the rigors of the very brutal WOD that they are about to encounter.  As a result, muscle groups which aren’t fully warmed up may become injured quickly when they’re subjected to maximum strength requirements.  Start with light cardio then move thru lower weight lifts to ensure your muscle groups are ready for the challenge which lies ahead!

Don’t go for a PR every time

A machine is a machine.  You know what your car, or blender, or lawnmower will do each day, because they are non-organic objects with one purpose.  Your body, on the other hand, is quite the opposite.  Your body cannot perform at 100% maximum capacity every day.  There will be days when you’re sore, tired, a little sick, or just not feeling it.  On those days, you have a responsibility to your health and fitness goals to scale back your intensity just a bit.  You don’t have to move a record best on the weights each time – as long as you’re becoming a better YOU each time.  Reducing intensity when needed is a vital part of that.

Record… everything!

As you continually try new lifts, experiment with new diets, and explore new techniques, you will see varying results.  Unfortunately, unless you are meticulously recording the changes you make, documenting the changes seen to the body, and analyzing these trends to see if these changes are worthwhile, then you’re just wasting time.  A scientist would never run experiments and not bother to write down the actions taken and results seen – so why would you?   Record, analyze, and repeat, to see what works best for you!

The CrossFit journey is an ever-changing, evolving journey.  You’re continually developing the set of rules that you follow, and your way of doing things.  Record your results, try everything, and learn what works best for you.  Over time, the good practices will become great habits, which will lead to phenomenal results.  Good luck!

There is plenty of information out there regarding CrossFit style training.  Trainers all have their own personal formulas for success, and the internet is packed with workouts galore, which you can complete at a training center or without equipment at home.  Training articles are everywhere.  However, training is just one part of the CrossFit process.  Another piece – and perhaps equally important – is the RECOVERY aspect of training.   Being a hugely demanding training system, CrossFit will takes its toll on trainers.  Those who don’t recover adequately from training will grow sore, incur serious injuries, and face illness (colds & flu) as a result of their bodies simply not being able to repair, rebuild and regrow following tough workouts.  But this doesn’t have to be the case for you!

The process of recovery itself involves four basic tents.  First, you have to focus on your nutrition, which should go without saying.  Drink water to hydrate, consume healthy carbs to rebuild your energy stores, and protein to give your torn muscle fibers the amino acids they need for rebuilding.  And of course, you should be taking multi-vitamins and C, E and B for energy and recovery.

Next you will want to ‘clean house’ following a workout, which means the important act of clearing out the metabolites your body has produced as a by-product of training.  Light exercise, ice baths, and compression garments help with this.   Move on to tissue repair with massage, mobility exercise and stretching, and most commonly, foam rolling, help with muscle recovery.  Finally, you’ll want to focus on the most obvious factory of recovery: Rest!  Sleep 7.5 to 8.5 hours each night.  Use napping and meditation to supplement your sleep and relaxation time.  Just as you record your training and nutrition in a journal, you’ll want to keep track of your nightly sleep patterns for analysis and adjustment.

Just as your training resources vary, your recovery resources will ebb and flow over time.  There are going to be times when you cannot dedicate the time and energy needed to recover adequately from a maximum intensity training session. That’s okay!  When you are able to foresee times like this (due to changes in schedule), it can be wise to scale back the intensity or length of your training for a day or three.  You’re still training – but your WOD is a tad shorter, meaning your body is therefore capable of full recovery, despite the diminished recovery resources at your disposal.  Pre-empt the overtraining by training a bit less – for a very limited time only!

Most CrossFitters have no problem training with maximum intensity all of the time.  However, some will just take their recovery for granted.  This is not a mistake you should make!  Treat the recovery process with the same focus and intensity you employ for your training, and you’ll see much greater gains in terms of strength, stamina, balance and performance as a result of your training.  Good luck!

What an athlete often misses out when it comes to scheduling training is a very important part of the process which is highly useful for top wrestlers: Strength Training.  Most would consider strength training to be beneficial because, well, the stronger man often wins.  However, even more important than that is the key role in injury avoidance that strength training delivers.  The strain placed upon high school athletes lead to many injuries, from shoulder dislocations and back strains, to ACL tears.  The wrestler’s entire body encounters serious stress on a regular basis, and building up (and maintaining) and foundation of functional strength is perhaps the top focus for an athlete trying to avoid these injuries.  Let’s check out a few of the movements that wrestlers should be using on a regular basis to build up strength.

Pull-Ups

Hanging form a bar, slowly pull up your body using an overhand grip.  It don’t mean a thing, if it has that swing!  Keep the repetitions calm and controlled for 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, depending upon your body weight and strength levels.

Bent-Over Rowing

This exercise is terrific for building up all areas of the back in order to minimize back and neck strains.  Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you raise the bar with each repetition.  Knock out 3 sets of 12 repetitions, keeping your form very tight, and your head up!

External Shoulder Rotations

Keep your elbow tight against your side as you complete these controlled, focused repetitions to keep the shoulders and rotator cuff safe from injury.  Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions for each arm.

Alternate Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Standing or seated, slowly raise a dumbbell above your head.  Use an 80 degree angle on the bench to avoid AC/RC joint damage.  Complete 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.

Push-Ups

You’re probably already integrating them into your drilling and warmups, but you can never give your shoulders, chest and triceps enough stimulation when looking to build strength and avoid injury.  Use 3-4 sets of 20 to 30 repetitions, stopping before failure each time.

Medicine Ball Pullovers

Build up your rib cage, back, chest, shoulder, and arm strength explosiveness – and protect these areas from injury preemptively – with the use of pullovers.   Use 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.  Keep it light and feel every repetition.

Much of the strength seen from athletes is built from years of wrestling and drilling.  However, the body is not a machine – it is an organic, living collection of systems which do break down from time to time.  The use of dedicated resistance training for strength purposes will go a long way toward keeping the athlete safe from injury and performing better on the mats.  Make the time on off-days, or at the tail end of workouts to slip resistance strength training into your schedule.  The results will be a stronger you that is less prone to injury. Good luck!

A couple weeks back I set off to compete in my final tournament of 2015, the IBJJF Irvine Open. At the time I needed 12 more of the total 50 points needed in the IBJJF ranking system to qualify myself for World’s 2016. This meant that a gold medal performance in Irvine would leave me more than qualified and a silver medal would get me almost there. Knowing this, I decided to sign up in the Super-Heavyweight division in which there was only one other competitor signed up, as opposed to my normal weight of middleweight where there were nearly ten competitors. The only fighter in Superheavyweight was a friend of mine who I have trained with on occasion in the past, a tough fighter named Alessandro Ferreira. I know Alessandro to be a guard player and I consider myself to be more of a guard passer so I figured that despite the size difference we would make for an exciting match up. I travelled down to the tournament with a couple of my students, Owen Duckworth (8, yellow belt) and Brian Molinaro (19, Purple Belt), and their parents and the trip was fun, as always. Owen came away with a silver and Brian a bronze and I was proud of both of their performances.

Unfortunately, two days before the tournament (which happened to be my birthday) I had come down with some sort of stomach flu which had left me laid up all day long. The day before the tournament on the way down to LA I still wasn’t feeling great and I had to force myself to eat for lack of appetite. On the day of the tournament I was finally starting to feel a bit better though not yet 100% and though I was fighting three weight classes above I still only weighed in two pounds over middleweight at the time of the fight. Still, once I got warmed up and ready to go I felt about as good as ever.

I had been expecting Alessandro to pull guard on me because I knew him to be a guard player but he came to the match with a different strategy. He decided to take me out of my game by fighting with me for the takedown on the feet in hopes of playing the match on top. This forced me to change my strategy as well and after a few minutes of trading takedown attempts I decided to play from the bottom and pulled guard. This ended up working out for me as I was able to get myself to a new position I have been working on from the “worm guard” or “lapel guard” three different times within the match which resulted in a 4-2 score at the end, leaving me with the gold. At the time I didn’t fully understand what I was doing from that position but after watching the video I was able to realize all the details of what made that position work so well for me and now I have solidified it as a part of my A game. The 27 points I received from placing first put me well over the required 50 points needed to participate in the World Championships so I will be able to start 2016 without any of the stress of worrying about having to qualify!

Up next is the Europeans, on the 23^rd and 24^th of January in Lisbon, Portugal! The Europeans are the third biggest IBJJF event of the year and it will be my first time in Europe so needless to say I am very excited!!

Stay Tuned!! Osssssss

Get Warmed Up – Fifteen minutes

Knock out these rotations to get your body ready for boxing-based training.
-Jump Rope for 60 seconds

-Jogging in Place – 60 seconds

-Jumping Jacks – 60 seconds

Repeat Three Rotations, resting 2 minutes in between each

Shadow Boxing – Five minutes

Practice this quick succession of jab punches for 3 minutes straight:
Standard Jab
Jab, right-cross
Jab, right-cross, front hook

Repeat these 3 punches for 3 minutes straight, then rest for 2 minutes following this session

Training Time – Twenty-Five minutes

These three sessions combine for the bulk of your tough boxing training main session.
Strength & Conditioning: Alternate jump roping (single & double unders) for 5 minutes

Boxing: Complete the shadow boxing routine listed above for 5 minutes

Cardio: Burpees alternated with jumping jacks – 20 reps of each for 8 to 10 minutes

Repeat Two Rotations, resting 2 minutes in between each

Cooling Down – Five minutes

This series of punches, conducted for 2 minutes straight, is a safe cool-down routine.
Uppercut
Jab
Cross
Hook

Repeat Ten Repetitions per side of your body until the 2 minutes is complete.

Hitting the Road – Ten to Twenty-Five minutes

If you want to look svelte & ripped like a boxer, then you should be doing cardio like one!   Complete these three movements when you’re ready to burn some body fat.
Light jogging 5 to 15 minutes

Sprints (40 yards x 8 repetitions, walking back each time)

Walking for 5-10 minutes to cool down

This session can be completed on a cardio day, a rest day, or in conjunction with the boxing-based workout described above.

You may encounter issues when attempting to combine this boxing-based program with another training system, so it may behoove you to dedicate a few weeks to training exclusively with this program until your muscles and lungs have become accustomed to training in this manner. Once you get used to it, continue to train for boxing while returning to your other resistance/stamina and adaptive performance training. The sky’s the limit as to just how far you can take it – Enjoy the ride!

The beauty of CrossFit training is that you can find ways to work it into everyday, mundane training tasks. One such area where variances in your environment allow for acceleration and intensity increase is running. Most gym goers are dependent upon the standard treadmill for their daily running requirement. Sure, it’s an efficient device. But it sure is predictable. While the paths we take in the real world are paved with hills, valleys, bumps and sometimes potholes, those we endure on the treadmill are remarkably predictable.   This is nice for those who want to read this month’s Cosmopolitan magazine while keeping the heart rate at 120 BPM without smudging their makeup, but terribly lacking for those looking to challenge their bodies in new and unique ways each time they train.
Outdoor running provides a healthy, exciting, and physically challenging viable alternative to standard treadmill training. More specifically, outdoor varied running in places such as hills or even mountains (if you are fortunate enough to have one in your area) will provide sustained and varied resistance training which soundly defeats anything a treadmill can offer!   Running mountains delivers a different level of resistance with each passing step. But you can make it even tougher, by integrating a CrossFit style workout into your running routine. Let’s learn how!

Charlie Racinowski

Devote the same 30 minutes you’d spend on a treadmill, to CrossFit style mountain running. Run your standard planned route the first time. Map out those spots in the trail which present the steepest climb, the biggest hill. These will become your CrossFit training stations as you run that trail. Are you ready to run the course for real? Let’s examine how a Day #2 (and every day after that) would look.

Start by running your standard path. Once you recognize you’re about to approach the steep area, STOP running. Yes, freeze. Drop and knock out 10 burpees.   Then SPRINT the steep steep incline part of the trail. As the road levels, return to your slower pace, with your heart rate elevated and muscles challenged. After all, you waited until the TOUGHEST part of the course to complete the burpees, THEN sprinted. You’ve now faced down interval mountain CrossFit running. Continue to repeat it as you arrive to each steep spot in the trail.

This style of running is CrossTraining at its finest. You’re taking on a mountain, which is pretty cool all by itself. Toss in the fact you’re running the mountain – and stopping along the way to tackle some of the toughest bodyweight movements known to man, and we’ve reached the pinnacle of hard outdoor training that completely blows standard treadmill cardio right out of the water. Good luck!

Understanding lumbar spine kinesiology

The lumbar spine moves in six possible directions, around a medial lateral axis. Keeping our focus upon extension and flexion, athletes should be aware than the low back is used for rolling, tilting, shearing and sliding. When the lumbar spine performs flawlessly, the muscles stiffen in order to stabilize the spine, accurately and in controlled manner, and often at very fast speeds, depending upon what sport in which the athlete is participating.

Spine injury mechanisms

Simple ligament and muscle strains comprise the majority of spinal lumbar injuries among athletes. Inadequate rest, imbalanced loads, and poor technique cause the majority of low back injuries. Most injuries happen when the spine is in a flexed position, so it is extra important for athletes to be cognizant of balance, movements and balance of load when their spine is flexed. Movements such as deadlifts, bent-over barbell rows, good morning, and ab work lead to move spine injuries.

Charlie Racinowski

Resistance training modifications

Speed is your enemy when it comes to spinal muscle injury. Locate the neural range (between relaxed and fully flexed position through stretching for 5 minutes before tackling any core movement which targets the lower back. Work to maintain weight load balance. Keep the body completely symmetrical at all time while lifting. When competing in contact sports, work to retreat the body in a balanced manner at all times.

Injury prevention exercises

Movements such as isometric horizontal side-support raises and single leg extensions can help to isolate the low back with zero resistance (other than body weight) to move blood to the region and provide the low back muscles with greater elasticity before engaging in resistance training. Simple use of walking to warm up the body before tackling the weights, along with stretching the core muscles for 5 to 10 minutes, can be beneficial as well.

Lifting belts?

While experts still debate the significant impact of lifting safety belts upon resistance training, the general consensus is that “they can’t hurt!” and are thus used by most strength athletes when performing lifting lower than 8 repetitions per set (read: heavy weights!) Injuries are rare and self-reporting leads to inadequate studies on the manner. Be sure to use the belt as a support for dangerous movements, and not a crutch for all lifts. Developing the stabilizer muscles of the core is important, and will not be complete if a belt is used at all times.

Low back pain hits athletes of all ages, sports, and levels of experience. There is no “safe zone” for competitors – low back injury can strike on the first day of training, or after 20 years of fighting in the cage. Understanding how the lower back works, how injuries occur, and in turn modifying your training protocols to protect against said injuries is imperative for long-term training success of the pain-free variety. Good luck!

Last month I competed in two different competitions each only a week apart from the other. First came the BJJ Tour Nevada in Las Vegas then the following week I travelled out to New York City for the first time for the IBJJF New York Pro.

In Vegas I had three fights (highlight below) in which I fought Gabriel Checco twice, finishing him both times, once with an armbar from the closed guard and once with a choke from the back. Then in the final of the Absolute division I went up against Ultra Heavyweight Carlos Farias and won on a ref’s decision. I used a lot of strategy in that fight, making sure to stay on the attack without putting myself in a vulnerable position and it ended up paying off in the end. I came away from the tournament with $1,500 in cash prizes which I am going to put toward my trip to Portugal next month to compete in the IBJJF European Championships. I made the trip to Vegas with a couple of my young students Owen, 8, and Tyler, 10, and their parents and it was killer to see the kids competing and enjoying the BJJ lifestyle.

The following week I travelled out to New York for the IBJJF Pro where I stayed with a friend of mine Leonardo Delgado who took great care of me and made me feel at home. My friend Rafael Formiga whom I let pass through the semi-final of the US Open in October help set me up with Leo and also received me at his academy to train before the event. I fought against a tough competitor whom I know well by the name of Victor Silverio of GFTeam and ended up losing a close match by a sweep. I used to train with GFTeam when I travelled to Brazil and have trained with Victor multiple times and know his game fairly well. After a failed takedown attempt by Victor I ended up landing on top but was swept after making a mistake and ended up playing the majority of the rest of the match off my back in my guard. I still felt good about my performance though because I know Victor is a strong passer and I felt comfortable in my guard against him even though my top game has always been my strength. After the tournament me and a friend of mine from GFTeam Alexandre Bueno went and checked out Manhattan which is something I’ve always wanted to do. I come from the small town of Santa Cruz, CA so big cities like New York have always fascinated me and it was an awesome experience to be able to see Times Square and especially to see the view from the top of the Rockefeller Center. Next time I go out to New York I plan to stay at least two weeks so I can see more of the city and hopefully train more with Formiga and also drop in to see one of my old professors Paul Schreiner who is now teaching out of Marcelo Garcia’s academy in Manhattan. Can’t wait to go back!!

Next up is the IBJJF Irvine Open this weekend which should be my last tournament of the year, then it’s time to get ready for Portugal!!

Stay Tuned!!

Mixed martial arts fighters know the many benefits to balance, strength, stamina and performance capability that cross training with kettlebells can deliver.  And in recent years, MMA training protocols have grown to include some kettlebell training.  Unfortunately, most of that kettlebell use has mimicked the standard Cross Training or CrossFit training protocols, for general strength and stamina with little to no thought given to some of the hip and other areas which are of extreme importance to mixed martial arts fighters using grappling, kicking and striking interchangeably on a very rapid basis.  Standard MMA training drills can be so much more effective with kettlebells thrown into the mix!   Let’s take a look at some of the ways Kettlebells can be used to specifically target the needs of MMA fighters.

The Rocking Chair & Press

Roll from back on the floor, to your knees pressing the kettlebell over your head.  This gives you the standard BJJ (Brazilian jiu jitsu) drilling to work on your transition moves, with the added benefit of additional resistance.  You’re bringing a kettlebell along with you.  Pressing the weight to finish the movement delivers a synergistic boost for upper body strength which standard body weight training alone does not deliver.  This one is a winner!

Turkish Presses

Also known as the “quarter get up”, the full body movements of the partial movement known as the Turkish Press is made much more effective when you’re pushing a kettlebell above your head.  Upper body strength is targeted in this movement.  Keep the weight light to moderate in order to protect the shoulder joints.  This movement should be one you use with each training session, as it targets nearly every muscle in the body.

Edwards vs Powers – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

Bridge & Sprawl

Combining these two movements delivers synergy that the experienced MMA fighter will feel from head to toe, as two of the most effective MMA training strategies are combined in a single exercise.  Use the full body bridge while pushing a kettlebell through the full range of motion (painful already!)  Then, immediately set the kettlebell down and explode into a standard sprawl.  For CrossFit fanatics, this may resemble more of a more brutal version of the burpee!  For MMA trainers, the results will be obvious instantly.

Snaking

Completing your standard snake move used to get off your back is a mainstay in mixed martial arts training.   Holding a kettlebell while practicing this move will push the pain you feel (and the results you see) into the stratosphere!  You’ll increase core, leg, back, and most importantly, HIP strength while holding a kettlebell due to the added resistance.

Obviously, kettlebell training should only constitute a fraction of your total training.  Combined with running, sparring, drilling, weight and flexibility training, kettlebells are a useful tool for improving your capability for performance with minimal time invested, provided you are selecting relevant movements which target those functional areas required for MMA success.  Good luck!

Looking back

First off, you should understand that the most prevalent injury in CrossFit training is… well, it’s an injury you’ve already suffered in the past.   Re-aggravation of a previous injury is the top injury faced by athletes training CrossFit. Therefore, before you even enter the #box and attempt your #wod workout of the day, you should have already dealt with any outstanding injury issues, and be cognizant of their signs. Should any inflammation, pain or aggravation act up from a previous injury, you need to be ready to modify, adjust, or halt that training session.

Clinch Gear participant

Common areas

Next, you need to recognize the areas of the body which are most often affected by injuries by those training in the CrossFit style.     The knees, shoulders, and particularly lower back are the areas that see the most damage from training.   Most of these injuries come from repetition and that momentary carelessness that arrives from losing focus. Therefore when you’re training with any movement that affects these areas of back, shoulders, and knees, you need to pay special attention to the common warning signs, such as pain, pressure and inflammation. You know a ‘tweak’ when you feel it.

Form matters

As our muscle fibers begin to fail during the course of a set, particularly when we’re using a compound movement which targets multiple muscle groups at once, we may be tempted to modify our lifting form to somehow remove the failing muscle group from the movement, and send that force to another muscle group which hasn’t yet failed. This is a very BAD idea. Swinging the weight on rows once your arms fails will pull that weight to your hips and lumbar region, which can lead to back injury. These exercises have been created, tried, tested and proven over decades to safely build up stamina, size and strength – provided they are done correctly. Abandon form for another repetition or two, and you’re begging for injury!

Kettlebell time!

Use the kettlebell to fill in the gaps. Yes, the kettlebell is very new, but it has been proven to target groups of stabilizer muscle fibers which were previously untouched by standard barbell and dumbbell exercises. Movements such as the clean & jerk and repetition snatches are a whole ‘nother beast when you’re using them with kettlebells. Try any of your common movements with kettlebells, and enjoy the added muscle fiber stimulation. This leads to muscles with greater strength and support, which keeps you out of the injury pile!

Charlie Racinowski

Become an athlete

One reason many athletes in CrossFit sustain injuries is that, well, they’re new to being athletes! Think about the bevy of little things that a lifelong athlete picks up along the way.   How to eat before and after tough games, ways to ice an injury, warning signs of a weakened muscle area… high school athletes pick these up and build upon them over decades – but the non-athlete may not. As a newbie to CrossFit and possibly athletics altogether, your job is to read, read, read, and pick up everything you can regarding nutrition, training, stretching, injury prevention & recovery. These little things are second nature to lifelong athletes, but might be new to you!

Know the signs

Recognize the signs of both good and bad upcoming workouts.     You know if your body is feeling firm and strong, and you also sense when things are a little off-kilter. Many victims of heart attacks often know something isn’t sitting right a day or so beforehand. Some ignore the signs, some tackle them and save their own lives.   Injuries are the same way. If tendonitis is setting in, you feel it in the days before a workout, not the moment you touch a barbell. If you have a tiny fracture setting in, you’ll feel that pain in the morning before you head in for the #WOD. If something isn’t right, address it before running headfirst into an intense workout which could make it worse.

Common sense

Above all, you should employ common sense when it comes to your CrossFit training. You know your body better than anyone.   If you aren’t capable of a lift, then don’t do it. You know where that zome of proximidal development stands – that area just above what you can currently handle – and that’s where you should max out on your lifts. If you feel like your balance and control is failing – stop the set and move on to another movements. Never sacrifice your body and risk injury for the ego rush that arrives with reaching a personal best on a lift. Good luck!

If you’re going to be a boxer, then you’re going to see a lot of pain and eventually, injury.   You’ll dish it out, and you’ll experience it on your own. What separates long-term successful boxers from those sidelined by injuries is sometimes luck, but more often, preparation and understanding. Let’s check out five of the most common boxing injuries faced by fighters, and determine how they’re incurred as well as how to diagnose and treat them.

Concussion

Head injuries are a big deal in sports these days.   Football may just be catching on, but boxers have paid close attention to concussions, or traumatic brain injury, for decades. Punches can travel at 20 mph, which can lead to some serious damage to the head in a match where this kind of contact is seen over and over.   During the very fast course of a concussion, the brain is temporarily displaced, which disrupts electrical activity for a very short time. Mental function is, of course, disrupted.   This leads to confusion, loss in memory of vision, and headache.     Avoid head injuries whenever possible – but when they do occur – you need to take action.   Start by applying ice to the head, every 2 hours for 20 minutes. take paracetamol for pain management (and not a NSAID) in order to reduce any chance of bleeding. Rest, avoid alcohol, and give it time. Consult a physician if symptoms persist. You’ll be out of the ring for at least two weeks in order to give the head time to recover.

Lacerations & Cuts

When you use your hands to punch, you always run the risk of breaking the skin. This usually happens when the hand comes in contact with the opponent’s head or glove, and is usually not a big deal during a fight.   These cuts are usually to the hands, but can also happen to the head, which can have a variety of results during a match.   Wearing protective headgear is a good way to avoid lacerations and cuts. One can prepare the skin for cuts, and often avoid them altogether, by using oil or lotion to keep the often-struck face and hands soft and supple. Cuts are treated with petroleum jelly during the course of a fight so that the action can continue. After the match, the area should be immediately cleaned in order to avoid infection. Damaged skin is removed and at worst case, tape, glue or even stitches will be used to close any wounds which are still open. Healing is almost always a smooth process, provided the area is cleaned properly and dead skin has been removed. Scars may remain only in the worst cases of lacerations.

Boxer’s Fracture

Small breaks in the hand located at the “neck” area of the hand, or the region below the knuckle in the 4th or 5th metacarpal is known as a Boxer’s Fracture. If you are punching and experience instant pain and hand swelling and that area of the hand becomes sensitive and tender, this may be a sign of a Boxer’s Fracture. The skin may bruise or change colors and you’ll have some difficulty when trying to move the injured fingers. Learning to simply deliver punches correctly will help you to avoid facing the Boxer’s Fracture, as well as consuming a diet rich in calcium and dairy to keep your bones as strong as possible. A Boxer’s Fracture is nothing you can deal with at home – you should immediately see medical attention for X-Rays to diagnose the injury. You’ll likely spend 6 to 8 weeks out of action, and perhaps lose a bit of grip strength in the long-term as a result. To avoid incurring Boxer’s Fracture, avoid hitting objects with no “give”, such as walls. Use hand therapy balls and strengtheners to help protect the hand as well.

Photo Courtesy of Shell Shock MMA and FUS Photography by Rick Dowdy

Carpal Bossing

If you see a lump forming on the back of your hand, then you may facing a case of Carpal Bossing.   Seen mostly in adults aged 20-35 years old, this condition is caused after a bum or knock to the back side of the wrist. A swelling and prominence occurs as new bone is produced to compensate for arthritic thinning in the lining of the cartilage.   To avoid Carpal Bossing, try to avoid knocks to the back of the hand.   Use protective gear (16 oz wraps are adequate) while boxing to keep the hand from taking these knocks. Obtaining adequate rest helps a great deal – overuse of the area can lead to cartilage thinning. Use ice or cold therapy to reduce inflammation following workouts.   Minor Carpal Bossing is treated with ice and rest. More serious cases will force you to wear a wrist brace for a few days. The most advanced and untreated cases lead to surgery, completed in one day and usually successful for full recovery.

Shoulder Dislocation

Any sport in which the participants incur heavy hits to the body will result in shoulder dislocation from time to time. The shoulders have the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body and are thus most susceptible to injury. This can be extremely painful and results in loss of movement in the shoulder area.   The shoulders will appear squared off instead of rounded, as they usually appear. While many of us may have seen movies where boxers quickly fix a dislocated shoulder by hitting a wall of being pushed quickly, this should NEVER be attempted.   Seek medical assistance immediately.   Home treatment of a shoulder dislocation can go wrong, leaving you with a lifetime of pain and long-term damage.   Let the doctor set the shoulder straight. You’ll be in a shoulder sling/support for three weeks. Spend a few months strengthening the area with resistance bands and you’ll return to full strength.

If you box, then you are going to get knocked around and banged up. However, if you are cognizant of the most common injuries and “dings”, and willing to devote the necessary time and attention to treat them, they won’t hold you down for long. Good luck!

Edwards vs Powers – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

This is Nathan Mendelsohn back again with another Technique of the Week!! This time I will be showing you a defense to the half x-guard that has been working really well for me both in training and competition, and then I’ll show you how to follow up with a counter attack rolling omoplata!! Hope you enjoy!

Stay Tuned Each Week for a New Technique!!

That’s right.   The very challenging, flexible, exciting and often addictive training style of CrossFit is being used by top surfers to push their power, balance, and paddling endurance to new levels. This style of training is of particular interest to surfers that cannot surf on a daily basis, due to work, family, or school obligations.   Hit the #WOD (workout of the day) at the #BOX (CrossFit training center) on your off-days, then enjoy the added benefits when you hit the water on the weekend. Are you ready to dive in?

First off, starting at the basics… the ocean is full of unknowns. CrossFit training is perfect for adapting to this. The full body workouts which target your core and extremities with movements such as squat, deadlift and pressing will turn your body into a machine capable of moving upwards through the water no matter how tired you are, and what position you may find yourself in, following an unfortunate wipeout. Bounce back to the surface with the strength, stamina and body control that only CrossFit training can deliver.

Charlie Racinowski

Now, let’s attack the positions. Attaining the surf zone position is difficult for many… but it’s a breeze for those who have used burpees on a regular basis. Look at the mechanics of each – they’re practically identical! Dive bombers are also useful – look at the way they completely match the smooth and aligned movements seen by surfers who are ducking beneath a wave. Paddling, paddling, paddling?   Hours spent doing pull-ups will sure make that movement easier, with the new added back strength and muscular endurance this exercise has provided.

Conditioning is the #1 key for survival, skill and success in surfing. Spend six months knocking out the workout of the day and look at how much further, faster, and longer you can surf. Your hours on the waves will double, and you’ll perform better while doing so! As mentioned previously, your ability to remain above the water is directly related to your stamina – which CrossFit can greatly improve.

Remember that diet also plays a key role in improving your surfing skill and ability. Many surfers underachieve on the water because they aren’t giving their body the nutritional tools needed to excel.   Eating a diet rich in protein (lean chicken, whey protein, Mahi-mahi or grouper), carbohydrates (fruits & vegetables, rice, pasta and beans) and fats (egg yolks, almonds, and fish oil)   will give your body the tools needed for hard training and fast recovery in the water, and at the #BOX when you’re building up your body to perform better in the water. Surf’s Up!

Had an awesome experience last weekend representing Clinch Gear at the 20^th Year Anniversary of the BJJ Tour US Open!!

I had five fights and won four of them, all of which can be viewed here:

http://livestream.com/ghosthandproductions/BJJusopen , in the video marked 12pm-3pm and the one marked 4:15 pm.

I won my first match by 14-0, my second match by 24-0 and then in the finals I met with a good friend of mine and we decided to split the money and have a friendly sparring match for the cameras which I lost 12-7. In the absolute weight category (all weights together) I was winning by 20-0 before finishing with an armbar and then won my second match by 2-0 against a very skilled ultra-heavyweight opponent named Eliot Kelly who is a really good fighter as well as a really good guy and that match was probably the one I was most proud of winning. After that I came up against my same friend in the semi-finals and I let him go through to the final without fighting me to save his energy. He went on to win the final and take home the 2,000 cash prize.

It felt really good to be back on the mats after recovering from a rib injury that put me out of competing for two months. I spent a lot of this year injured, more than I ever have before, and now that I’m healthy again I’m working hard at making up for lost time! Next week I will be fighting in Las Vegas at the BJJ Tour Nevada which will be passing live Saturday November 14^th on BJJTour.com and then the following week I will be fighting in the IBJJF New York Pro!!

Stay Tuned for more updates!! Osssssssssss

Q: I’m new to CrossFit and loving every minute of it.   While I’m getting the hang of it at the #Box, I’m still a little unclear about what I should be eating to better fuel my training and help me to recover better.   Any advice on how I should be eating?

A: You are very correct in your assertion that nutrition plays a key role in both your training energy and your muscle recovery following workouts.   The best way to describe optimal CrossFit nutrition would be “SIMPLE”.     Instead of trying to focus upon complex diet plans and all sorts of tips & tricks, the best eating system for crosstrainers is one comprised of clean foods in moderate sizes, spread throughout the day. Don’t measure every gram – eat sensibly following a few simple, fairly common sense rules. Choose the right foods, and map out a diet plan which works best for your schedule, preferences, and demands of your body.

Q: What foods should make up my CrossFit nutritional plan?

A: Stick with fairly natural food choices. You already know the healthy options in which you should be indulging. Protein sources such as fish, chicken, lean beef, whey/casein protein, and lean ground beef are ideal, along with some turkey and veal to keep things fresh.   For carbohydrates (energy), whoose oats, rice, pasta, and beans, along with the usual fruits, vegetables and leafy greens that you enjoy. Finally, choose natural peanut butter, almonds, fish oil, and EFAs for your essential fats.

Q: How many meals should I be eating each day?

A: Ideally, you’ll be consuming about 7 meals each day.   This includes a shake when you wake up, two regular meals, a pre- and post- workout meal, another standard meal, then finally, a late meal toward bedtime.   Start your day with a protein shake, using 1-2 scoops of whey. Your “standard meals” should be 1 part protein (8oz or so), 1 part complex carb (think pasta or rice) and 1 fruit/vegetable. Drink a lot of water to stay hydrated and aid your digestion with all of this food consumption. Your night-time meal should be high in protein, low in carbs, such as 4 whole eggs or 1 scoop of casein whey for 8 hour slow digestion while you sleep.   You grow while you sleep, not while you train, so enjoying a steady stream of protein’s rich amino acids while sleeping is ideal.

Q: What should pre-workout nutrition look like?

A: Before your workout, stick with a very low-fat, highly digestible protein such as egg whites of lean chicken breast, along with some light carbohydrate of your choosing. The last thing you want to do is go ‘heavy’ on your pre-training workout. You’ll be slow and groggy when training. Leafy greens are a fine addition, as is fresh fruit. Eat about 90 minutes before you train and don’t go overboard with diet sodas and other drinks which could bloat you.

Q: What should my post-training meal look like?

A: Following your workout, there is a small period of time known as the “anabolic window”.   This is a small 30 to 45 minute slot where your body is very much in need of nutrients. In particular, you need protein (to bring animo acids to your muscle fibers which have just been scorched) and you need simple sugars to shuttle these amino acids to your muscle fibers quickly.

Q: Are cheat meals okay?

A: Absolutely!   The metabolism can begin to slow down when you eat extremely clean all of the time for weeks at a time.   Additionally, your mental outlook can get a little bleak as you abandon the junk foods you love for weeks and months at a time. Choose a time (not before or after training) when you want to enjoy a moderately-sized cheat meal, and wash it down with a great deal of water. Your metabolism and mood will get quite a boost from it!

We live in a very goal-based society.  Everything we do, from waking up in the morning, to driving to work, to actually doing work, to eating and training, to retreating to bed in a decent hour, is based upon ever-changing models of efficiency.  If we can drive to work a little faster, and save a few minutes, and with a few shortcuts at work, we will have an even greater chance of getting out of work early.  This gets us to the #Box a few minutes early.  If we can push through the #WOD a little faster, we can be home earlier, and maybe get some chores done.  Sure, in the end of this packed day, you might end up with a little extra R&R time, but at what cost?  You’ve driven fast (placing yourself at risk), your work was probably sub-par at the employer, and perhaps your CrossFit workout was a little short on success because you rushed through it.  Is it time to slow down?

Many top CrossFit coaches see this exact issue with their clients, and they say it’s time to make a change!  Finding efficiency has helped our species to thrive, but when you’re a little run down, and dreading your box jumps, you may go easy on yourself when it comes to doing cleans first.  Training ‘by the numbers’ is an excellent method for making sure you meet your goals.  But every repetition is not equal, and the results you’ll see from ‘average’ reps, versus ‘insanely intense” repetitions, are going to be very different.

Try throwing out the clock for one of your training sessions this week.   When your goal is to blast your body and attain an insane pump – versus trying to complete a maximum number of repetitions in a minimum amount of time – you may just discover the magical (and often elusive) gift known as “mind-muscle connection”.  When you’re knocking out rep after rep of The Snatch, and you FEEL the shoulder muscle fibers contract with every repetition, then you are achieving mind-muscle connection.   When your back is on fire and you can feel every fiber igniting with every repetition of pull-ups, you are achieving the elusive mind-muscle connection.

Additionally, you should focus upon QUALITY in everything you do inside of the box.  Ask the trainers to seriously critique your form and speed – are you rushing your repetitions?  Does it look like you stop before failure?   Record your training with video, and see if each repetition is identical to the last.  If your form fails halfway through most sets, then you are heading toward Injury Country, a place you do NOT want to visit.  Keep focused on those final reps of each set, even as your body’s muscle fibers become engorged with blood and lactic acid and begin to lose their power.

The ultimate goal of CrossFit training is not to move the numbers in such a way that you’ll end up in the CrossFit Hall of Fame.  There will always be some natural athlete from some other field that can blow my any of us, thanks to world class genetics.  And the goal of your training should not just be “besting some numbers on a paper that you recorded three months ago”.  Rather, your intent with each workout should be to improve your body’s look and performance capability.  You want to want to grow stronger, faster and more powerful, while increasing your stamina and avoiding injury.   So while the numbers you record as you train can be a wonderful tool for tracking which direction you’re moving, you should also keep a keep eye and focus upon achieving that mind-muscle connection.  FEEL every repetition as you count them, and the results you wear (and feel) will be superior, in every way!

It is well known in fighting circles that carbohydrates are the fuel your body uses for training.   Protein builds your muscles, and fat keeps your systems rolling, but carbs are king when it comes to making your body hum through those sparring, drilling and running sessions. But what you may not know is that their consumption, type, and timing of use can have a great impact upon not only how your body looks and feels, but how you perform on the mats when engaging in mixed martial arts. Let’s check out some tips and tricks for wiser carbohydrate management to help your reach your training and fighting performance goals.

Choose the right types

A carb is NOT a carb.   A slice of white bread and a small banana both have roughly 80 calories, but the effect they will have upon your training, stamina, digestion and overall feeling of well-being couldn’t possibly be further apart. The slow-burning carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, pasta, whole-grain bread, brown rice, and oatmeal should be your primary choices.   These slow-burning options are excellent for maintaining your body’s insulin levels and curbing hunger while you work and train.

Cheat days rock!
Most days, you should avoid giving your body any number of calories above your optimal number. However, seeing as you are a human being, there are going to be times when you wish to engage in a little junk food consumption.   Aside from the positive mental results this brings, you will also see a slight bump in your metabolism, which helps you to drop body fat and become a more efficient, leaner fighter as a result! Keeping fat levels in check should always be a top goal for MMA fighters!

Cut the carbs in the PM

Of course you need plenty of carbs each day to fuel your training and other bodily needs, but the timing of their consumption can have a great effect upon your body fat levels.   Since you’re looking to fight at your desired weight, while at the same time adding as much muscle mass as possible, you are going to want to reduce your daily carbohydrate intake by 4 or 5 pm. If you train in the evening, this time will be pushed back.   Ideally, you want your body to be burning stored body fat for fuel in the evening, and not carbohydrates in your body in the form of sugars in your digestive system.

Rotate high and low carb days

On the days you aren’t training, your body burns fewer calories. On these days, you don’t need as much food – nor as many grams of carbohydrates – for daily function.   Therefore you should consider cutting your carbohydrate intake by 30 to 50% on these non-training days. This will also keep your body fat in check, and provide a nice bump to your metabolism in the following days when you bump the carb intake back up!

Choose the right snacks

Yogurt & cottage cheese are the perfect snacks for the mixed martial arts fighter intent on keeping his insulin levels primed and appetite under control. You’ll also enjoy the added boon of calcium and will keep your fat levels in check while providing your body with a continuous source of energy from the carbohydrates. Eat slowly and steady throughout the day – almost grazing – choosing the correct foods such as cottage cheese and yogurt.

Edwards vs Powers – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

Stay hydrated

Consuming carbohydrates – particularly the correct kinds in large quantities – can lead to constipation and other digestive issues. Before you resort to the use of laxatives and other unnatural means, solve things by just increasing your water intake.   You probably sweat a ton already, with your training and running. Most untrained, sedentary people need half a gallon of water each day. You should be consuming 1 to 1.5 gallons of water each day for maximum training effectiveness and digestion, as well as overall health!

There’s no doubt that you love mixed martial arts. Whether as a fan, or a participant in this very incredible sport, you strive to enjoy it while at the same time learning more about the technical basics of the sport.   Are you ready to check out fifteen MMA kicks, punches, and other moves that you should know? Let’s dive in!

Arm Bar: In an attempt to force the opponent to submit/tap out, one would apply pressure to the opponent in the elbow joint region, forcing the arm to bend in an unnatural way. Placing the opponent’s arm between the knees will allow greater pressure to be applied using the hips.

Axe Kick: This kick is delivered downward upon the opponent. One leg is raised into the air, then brought straight down, with the heel making contact with the fighter on the ground.

Choke: This move is designed to cut supply of oxygen to the brain of the opponent. Using the forearms, biceps, or even the legs, one can wrap around the neck/windpipe of the opponent and force him to either submit, or pass out from lack of oxygen.

Clinch: This is a “hugging” position in which competitors gain control over the other’s body after wrapping arms around each other, while fighting for advantageous hip and arm position. The clinch is used before the takedown attempt.

Elbow Strike or Elbow: Just like is sounds, this is a painful impact made to the body (or head) of the opponent at an angle using the pointed tip of the elbow which can result in cuts and is heavily regulated in mixed martial arts.

Hammerfist: This punch is delivered as the fighter moves the bottom of the fist into his opponent in a fast and powerful manner.

Jab: This straight punch is highly effective in boxing and mixed martial arts.

Leg Kick: Any leg-to-leg kick. These can be highly effective for weakening opponent and disrupting their balance.

Side Control: This position allows a competitor to restrict opponent movement. Lie perpendicular across the opponent and control his head of hips and he lays on his back or side.

Edwards vs Powers – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

Spinning Back-Fist: This is a full-circle punch, delivered first while facing the opponent, then followed up with an additional punch while spinning around.

Sprawl: This is a defensive technique, used to respond to an attempt at takedown by the opponent.   Jumping back, lowering the hips and driving weight into the attacker leads to an effective sprawl.

Sweep: This would include any move in which one tries to take the opponent’s balance, then turning him over, usually into the mount position. Removing all support or base, in the form of one of the hands or feet, is how this is achieved.

Takedown: Drawn from the wrestling world, this is a technique used to get your opponent on the ground, and get on top of him. One would shoot in for a takedown.

Tap Out: Often seen as a logo on clothing, this is the method employed by fighters to indicate to an official that they submit to their opponent. One can tap upon the mat, or the opponent, to let the referee know he has surrendered this match.

Sid Bice – Photo Courtesy of MMABUZZ.COM

Uppercut: Any punch which is executed by bringing the first up in a very quick and smart manner, targeting the face or the body of your opponent.

This is Nathan Mendelsohn back again with another Technique of the Week! This time I will be showing you one of my most effective and most high percentage submissions, the Bow and Arrow choke starting from the side mount!! Hope you enjoy!!

Stay Tuned Each Week for a new Technique!! Osss

If you are going to embark upon a youth wrestling journey with your child, you’ll want to develop a plan to ensure maximum growth, realistic expectations, and safe passage from one level of the sport to the other.  Let’s check out a few ideas which help make this youth wrestling journey a successful one.

Create both kinds of goals

Short term goals come first.  Create a series of month-long or season-long goals which you will work to accomplish each year.  They should be realistic and sometimes a tad lofty, but never unachievable.  “Improve takedowns” or “make the varsity team” are wonderful short-term goal.    Next, line up some long term goals, or “wrestling career” objectives which can be adjusted each year based upon growth, achievement and other events unforeseen.  “Win my weight class at state championships” or “Achieve top 5 ranking” are terrific long-term goals to set.

Create an action plan

Once you have the goals, map out the training, workload, and benchmarks which will lead you on this path to success.  You don’t go from beginner to state champ overnight.  Mastery of the movements, developing of awesome conditioning, and study of higher level objectives are all things which need to be done before you’ll reach the loftier goals.  Write out the steps you’ll have to take to get there.

Keep it in perspective

Your child is competing in a very tough sport.  And his or her achievements matter.  But real life is tougher, and real life matters more.  Dont’t miss the big moments in life due to wrestling commitments.  Never fear a small break from the sport you love if family or other real-life obligations arise.  Use youth wrestling as a tool to make your other dreams in life come true, not as an obstacle to stand in the way of their accomplishment.

Always keep it fun!
This is perhaps the most important point to made.  Don’t put your child into youth wrestling because you want him to be in the Olympics in fifteen years.   Enter your child into the sport to have fun, make friends, develop skills – anything beyond that is just a bonus.  Laugh, smile, and have fun.  Enjoy every second of the journey that youth wrestling has to offer!

You know how to train.   You enter the #BOX and you dominate the #WOD.   Nobody can touch you. Your workouts are organized, intense and effective.   You’re seeing the gains in strength and stamina that you desire, so you know your efforts inside the gym are working.   And it’s not just the training part of cross training that gets your attention. You dedicate equal thought and effort to your nutrition. Meals are planned and prepared ahead of time, and you make sure to enjoy adequate proteins, carbohydrates and fats to meet your body’s needs for training, recovery and growth. You think you’ve covered all of your bases – but have you?   Are you planning your recovery with the same detail and precision as you give your training and nutrition? Or is this ever-important part of the equation an afterthought?   Let’s look at some of the precautions and steps you can take to ensure you are giving you body the resources it needs to bounce back fast from tough CrossFit Training.

First off, you have to ensure you aren’t overtraining.   How many days each week have you been training?   You should be training 3 to 4 days each week. Use a “2 day on, 1 day off” routine once you’re in good shape, but start with a “1 day on, 1 day off” training protocol as you get started.    If you find yourself getting sick often, tired and worn down, or just plain disinterested in what is otherwise very exciting training, then there is a good chance you are currently overtraining already. Cut back your workouts, and you’ll actually see greater results from your training! Never train when you’re overly sore of feeling any injuries or undue pain. learn to listen to your body!

Now, let’s take a look at your sleep patterns. How many hours each night are you currently devoting to sleep? Do you take a nap some days? The normal untrained body needs 7 to 7.5 hours of sleep each night for normal, healthy function. The CrossFit body often needs much more rest. Bump up your sleep, and your performance in the gym will most likely climb as well! Even hours spent up late reading, cooking and planning workouts is time you’re robbing your body of sleep.

In addition to these active forms of recovery, you’ll also want to dedicate some of your time to mental recovery.   Don’t think about work 24/7.   If your “down time” is dedicated to reading about work or training, are you ever truly giving your body the resources it needs to unwind and rebuild? Spend time doing things which completely remove your body and mind from stress. Hiking, stamp-collecting, or just plain watching sitcoms on Netflix – Find a way to let your body rebuild. Continual stress through rest is a self-defeating proposition.

Those who are driven to CrossFit training are often the most intense and hard-working individuals around. The only problem with people like that is that at times, they find it hard to force themselves to slow down in order to rest and recovery. Attack the CrossFit recovery process with the same focus, tenacity and intensity that you’ve always used for your training and nutrition, and you’ll love the results!

Being a successful MMA athlete or boxer isn’t always about which fighter has the best skill set.   Yes, experience and ability to perfectly execute punches, kicks, takedowns and submission moves are all essential. However, the athlete that ‘runs out of steam’ often loses to a fighter with lesser fighting ability, that hasn’t tired yet. If you want to be able to execute your perfectly practiced moves longer than the opponent, then you’re going to have to learn to last longer in the ring.
Granted, cardiovascular training is essential for reaching top physical shape and maximizing your stamina. However, this training cannot take place unless you’ve given your body the proper foods needed to fuel these workouts. Nutrition is the key to greater endurance, which will allow you to train longer and harder, and last longer in the ring or match. Let’s dig in!

Time our your meals.   Most people tend to stick with the traditional 3 meals a day plan. Your body can only assimilate 30 to 40 grams of protein per meal, and large meals tend to leave you bloated and uncomfortable. Stick with 5 to 6 smaller meals each day, and you’ll feel worlds better.   Your body will enjoy a steady stream of nutrients almost around the clock.

Record your macronutrient intake. Protein gives your muscles the amino acids they need to repair and recover.   Carbohydrates give you the energy you need for training. Fats are required for your body’s functions and more importantly, vitamin absorption.   Choose a wide variety of steak, chicken, whey protein, along with rice, pasta, vegetables, fish oil and eggs.   Enjoy fresh fruit. Some snacks of the junk food variety are acceptable early in the day, but work to avoid extra salt foods, as they lead to water retention.

Smith vs South – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

You’re going to need to learn to develop a healthy relationship with the foods you’re eating.   Don’t look at endurance training eating as a task or a chore – make it a part of your daily schedule. Choose foods you enjoy and design your meal plan accordingly. If you suffer through your dining, then it’ll always only be a part-time thing. Make it a permanent part of your lifestyle by choosing foods you love!

Staying hydrated is a key to proper bodily function. Plus you’ll avoid the nasty muscle craps that take place when you’re training in warm temperatures for extended periods of time. If you notice feelings of fatigue or urinate a dark color, then it’s time to bump up your water consumption. Most people need at least a gallon of H2O per day. Fighters training hard need up to triple that. One gallon to two gallons a day will always keep you hydrated enough to train long and hard.

Photo Courtesy of Shell Shock MMA and FUS Photography by Rick Dowdy

Finally… Always start early! Even if you’re not hungry in the morning, you should begin your day with a small breakfast. Your body has been without nutrients – particularly protein – for 8 hours or more. Don’t try to enter your endurance training session on an empty stomach. Eat, drink, digest, then begin your tough training.   You’ll never be a top MMA fighter if you cannot train for stamina – and eating right is how you make that possible!

“MMA” is all over the place these days, and for those involved with the sport, the components of combat are innate. Multiple fighting worlds combine in a beautiful yet unpredictable manner, interchangeable at a second’s notice as a fight dictates. For those outside of the MMA world looking in, the complex interaction of multiple fighting disciplines can be confusing at times. Mixed martial arts is a great activity for getting into shape, developing your confidence and making you a more skilled fighter in all essential areas which are applicable both in and out of the ring. Is it right for you? Let’s break down the three “arts” which make up martial arts and analyze their components and origins.   Maybe you’ll find one – or all – of them are right for you.

Wrestling

Two wrestling styles are used by MMA fighters: Freestyle and Greco-Roman. Many of the top MMA fighters of today were star high school, college, and even Olympic level wrestlers before finding MMA fame. Wrestling is essentially about controlling your opponent and forcing him to the ground for a pin, and at time, a submission. Wrestling is a discipline often started by athletes at the elementary school level. The ability to control ones own body at the wrestling level is the foundation for mixed martial arts ‘ground game’ and is a hugely important skill for future MMA fighters to develop. If you’re interested in MMA, it’s time to get serious about wrestling!

Submissions

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a discipline which uses leg locks, chokes, and arm locks in an effort to get your opponent to ‘submit’ or surrender.   Catch or Submission wrestling are also integral parts of the submission realm. Submissions can be highly dangerous and their origin goes back centuries.   Intense study of the human body and the effects of pressure and positioning goes into a well balanced and skilled MMA fighter. The generation that grew up seeing “Tap Out” everywhere is already aware of the submission motion, whether they know it or not.

Striking

Perhaps the most painful and obvious part of mixed martial arts fighting is striking – the use of legs, knees, hands and elbows to throw strikes at your opponent. Fighters from the worlds of boxing, Karate, Muay Thai and Kickboxing all funnel into the sport of MMA. There can be overlap at times, as the rules of some offer allowances using certain strikes.   In MMA, they can all be used, in unpredictable and always exciting ways. Discipline, time, and practice make one a good striker.

If you’re thinking about MMA, jump into wrestling, boxing, or karate. Learn a discipline and develop your skill and work ethic. Then, start with some cross-training across multiple areas. Most MMA fighters wish they had spent more time grappling, so young potential fighters are often advised to start with wrestling. Give it time. Try the various worlds of wrestling, submission and striking. Remember that MMA isn’t life – MMA is a tool which should be used to enrich your life.

Warm Up & Cool Down

Always start your workouts with a warm-up session. You’re about to engage in some high-impact, high intensity training. You want to give your body a chance to raise heart rate, spread oxygen, and prepare muscles for at or near-maximum capacity training.   Ten minutes on the treadmill is adequate. Additionally, you should cool down at the end of each workout with some low-intensity walking. You’ll minimize the muscle strain you face, break up lactic acid stores, and bounce back faster from training as a result.

Take Rest Days

Many young boxers enthusiastically enter the gym or the ring each day, training nonstop. This will feel good for a few days. However, over time, the strain and drain faced by your central nervous system (CNS) will become apparent. The body needs breaks in order to rebuild its resource stores. This is necessary for long-term viability. Longer-term wear can lead to muscle tissue damage which might be disguised as soreness. Take a few days rest every six weeks as well, to allow your CNS several true recovery and repair sessions each year.

Record Sleep

Most wise boxers keep a journal, recording their training efforts. This allows them to analyze their training later, to see what led to improvements, and what left them run down and weaker. Extremely smart athletes keep a nutritional journal as well, quickly jotting down what they eat each day in order to remain accountable for nutritional choices, as well as to allow for analysis of eating patterns to see what is working, and what is not. Apply this same principle to recovery as well! Write down what time you fall asleep, and what time you wake up.   Record how many times you wake up each night – analysis of this may help you to limit how often this happens.   Write down any naps you take.   Then, compare the rest you enjoy with the training results you see in the following days. You’ll likely realize that more accountable sleep equates to greater training and recovery productivity.

Ice Baths Rock!

If your goal is to defeat soreness from training, then inflammation is your biggest enemy!   Lifting, punching, sparring and running create a great deal of micro-tears in your muscle fibers.   Lactic acid and cortisol build up.   Apply a cold compress to your trained areas to help bring down this inflammation quickly. It may feel uncomfortable at times. However, dealing with some delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) for a few hours such beats facing it for a few days! Use ice packs and baths on a regular basis to recover faster from tough workouts.

Add Stretching

Employ a simple stretching routine 2 to 3 times each day to keep your muscles limber and to remove wastes which can accumulate as training time adds up. Target each muscle group individually for a minute or so.   Treat trained and untrained muscle groups alike. Complete 3-4 sets of 5 to 7 stretches, holding each stretch for about ten seconds. Use resistance bands for added stretching effectiveness. Record your stretches in your training journal to ensure you use it on a consistent basis.

Variety

Over time, standard workouts can grow boring. You train with the weights, and you run through your usual 8 exercises. Then, you hop on the elliptical machine and knock out 30 minutes. Repeat this workout for a decade, and see how excited you are to show up at the gym!     Instead, you can enter the “BOX” and throw down with a brand new training session every single time!   Mixes of exercises like back squats, overhead presses, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, wall balls and burpees will keep your body, and mind, continually guessing and stimulated. You’ll never grow bored. And, your body will respond to the new training as well!   You’ve already grown to meet the demands of your current training session. Be ready to see some new strength and size goals realized as your body is challenged with the new movements.

“AMRAP”

This one might be new to you, but it’s a factor which many CrossFitters absolutely love… “As Many Reps As Possible”!   No longer will you train until you hit ten reps, then rest. Now you are on your own mission, a fight against infinity as you train with an exercise until the muscle group fails, no matter how many repetitions it takes. It will surprise you just how capable your body is of lifting more weight for more repetitions. Push yourself further each workout – and watch your body change as it responds to the challenge!

Get Lean

In this great world of fitness where anyone will argue with anything, nearly everyone agrees with one statement: CrossFit burns calories! Recruiting your core and just about every major muscle group in your body for each WOD (workout of the day), you will shed body fat faster than you can imagine. Intense workouts burn serious fat! Plus, adding new muscle to your frame ensures the number of calories you require each day to function will increase. This means you can eat MORE food every day, and STILL grow leaner as your body fat level rocks.

Camaraderie

Walk into any gym, and it’s automatically “you against the world”. Everyone is wearing their headphones with their eyes down, alone in their training. You can’t find a spotter, your questions go unanswered, and the idea of gaining any motivation or support from those around you is out of the question.   Well, as any CrossFitter will tell you, CrossFit is quite the opposite! Feel like part of a team with CrossFit training. Push one another, lend a spotting hand, point out any flaws in form, and be a friend as you all work together toward reaching your strength and stamina performance goals! CrossFit = Community!

CrossFit Games/ CrossFit Open

One very unique aspect of CrossFit is that this training system has its own “Super Bowl” of sorts, in which the top athletes from around the world compete in athletic events.   Or, if you prefer, you can compete online against other CrossFitters, or just against yourself. The sport is global, and growing more every year as new athletes enter and new ideas emerge. Give CrossFit a chance, you might just find it has everything for which you’ve been seeking in a training system!

How does one acquire speed?  Can speed be improved?  Of course, speed is something with which many athletes are naturally blessed, but it is something that can be improved using the correct type of drills.  It won’t come easily, but it will come with time, as you move just a bit faster with your hands and legs as each week passes.  Building up the muscles that move your hands and legs, along with the stamina to maintain that speed, is key.  Let’s check out the drills for your hands and legs!

Hand Speed Drills

Clap Push-Up
As a boxer, you need fast hands.  The use of pushups (with a quick clap as you leave the ground at the top of each pushup repetition) is a great way to build fast explosive strength in your body, along with some added coordination.  Keep your elbows at a wide 90 degree angle and maintain identical repetitions through your four sets of 8 to 10 repetitions.

Jump Roping
Intervals using the jump rope develops both slow and fast twitch muscle fiber, increases lung capacity, and delivers greater muscle coordination, in addition to added speed.  Jump for one minute, then the next half-minute using double unders (two rope rotations for each jump).  Repeat to exhaustion, which is usually 2 to 4 rotations.

Dumbbell Shadow Boxing
Resistance training is a solid way to build up muscle and punching power, and to punch faster as well.  The moment you set down the dumbbell (following your two minutes of punching with each arms), your hands will become very light and much quicker.  Repeat for 3 to 6 sets using both hands.

Speed Bag
No gloves needed here.  Four rounds of 3 minutes each is all you need to bring your hands to life and build muscle stamina and speed to help make your punches arrive just a little bit quicker each time.  Every punch should be identical to the last with no variation in tempo or form.

Punchout drilling
Finally, nothing beats plain ol’ all-out speed punching drills.  Hand speed and overall lung capacity and stamina will benefit from this exercise.  You don’t want to punch using full power here.  Keep a limit of about 40% of your maximum power per punch.  Thirty second of punching should be followed by 30 seconds of rest.  Repeat for 4 to 6 sets.

Leg Speed Drills

High Knee Jump Roping
Alternate standard jump roping with the high knee variety, in which you pull your knees up to near-waist level with each repetition.  You’ll need added focus just to stay on your feet when using this movement, but you’ll develop new leg speed as a result.  Stick with rep ranges of 45 seconds on, 45 seconds rest.

Water running
Resistance running in water is an effective way to target your core and leg muscles and, just like with dumbbell punching, teach your limbs to move faster once the resistance is remove.  Longer-distance water running is fine, depending up the facilities available to you.

Jump squats
Keep the weight light and your body under control for this highly effective yet potentially dangerous movement.  This is a standard set of squats in which you explode or jump from the halfway point of each repetition.  Always warm up thoroughly before attempting this movement.

Sprints
The unique aspect of sprints compared with long distance running is that sprints target the fast-twitch muscle fiber used for explosive, fast movements.  This is the kind of power you want when you’re lunging into a punch, or trying to move your legs to avoid one.  Run for 40 meters, then walk back and repeat.  Run at near-maximum speed, but not so much that you’re out of control and reckless.

All of the speed in the world won’t help all that much if we are able to control it.  This introduces a factor known as Agility.  Simply put, agility is your ability to quickly change the direction of your legs, hand, arms, or entire body, while keeping control of balance and body.   The fastest engine in the world doesn’t matter on a vehicle, if the steering and brakes don’t work!  Look at agility as your ability to contain and control the speed you’ve been working to develop.  Exercises such as burpees, hurdle jumps, box jumps, agility ladders and running with resistance bands will help you to build up a greater level of agility.  Good luck!

Many a great fighter, with superior speed and skill, has been bested by a lesser opponent with a greater amount of stamina. As fights go on, round after round, both fighters experience a loss of stamina and energy as their bodies are pushed to the limit. The amount of conditioning they enjoyed going into the fight, as well as the way they manage their energy during the fight, will decide how they feel in the closing minutes of the match. If you want to increase your chances of being the last man standing in your next fight, you may want to apply these four techniques for increasing your fighting endurance.

Improve your technique

First off, you have to make sure your punches and kicks are executed with perfect form. As you may already know, perfectly thrown strikes and kicks exert the least amount of energy from you, while delivering the greatest possible amount of energy toward your opponent. If you want to exert the least amount of energy possible while punching, while hitting the hardest, then you are going to want to execute clean, direct punches. Work with your coach and record your practice rounds to ensure you don’t get lazy on form as you grow tired during training. Many average fights would look much better in the closing minutes of a fight, had they throws smarter punches early in the match. Experience outlasts stamina in many cases through the simple use of proper form and technique. The old vet that knocks out the all-star newbie without breaking a sweat is a perfect example of how stamina of technique can beat all.

Fire up your muscle memory

The fibers of your muscle groups grow stronger as a result of use.   Each time you throw an exact, perfect punch, your fibers experience very small micro-tears. You go home, enjoy a protein shake, and rest and recover. When you return to the gym, the muscle fibers have regrown just a tad stronger in the key areas where those small tears occurred. This is how you grow stronger, and often bigger, provided you are boosting your caloric intake. These pathways develop very cleanly over time, assuming your are training wisely and consistently.   As the weeks, months, and years pass, each punch of kick becomes less and less efforted as your muscle fibers adapt to the common pathways taken while executing these moves. Train smart and consistently, and muscle memory will develop.

Cardiovascular training

The most common, and obvious, way to boost your stamina is to spend a lot of time engaging in cardiovascular exercise. This is a simple process which involves more action than thinking. By engaging in running, jogging, biking, elliptical machine, or another cardio training means, you create a rise in your heart rate above your resting rate. This, in turn, increases oxygen intake (absorption) by your body. Each workout should involve pushing yourself just a bit more than the last workout. Run a little faster or a little longer. Your body will stop adapting and improving once the cardio training becomes predictable.   Change up your movements and always work to do a little more work than last time. The increase in heart rate might not be comfortable, but it’ll give you a much greater lung capacity as long fights wind down.

Boost muscle conditioning

To increase stamina, many fighters look solely to cardio and skill training. They completely neglect the fact that part of increasing stamina is making muscles stronger so they take longer to fail. Build your muscles using plyometric movements (such as pushups, situps, squats) as well as by lifting weights (utilizing such movements as bench press, squats, and deadlifts).   Any weak links in your body will be cured with full body training, hitting individual muscle groups as well as your core and larger compound movement support muscles. Muscle fatigue can be devastating in a fight. Build your skill, your lungs, AND your muscle if you want to win.

The last man standing isn’t always the best fighter. The man with the best conditioning of the muscles, the skill, and the lungs, is the fighter with the best possible chance of emerging victorious. Target all key areas and always work to improve upon your last outing. The results will be phenomenal!

CrossFit, once a cult training system that caught on, has suddenly become an international phenomenon, drawing in athletes from all walks of life, ready to make their mark in what is arguably the hottest actual SPORT in the country. As a result, many of the participants are crossover athletes, bent on making a name for themselves quickly before moving on to their next endeavor. Perhaps they aren’t willing to put in the years of training in the box, paying their dues, learning the little intricacies that add up to create the well-versed CrossFit athlete. Perhaps their instant success at other sports led them to believe they could arrive and go “all out” and topple the sport overnight. Whatever the case, there is one factor which is overlooked more than any other, and one that is essential for CrossFit success… PATIENCE!

Injury Maintenance

Most CrossFitters would agree that injuries are perhaps the most inevitable and most annoying part of training in a practice as intense as CrossFit. Yes, you are going to be pushing your body with explosive new lifts, always pushing to move more weight for more repetitions. High volume training leads to wear and tear. It is a normal part of the process. However, how you deal with the injury, however minor, will depend upon the level of patience you are able to exert. Small injuries heal, they persist, or they become larger injuries. The patient CrossFitter takes measures to help the small injuries heal – rest, massage, ice, and compression.

Rest days

Athletes in many realms love to train. They train as frequently as their bodies will allow.   Often, this leads to the very common chronic condition known as “overtraining”, in which the central nervous system (CNS) of the body is unable to recover from workouts. Soreness, exhaustion, disinterest and eventually, injuries will occur as a result.     What many people forget is that CrossFit is a very intense practice, and one that requires most if not all of the muscle groups of the body to become involved. Ideal CrossFit training gives the athlete every other day for recovery.   That may not be ideal or acceptable for some, but it does offer the central nervous time adequate time for recovery. All people train and recover differently, but the basic fact remains: If you aren’t sore at all following workouts, then you might not be training hard enough!

Listen to Coach

First off, you should choose the right trainer and the right Box.   Don’t settle for second-best. Choose the one with the best results and most trusted trainers.   Once you’ve achieved that, you need to LISTEN to what you are told by your trainer. Yes, micro-analyzing every aspect of things may help in other areas of life. But in this case, you need to LEARN before you can dissect, modify and change what works.   Always listen to your body, but listen to coach first! The training system designed for you may not seem like enough at time, and you may feel you can tweak the weights more often. However, the sequential plan designed for you was done so by an expert.   Stick with it, grow and evolve, and THEN you can learn how to modify, adapt, improve and grow your training system.

Watch the volume

Too little training volume is ineffective. Too much training volume will tax your system. Again, you have to practice patience and heed the advice of your training team. Sometimes you may feel like your workout didn’t contain enough sets.   That’s okay – your next workout will be tougher, as every CrossFit training session builds upon the success of the last one in a very much cumulative system.  Patience is a virtue, and one that is often ignored by the top athletes of the CrossFit sport. Be sure to give patience the same amount of dedication as you do your training, nutrition, and recovery. The results will be spectacular!

Charlie Racinowski

There’s no doubt that variation is a very important key to making continued gains, improvements, and increases in your strength, stamina, muscular size, and striking ability.   The muscle fibers of the body are grouped into muscle groups.   Fibers and groups of fibers are stimulated in our training, whether the exercise selected is bench press, squats, overhead press, or just plain running.   We, as athletes, work to mix up our training for two reasons. First, this ensures as many muscle fibers are recruited. Not every exercise targets every muscle fiber, so most trainers use various exercises on each muscle group to activate as many of these muscle fibers as possible. Second, this prevents adaptation. The muscles of your body will only grow to meet the demand with which they have been presented. People that use the same workout for years will look and perform the same for years as well. Training needs to be varied in order to ensure gains continue.

Many of the iPhone and Android applications in use today help athletes to record their workouts, which is a great thing. However, the human body isn’t a machine – it is a collection of organic system which work together to keep us breathing, moving, and exercising. There is going to be some variance in output from training session to session. There are days when you are going to be able to squat 200 pounds for 10 repetitions.   There will be other days when you break some personal best, hitting 14 repetitions due to a combination of pre-workout supplements, training partner motivation, adrenaline, and many other untold factors. Athletes attempting to “match last week’s insane workout” might train beyond their safe capability, or worse, deliver half-repetitions in the name of keeping their journal looking good. Soon, weeks pass and you have athletes heaving the weight, delivering ineffective results, just to keep their online journal or cell phone app output looking like continuous gains were achieved. Actual results will suffer as a result of an inability to accept performance output levels are going to vary – you’re only human!
The other danger of over thinking which can arise from the use of technical applications with your training is what is known as ‘over-variance’. There is no doubt that the muscle fibers and groups of the body will benefit from mixing up the training, for the reasons we discussed.   However, the top movements are the top movements because they have been used by MMA and strength-training athletes for many years. Changing out squats for “advanced, bent one-legged leg extensions at a 90 degree angle” isn’t a move you want to make – Keep the basics and mix up some variables about how they are used. But the basics need to remain basics if you wish to keep seeing consistent training results that progress.

When it comes to making continued improvements your stamina, strength, and capability, it all comes down to one phrase: Progression With Limitations.   Keep your training and more importantly, mindset and tracking tools behind it, simple! Use new variation while at the same time sticking to the basics. Enjoy the new tools for tracking workouts and suggesting new approaches to training, but at the same time don’t let the 1’s and 0’s of your smart device ever reduce the quality of your training and the inevitable variance in performance and results. Mix it up, but stay grounded, and stop overthinking your training!

Wrestlers need to focus upon both short- and long-term bursts when completing their cardio. The art of the match is that it is both a sprint AND a marathon.  You are up against other wrestlers for minutes at a time, so possessing a strong base with plenty of slow-twitch muscle fiber activation is important.  On the other hand, the brief and intense exchanges between wrestlers in which you are using near-maximum levels of oxygen are similar to those required when panic sprinting.  Beyond safely pushing yourself, you are often fighting for air, or at the very least fighting to stay off your back, while an opponent is doing the same.  Your lungs need to be strong, and last as well.

Start your training with the stationary bike.  Bring blood and oxygen to the lungs and lower body.  After a 5 to 7 minute warm up, you will want to complete intervals.  Pedal for 30 seconds “all out”, then pedal lightly for 15 seconds.  Your legs and lungs will have a chance to recover a bit, but your heart rate will remain elevated.  Complete ten of these intervals.

Running is essential for wrestlers, and that will come next.  Find your spot on the track, field or court.  Sprint for ten yards.  walk ten yards.  Sprint 20 yards.  Walk ten yards.  Sprint 30 yards.  Walk ten yards.  Repeat for ten intervals until you have maxed out at your final 100 yard spring.  Then, you will want to exasperate your results with a brief 5 to 7 minute job to lower your heart rate and maximize the stamina gains.

At this point, you can rest or return for skill training via drills.  Many wrestlers will opt for swimming training, as it delivers a very low-impact means for adding stamina, and often provides some therapeutic results to the athlete whose body may be hurting after all of that training.  Your swimming intervals would be the same – Push yourself for one length, then paddle back, catching your breath.  This sort of interval training helps to activate the slow-twitch muscle fibers (endurance) as well as the fast-twitch variety (short brief massive exercise moments).  As discussed, both of these are imperative for wrestling cardiovascular training.
Record your daily cardio performance training in a journal.  Document your times and set/repetitions.  Over time, you will need to increase your training workload in order to ensure you are still making progress.  The body adapts quickly and will no longer show stamina gains once you halt the progressively greater workouts.  Train a little harder each time using interval cardio training, and you’ll be the last man standing as the strength, skills, stamina and strategy of your opponents fall by the wayside!

The objective of CrossFit training is to push your body to new levels of performance using highly intelligently designed training practices.   To push your body, you need to train with more weight, for a greater number of repetitions, with less rest and greater intensity, every single workout.  In one word, this means PAIN.   So if you’re going to train the CrossFit style – intense and progressively harder every time – then you are going to want to train through the pain.  Here are some steps for getting tougher mentally in order to meet the demands of CrossFit training.

Observe others

Take a look around the box.  You know the people that are training the hardest – they’re going all-out 24/7, harder, louder, and with greater intensity than anyone else.   They’re also the ones making the greatest strides, moving more weight for more reps, and advancing at a faster rate than their peers.  Study them!  Talk to them!  Learn from them!  Most Crossfitters love an opportunity to work with those around them and teach their wisdom to interested parties.  Watch, listen and learn!  Embrace the mental toughness that they show, and adopt it as your own.

Plot your course

Once you know the style of training your need to embrace – progressive and more intense every time – you will need to map out how to approach this mentally.  You’re up against new levels of pain that you haven’t seen before.  lactic acid buildup in your muscle groups can lead to some serious pain.  However, it’s a manageable pain faced daily by those at your training centers who are turning in the greatest performances on a regular basis.  Decide you are willing to commit to applying yourself to a higher training standard, and accept the additional soreness, aches and pains which will accompany this training style.

Train the mind AND the body

Mental exercises can go a long way in helping you to train yourself to train longer and harder.  Visualize where you want to be, and talk yourself through the pain you’re going to face.  When you tackle the workout of the day (WOD), realize you need to train your brain with the same intensity as you’re training your body.  You cannot just ‘call in’ any workouts – you have to push your mental faculties just as hard as you’re pushing those of the physical variety.

Focus on the weaknesses

You know your strong points.  You know what exercises allow you to be your strongest and perform at the highest level.  You know what muscle groups and core muscle systems have the greatest strengths.  On the other hand, you also know which areas are your weakest.  You know which movements need the most strength, and you should be giving them the most attention and intensity?  Why? Because those are the areas with the most room for improvement.  Your chest and triceps, along with your bench press, may be your strongest areas.  But as much as you train them over the next year, your progress won’t be that much.  On the other hand, consider how much progress you could make on your LAGGING exercises and muscle groups, which haven’t been trained to their potential in the past.  You can make much greater strides in terms of development in these weak areas, which will improve your overall physique and core movement performance in all areas.

Embrace failure

Failing isn’t a bad thing in CrossFit training.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite.  Training to a point of failure is a very GOOD thing.  It means you have forced your muscles to perform at a level not previously possible.  This leads to new progress and growth in terms of muscle size, strength and stamina.  If you’re finishing sets and you still have gas in the tank, or a few remaining repetitions, then you aren’t using an adequate amount of weight.  Train to failure, and you will grow and make new progress.  Stop before failure and you’ll maintain your current levels, but fail to grow to new levels of strength, size and stamina.

This is Nathan Mendelsohn back again with another Technique of the Week! This time I will show you guys another of my most high percentage takedowns: the Collar Drag!! Hope you enjoy!!

Stay Tuned Each Week for a New Technique!!

Ossssss

This is Nathan Mendelsohn back with a quick documentary one of my students made about my return to competition after dislocating my elbow at the IBJJF Long Beach Pro last December! The documentary shows my recovery and preparation leading up to my return to the mats at the BJJ Tour American Cup! Hope you enjoy!!

Stay Tuned! Osssss

Rest your CNS

Your central nervous system, or CNS, is the collection of all of your body’s systems.  There are times when no particular muscle group is sore, but you’re feeling run down from head to toe.  That is your central nervous system telling you to take a break, before your immune system bends and you get sick as a result of overtraining.  Some trainers will kill it in the gym, remain busy 24/7 outside of the gym, and never take time to just rest and recover.  The body needs rest to heal – the improvements in size, strength, balance, and overall progression take place when you’re resting, not when you’re training.  Listen to your body, and rest and recover!

Target your weak areas

One of the easiest things to do in the Box is to target the movements, the exercises, and the areas where we excel.  Just like an amazing quarterback works hard on his passing every year, we want our strengths to keep getting stronger.  But making them the emphasis of our workouts means we often neglect what we should be targeting first – our weak areas.  Deficiencies in balance, core strength, and functional muscle in any muscle group of the body can lead to injury which will keep you out of CrossFit for weeks or even months at a time.

Breakfast comes first

When you’re taking the WOD, you are going to be pushing yourself to new limits that you’ve never before imagined.  You’ll be finding new personal bests in lifts and movements, and doing thing each week in the box that you never imagined possible.  To push yourself further, you’ll need more energy than you’ve previously expelled.  You don’t want to fall short when you’re reaching down deep to find that energy.  Eating a solid breakfast – with perhaps an additional 40-50 grams of carbohydrate more than you’re used to consuming – is the key to having these nutrients on hand when you need them most.  Eat early, and eat plenty!

Remember the Grip

Your hand strength is an area which not only cannot be overlooked, but one whose importance cannot be over-emphasized as well.  A strong set of hands lends to a great deal of forgiveness in many areas of CrossFit training.  Use your farmers’ carries, making sure to regularly increase the amount of weight you are moving.  Remember, your grip is currently only as strong as the workload you’ve demanded of it thus far.  Demand more, and your forearms, hands and grip will improve to meet this demand.  Demand the same, and nothing changes!

Stretch

Hip and shoulder mobility are usually the most common factors in limiting how much strength you are able to show on the major CrossFit lifts.  Focus upon these areas in both your stretching and other warm-up movements.  Squats and presses need to become integral parts of your training, of course, but only after you’ve managed to fully warm up the area with 5 to 10 minutes of dedicated stretches to the muscle groups you’d be targeting with the workout of the day.

Charlie Racinowski

Personal Bests, all of the time

Early on in your training, you should be seeing new personal bests in lifts almost every workout.  You’re enjoying what is known as “beginners gains” – your body is fresh and receptive and ready to grow in terms of muscle size and strength.  People who have been training for a decade don’t see these results, but you will!  So take advantage by training hard and always pushing yourself harder every workout.  Even if you don’t believe you can grow stronger every week – you can!  The only limiting factor for most people is nutrition – if you don’t eat right, then your body will not be able to recover from workouts and enjoy the amino acid needed for growth (from the protein you consume) and the energy needed to train (from the carbohydrates you consume).  Eat hard, and push yourself even harder!

Avoid Inactivity

Before you even get to the box, you should have done everything possible to keep your body active and limber all day.  If you were cooped up in a cubicle for 9 hours, immediately followed by a 40 minute stint in traffic, then your body is looking at almost ten hours of inactivity.  Suddenly you’re supposed to push yourself to a new personal best involving very heavy weight?  Think again!  Rather, you should stretch the back (and the rest of the body) throughout the day.  Take the long way around the office whenever possible.  Jump and stretch on your lunch break. Take any liberties throughout the day to stay employed while staying warm and limber as well.

Warm it up

First off, ANY training style is capable of leading one to a damaged lower back, if no warm up steps are conducted prior to heavy lifts.  The lower back isn’t just utilized on targeted movements such as deadlifts or good mornings. The low back is used in a support role for most major lifts, and as a primary muscle group in many twisting movements.  You should thoroughly warm up the lower back with 5 minutes of stretching before training.  Additionally, 5 to 10 minutes on the elliptical for a slow warm-up will get blood flowing to all areas of your body and help to avoid cold muscle shock injuries.

Going too heavy

Reaching your personal best in any lift is a great feeling, and one that trainers will seek on a regular basis.  However, new gains should be achieved gradually.  Never should you suddenly add 50 pounds to your box squat and “go for it”.  Rather, you should have been adding 2, 5, and 7 pounds to the bar slowly over your previous weeks of workouts, to ensure your thighs, knees, and yes, lower back, are properly acclimated for the enormous new workload.

Charlie Racinowski

Keep good form

Part of keeping the weight at a safe and manageable level is related to the importance of always keeping good form.  When movements are conducted correctly, the muscles of the body are recruited to complete lifts.  When movements are completed with “Body English” – the swinging of the weight to complete a repetition that is too heavy – the hips, joints, and tendons do most of the work.  The goal is to grow stronger and more capable, not to move some arbitrary number through joint abuse.  Lift safe and the low back muscles do work. Train recklessly and you’re signing up for an injury.

Recognize the signs

Speaking of injury…  There are always going to be small tweaks that take place in the lower back, even with safe lifting practices.  The smart trainer is the one who recognizes these small pockets of soreness or irritation and either stop training, massages the area of concern, or modifies their workout to protect a potentially weakened area.  The lifter who is intent upon “training through” an injury will be the one missing six weeks while recovering from back surgery.

Check your ego at the door.  Stay active and train wise.  CrossFit is a remarkably effective training protocol for advancing your progress in strength, stamina and performance in many areas, as long as you’re willing to train the right way.  Good luck!

This is Nathan Mendelsohn back again with my second Technique of the Week! This time I will be showing you one of my most high percentage takedowns: The Arm Drag Double Leg!! On the beginning of the video are some examples of me using it in live competition! Hope you enjoy!!

Stay Tuned Each Week for a New Technique!! Ossssss

The most common kinds of injuries include sprains and strains. They’re common on the mats, and are usually treated best and quickly with RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.   Tendonitis is common and is best treated with time.   The body responds differently to the demands we place upon it, and repetition can create weakness over time. Vary your moves and reduce training (and increase rest) when a certain muscle group, joint or tendon is showing pain.

Soreness is a common malady for wrestlers. Time, sleep, and plenty of protein heals that. Massage the area as well, to break up lactic acid buildups. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration as well.   Cramps can lead to injuries, and a dehydrated brain is one that is prone to making mistakes which can further damage the body.

Advanced injuries, such as shoulder and knee damage, should be treated by a doctor, and sooner rather than later. If you suspect a shoulder if separated or a rotator cuff has been injured, you are well advised to go to the hospital immediately. Don’t sit home for a weekend waiting because you think a small tear will go away. If anything, a small tear can become worse if left untreated.   Face your injury quickly and early.   Modern medicine is an incredible thing, and many athletes are back in a matter of weeks – not months – when they are wise enough to consult a physician very quickly after serious injuries occur.

Wrestlers can avoid many of the most common types of injuries by preparing ahead of time, and exercising caution at all times. Stretching will increase flexibility and drop the incidence of joint and muscle injuries.   Be sure to stretch before and after all matches and practices. Keep weight loss steady, never dramatic. The response of the body’s system to rapid weight loss through caloric or fluid reduction can leave the body dehydrated and weak, and the mind impervious to simple mental mistakes which can lead to injuries. When you’re on the mat, avoid the massive slam moves of any banned holds.   Avoid chokes and anything else which can leave you or your opponent in a dangerous situation. Safety gear is essential and should always be in working condition – and the right size, too!

Fewer than 1% of wrestlers ever sustain serious injury, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The sport is held on mats, closely watched by a referee, and usually conducted by two well-trained athletes intent on scoring points and getting pins, not injuring their opponents. Compare it to football, and most parents would agree wrestling is actually a much better option. Train safe, listen to your body, and respond to both minor and major injuries with swift action. Good luck!

This is Nathan Mendelsohn here with my new Highlight Video showing some of my best takedowns/sweeps, guard passes and submissions as  Brown and Black Belt! It is quick and action packed so check it out!!

Stay Tuned!! Osssss

Two major training mistakes often take place when it comes to targeting the midsection muscles for athletes.  First off, the abs are often neglected.  It is often way more rewarding and motivational to bench press, spar, squat, sprint, and hit the heavy bags, than to spend hours knocking out countless reps of ab training.  Secondly, the midsection is often trained in an incorrect manner.  Many athletes, even those with years of experience on the gym, over-train the upper abs and neglect the other sections.  What’s that?  There is more to abdominal training than just crunches?  That is correct!

Athletes should understand that their “abs” are actually comprised of three separate groups of muscles, and these three groups are actually targeted with different exercises.  Training only one area of them will leave you looking asymmetrical and functioning in a dangerously imbalanced manner.

The upper abdominals, best estimated as the “top 4” abs visible, are hit with crunches, situps, and any machine which emulates this action of moving the head toward the knees.   In most athletes, this section of the abdominals if usually not overlooked, as they provide a great deal of assistance with moving the upper body.

The lower abdominals are the next group.  They are comprised of the “lower 4” abs, two of which are visible above the belly button, and the other 2 fading below the belly button.  These muscles are targeted with leg raises (of multiple varieties and angles) and movements like frog kicks.  They provide core assistance with many lower body shifts and movements.

Charlie Racinowski

Finally, the side abdominals, or the obliques, are perhaps the most overlooked muscles in the body by trainers.  This is a shame, since they should are utilized a great deal by CrossFitters in compound lifts and by MMA athletes and boxers for both twisting the torso and absorbing opponent blows.   The side abdominals are targeted with movements such as broomstick twists and one-armed side dumbbell lifts.

When training all three areas of the abdominals, you should use the clock, and not a standard set count which you would employ for movements such as bench press or chin-ups.  Each set should last 20 to 30 to 50 repetitions, and you should train abdominals for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, as opposed to knocking out 4 or 8 sets then running out of the gym.  Put on your headphones, use minimal weight, and just focus on making the muscles of the abdominals do the work!

The key to success in training for any sport or functional lifting system is balance.   Midsection training is often neglected by athletes, and the resulting imbalance leaves physiques looking incomplete and more importantly, functioning at less than optimal levels. Train balanced, targeting all three areas of the midsection, and you will look and perform at the highest optimal level.

This is Nathan Mendelsohn here with the first edition of my Technique of the Week series!! As promised I will be showing you one of my most lethal weapons: the Closed Guard Armbar! I do it a bit differently than anyone else on the scene so play the video back a few times to make sure you get all the details, drill it and before you know it I guarantee you will be frustrating your training partners by armbarring them even if they already know it’s coming! On the beginning of the video I provide a couple examples of me using the technique in live tournament matches against high level competitors such as ex-UFC Champion Benson Henderson!! There is some background noise in the beginning of the explanation but it dies down to silence fairly quickly so stay with me!! Hope you enjoy!

Stay Tuned Each Week for a New Technique!! Osssss

Train Early

During the summer months, there is often a huge disparity in temperature from the early morning to the 11 am to 3pm window, then the day is at its hottest.  Training early morning or late evening will give your body the same gains in terms of strength, stamina and endurance, with far less damage from the extreme heat.  Structure your day to allow for early or late training, and try to stay indoors, or at the very least less active, during the hottest hours of the day.

Images courtesy of DONMARSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Drink water

By the time you feel thirsty, you are already facing dehydration.  By the time you are looking for a bottle of water, your body already needed one long before.  Bring water with you when training outdoors.  Drink frequently, even if you aren’t feeling thirsty yet.  Sports drinks with electrolytes are very useful in small sizes, for replenishing lost nutrients, but plain ol’ water should be the foundation for your hydration process when training in summer.

Sunscreen

Sure, you wear your SPF40 when you’re going to the beach.  But do you wear it when going for a run?   Many athletes don’t even think about the brief yet consistent exposure to the sunlight they see on a regular basis when training.  Remember, even if the sun isn’t shining, you are still at risk for sunburn, whether you’re flipping tires, knocking out 40 yard sprints, or just going for a late afternoon jog.

Edwards vs Powers – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

Use your apps

These days there is an app for just about everything on our smart phones.  Use them to your advantage!  Traffic apps can help you plan a timely arrival to your training destination.  Weather apps will tell you if lightning and summer thunderstorms are sneaking up on you.  Even allergy apps can tell you when pollen, dust and ragweed are at a high, for those with an allergenic propensity.  Tracking calories, hydration, and distance traveled, as well as many more uses, are available in your device’s application store.

Dress right

Yes, that all-black training hoodie does look intense.  But is it going to help with sweat evaporation?  Will it reflect heat?  Or will it trap the heat and raise your body temperature?  Dress smart and select clothing that is light, loose, and lighter colors in order to diffuse the impact of the elements as much as possible when training outdoors in the summer months.

This video is another example of my closed guard armbar, which will be the subject of my upcoming premier Technique of the Week, being applied in a full on competition situation! The second match within two weeks of each other in which I was able to get the submission with this same move. This one came in the Absolute division of the IBJJF Boca Raton Open two weeks ago against a Heavyweight opponent! You will also notice my collar drag takedown, which will be the subject of my second Technique of the Week, being applied twice in the beginning of the match as well.

Enjoy and stay tuned!!

One recent problem seen by many that offer facilities catering to the CrossFit and Functional Strength is the non-renewal of leases.  The owner of the facility will lease out the property for a year, as usual.  When the gym owner (and renter, in this case), decides to renew the lease and the negotiation process begins, the gym owner will suddenly discover an uncooperative rental manager/owner, and a huge uphill climb ahead.  Sign at terrible rates, or be forced to move to a new facility, are often the only options presented.

Granted, the US real estate market is recovering and drastically improving as of mid-2015, and prices are beginning to climb as a result.  Since the gyms are seeing increased membership as a result of this, a small increase in facility rates is understandable and predictable.  However, some property managers are excluding CrossFit and Functional Strength training facilities from renewal – at any price.  Baffled business owners cannot understand why.

There is often a stigma faced by those who work out.  Non-trainers may resent them because, frankly, they often look and feel better than their untrained counterparts.  This level of jealousy rarely emerges, but can appear at times.  However, the reasons given by many property managers as to the reason they have been rejecting so many applicants for facility renewal in 2014 and 2015 are often quite different.  It is the style of training that is turning off rental neighbors, and property owners as well.

From the point of view of the trainer, flipping tires, dragging sleds, and climbing the walls using various pieces of equipment provides a huge boost to training quality and in turn, results seen from trainees.  This kind of functional strength delivers great results to the body, but can result in some serious wear and tear on walls, floors, ceilings and most importantly, parking lots.  Many owners don’t consider this, don’t write it into the lease, and don’t prepare property owners/manager for this.  When they visit the facility in full-operation as a training facility, they are often shocked by the condition of the place, and upset very quickly at the tire flipping, sledding, and weight dragging they observe on their property.  And while they don’t always convey their displeasure to the gym owner, they make their voice heard when renewal time arises, and they are often closed to any offer, no matter how high.

As a gym owner, you can protect yourself in several ways. If you want to open a CrossFit facility and you foresee the use of outdoors strength training, then you should be aware there may be backlash.  If you can purchase your own building, that option is ideal.  If you must lease, then you should try to get an airtight longer-term lease which allows for the style of training and any building modifications you wish to include.  Have an attorney look over the paperwork, and make sure the style of training you want to offer will be permitted.   Clear it with the neighboring businesses, working out the details.  They don’t want giant tires hitting their parked vehicles.  Be considerate of their needs while protecting your own investment.  People love CrossFit training and the results they see from outdoors parking-lot style training are terrific.  You will want to secure long-term ability to offer it, so you’re not a “one and done” business owner searching for a new lease, just as you’ve gotten everything going.
As a trainer at such a facility, you should work to ensure you are courteous of others outside of your training circle at all time.  Create distance between the activities you set up, and the property of others, including parked cars and business entrances of adjacent businesses.  Mindsets of “They can’t tell us we can’t train here” can become “Why are they making us move?” a few months down the road.  Work to be professional and friendly to all affected by the training you are setting up.  At the same time, you should continually network and expand your own personal set of relationships.  Should the forces working against the renewal of the gym you work at halt their operations, you should be in the best possible position to take your clients to a nearby facility, keeping their results going and your income uninterrupted at the same time.

As someone who works out at a gym, who absolutely loves training in a down n’ dirty manner – you can make a difference too!  Invite your friends to train with you, growing the success of a facility as much as possible.   The stronger financial position of the gym, the greater likelihood the place will be there for years to come, giving you a place to hit the iron daily.  Educate those around you as to the terrific results seen through functional strength training.  Take good care of the facilities, and above all, don’t be one of those boneheads destroying pavement throwing pavement because you wish to show off your intensity.  Train safe, and appreciate the facilities!

My name is Nathan Mendelsohn and I am a Brazilian Jiu-JItsu black belt actively competing in the BJJ scene around the world. I train and teach at Claudio Franca Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Santa Cruz, CA (one of the first places Greg Glassman ever taught Crossfit) and I train Crossfit with legendary coach Greg Amundson at Crossfit Amundson, also in Santa Cruz. Welcome to my blog where I will post a continuing “Technique of the Week” series with a new technique straight from my game every week as well as videos of my fights and stories of my travels. Hope you enjoy!

This video is of my fight in the finals of the BJJ Tour American Cup Black Belt Middleweight Pro division against David Robles. This was my first match back after recovering from a dislocated elbow suffered at the IBJJF Long Beach Pro last December, which put me out of training and competing for three months and forced me to miss the Pan Ams for the first time since I was a blue belt. It feels great to be back! The armbar I use in this match is one of my most effective weapons and will be the subject of my first Technique of the Week, coming next week!

Stay Tuned!! Ossssss

Running

Sprints, jogging, and moderate-paced running should be the foundation for your lower body strength and overall body stamina when it comes to boxing training.  You can enjoy all of the fancy cardiovascular training machines in the world – but nothing comes close to delivering the same effectiveness as you’ll see from just running your tail off, several days each week.  Many athletes enjoy a morning run, opting for grabbing their tennis shoes and a water bottle as soon as their alarm clock goes off.  Any schedule works, as long as you are willing and able to run consistently.

Heavy Bag Work

If you are looking to build up your boxing coordination, technique, power and endurance, then you are going to want to work heavy bag hitting into your boxing training.  Useful because you can train alone, heavy bag work allows you to develop impact strength and repetitive retraction.

Punching

The core tenet of boxing is being able to connect your fist with the other guy!   Working on your jab, hook, upper cut, bolo punch as well as the defense techniques of bob/weave, parry and slipping are imperative for a well-rounded boxing training system.

Henderson and Jesse Taylor sparring

Speed Bag Work

Just as heavy bag work is useful for building power, the light work of the speed bag can make you a quicker puncher, giving you a greater advantage in “pulling back” following each punch in order to prepare for the next one to be thrown.  Train solo with the speed bag, just as you would with the weight.  Punch for 120 seconds, and rest for 120 seconds.  Repeat to the point of exhaustion, as the stamina you build here may leave you the last man standing in the actual boxing ring.

Jumping Rope

Just about every top boxer for the last hundred years has made jumping rope a large part of their training regimen.  Jumping rope delivers greater endurance, agility, core stability, improved footwork, and fat loss.  Standard jumping is useful but the use of double-unders and criss-cross can deliver greater results in the same amount of training time.  Target your cross, hook, jab, bolo and uppercut using the heavy bag.

Sparring

This one if fairly simple!  Work at a moderate pace with a partner, focusing more upon the mental moves you could and should be executing in the ring, as opposed to actually “defeating” your partner.  This is a live partner training drill which will deliver very good results if you train intelligently, analyze your results, and achieve overall improvement over time.

Weight Training

Boxing is a unique combination of strength (anaerobic) and stamina (aerobic) performance.  You will need to address both of these aspects if you wish to see optimal success.  You have to be strong, and you have to outlast your competitor in the ring.  Movements such as deadlift, bench press, squats, shrugs, Chins, triceps pressdowns and biceps curls will help you to develop punching power at a much higher degree than you could see with punching training alone.  Train heavy in the 6 to 10 repetitions per set range, moving up to 20 reps per set when endurance training is on your agenda.

Remember, you’re writing your own boxing training system.  Analyze your current strengths and deficits and devote a greater percentage of training time to those movements and disciplines which will help you to improve in these weaker areas.  Mix things up, recording which discipline you exercise each day of the training week, and the improvements you see as a result.

You Gotta Isolate!

Isolation movements have value. In the CrossFit world, the top movements utilized on a daily basis are compound movements which target at least 2 muscle groups – with many of those core exercises such as Front Squats or Push Jerks involving almost every muscle group in the body! While targeting the core is vitally important, the CrossFit athlete can make some great gains by isolating muscle groups once in a while. Imagine how much more smoothly you’ll handle that medicine ball if you knock out a few sets of dumbbell curls for biceps now and then.   And you will look more muscular too, which while it may not be your primary goal, isn’t all that bad of a side effect!

Nutrition’s Role

Most top bodybuilders are adamant about their nutrition. They measure the grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat in all the foods they eat, particularly in the weeks leading up to a bodybuilding show, when having low body fat is the goal. Do athletes of any other sport – including CrossFit – measure their foods that closely? Not usually!   However, you may be able to learn a few things about what you could be eating to better fuel your body for tough workouts – and the nutrients needed for recovery from said workouts – by studying up on some bodybuilding nutrition. They take it more seriously than any other athletes – because they wear everything they eat. Now, imagine if you are only able to bump up your CrossFit training efficiency by 2 or 3% by adjusting your nutrition – Wouldn’t it be worth it?

Safety First

One of the main knocks that bodybuilders have against CrossFitters is that they believe the training employed in CrossFit is reckless and dangerous. And while we all know that intelligently executed CrossFit training sessions are very safe, there are times when the hours of core and compound training can lead to some weak moments. Tired athletes sometimes break away from good form, and that’s when injuries can occur. Check out the meticulous nature in which bodybuilders work to preserve their bodies – One muscle tear and they may never win a show again. Learn more about back braces, gloves, and above all, that realization of mortality that bodybuilders adhere too – but some CrossFitters abandon when they’re going for a personal best training session!

Long-Term Goals

For most CrossFitters, a few months in training pass and you’re reaching amazing new levels of skill and performance. For bodybuilders, it takes YEARS before one even considers entering a local show, unless they’re blessed with world-class genetics. The athletes winning pro shows have been training for decades, sticking with insanely disciplined diets and training 300 days each year to reach that level.   CrossFit enthusiasts can look to that as a source of inspiration. Imagine just how effective and efficient your body will be after a decade of dedicated, insanely intense CrossFit training? If you are able to dedicate that level of years – and the progressive goal planning, execution and achievement – then you’ll be able to take your performance to levels you probably cannot imagine at the moment. Bodybuilders play for the long game – and so should you!

While an ongoing feud between bodybuilders and CrossFitters can often be fun, it should be realized that the two groups aren’t all that much different. Both bust their rear ends with the weights and both strive to push their body to its physical limitations, and to conquer their former selves. The goals they have and the paths they take might be different, but in the end, they both achieve physical greatness through intelligent hard work & discipline – And that’s something they can both agree upon!

Most people would agree that the youth of today are out of shape. Sure, we all like to wax philosophical about how tough we were as kids. But the truth is that today’s generation is much more sedentary than the last, thanks to technology and more indoor living. Youth wrestling is a great way to defeat the many negatives that come with a sedentary lifestyle – obesity being the biggest of the bunch.

Kids that wrestle are in better shape, this is a given. But what comes with being in better shape? A higher level of self-esteem is a given. Kids can handle themselves and are not only less likely to be bullied, but also more likely to protect others from the same treatment. They learn to be leaders, protectors, and overall more helpful people.

Young people that wrestle usually eat better than their sedentary peers.   They know that even youth wrestling requires a steady stream of wholesome foods from the protein and carbohydrate and fat groups, with plenty of water and a minimal amount of processed foods.   Their cardiovascular systems function much more efficiently, and they grow stronger each year, than their peers.

Many adults suffer from fear of public speaking. Wrestling takes care of that for most people! Once you’ve been jeered and cheered, and performed under match circumstances either locally or in a tournament, you quickly develop that thick shell which allows you to perform optimally under public circumstances.   Stress management is another great tool which is honed by young wrestling athletes.

Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen discussing strategy

There’s no doubt that most adult mixed martial arts enthusiasts look back at their youth wrestling days and are thankful for the foundation it gave them when it comes to ground game. But the other benefits also should not be overlooked. If you’re a parent, an uncle, a family friend – and you run into a youth considering sports options – suggest youth wrestling as a great choice.   Even if the youth never grows up to be the next Dan Henderson, the discipline, work ethic, attitude and confidence, along with other good habits delivered from youth wrestling, will make the choice very much worth it!

The Ratio

You’ll be composing your own diet, based upon acceptable foods that you enjoy eating. The ratio of foods you eat is imperative for success. No single food, nor group of macronutrients) alone will meet all of your body’s needs. A diet consisting of 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 30% fats is best suited for the physical rigors of CrossFit training as well as the recovery from such workouts. Now let’s look at the kinds of foods you should be selecting to meet these ratios.

The Protein

Choosing the correct kinds of protein sources is imperative for reaching your workout recovery goals. Protein provides the amino acids your muscles use to heal and rebuild (stronger and bigger) following your very tough training sessions. Choices such as processed lunch meats or beef jerky might deliver the required grams of protein you need to meet your ratios, but their digestibility and overall quality leaves much to be desired. Instead, you should be opting for choices such as lean beef, chicken, egg whites, turkey and whey protein. Other options are also acceptable, provided their sodium and fat content is low.
The Carbohydrates

Training in the CrossFit manner is tough, there’s no doubt about that.   You’ll be able to train with much greater intensity and stamina if you’ve provided your body with the requisite carbohydrates before training time. Choose from options such as sweet potatoes, rice, pasta, and a wealth of fruits and vegetables. Products that are flour-based such as bread take longer to digest and don’t provide the digestive assistance through fiber that your body requires. Be sure to consume adequate water as well, as staying hydrated is essential for optimal carbohydrate utilization.

Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen discussing strategy

The Fats

Fat is certainly not a four-letter word when it comes to macronutrients essential for CrossFit athletes. Adequate consumption of fats from sources such as almonds, fish oil and egg yolks will give your body the key components needed for organ function. From brain to heart to many of your other organs and systems, eating the RIGHT kinds of fats is important and should not be ignored.   Skip the fast food options – those fats will hurt your health and training performance as well.

Foods to avoid

Any highly processed foods are going to slow you down, no matter what macronutrients their labels promise. Quality of nutrients is degraded and your system takes longer to make use of them.   Additionally, your body misses out on many of the antioxidant effects which are delivered from these “foods”.     Health comes first, and training performance is a distant second. Select foods that are fresh and unprocessed, and you’ll look, train, and feel better!

Charlie Racinowski

Tracking

No cut-and-paste diet is going to exactly match your needs. The ideal diet is the one that you create based upon the ratios listed above, using the foods listed as permissible above. Choose those foods you enjoy, and be sure to try new things. Track your progress using a food journal. If you feel great after a workout, you should realize the foods you consumed that morning (as well as the night before) played a key role in that success. Likewise, if you lack energy in a workout or don’t recover quickly from it, then it might be time to look at those foods and make a change.

There is no doubt that training hard using CrossFit-style workouts will make you stronger, leaner, more explosive, and enjoy a higher quality of life.   However, the diet that fuels these workouts (and assists in the recovery from these tough training sessions) cannot be overlooked. Remember that time spent in the kitchen is just as important as time spent in the box.   Good luck!

Supplements

Following your workout, you should immediately give your body fast carbs and quick protein, in order to get the recovery process on track as quickly as possible. Replace glycogen – your energy stores – with some quick sugar from a sports drink. This will deliver the protein from your whey protein shake or protein bar to your muscle fibers, which at this point are quite thirsty for nutrients. Many athletes do not indulge in any nutrition for 1-2 hours after training, and they’re missing out on a great deal of available recovery aid during this time!

Nutrition

Protein is THE key macronutrient your body needs when recovering from tough workouts. Eating lean beef or chicken approximately 60 to 90 minutes after your training is imperative for helping your muscles to bounce back fast from tough training and avoiding overall body soreness. Carbohydrates gave you the energy you need to train. Fats give you the nutrients needed for growth. But protein is key for post-workout recovery success. Stay hydrated as well!

Rest

Your body doesn’t recover from tough MMA workouts when you’re in the gym, nor in the kitchen.   Your muscles and central nervous system recover (and you grow) when you are sleeping. Therefore, enjoying 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep each night is imperative.   Also, try to remember that “rest” involves much more than just getting to sleep on time. There is a limit to how much stress you can give both your body and your mind. Spending ten hours at the gym, forty hours at work, another 10 hours at school, along with any other demands you have – it can leave very few resources available for growth and repair. Try to use your down time as much as possible for relaxation, and don’t take on too many projects.

Ice Baths & Contrast Showers

Most athletes – particularly those involved with contact sports who give their body quite a beating – choose to give their skin a VERY cold touch to help break up the lactic acid which arrives as a result of training. The toughest of the tough will pour a bag of ice into the bathtub and soak for five minutes. Those of us with lesser fortitude will just opt for a hot shower which very quickly becomes a cold shower. Athletes of all levels in most sports use temperature regulation to help speed up recovery, and it’s a practice you should be using as well!

Massage

Athletes in all arenas enjoy the added benefits of massage.   A quick 15 to 30 minute massage, 2 to 4 times each week, can help your body in many ways. First off, you’ll be breaking up lactic acid which builds up when you’re training hard.   You’ll also be preventing injuries, breaking up toxin buildups, alleviating pain and knocking out those small tweaks and bends before they can become serious injuries. If it is in your budget, try a sports massage once – you may discover it is the missing recovery factor your body has been craving all along!

Many athletes will never truly fulfill their potential in MMA greatness because workouts #2,3,4 of the week lack the intensity they enjoyed during that first workout of the week.   Don’t fall into that trap. If you are able to recover adequately, then you will be able to train at full capacity faster, thus leader to new results. It’s a delicate balance of destroying and rebuilding your body, but if you master it, you will be one step closer to truly fulfilling your MMA success potential. Good luck!

Air Squats

This movement is exactly as it sounds.  Stand with feet shoulder length apart.  Bending your knees, lower your upper body until you are squatting below parallel, reaching your hands out in front of you with each repetition to maintain balance throughout the movement.  Your thighs, hamstrings, calves, glutes and core are all targeted with this movement.  You will not be using weight with this exercise.

Front Squat

Start with an empty barbell.  Raise it up to your shoulders in front of you.  Elbows high and facing out, you will squat below parallel.   Keep your core tight and head up, back straight.  Stand up complete with each repetition.  Again, your entire lower body is targeted with this movement, albeit a bit more than you experienced with the air squats.  Add weight once you master the movement.

Overhead Squats

Hold a barbell over your head with a very wide grip.  The bar will be approximately 6 inches over your head.  Squat for ten reps, going below parallel with each controlled and careful repetition.  This movement targets the core, shoulders, and entire lower body.  Start with an empty barbell, but add 5 or 10 pound plates as you feel more comfortable with this movement.

Shoulder Press

Using an inside grip on the barbell, hold it in front of your face.  Extend the barbell overhead, and press until you reach a point of lockout.  Lower the weight back down in a slow and controlled manner.  Keep your back straight and you form perfect in this movement.  If you need to cheat, then you need to reduce the weight being used.  Move your head back while raising the bar to avoid hitting yourself with the bar.

Push Press

This movement is a shoulder press with addition of a “dip” using the lower body to press overhead a weight you cannot do with just shoulder work alone.  The hips provide just a bit of a bump to help you to raise the weight overhead in a continuation of the push press.  This is an explosive movement which should only be conducted after you are fully warmed up.  The explosive power you gain from using this movement will make it a quick favorite!

Push Jerk

This is a two-dip movement.  You’re continuing to build upon that shoulder press.  The first dip helps you to raise the weight from waist to chin level.  The second dip is the overhead press portion of the movement.  You’ll end up with the barbell completely overhead.  Again, this is a highly explosive movement and one which should be done with extreme caution.  Your reps should be two smooth movements.  Create momentum with your dips each time, then return to the jumping position each time.  Work to become very efficient with every movement of your body during this exercise.

Deadlift

This movement is simple – pick up a weight and set it back down.  Keep back straight – never allow back to be rounded.  Grab barbell from bending-over position, and slowly raise it to your waist level.  Allow the knees to have a slight bend.  Keep the bar as close to the legs as possible so that it travels directly up and down.  Carefully lower the weight.  Start by using an empty barbell.  You should be able to add weight quickly to this movement.  Make every repetition smooth and controlled – no jerking, in order to avoid injury.

Sumo Deadlift high Pull

This is a two-step kettlebell movement.  Place the kettlebell on the ground in front of you.  Deadlift the kettlebell first, quickly pulling the weight to your center of mass, then stand upright and pull the weight to the center of your chest.  DRIVE the weight upward with every repetition.  Do not pause at the top.  Lower the weight right back down and repeat the movement.

Medicine Ball Clean

Pick up the medicine ball.  Fall underneath it with a front squat.  Raise the ball up to face level.  This is a three-tiered movement, and one that is highly explosive and very effective at targeting the full body.  Face forward the entire time.  Pull the ball up, grasp it, and drive it upward.  You’ll definitely need a rest after completing this movement.

With all of these movements, you should always aim for sets consisting of ten repetitions.  Use weight that is challenging but doesn’t force you to reach a failure point before reaching your target number of ten repetitions.  Always work to practice good form, and try to really feel the targeted muscle groups doing work during each repetition.  Good luck!

Hit the weights

You can use all the cardio, drilling, and plyometric movements in the world, but nothing comes close to building the overall levels of brute strength needed for MMA success as the results you will see from using heavy compound weightlifting movements.  Choose movements such as bench press, deadlift, squats and shoulder press which recruit large numbers of muscle fibers and utilize multiple muscle groups.  Stick with repetition ranges of 4 to 8 for strength, 10 to 15 for stamina, and the middle range of 6 to 12 for most movements.  Train not until failure, but up to a point where one more repetition would be unsure and potentially unsafe.  Going to 90% of your capability on a consistent basis is much more useful than trying to hit 100% now and then.  Train hard, then get out of the gym and get to recovery.

Rest as hard as you train

Speaking of recovery, it is a factor which is often overlooked by trainers, despite its significant importance in terms of helping one to actually see the results for which they’ve been training so hard!  You cannot train 6 or 7 days each week and expect to make optimal gains in terms of power and stamina.  You’re tearing up those muscles when you’re drilling, running, and hitting the weights.  You need to rest just as hard!  Dedicate two days each week to “active recovery”, a time period in which you stretch, take brisk walks, and stay active, while at the same time avoiding strenuous activity which might tax your central nervous system (CNS) and hinder your recovery in any way.

Continually challenge yourself

Training in your current manner has taken you to a certain point – Your current self.  The levels of strength and endurance capability which you currently possess are a direct result of the way you’ve been training for the past year (or several years).  If you’re not satisfied with your current abilities, then it’s time to change up your training and begin demanding more of yourself!   Our bodies only grow in order to adapt to a demanding workload, and you need to increase this workload if you wish to improve your current shape.  Doing this cannot take place too quickly, however.  Gradual changes are safe and wise, and will allow you to slowly adjust and grow into the shape needed to meet them.  Adding 1 degree on the incline treadmill, or 2.5 pounds to each side of your bench press, for example, are ways you can slowly require more of yourself while at the same time avoiding injury.  Record your performance in your training log and you’ll be able to monitor your progress over time.  Small changes make big differences!

Check your form

Whether you’re in the weight room, running drills, or just sprinting on a track, keeping perfect form is imperative for developing your power and conditioning at optimal levels.  Your body was designed in a utilitarian manner – your arms, legs, back, and other areas are all optimally designed and evolved for the daily activities you face.  If you are doing the activities incorrectly – slumping, swinging weight, being lazy on drills – then you are not allowing your body to move optimally (the way it was designed!)  For best results and the fastest growth and improvement, you should be training optimally every day, with perfect form in practice, drills, and performance.

Charlie Racinowski

Seek balance

Most athletes have a favorite area of training which gets more of their attention – weight room, running track, punching, grappling.  This can be acceptable, as long as they are able to train in the other areas in an adequate manner for balanced overall development.  The ideal MMA foundation will have a huge base in wrestling and grappling.  Most matches end up there, and most fighters cite that as an area they wish they had started sooner.  Whatever your favorites, be sure you are dividing up your training time and efforts to ensure you are a balanced fighter, prepared adequately in all important areas.

Nick Honstein – Photo Courtesy of MMABUZZ.COM

Analyze your nutrition

You train extremely hard, in a progressive and balanced format.  You’re doing everything you can in the gym, on the track, and on the mats, to improve.  But are you giving your body the adequate tools required for maintaining your gains, and growing to meet the demands you are placing upon it?  First off, you should be drinking at least a gallon of water each day.  Next, you want to check out the foods you’re eating.  They should be as “pure” and unprocessed as possible.  Fresh chicken, beef, eggs and whey protein are ideal, tossed in with potatoes, vegetables and fruit, pasta and rice.  Don’t forget your fats – minimal in the form of fish oil capsules, almonds and egg yolks.   Supplements can be very useful but you want to ensure you’re getting plenty of food as well.  Track your body fat and manipulate carbohydrate intake levels to keep your weight steady and your energy levels high as you work to train harder and harder.  Good luck!

Be realistic

Sit through a body fat analysis and see just how lean you are. If you are sitting at 25% body fat, then you can lose a dozen pounds and still be in reasonably good shape. However, if you are at 7% body fat (very lean and ripped already) and attempt to lose 10 or 12 pounds, you are going to seriously be eating into your muscle and yes, even water stores. Make your weight management goals reasonable, even if means you aren’t competing in the weight class you desire. You won’t be losing as much muscle and strength each week – you’ll be stronger and faster, even if wrestling against bigger competitors.

Watch the Water!

Many wrestlers will use temperature or plastic means to quickly drop water from their body in order to make weight. While these methods will never quite go away, they are not ideal means for managing weight. By reducing your water, you may be affecting your body more than you realize. A simple 3% reduction in body water will cause an 8% decline in speed, and a 10% loss in muscle strength. Yes, you are making weight, but you are a lesser grappler as a result. Therefore you should work to keep your body fat levels as low as possible. The less water you have to lose before a match, the less the reduction in strength and speed you will experience. A lot of wrestlers will just shrug off the performance ability reduction because “well, the other guy is dried out too”.   However, if you are able to make weight without dropping water, suddenly you have a measurable advantage over your opponent going into the match! Stay hydrated all week and reduce your water as little as possible in order to make weight.

Fiber

The reading on the scale matters a great deal to wrestlers, and everything in your body affects what that scale reads. If you aren’t consuming adequate amounts of fiber, your body will be unable to remove waste as fast as what would be optimal – meaning you’re holding it on your body (and on the scale), which works against your goals of making weight.   You should be consuming 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day for optimum internal function. Also, avoiding foods such as white bread and other enriched flour products will help you keep things moving as efficiently as possible!

Eat for energy!

Choosing the right kinds of carbohydrates will ensure you have the energy to run, lift, run, drill, run, spar, and run some more! Stick with pasta, rice, beans, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Avoid highly processed carbohydrate sources. Two sweet potatoes and a stack of broccoli is infinitely better for your training, recovery and weight management than a stack of white-flour pancakes, even if the calorie content of the two dishes is similar. Choose pure, minimally processed carb sources. Your body is a machine – fuel it like one!

Protein for recovery

You’re taking quite a pounding – on the mats, on the running track, and in the weight room. Protein provides your body with amino acids, the building blocks of recovery. Choose nutrient-rich, unprocessed protein sources such as fish, chicken, lean beef and eggs. Avoid bacon, sausage, and processed protein foods. Try to consume 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. Keep your fiber high when eating lots of protein for optimal digestion assurance.

Take breaks

Above all, remember that your body needs breaks. You’re always in a battle with whatever body weight your body WANTS to be, and what you are MAKING it stand at, so keep that in mind. You will need to back off the strict dieting and water management each year for a few months. And at some point, you will need to grow into higher weight classes, as your muscles mature and youo grow older (and wiser!) Keep one ear to common sense, and both eyes looking forward to learning everything you can about managing your body weight effectively for wrestling!

Be Punctual!

First off, show up on time.  CrossFit isn’t run on an open gym schedule like your old Globo gym.   Things work by the clock here.  The trainer and other participants respected the group enough to be on time, and so should you.  Not only will you disrupt others with your late entrance into the foray, but you’ll also be cheating yourself of the wonderful overall benefits that arrive as a result of properly completing a CrossFit workout.  They are designed to deliver maximum effectiveness as a result of the exercise order and duration from start to finish.  Plus, your trainer might have you doing extra burpees as punishment for your tardiness!  Squat-thrust your way to getting a reliable watch!

Point out broken equipment

If you see something broken – say something!   “Muscle-ups” can quickly become an alarming “Man down!” if damaged rings go unreported.  Even if you aren’t using that equipment, you can rest assured that eventually, somebody will.  Do everything you can to keep your fellow CrossFitters safe by notifying management or a trainer of any damaged or dangerous equipment or circumstances that you encounter.

Welcome the new members

It’s your box and you take pride in it, but you’re also always happy to see new people join your CrossFit endeavor.  More members mean more membership fees – and soon you’ll see new amenities, more trainer, and perhaps even added space for your training facility.  Introduce the new people, catch their name and share a smile – then turn your focus to getting the job done!

Keep your lips sealed

Completing the workout of the day (WOD) requires work ethic, tenacity, and above all, concentration.  The person training next to you doesn’t want to hear about the cute thing your cat did, or your view on global geopolitics.  He or she is there to conquer their former self and perform at a higher level than ever before.  And if you have the urge to chat, it may be a pretty strong indicator that you aren’t all that focused upon your own workout to begin with, right?

Dress appropriately

Your clothing should be more utilitarian than showcase.  You have the other 23 hours of the day to look your best.  Think practical and choose clothing that allows flexibility but isn’t loose.  You don’t need Army boots, you don’t need sandals – choose some comfortable tennis or training shoes and you’ll be good to go!

Proper spacing

In order to successfully complete a CrossFit workout, one should be able to throw themselves completely into the workout.  When focus is wasted upon looking from side to side to ensure you aren’t going to collide with someone, the effectiveness of the workout is certainly lessened.  Measure your spacing ahead of time, based upon the proximity to the trainer and available floorspace in the facility.  If you’re stepping on toes, it’s time to move back.  If not, your double unders might just end up becoming quadruple-unders as a result from a collision with the person training next to you!

Clean up

One of the worst things about a traditional mainstream commercial gym (Globo) is the presence of gym bags on the gym floor.  For some reason, muscleheads often believe the bigger their arms, the bigger bag they are permitted to leave sitting in the middle of the training area.  A 19-inch upper arm equates to an 80 pound duffle bag for some people!  These bad habits sometimes emerge in CrossFit facilities as well.  Lesser impactful but equally important is the cleaning up of straps, chalk, clothing, and other gear.  Leaving these items on the floor is an eyesore but can also present a health hazard to others.  Clean up!

Avoid the clanging

Don’t be a jerk on the C&J!  There is a good way to drop weights, and there is a very bad way to drop weights.  There are going to be times during the commission of a lift that you will release a barbell or weight plates and they will seek the assistance of gravity in reaching the floor.  It happens as one trains to failure and it’s time for a set to end.  However, there are also times when a person will just toss weights (they do bounce and roll!) or drop them in a loud and dangerous manner which really startles other members, causing them to break concentration.  This behavior can also lead to damaged equipment.  Remember, you’re just renting your time in the box – treat the equipment with respect!

Leave the EGO at home

Yes, you are always intent on pushing yourself to failure and reaching new personal bests in everything you do in your WOD.  However, training with weight you cannot handle or using unsafe form to force additional repetitions is a formula for disaster!  Use your brain, listen to the wise words of your CrossFit elders, employ common sense, and above all, have fun!

Interval training rocks

Sprint for one minute.  Walk for one minute.  Repeat 15 times and you have excellent example of interval training.  Switching between extremely fast and moderately intensity training will deliver an overall elevated heart rate at maximum capability for the full amount of time, even though you’re only training at max capacity for half of that time.  Trick your body into working harder than it ever has before.!

Lift weights – faster

Exploding into your repetitions will make your sets more intense, allow for a greater number of repetitions, and stimulate plenty of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.  Instead of pressing the barbell for 4 seconds per bench press repetition, lower the poundage of the weight by 25% and complete each repetition in 2 seconds.  Speed, speed, speed!  Be sure to keep safety in mind, never exploding into any repetition which may cause damage.

Vary the cardio

Yes, you love the treadmill.  But your body will benefit most from using various kinds of cardio.  You want to train your body to respond to demands on all levels, because you will need them in the ring.  Mix up your running, elliptical machine, climbing and other movements.

Performance goals

Keep track of how any minutes, at what weight/intensity, and any other details regarding how you are completing each movement in the gym.  You can’t push yourself to improve if you don’t have clearly defined performance benchmarks in which to target and eclipse with each workout.

Warm it up

Just 5 to 10 minutes on the treadmill or on a brief walk before you begin your training session will help to get your blood flowing and open up your lungs, thus making you that much more capability of growing and maximizing your stamina ability once the training begins.  It’ll also help you to avoid injury.

Examine your diet

Without adequate protein, carbohydrates, and fats, your body will lack the tools needed for recovery (protein), function (fats) and performance (carbohydrates).  Enjoy a well-balanced and health diet not just for MMA stamina purposes, but for overall health and vitality.

Combine strength & cardio training

Anaerobic training (lifting with weights) and aerobic training (running, elliptical, rowing, or other cardio activity) can be combined to create a synergistic effect.  Your weight training workout turns into a stamina-building and fat-loss training session as well, as your heart rate never drops below an elevated rate.   You’ll reap greater benefits by challenging your heart, muscles and cardiovascular system simultaneously, and make better use of your training time.

Stay hydrated

You’re training your hardest, and your point of failure will occur when your muscles fatigue and you cramp up.  However, this will happen much sooner if you fail to give your body adequate water while training.  Consume at least a gallon of water per day to play it safe while blowing up your stamina capability through training.

High altitude training

While it’s not for everyone and still debated scientifically, there is a huge faction of athletes that swear by thin oxygen training.  In some locales they will run in the mountains.  Others choose a chamber.  Recently, many in the gym have started training while wearing altitude masks.  The results are still unclear, but the huge following behind such training methodologies says there might be something to it!

Spar, spar, spar

You can complete all the gym and machine training in the world, but nothing forces your lungs to work harder than hand to hand combat, sparring and drilling with another human eing of equal size and strength.  Mix it up a bit whenever possible to give your lungs the immeasurable demands that always prove useful in real-life!

Give Tabata a shot

Blow up your lung capacity for the MMA ring by tackling Tabata training first.  Four sets of 60 seconds of intense physical exercise, followed by one minute of rest, repeated for 3 to 5 cycles.  You’ll be begging for air – which means your heaving and recovery will result in you becoming a fighter that doesn’t gas as quickly.

Shorten rest time between sets

Whether you’re sparring, running drills, sprinting or lifting weights, you can improve your overall aerobic capacity and stamina levels by shortening the amount of time you rest between sets.  Shaving 90 seconds down to 60 seconds, for example, will go a long way in raising your oxygen output capability.

Run at different rates

Alternate jogging, sprinting, walking, and other paces of running in order to maximize the muscle and cardiovascular stimulation enjoyed as a result of the running movement.  On the mat, you’ll go from relaxed to sizing up to outright attacking to defending – all requiring differing levels of stamina.  Be sure to be ready for all of them!

Stay healthy

Your best gains in stamina applicable to mixed martial arts fighting will take place after you’re managed to train consistently for a sustained period of time.  You’ll never get in amazing cardiovascular shape if you’re only training 3 weeks each month.  Stay in the game by avoiding alcohol, sleeping regularly, and taking good care of yourself so you don’t stay sick, and you can keep making it to the gym!

Train in a new locale

If you run daily, then you probably run the same track or the same block – the same distance each day.  Try running in a new area, and if only for exploration’s sake alone, you’ll be often going further than before.  This added stamina training will help you in the ring when your opponent starts to gas and you are just getting started, stamina-wise!

Mix it up

Continually challenge your body to adapt and adjust to new and changing routines by mixing up exercises, set and rep ranges, and even the facilities in which you train.  As long as you’re challenged and training in a new way, your muscle and lungs (strength, power and stamina) will be continually improving.

Explode!

Utilize movements such as jumping knee trucks, power pushup, and burpees to maximize the use of fast-twitch muscle fibers.  You’ll enjoy this kind of explosive power the next time you’re trying to pick up an opponent or pull yourself out of a pin.

Compound > Isolation

Anytime you’re not sure if you should choose one exercise over another, select the movement which will utilize the greatest number of muscle fibers or groups.  Squats always beat out leg extensions, and chin-ups always beat out lat pulldowns.  Pulling the stabilizer muscles and numerous muscle groups into play will result in the recruitment of a greater number of muscle fibers, which leads to more blood, more oxygen, and more opportunity for the MMA fighter to improve his or her stamina.

Flip it

See if your training center has a training tire (or will order one).  There are dozens of movements you can employ to build up your strength, endurance, explosive power and even grip – in addition to stamina – using the tires.

Diversify

Training with weights, drilling, and sparring is a great way for the MMA athlete to improve his capability, strength, skill set and overall winning ways.  However, tossing in the occasional foray into sports like basketball, tennis or other will help to keep your senses piqued, your balance and core strength high, and overall athletic ability at its highest point.  Some of the best football players were also stars in basketball, and some of the greatest MMA fighters excel in other sports as well.  Mix it up!

Failure to counter
You’ve rolled, slipped or weaved and avoided an aggressive move by your opponent.  He’s pulling back, planning his next move.  How do you spend this time?  Do you count your lucky stars that you’re still standing?  Of course not – you should immediately counter while he is unprepared and out of position.  Many fighters neglect this golden opportunity to aggressively seize an opening for a counter move.

Sticking too much to one area
Many fighters are very good at striking, or kicking, or grappling, and will try to make every match revert to this kind of fight in order to increase their chances of winning.  This is a good strategy if you know your opponent is weak in this particular area, but there will come a day when you face someone more proficient in grappling, for example.  At that point, your bread and butter is toast!  In times like these, being able to re-route the fight to a kicking or punching contest will benefit you greatly.  Develop your skills in a well-rounded way.  Specialization is fine, after you’ve achieved baseline proficiency in all required areas.

Afraid to move weight classes
At some times, your body will change.  You gain muscle, you lose fat.  Muscle weighs five times more than fat.  As you become a more honed fighter, your fat levels will drop and your muscle levels will increase.  Your body weight may change.  Don’t fight it too much – nature is a powerful force.  Rather, consider adapting to the new skills and strategies employed by fighters at this weight class.

Failure to vary training & partners
Yes, you love your training buddies and are very familiar with your ring.  But you have probably grown quite complacent, whether you know it or not.  It is most likely time to spar with some new partners, work with a new coach from time to time, and just do battle in a new ring from time to time.  Fighting and training outside of your comfort zone will expose you to a myriad of external factors that you cannot possibly imagine.  If you want to grow, then you need to be challenged in new ways, by new people, in new places.

Variance!
Always work to vary your speed and power utilized when executing moves.  You don’t have to come in at 100% on every move.  In fact, varying your attack speed will have your opponent guessing and often caught off-balance as he attempts to move his body to counter your move.  Arriving slower or with less physical commitment can leave him over-extended and thus open to attack.

Timing is everything
It is perfectly acceptable to take your time in a match.  You don’t need the entire clock to beat this guy, and hanging out for ten seconds might reveal a weakness he is showing, or might force him into a mistake on an initial move because he’s just too enthusiastic.  If an opponent is willing to beat themselves, don’t stand in their way!  Additionally, remember that you can change cadence when executing moves.  You don’t have to deliver a follow up blow immediately after the first blow.  Often, hesitating for a second – breaking cadence – will allow you to gain a greater advantage as an opponent lets down his guard or attempts to change position.

Too much counter, not enough attack
Yes, in the art of fighting, reaction to your opponents’ moves is very much an important part of the game.  However, if your entire strategy is just to avoid getting hit, and to “react”, then you will never have your opponent on his heels.  Eventually, he will try something that will work.  Conversely, you should mix things up, going on the attack as much as strategically viable.  Your opponent should be reacting more than you are, thus increasing the chances that one of your executed moves will be successful, and give you the win.

Not enough focus upon stance
Too many fighters focus solely upon their moves, and forget to stop and think about where they are in relationship to their opponent. If you’re positioning yourself directly in front of another fighter, you are going to get hit – early and often.  Instead, you should be using rhythm sets to offset your opponent’s stance and range.  If you can change alignment just as he’s about to execute a move, he will be out of position and you will have an advantage.

Jack of all trades, master of none
Bruce Lee once famously said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10000 times.”  Are you one of those mixed martial arts enthusiasts possessing some capability with two dozen moves, but aren’t able to perfectly execute a single one of them, every time?  If so, you might need to step back, listen to the wise words of Bruce Lee, and begin focusing more upon mastering a single move, then another, then another, as opposed to being a “jack of all trades, master of none”.  When you’re hurt and tired in a match, the ability to perfectly execute that one move without thought can be the difference between winning and losing.

Too much, too soon
Take it slow.  You don’t need to fight after a month of training.  You don’t need to pick up ten new skill sets in the first months of training.  You don’t need to lift, jog, sprint, drill, and spar every single day.  Enjoy your MMA experience as a hobby as much as any job – keep it fun, exciting, and always growing, but never allow it to become the “job” that you dread or that burns you out.  Use mixed martial arts to improve the quality of your life.

Over time, you’ve developed your technique to a point where you don’t need the added weight for punching or kicking power anymore.  You’ve raised your level of competition to the point where most of the people around you are lean – and you’re not.  As you’ve improved, so have those around you.  And for the first time, you may be (or should be) coming to the realization that you should probably bring down your body fat percentage (the % of your total body weight that is fat) in order to move faster, change classes, and above all, remain healthy.

Never fear – You’re an athlete.  You have a baseline of conditioning which is already at a good level.  You’re already a calorie-burning furnace.  The goal now would be to manage a few factors regarding your lifestyle in order to turn your body into a fat-burning furnace.  Let’s look at some steps you should take, as well as relevant factors to consider in your lofty yet realistic goal to become a ripped MMA fighter!

Find your starting line

First of all, you need to get honest with yourself.  Take pictures.  Weigh yourself.  Measure your arms, waist, chest, calves and thighs with a tape measure.  Take a body fat test if your local gym offers it.  You need to know just how fat you are, and just how out-of-shape you are, if at all.  Many physically fit people just carry too much fat.  It’s not ideal, but it is something you can fix!  Record your current shape so you can plan your steps and really know when you’ve made it to that proverbial finish line (which will probably keep moving further away, as you meet more and more of your goals!)

Define realistic goals

Now that you know where you are, it’s time to plan out just where you are going.   Write down a reasonable body fat % and scale-measured body weight that you’d like to achieve.  Remember, zero percent body fat means you’re no longer among the living!  A measure of 4% body fat would place you as a world-class bodybuilder, in competition shape… certainly not ideal for MMA fighting!  You can be 8% and be an extremely ripped athlete.   An ideal goal for the fighter would be 10 to 12%.  You should have visible abs and some veins showing throughout your body, but you won’t be in a deprived state where health concerns and overall body catabolism begin to affect you.

Cardiovascular training

Chances are good that you’re already using running as part of your training regimen.  However, all-out sprinting doesn’t do as much for fat loss as you might think.  Instead, you should be using moderate-paced treadmill, walking, elliptical and stepper machines to ensure you’re giving your body low-impact, moderate-paced cardiovascular training to keep your metabolism purring and your muscle intact.  Cardio competed first thing in the morning is often most effective, since you will be using stored body fat for fuel, as opposed to later in the day when your body uses sugars from the foods you’ve consumed for the fuel needed to train.

Diet

Cut the carbs.  Cut the fats.  Up the protein.  It’s really that simple!  You should rely on fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice for your carbohydrate intake.  Stick with almonds and fish oil for fats.  The leaner the protein source, the better when it comes to that macronutrient.  If you’re getting a little leaner when you measure each week, then keep things the same.  If you’re losing weight too fast, bump up your carbs a bit.  You’ll still need carbs to train, so don’t starve yourself.  Moderation is still the key to success – you just have to be a little more moderate then you have become accustomed!

Supplements

There is a wealth of over-the-counter, very legal supplements that you can use to curb appetite and deliver energy to you while you’re in a calorie deprived state.  Some contain caffeine, which can lead to dehydration or the jitters, so be aware of these side effects.  Use supplements moderately and curb their use 1-2 days each week.  Never run fat-burning supplements for more than 3-4 months or your may become dependent upon them for normal, everyday function.  And don’t forget your daily multi-vitamin!
Interval training

Whether you are training on the mats or with the weights, employing a strategy known as interval training is ideal for keeping your heart rate elevated and in a fat-burning zone, while completing the drilling and lifting you need to complete in order to sharpen and hone your MMA skills or maintaining your strength, respectively.  Complete one set, and then move to another set quickly.  Knock out 3 to 5 sets in this manner.  Then, allow yourself to catch your breath, but don’t rest so long that your heart rate returns to normal.  As soon as you can breathe again, complete another 3 to 5 sets.  Your workouts will fly by, and you’ll be enjoying cardiovascular training (leading to fat burning) which covering your training and strength bases at the same time!

More water!

Water allows our bodies to grow, function and perform.  It is an absolutely imperative part of who we are and what we do – and many of us aren’t consuming enough of it.  If you’re a reasonably successful MMA trainer and/or fighter, than you probably already know about the importance of water in stamina, strength, quickness, and most every other skill and performance ability you desire.  What you might not know is that while you’re cutting weight, you actually need MORE water.  You’re consuming less food, which means less water is coming into your body.  You’re likely awake for more hours, leading to greater water amounts being expelled from your body.  If you’re using fat-burning products or anything containing caffeine, then you’re likely more dehydrated and certainly in need of more water.  If you’re feeling thirsty, then you’re already dehydrated.  Drink a gallon of water per day and you’ll always be safe!

Analyze your sleep

A hard-training athlete should regularly enjoy 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep each night.  An athlete on a fat-burning cycle may need an hour less sleep, thanks to the presence of any stimulants and the fact you’ll likely be hungrier earlier each day.  If you have some nighttime activities which are keeping you up late when you have to awaken early, then it might be time to analyze your goals and really decide what is most important to you.  If you wish to remain at 25% body fat and be a chubby fighter, then you should continue pizza and beer night with your buddies.  If you really place being a lean, mean punching machine higher on your list of priorities, then enjoy a protein shake and a diet soda with your friends, and then get home by 11pm to hit the hay.

Remove stress

Your body produces a stress hormone known as cortisol during time of insecurity, pain, and worry.  This hormone causes your body to conserve body fat, much like our ancestors did when a famine or winter was coming.  Thanks to modern food supply, you shouldn’t have to worry about going months without food.  However, if you allow yourself to be negatively affected by stress, you’ll likely end up holding on to more body fat (and burning up more muscle) than you would otherwise.  If you care about getting lean, then you should employ strategies to ensure you minimize stress factors in your life.  Yoga, meditation, or just plain removing those people, jobs, and other factors which are causing you to experience anxiety is the best plan for you.  Stress less!

Remember health

You should never forget that heath goals should always come first when making plans, training, eating, and measuring results.  You enjoy MMA training and competition, but it’s only a part of your life used to enrich your overall well-being.  Without health, you have nothing other than being able to brag about being the toughest dude in the cemetery!   Always maintain regular doctor visits, exercise moderation with all things, and keep an eye out for little things that go wrong, and address them before them become big things.  Never allow your pursuit of fat loss to cause you to embrace extreme behavior which could result in you damaging your health – it’s just not worth it!

Nutrition

First off, as your age, the food choices you make become more important than ever.  As a youth, you were probably able to eat just about anything you wanted, and still make some serious noise in the ring.   The foods you eat need to be more carefully selected as you age, however.  Your immune system slows, your testosterone drops, and the cartilage all over your body begins to weaken.  Despite your intense training style and “take no crap” attitude, you need to realize that Father Time is undefeated, but that by giving your body the right kinds of macronutrients (protein, clean carbohydrates, and healthy fats) and plenty of micronutrients (multi-vitamin, Vitamins C, B, E and a daily fish oil capsule) will help you to preserve much of your body’s function for much longer.

Defining (and re-defining!) your goals

Early in your training and fighting career, you probably had one goal – WINNING.  Today, you might be more interested in success at work, at school, with family – but you still love mixed martial arts, and still love to train and possibly fight.  Therefore you should keep up your MMA habit – overall, it is safe, enriching and fun.  However, once you shift your overall goal from “winning at all costs” to “kicking butt in MMA – as well as in all other areas of my life”, you’ll have the cognizance required to adjust your schedule, training methods, and overall approach to mixed martial arts.  Balance is key!

Reasonable training

Most MMA fighters in advancing age will reduce their overall training volume.  They’ll stick with 2 to 4 training sessions each week.  They’ll choose a prime move for emphasis, knock out some strength training, then work on the move some more.  They’ll start the workout with stretching, end the workout with stretching, and of course, use stretching between each of these sessions.  Breaking up the lactic acid and keeping your muscles limber and fully engorged with blood will go a long way in keeping you safe from injury.  You can’t stop all injuries, but you can employ brief, moderate to intense training with plenty of stretching, in order to help improve your odds!

Increased recovery time

Ask any person over the age of 40 about recovery time.  Then, have a seat, grab some popcorn, and be ready for a ten-minute rant on what he USED to be able to do, versus what his capabilities are these days.  As we age, our bodies take longer to recover than they used to.  For this reason, many aging fighters (in their late 30s and early 40s) will drastically reduce their training time, often down to only two times per week.  They’ll skip the 5-on-5 pickup games of basketball for cardio after training, opting for a brisk walk on the treadmill then a steam room followed with a steak.  You need to rest more to recover equally as the years pass.  The sooner you accept this fact and give your body the resources it needs, the sooner you’ll make adjustments and continue making good gains.

To Fight or not to Fight?

You’re slowing down.  You can’t absorb blows like you used to.  Your recovery takes longer.  And you’re at the point where you admit you may not be able to protect yourself as you were able to decades ago.   Now you have to look in the mirror and make a decision about whether or not you should continue fighting in actual matches.  You don’t have to walk away from the sport you love.  Sparring and drills and training are still fine, and you can do these tasks every day on this Earth.  But there may come a time when you decide that an all-out standard MMA match just isn’t in your best interest anymore.  That’s okay!  You can still continue to learn, evolve, improve and enjoy MMA, without the actual competition.
Health vs. Performance

Above all, you should realize that you should use mixed martial arts to improve the quality of your life.  Even as a youth, MMA should never be the goal of your life.  Rather, it should be an interest, a sport, a career, that you embrace to increase and improve the quality of your life.  Train & eat responsibly, realize and keep your goals on track, and continue kicking butt on a daily basis as the years pass!

Many athletes will just assume that as long as they’re doing more than they did last time, they’re going to see adequate results.  They’ll blindly find some spot between “what I did last time” and “my absolute maximum performance capability”, and fall into that range for their training.  This works well when the training is new and well, frankly, just about anything works at that point.  However, as the athlete improves and reaches higher echelons of performance, training (and recovery!) become more and more important than ever before.  There’s a very thin line between “pushing a little more than last time” and “pushing it to absolute training failure”.   Within this segment are many fixed points you can target when you are training.  But for which point should you be aiming?  Just a little better than last time?  Or “to the point of failure and absolute collapse”?

Workload Intensity Management

There are times when you want to manage your workload.  You know how hard you need to train, and while you vary the weight used and set/rep scheme, you do keep it fairly consistent.  Your recovery will be predictable, which is often a key to managing multiple training methodologies (cardio, drilling, weight lifting, and more).  Your immune system will not be challenged as much, which means you’ll become ill less frequently and able to train more each year.  Your risk of injury during training will be less, as you aren’t pushing yourself to new territory.

There are drawbacks to this training as wall.  Mainly, your gains to strength and aerobic capacity are going to come slower than as if you went “all out”.  Others who absolutely “KILL IT!” in the gym will see their strength skyrocket faster, and their stamina will improve faster as well.  At the higher levels, the ability to adapt and improve over a period of weeks instead of months may have a significantly positive impact upon your performance in competition.  Most top guys (and gals!) do work to reach all-out training failure a great deal.  Managed intensity is safe, and great once you reach that level.  But you have to get there first, and faster is often considered better.

Training to Failure

On the other hand, there are other times when you will wish to train to your absolute point of failure.  Often called “burnout” training, these are the training sessions where you push yourself to the point where you cannot train any more – and then you do it anyway!  Your strength WILL increase with this training method, as your slow-twitch muscle fibers which are usually allowed to lie dormant will be activated as the sets go on to new levels.  Your lungs will be forced to fire at new levels also, ensuring new capacity for future performance.

There are drawbacks to training to failure.  Recovery time is much higher.  You cannot train any muscle group or movement to failure, then try it again the next day.  You might be down for several days with acute soreness of DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness.  Your risk of injury will be higher, as muscle fibers and your lungs are going to reach points of failure during your final sets, so many core movements or heavy compound lifts may require a spotter to ensure you are not injured.  Training in this manner also requires more time, as workouts don’t follow a clock – they go until you stop!  Finally, you need a level of strict mental focus and commitment in order to push yourself to maximum potential in training.  You cannot be distracted and give 100% in the gym.

A healthy mix of these two training loads will help you to manage your progress.   This kind of training is known as periodization – varying your training volume, workload and intensity of movements over time to maximize your gains in the shortest amount of time possible.   You’ll recover just fast enough to keep training, but you’ll also push yourself at the highest levels so that you can make gains as quickly and optimally as possible.  Map out your workouts and well as the intensity you plan to use for these workouts.  Try it both ways each week for six weeks, recording your performance and the gains you saw as a result.  Find that magic ratio which works best for you.  Then you will be in a strong position to deliver a longer-term training strategy which draws from both intensity styles.  Good luck!

Much of the speed and power delivered in a standard punch will be derived from your shoulders and back (latissimus) muscles.   You explode into a punch, then you retract back to the starting position.  For both the explosion and the pulling back quickly, highly conditioned and developed back muscles are essential.  The punch is a full-body motion involving a series of hip & spine twists, scapular push then pull, arm extension, and some additional contractions.  This is a series of muscle groups working in conjunction on completing a series of different movements, utilizing various muscle groups, and done very quickly – repeatedly!  Pull ups are essential for building this strength and endurance.  Let’s examine some additional points to consider when using pull ups. 

Just One…

If you are unable to currently complete a single unassisted body weight pull up for a full repetition, you can use the machine variety that many gyms offer.  You are not alone at this diminished starting point, particularly if you currently sit in a heavier weight class. However, the inclusion of pull ups in your routine should mean you are able to increase your strength quickly.  Within weeks, your muscles should develop the strength to complete several repetitions.  And if not, then it’s seriously time to look at your diet and cardio, and do whatever it takes to get your body fat down while adding strength.

Full Range All The Way!

Partial repetitions do not count when it comes to building functional strength from a compound movement such as the pull up.  You want to be using full extension in order to avoid injury, activate all possible muscle fibers, and fulfill your strength potential.   Move slowly through your repetitions but never allow yourself to slow to a pace when it becomes a series of stops and starts.  Feel the full stretch at the bottom of each repetition and the flex/muscle contraction at the top of each repetition.

Weighted?

Some debate lies in the “weighted vs non-weighted” arenas of pull ups for the fighter. Yes, bodybuilders, powerlifters and strength athletes see great benefits from adding a few 45 pound plates to a chain and clamping it to their back brace.  However, if you are working to develop endurance, limited strength, and not add too much in terms of new muscular size (weight), the unweighted variety will allow you to meet your goals.  For the most part, body weight alone will suffice for your pull up needs.  However, if you do wish to develop serious knockout strength and target those fast-twitch explosive muscle fibers, there is nothing wrong with adding some weight, particularly as you are able to complete 15, 20, or 25 or more body weight repetitions without assistance.

Form matters!

You don’t need to look far to find a friend, training partner, or family member with back problems.  The use of pull ups can help you to fully develop your latissimus muscles of the back, which can be quite beneficial in delivering some injury protection.  Minimal weak areas means minimal compensation from stronger muscle fiber groups as you train, fight, or simply carry in a bag of groceries.  However, any improper use of form with your body while completing pull ups can result in a minor tweak or major slipped disk.  Either way, you’ll be out of commission for breaking form.  Keep your back straight, head up, andbody straight.  NEVER turn your head to the side when completing pull-ups, and opt for pull ups to the front – not the rear – in order to keep your rotator cuffs from sustaining damage.

Warm it up

Finally, no discussion on the proper use of pull ups would be complete without mention of the importance of warming up.  A quick walk or jog prior to attempting pull ups will increase the blood flow to your entire body, including the muscles of the back, and prepare your system for the upcoming workout, which will be traumatic to the rested athlete who hasn’t yet activated the muscles or their system for strenuous exercise.  Hanging stationary from the pull up bar is also useful for activating muscle fibers and “waking up” the body, in order to prepare the hands, arms, shoulders, and most importantly back, for the workout ahead.

Variety matters

Yes, it can become quite easy to latch onto that one perfect diet regimen once you discover it.  However, even the perfect diet of chicken & rice 24/7 is going to get old – and eventually, unproductive.  You’ll grow to hate that particular food after a while.  And even if you possess the discipline to eat the same things all of the time, your body will be missing out on the many positive nutrient and antioxidant effects that arrive as a result of a well-balanced diet.  You don’t always have to eat perfect foods, but you should become perfectly comfortable with new, healthy foods all of the time to give your body the nutritional variance it craves.  Remember, our ancestors would travel hundreds of miles each month, eating all sots of new foods that they found along the way.  We are built for nutritional variety – embrace it!

Bump up the Fiber

Your body is a machine, right?  You probably have a T-shirt or screensaver that says exactly that.  Well, if this is the case, then fiber is the oil that makes this machine run smoothly.  Let’s take a look at the advantages of a high-fiber diet, and see if they are beneficial for those training and embracing the MMA lifestyle.  Normalize bowel movements – Check!  You can’t fight well if you’re constipated.   Lower cholesterol – Check!  You care about your body so your health matters too.   Well-regulated blood sugar?  You bet!  You might even consume a lot of food and may drink several sugary sports drinks a day – sugar regulation in your body is particularly important.  Finally, the fact that fibers aids in achieving a healthy body weight definitely rings true to MMA fighters that have to worry about making weight class.  Spruce up your diet with fruits, vegetables & oatmeal, up to 40-50 grams of fiber per day.

Include the SuperFoods

There are some foods often known as “super foods” which can give your body an added boost in performance and recovery.  And since you’re in the practice of regularly pushing your body to its maximum performance levels, it would be a great idea to familiarize yourself with these superfoods.  Cherries are loaded with antioxidants.  Oatmeal contains plenty of fiber.  Chia seeds are rich in iron, calcium, protein, and “own” blueberries in terms of antioxidants (3 times more!).  Bananas are rich in potassium and vitamin B6, which ensure you cramp much less when training.  Milk of the soy, almond, hemp and rice variety will no doubt skyrocket your recovery pace.  Sweet potatoes, packed with vitamins A & C, as well as all the carbs a diligent MMA fighter needs, should never be neglected.  Finally, go all the “whey” with whey protein – the perfect delivery system for fast-digesting protein that the hard-training MMA fighter needs more than they often realize.  Eat up!

Choose less processed

When selecting from food options, you usually have several options from which to choose.  Anytime there is any chance for variance, select the food that is less processed.  Anything green from the outer aisles of the store is ideal.  Anything packaged in a white box in the center aisles of the store are probably less than ideal.  Consuming food as close to possible as its natural state is a great way to ensure you are eating the most digestible and pure foods, making your body a faster, more efficient digestive machine.

Vitamins matter

You eat a well-balanced diet.  You take care of yourself.  Why should you, the hard training MMA fighter, need a multi-vitamin?  There are many reasons!  You exercise a great deal, so the demands of micronutrients by your body are going to be greater than that of your untrained peers.  And it’s near impossible to ingest EVERY possible vitamin and mineral each day.  A quick multivitamin can ensure you aren’t missing out on any of them.  The advantages of taking a multivitamin by the MMA athletes include health heart and bones, improved memory & concentration, enhanced energy levels and improved immune system response.  There is no excuse for the hard-working, well-informed MMA athlete to pass up such an affordable and simple way to enrich their body’s recovery from tough training.   Take your multivitamin daily!

Get your sunshine

As an MMA athlete, you might spend every minute possible in the gym, on the mats, or on the treadmill.  However, you might want to move some of that training outdoors.  The benefits of added sunshine exposure to your daily routine are many.   True, this isn’t actually eating anything new – but the exposure does give your body essential vitamins when diet cannot.  You’ll reduce your chance of diabetes and boost your immunity.   Vitamin D will give you stronger bones and eyes.  Your stroke risk will be lowered, and you will sleep and feel better.  Sunshine is free, and very often overlooked by busy MMA trainers trying to balance their training with work, school, family, and other responsibilities.  Make it a point to get outside for 30 minutes each day and the benefits of sunshine will make you a more efficient fighter, and a healthier person too!

Pros

Squats rock for the MMA athlete.  Let’s examine a few reasons why you should already be using them in your strength & stamina training routine.

Increased strength

MMA athletes that use squats are able to develop maximum strength in two lower body movements that are essential to ground fighters: Knee extension and hip extension.  Growing your strength in these areas will result in more effective ground game.  You’ll also be able to use your legs more effectively in a number of moves.  Fighters with stronger legs perform at a higher level as matches grind on.  Squat, and get stronger, period!

Overall muscle growth

Obviously, squats will help your leg muscles to grow bigger.  Possessing a bit more leg muscle is never a bad thing for athletes with any propensity for being taken off their feet.  Making your opponent pick up a fighter with a heavier lower body makes him work harder, and keeps you lower to the ground, thanks to a lowered center of gravity.  You’ll notice the top heavy-fighters… they’re usually the ones on their backs very quickly!  Build up your leg size to a respectable level and this will not happen to you (as often)!

Explosiveness

There’s an old formula which reads “Strength X Speed = Power”.   If you wish to be a powerful fighter that can explode into any move, and punch, you need strength to go along with all the speed you’ve developed through running and drills.  Squats will help to build up that strength, which in turn leads to greater explosive power function.  When two fighters explode at each other, it is usually the one with more explosive force that ends up on the better end of things – and squatting will help you develop this explosiveness.

Growth hormone release

Many studies have shown that the use of squats leads to release of very small amounts of growth hormone.  This is responsible for increases in muscle mass and density all over the body.  In other words, if you want ALL of your muscle groups to develop at a higher level, then you should be using barbell squats.

Stamina

Of course, no discussion of the benefits of squatting for the MMA athlete would be complete without a mention of the stamina gains seen by those who employ squats.  Throughout the course of a standard 12-repetition squat set, your legs & legs endure almost a minute of strain and capability output at the highest level.  By the final repetitions, your legs are puffing at their maximum, and your legs have just moved the weight of two competitors on your shoulders a total of 30+ feet.  Getting into the ring to fight is going to be easy after this!  Lung expansion, increased blood flow, and the recruitment of slow-twitch leg muscle fibers mean this movement will give you stamina when you need it – just as the other guy runs out!

Cons

While squats are beloved by many MMA athletes, there are some who have to pass on their use.  Let’s examine a few circumstances when squats might just not be right for you.

Recovery time

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is a very common occurrence for those who employ the use of squats.  DOMS is usually characterized by very painful soreness, stiffness, and tenderness in the muscle group trained.  The worst pain of DOMS will take place about 48 hours after lifting.  This can certainly slow down the MMA athlete who wishes to run and practice drills in the date or two or even three after a tough squatting workout.  The body adapts, and soreness will lessen, but it will never quite go away.  If being able to use the leg muscles in the days after a leg workout is required for your MMA preparation, then squats might not be the right movement for you.  Stick with leg extensions or leg presses for less effectiveness, but quicker recovery time.

Increased risk of knee injury

If you have ever suffered from a devastating knee injury or undergone a knee operation, then squatting may be playing with fire.  For some lifters, the exercise is just off the table due to having their knee scoped at some point in the past.  Likewise, if you’re suffering from an impact injury, soreness from other exercises, or just feeling a tweak or nagging ache, you should skip squats that day.  Better safe than sorry!
Can cause weight gain

The use of squats is very popular among hardgainer trainers who cannot seem to gain weight.  If you squat, your legs grow – but so do your arms, your chest, your back, and every other muscle group.  This might be ideal for skinny kids getting shoved around at the beach.  But if you’re an MMA fighter who is very concerned about maintaining your weight to remain within reach of a certain weight class, then you may want to skip the squats.  Or at the very least, squat light and watch your caloric intake very carefully!

Difficulty for tall lifters.

Some tall lifters are never able to quite grow comfortable with barbell squatting.  Their long limbs just make full extension on this movement a little too awkward.   The great Arnold Schwarzenegger used to squat with a wooden block beneath his bare feet to make up for this.  You might try the same trick.  Or you might opt for other exercises which don’t discriminate so much against taller athletes!

The winner is…

As with many things in life, it depends!  For some, or even most, MMA athletes, the squat is a highly useful tool for building up the legs and overall body strength, control, and explosiveness.  However, for some aging lifters who have been around the block a few times, the squat isn’t an ideal choice.  There are plenty of alternative leg exercises which can be used to deliver great strength and power for the MMA athlete, including lunges, leg press, leg extensions, hack squats, and leg curls.  However, for most people, the squat is and always will be the KING of leg exercises.

As always, there are variations which can be used to make the squat more useful for some athletes.   The use of heavy barbell squats is popular, but free weights aren’t necessary.  Sure, they recruit stabilizer muscles and improve core strength, but you can enjoy a great deal of success with the use of a Smith machine.  Its brackets hold the barbell in place.  You just have to move the weight up and down – no balance or control is needed!

Additionally, you can vary just how LOW you wish to go when using squats.  Most powerlifters will aim to break parallel – when their quadriceps/upper legs are parallel with the floor.  Many bodybuilders aim to reach a point BELOW parallel when lifting.  You don’t need to put so much stress on your knees.  You can see great results by taking the weight down to a point just before breaking parallel.  You’ll stimulate leg strength gains without transferring the tension of the weight from your quadriceps (upper leg muscles) to your knee tendon.

Check out the list above, and see which possibilities apply to you.  Give squats a chance if at all possible.  Use a safe weight for a moderate number of repetitions (10 to 15 reps per set) for 4 sets.  You’ll certainly notice a gain in muscle size & strength.  Change things up as needed, but keep in mind that most MMA fighters you encounter on the mat will have a long love/hate affair with squats – and you probably should too!

Add Weight

When you’re training with any kind of resistance, you should be finding ways to continually add weight.  Move more weight, and you are recruiting more of your muscle fibers. The healing process in the days after the workout results in your muscle growing back bigger and stronger.  Now, you don’t have to pretend you’re a powerlifter and bench press 3 plates per side.  However, you can add the 1 or 2.5 pound plates when you train.   You can add chains to provide a progressive resistance when you bench press, squat or deadlift.  And you can move on to heavier medicine balls or kettlebells when working on your core movements.  Remember, once your body adapts to a certain workout with a particular weight, no more progress can made until you find a way to push harder.   You’ve grown and adapted – now you have to find a new challenge if you wish for that growth and adapatation (read: improvement) to continue.

Double Unders

Jumping rope is a great way to increase your stamina, lower body strength, and improve your balance and core strength.  However, you can make this exercise more effective, and require more of your body, by completing two laps of the jump rope per each jump you take off the ground.  Gradually work your way up from 1 to 2 repetitions, as this can be a tricky movement, balance-wise.  Alternate single and double jumps until you get the hang of it.  Jumping rope is one of the best activities you can use to make gains in the gym.   Using double unders makes jumping rope much harder – and much more effective too!

Find a training partner

Training with a buddy can be a great way to push yourself to new levels you didn’t before think possible.  You’ll have a spotter on hand to keep the weights from falling, and to keep your balance and form in check.  You’ll have a friend to chat with between sets to keep the workout interesting, and to ensure you don’t leave the gym before you’ve put in enough time.  Finally, you’ll have that slight boost to ego that comes with training alongside a peer.  You can’t let him get that extra rep – you’ll find a way to dig deep and push yourself to new levels of weight used, or repetition completed.

Move faster

Everything you do – do it faster.  If you have found a standard jogging rate that you enjoy, you should bump up the speed another .5 mph.  If you get done with your 100 repetitions of an exercise in 90 seconds, work your tail off to complete it in 75 seconds.   Walk faster between stations.  Move your core faster and with a more deliberate motion.  Your body will adapt, and this quicker pace will become your new normal.

Shorter rest periods

Another way to force your body to do more – in less time – is to reduce the amount of time you rest and recover between circuit training, drill, or weight lifting sets.  Simply changing your standard 60 second break to 45 seconds can result in a situation where your lungs are forced to work harder, moving more air, resulting in greater aerobic capacity on your part.  You’ll develop better stamina which will serve you well as your next match drones on, and your opponent begins to tire before you do.  Shorter rest periods in training result in faster mental response deep into fights, not just the ability to keep fighting when the other man tires.

Ankle weights

You might think ankle weight use is reserved for elderly people making their morning power walk at the local shopping mall or retirement community.  Actually, the use of ankle weights is an excellent method for forcing your body to move like it is heavier, causing your lungs, legs and other muscles of the body to work harder on a continual basis. Once you remove the weights, you will have a new burst of speed, as the constraints of the added weight will be removed.  Think of a man that weights 300 pounds who goes on a diet.  Suddenly he weighs 200 pounds and has an amazing spring in his step because his frame is carrying a much smaller burden than he’s experienced before.  You’ll enjoy this same benefit, suddenly becoming faster and more elusive once you remove the ankle weights and get in the ring!

Train in a new gym

We all develop some habits when we do the same thing over and over.  Whether or not we realize it, training in the same facility month after month, year after year, will allow us to develop some “efficiencies” or shortcuts to completion of training activities which are actually causing a results shortfall.  Enter a NEW gym, train on NEW equipment with NEW people, and you’ll begin seeing some new results.  You can even apply this to your cardiovascular training – running in a new place will result in your body working in new, minor ways that you may not even realize – jumping over previously un-encountered curbs, making turns and cut your body isn’t accustomed to, etc.  However, the result will be a new and unknown workout, which leads to new results.  Remember, the best workout for you is one that you’re not currently using!

Make a movie

Recording a video clip of your workout can be a great workout aid to see where you are taking shortcuts, making mistakes with forms, and generally not pushing yourself as much as possible.   Back up your mobile device, empty the video to make plenty of room, and record 20 or 30 or 40 minutes of your training.  Are you standing upright?  Are you stopping at ten reps when you have fifteen in you?  Are you leaning?  Are you more tired than you should be at some points?  Does your execution lose proper form as you tire?  If so, then using video analysis of your workout will help you to realize these weaknesses.  You want to address them now, not when you’re matched up against a more prepared opponent!  Look at the video yourself, and/or have a buddy analyze it.  Be honest and humble, and don’t cut yourself any slack.  Look at that video and learn how to train harder, which is smarter for the mixed martial arts fighter.

Edwards vs Powers – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

Many people who have been casual mixed martial arts enthusiasts for some time are beginning to embrace the idea of MMA Training Boot Camps.  They dedicate one day, two days, and sometimes even a week to completely immersing themselves into the MMA training, drilling, supplementing, dieting and recovering lifestyle, in hopes that they will see very fast personal MMA growth and develop keen understandings of MMA processes – while getting into amazing shape very quickly.  Let’s take a look at a sample MMA Boot Camp, to see if it is right for you!

7 am – Getting Started

Start your day by being smart on the two days BEFORE the boot camp begins.   Eat and sleep wisely in the days before your boot camp is to begin.  Keep starches and fats to a minimum so you’re light on your feet.   You want plenty of energy for both physical and mental focus, so stack up the lean carbs in the day before and be sure to go to sleep early.     You’ll want to get your money’s worth, and being groggy while living on coffee all day is not the way to achieve that!

8am to 9:30am – Early Cardio

Your morning at MMA Boot Camp will often begin with a moderate cardio session to help you break a sweat, get your body in gear, and push your cardiovascular system.  You want the blood flowing, as you are going to be using both your physical and mental powers to the max during today’s session.  Don’t push yourself to absolute failure to impress/intimate those around you.  At the same time, you shouldn’t be slacking either.  Push yourself to perform at a solid level while reserving adequate energy for the rest of the tasks you’ll be facing today.

10am to 12 pm – Education & Drills

Just as schools for children tend to place high emphasis upon the educational work early in the day when students are at their freshest mental states, many MMA Boot Camps will dedicate their early sessions to learning better technique and practicing these techniques with drills.  Focus and concentration are keys for this area, as the goal is really more mental than physical.  You’ll likely have a highly skilled instructor teaching you takedowns, striking, grappling, kicks and more.  Learn everything you can, and don’t allow any distractions to detract from your flawless execution of the moves, every time.

12pm Lunch

Eat strong, light and healthy.  You want enough calories for your afternoon gym session, but you also don’t want to be stuffed and slow.  Stick with lean meats, vegetables, and plenty of water.  Toss in some fruit for the sugars you need and you’ll be in great shape for the afternoon session.

1:30pm Lecture and/or Film

Some boot camps will use the post-digestion window of your day for some sit down, mental time where you can learn the higher level aspects of mixed martial arts.  Philosophy and goal-setting might be mixed in with film analysis from past fights at the professional level.  Come prepared with a notepad/tablet, and ask plenty of questions.  You may learn a few items here which can really bump up your fight preparation and execution to the next level.

3pm – 4pm Circuit Training

Your brain is cooked.  Your body has faced the cardio and the drilling.  Now it’s time to wrap up your day with a few MMA Circuits to fully torch the core muscles of your body.  As with any boot camp, your instructors will be right on top of you, delivering motivation and really pushing you to complete every repetition with good form, a focused intensity, and all out effort.  Your brain might be tired from the thinking, but your body has had a few hours to recover from the morning drills, so you should be quite ready to wreck things in the weight room.

Most trainers will have your move thru a series of 3 to 5 exercises, with no rest in between, known as a Circuit.  You will then rest for one minute, and complete another circuit.  The total amount of time spent in the weight room will be well under an hour, but your intensity levels will remain constantly high during this time.  You’ll move from weights to plyometrics to medicine balls and more – and you’ll do it quickly.  Try to remember everything you can about this training session, and save any training routine paperwork you are given.

The goal of an MMA Boot Camp is to kick your capability and progress into the highest possible gear – fast.  Make today your #1 priority, leaving distractions in the car for the day.  You’re paying good money to learn from the best and to push yourself to be the best, so you will want your focus and concentration to be at the highest level possible.  Often, a big name fighter or very advanced guru will be brought in for the day.  Absorb everything you can, from the way the instructor warms up to the moves and small adjustments he/she shows you.  There are many little things you can learn from keen observation that you would never pick up from a YouTube clip or training manual.  Observe everything, push yourself and you’ll progress faster than you could ever imagine thanks to MMA Boot Camps!

Your performance in the ring is directly related to your training protocol in the months leading up to any match.  A trained eye can observe a fighter a month from his/her match, and fairly accurately predict how the match will go in a few weeks – based upon the training taking place in the present.  Therefore it is essential to choose the right kind of training, and complete it effectively to a point of near-failure as well!   Circuit training is highly popular among boxers, mixed martial arts fighters, and anyone who wants to fully develop their body’s capabilities in the shortest amount of time possible, for this exact reason.  Let’s look at an effective training program you should be using to develop the greatest possible speed, endurance and power.  You’ll be out of the gym in under an hour, having hit your power and boxing muscles, as well as have having targeted your endurance.  You can’t beat that!

THE WORKOUT

Start with one set of barbell squats (using a moderate weight for 12 repetitions).  Keep your back straight, and head looking forward.  Don’t drop down past parallel, as the emphasis for this movement would then leave your thighs and move to your knee joints once you break parallel.   Follow your squats up with 3 minutes punching on the heavy bag.   Finally, jump on the nearby treadmill and run .25 miles at 4.5 mph with a 3% grade incline.  Repeat for 3 sets.  Are you feeling the burn yet?

Round 2 is here!   Begin with Deadlifts.  This movement is about as simple as one can find – Pick up a heavy weight, then put it back down.  Repeat!   Choose a moderate weight and knock out 15 repetitions with safe and solid form.  Move on to 3 minutes of speed punching using the heavy bag.  Follow with a 40 yard sprint.  Repeat for 3 sets.  You should be feeling a tremendous muscle burn in your back and legs now, and your lungs should be working hard too!

It’s time to wrap things up for round 3.  Begin with Bench Pressing.  Again, select a moderately heavy weight that you can control, and complete one set of 10 to 12 repetitions.   Check your ego at the door here – If you cannot control the weight on your own for at least ten repetitions, you should reduce the total weight being used.  Jump to 3 minutes of shadow boxing.  Your arms should be hurting a great deal now.  Finally, wrap things up with 3 minutes of machine rowing set at low intensity.  Feel the slow burn in both your back & arm muscles as well as in your lungs with this movement.  Complete three sets of this rotation as well.   Then you can safely collapse!

The most important thing to remember is that you once you’re hit, once you begin to get tired – you will perform in the ring exactly as you train before the match.  If you want to become a powerlifter, you should train with very heavy weights for a few repetitions – and that is what you will be able to achieve in competition.  If you want to become a bodybuilder, you train your muscles with plenty of sets, plenty of rest, and you train for a “pump” so you can have pumped up muscles. If you want to become a skilled MMA fighter with the endurance to execute moves as the rounds pass, then you need to train in this exact manner.  As we previously stated – Just as you are what you eat, you perform as you train.  Remember that!

Charlie Racinowski

Clinch Gear Teams With San Diego Rescue Mission To feed Families In Need This Holiday Season!

Clinch Customers can help by purchasing Clinch Gear Icon Tees

San Diego, CA, NOV 15, 2014 – Clinch Gear™ (www.clinchgear.com), the leading performance training apparel brand, has today announced that it is teaming up with the San Diego Rescue Mission to help feed needy San Diego families this Holiday Season.

Specifically, for every ICON T-Shirt sold from now through Nov. 27, Clinch Gear will donate an entire Thanksgiving dinner meal, enough for a family of four, to the San Diego Rescue Mission.

“We did a similar campaign to feed families in need a few years ago,” stated Greg Brady, COO of Clinch Gear LLC, “feeding close to 2000 families.  This year our goal and our hope is to exceed that number”.

And goal achievement is what ‘Clinch’ Gear is all about. Founded in 2003, Clinch Gear launched with the aim to create the best training shorts in the world.  The incredible physical demands of high-intensity sports such as MMA and wrestling required shorts that could stand up to them. Later they expanded their product line to  include tech tops, rash guards, compression shorts, footwear and other gear.

A purchase of any Clinch Gear “ICON” tee will help this campaign to reach its goal.  The Clinch Gear ICON tee being used for this campaign features the Clinch Gear “ICON” Logo. Their proprietary fabrics are designed specifically to optimize moisture management and temperature regulation while also providing unparalleled support when being worn by elite athletes. Their clothing is tailor-made to withstand even the most intense training sessions.

So many families are struggling daily to pay for basic necessities, such as food, clothing and shelter. This is an opportunity for the Clinch Gear Team and its customers to help make a difference in the lives of many families over the Holidays.

For more information, visit http://www.clinchgear.com/.

You might have quite a few questions regarding the internal combustion that is your body’s energy creation and utilization processes.  That’s okay, we all do.  You know how complex fuel combustion is for your automobile, right?  It’s way trickier for the human body.  Luckily, educated women (and some men!) smarter than us have dedicated centuries to studying the many questions you probably have regarding how these systems function.  How do the energy systems work?  How do the energy systems interact with one another?  How are energy systems used by the body?  Where does the energy I need (to run, grapple, punch, kick, and train) come from?  We don’t want to get too scientific here with the chemical compositions and molecular breakdowns, so we’ll keep it simple.  There are three “substrates”, or energy factors, in play which matter to your body when it comes to getting the energy you need to train and perform.   The first two are fat (which we all love!) and phosphocreatine (which we may have a hard time pronouncing).  They work together to form the magic component known as ATP, or adenosine triphosphate.  The bottom line is that ATP is used by your body to create POWER.   When you kick someone, when you land a punch, when you bench press your body weight ten times or complete ten body weight pull ups, or if you just sprint 40 yards to your mailbox, your body is using ATP to do so.  It is the FUEL that you require.

Why should all of this matter to you, the nose-breaking, butt-kicking, punch-throwing MMA warrior bent on making your mark on the mixed martial arts world?  Knowing how your body utilizes energy will help you to better plan nutrient choice & timing (what/when you are eating) and energy expenditure (how and when you are training).   You will soon become aware of the two kinds of training, the body’s fuel (food) requirements for each, and what factors play into recovery, as well as why all of these are important.

Good morning!  If you’re starting the day training at what you consider to be a “low” intensity, as is always recommended, then your body will use two possible fuels for energy in this endeavor.  If you have sugars in your stomach, (from chugging a Gatorade while training, for example), then these sugars will be utilized for your energy needs.  This isn’t good.  This means stored fat stays put.  If your goal is to enjoy low body fat levels along with high performance capabilities, then this is not desired.  Rather, you should be drinking a calorie-free energy drink or, preferably, plain old water.   This forces your body, specifically your aerobic system, to utilize stored body fat reserves for energy.  Remember, this is for low-intensity exercise, such as your morning jog to build up cardiovascular endurance and lose body fat.  The wise fighter keeps his water bottle, running shoes, and house key next to his alarm clock, awakening only to use the bathroom then run out the door to begin morning cardio.  Breakfast can wait until AFTER you’ve properly utilized your fat stores for energy!

The second type of training is more intense – this is when you’re sparring, training full body HIT or CrossFit workouts, and running drills, drills, drills.  At this point, your body will reach further into reserves and utilize your ATP stores and utilizes them for energy.  The process is highly complex, but that’s okay, because you’re wearing a singlet and not a white lab coat, and MMA is not the same as PhD.  What you need to know is that the right kinds of energy need to be on-hand in order for your body to be able to perform.  In other words – REAL FOOD!

How does this affect you as an MMA athlete?  All this scientific talk is a nice primer for delving deeper into nutrient utilization study.  What you should immediately walk away from it with is a strong understanding of what foods and drinks you should be consuming prior to each kind of exercise which you conduct each day.  Start each morning with a water, Crystal-Lite, or diet drink before diving into your moderately-paced morning jog for fat loss and more importantly, aerobic endurance capacity increase.  Follow that up with a diet rich in protein and carbohydrates – chicken, steak, fish and whey for your protein sources, and a nice 50/50 mix of fruit/vegetables and starchy carbs for your ATP energy needs.   You’ve now covered your morning fat utilization and your afternoon/evening training session energy load requirements!
Additionally, remember that following energy expenditure (read: some seriously hard training), your muscle fibers will be at a detriment and ready for some recovery resources as well.  Adequate supplies of fat and carbohydrates are always nice, but protein consumption needs to be the primary goal following tough workouts.  The 48 hours following tough training will be a period of muscle recovery and growth as fibers torn from training repair and recover slowly but surely.  Keeping a steady supply of amino acids on hand (taken from protein foods in the form of consumed meat, eggs, dairy and nuts) will keep your blood in a positive nitrogen state.  Soreness will lessen, muscles will repair, and you will come back a thicker and harder athlete as a result of your training and smart nutrition.  Good luck!

Outside of that, the physical conditioning of an athlete goes a very long way in determining just how much of this mixed martial arts skill one is able to demonstrate in the ring, and for how long.  When the body grows tired, the brain becomes tired as well, and the ability to properly plan and execute perfect strikes and other moves is radically impacted.  This is when, several minutes into a match, fighters begin to make mistakes – and stupid ones, at that.  Many athletes look back at video of them fighting and they wonder just who they are looking at.   In reality, they’re looking at a weakened version of themselves that only emerges during long matches when their physical abilities of strength and endurance have failed.  Your job is to prevent this!

The wise athlete implements circuit training into their weekly gym protocols in order to develop both strength (anaerobic) and endurance (aerobic) capacity.  This makes the MMA athlete stronger, and capable of lasting longer in the cage before exhaustion creeps in, leading to a decline in speed, reaction time, and wise decision making.  And it makes the other guy gas out before you do!   Let’s check out a great example of a two-tiered circuit training routine that is ideal for MMA athletes.  You’ll train your upper body with four exercises, completed in a row three times for a total of 12 sets.  Then you will complete 3 circuit sets for lower body, consisting of 4 exercises each.

Circuit One:

Barbell Rowing                                  1 x 10 to 15 repetitions

Use a safe weight.  Keep your head up.  Move the weight slowly – no heaving is allowed.

Pull-Up with Static Hold                   1 x 10 to 25 repetitions (to failure)

Complete a pull-up, then hold and count to ten.  Repeat.  Use the assist machine only if absolutely necessary.  Within a few weeks, you should be able to complete your repetitions with body weight under your own strength.

Barbell Shrug                                     1 x 15 to 30 repetitions

Choose a moderately heavy weight. And slowly move that weight up and down.  Don’t bounce the weight, and don’t feel like you need to use 500 pounds here to see results.  Keep it safe and under control at all times.

EZ Curl Bar Hammer Curls              1 x 15 to 25 repetitions

Keep your back straight and let your arms do the work here.  No swinging.  “Body English” only puts the back to work and de-emphasizes the biceps and forearms, the point of this movement.

Circuit Two:

Barbell Squat                                     1 x 10 to 15 repetitions

Choose a moderate weight (135 is ideal for new lifters to the gym) and aim to reach or break parallel on every repetition.  You don’t have to touch glutes to ankles, but these shouldn’t be “power courtseys either!” Go low, and keep your back straight and head forward at all times.

Plyo Jumping                                      1 x 20 to 30 repetitions

Assume the squat position, then jump – as high as you can.  Repeat.  Watch for those around you, wear comfortable shoes, and stretch adequately before and after this movement.

Dumbbell Lunges                               1 x 10 to failure

This is a safe way to wrap up the tri-set for legs.  Choose a moderate weight.  When you cannot complete any more repetitions, drop the dumbbells and keep going using only body weight resistance.

Floor Crunches                                  1 x 30 to 100 repetitions (failure)

Your upper body and legs are toast, but your midsection has had time to recovery from Ciruuits #1.  Push your lungs on this movement!

These are standard exercises which can be completed in any commercial gym and should be serviceable in any decently equipped MMA training center.   This routine will train both your muscles and your lungs, employing plyometric and strength-specific metrics.  You’ll torch your upper body first, then your lower body.  At the conclusion of this training routine, you’ll hurt from head to toe.  However, you will have also effectively targeted all essential fighting core and support muscles from head to toe, while at the same time keeping your lungs pumping for almost a half hour straight, leading to aerobic progress as well.  Happy training!

Charlie Racinowski

First, let’s check out a little history behind the “Double Under”.   It was first defined and featured in Crossfit use back in 2001, although its “de facto” use has been in place for decades before this.  You are essentially jumping rope.  The only difference is that you are allowing the rope to make TWO passes per each jump that you make.   You need to jump higher and the rope needs to move faster than when used on standard jumping rope.  The effectiveness rate is higher and your body is forced to deliver a greater performance in capacity, stamina and endurance.

While the movement is simple enough, many athletes misuse it, and end up negating the positive effects of what is essentially “double” rope jumping.  Some get injured.  Others are embarrassed and put the movement away.  Some swing their arms and cheat themselves out of profitable gains.  Let’s not do that.  Instead, let’s examine some tips and techniques we can employ to make this very simple movement more effective.

Position
Stand in the middle of the rope.  It’s shocking to learn how many athletes simply don’t center the rope.  Length should be long enough so that the rope reaches both of your armpits. It will vary, just as heights of trainers will vary.  Relax. Remember that you’re going to be using the same posture for doubles as you use for singles.  Keep it fluid and natural.  Here is a great link for Sizing your Rope properly. http://rxjumpropes.com/sizing/

Feet
Place your weight on your tip toes.  Avoid standing on your heels.  Stretch your feet for a few seconds before each set.  Keep your feet together.  This allows for greater clearance on the sides of the feet for the rope to clear..  Make sure you’re wearing proper flexible footwear and are standing on a flat, safe surface.

Hands
Your wrists drive the rope during this movement.  Remember not to lift your hands.  Keep your hands low.  If they’re rising to nipple level, you are going to get tripped up on the rope.  Aim for smooth, solid motion from your entire wrist/hand region.  Rope control is everything when it comes to completing double unders successfully.

Jumping
You need to be jumper higher than you’re used to jumping, in order to accommodate the additional time needed to allow the rope to travel around your body twice, as is used in Double Unders.   Avoid raising your knees and feet too high off of the ground.  This will cause your body’s movements to be less effective, and cause you to lose balance.  You should develop a smooth, rhythmic motion, inviting each repetition to be as smooth as the last.

Alternate
Start with standard rope jumping – one jump per rope rotation.  Then begin alternating.  Three standard jumps followed by one double jump.  Once you are able to complete this with consistent speed, begin alternating faster.  Two standard jumps, one double under.   Finally, alternate “every other”.   One standard jump should be followed with one double jump.  Finally, after a few days of work, you’ll reach the point where you can continuously perform doubles with little to no disruption.

Expectations
Just as with any exercise or drill, practice makes perfect.  You are going to get tripped up.  You are going to smack yourself on the legs more times than you can count.  You may want to discard this movement if you’re not immediately good at it.  However, you should recall its advantages and just keep at it until it becomes second nature.

Remember that standard rope jumps always have their place and should never be completely abandoned.  Although the differences are minor, they do target a different set of muscle fibers in the body- more of the slower twitch muscles.  The faster twitch muscle fibers, those “explosive” fibers which deal with explosive movements, will be affected more by the double jumps, as you will be exploding into each of those repetitions, instead of gliding, as is used on the standard rope jump.

Jump Rope
All ropes aren’t created equal. You need to get a non-elastic, heavier weighted cord or cable.  The heavier cable will provide greater feedback or “feel” and allow you to slow the rope down  to learn proper tempo and timing.  Speed ropes offer very little feel and consequently jumpers spin them too fast and can’t get out of the way in time leading to the trip. Rx Smart Gear is the maker of the Rx Jump Rope. Rx Jump Ropes have been the industry standard for functional fitness over the last four years. Rx Jump Ropes are custom sized to each individual athlete’s height and offers five different cable variations to support multiple tempo and resistance levels.  Visit them at http://rxsmartgear.com/

Medicine Ball Slam

Stand with your feet apart, at about shoulder level.  Stand on your tip toes, and raise the medicine ball overhead with your arms fully extended.  Using the power in your torso (core), slam the ball downward onto the ground.  Catch it then pick it up on the bounce and repeat the raise, slam, catch movement for ten repetitions.  Be sure to drop your chest and bend your knees with each repetition.  You want to feel the CORE of your body doing the work with each slam, not your arms or back alone.  Elongate your entire body to recruit all of these muscle groups.  Slam the ball as hard as you can each time.  Breathe each time a the ball explodes downward.

Rotating Medicine Ball Slam

This movement is a variation upon the standard medicine ball slam you just completed.  You’ll target the lats and obliques on each side of the body specifically as you alternate swinging the ball around before thrusting the ball down.  The second half of each rep will be identical to the first movement.  Pivot the toe opposite the side of the body which is thrusting the ball downward.   Work to feel the burn and muscle recruitment on the side of the body you’re using each time.

Rolling Back Medicine Ball Throwing

Lie down on the floor with the ball on your chest.  Swing your legs back, then propel your body forward, launching the ball approximately 3 feet into the air, as if you were taking a basketball shot, complete with follow-through.  Catch the ball and roll backwards, sending your legs straight into the air, then roll back and repeat.  The aim here isn’t to “rock” – you want to be in control with each movement deliberate and focused.  This movement targets sweeping and ground work function for the MMA fighter.  You can throw the ball higher in order to utilize more triceps muscle.  Just be sure to keep your body tight and flexed while the ball spends more time in the air.  The catching of the ball will also require greater impact receptiveness, so be ready for that!

Work the medicine ball core training into your regular training protocol.  Start with ten repetitions for each of these 3 movements, and complete them all at once in a circuit-style workout, for a total of 30 repetitions.  Then wait 60 to 90 seconds, and do it again.  As soon as the soreness from this workout in your chest, back and rib sections have subsided (usually in 2-3 days), you’ll be ready to do this again.  Ideally, you will want to use 4 to 6 of these medicine ball circuits, several times each week.

MMA Medicine Ball Circuit Training can be very useful for helping you to develop arm and leg strength, overall core stamina, balance and control.  You’ll essentially be using the medicine ball to strengthen those muscles which are most useful in MMA training and competition.  Stamina will increase, as will your overall explosive power as a result.  Use the medicine ball as part of an overall balanced approach to improving your MMA capabilities.

Charlie Racinowski

Nutrition

This is perhaps the most important factor for recovery, and one which many athletes will simply overlook.  Nutrition is imperative when recovering from training, and extremely essential when you are recovering from fighting.  Your body is depleted of water, electrolytes, protein, carbohydrates and fats, and you need more of all of them.   Protein helps with muscle recovery.  Carbohydrates give you energy, and after a fight, as you are likely depleted a great deal.  Fats help your brain function and organs recover – useful when they may have received some external attention of the negative variety in the ring!  Eat plenty of healthy foods, drink water, take your vitamins, and really focus on consuming small meals every three hours.  The hours following a training session or match are particularly important – hydrate and refuel during this anabolic window for recovery.

Rest

Your body is going to require 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep on a nightly basis to recover from not only the rigors of regular life, but to the extreme training protocols you’re enjoying as well.  After a match, plan for much more sleep.   Many a boxer has called in sick to their job at 8 AM after planning on fighting late and hopping up early in the morning as usual.  Plan a few days to heal and recover – always!  Keep in mind that sleep alone isn’t the answer.  You should make time each day, whether napping or just closing your eyes and clearing your head for ten minutes, to force your body to recuperate resources.  Remember that the top fighters – MMA and boxing – in the world take their sleep as seriously as they take their training and nutrition.  You should do the same!  “I need my sleep” should be a mantra you use often!

Stay active

Just because you’re taking a few days to rest and recover doesn’t mean you should be sitting on the couch, doing nothing during that time.  Rather, you should engage in some light movement each day.  Some non-rigorous activity will break up the lactic acid stores in your muscle groups and loosen up the joints and tendons of your body as well.   Removing the toxins created from stressful training and stress is highly important, and moving around a bit will help you to do exactly that.  Stretch, walk, and even consider some light shadow boxing.  Nothing too strenuous should be used, of course, during this rest period.

Massage

You might not be a pro fighter, but you sure would like to be able to perform like one, right?  Most of them visit a professional massage therapist on a regular basis.  The reason is simple – they get way more miles out of their bodies!  Blood flow is stimulated, relaxation is achieved, knots in muscles are alleviated, and overall, the fighter just plain feels better.  Your muscles aren’t a machine – they’re very flexible and pliable, and small injuries can take years off of your fighting capacity.  Use a massage therapist to keep your body working well, recovering fast, and as an added bonus, you’ll be able to stay on top of little injuries and “tweaks” as they arise.  Take a weekly inventory of your body during each session, and you’ll be able to eliminate small problems before they become big problems!

Ice, Heat & Steam

As usual, the standard ice, heat and steam treatment go a long way in helping fighters to recover from tough training and matches.  Your bathtub works fine for ice baths if no professional option is available.  Ice baths flush out waste products from the body, while reducing inflammation as well.   Steam and heat work the same way, removing toxins and helping the athlete to release the stress that accompanies tough training and matches.   Vary your temperature to speed up your healing rate.

The faster you recover from soreness, the faster you can train again and fight again.  Many fighters will cost themselves years of fighting viability because they simply don’t take care of themselves in this vulnerable and important time period immediately following damage.  Be smart.  Work to recover just as hard as you train and fight – you’ll get way more miles out of your body, in and out of the ring!

Fernando Gonzalez Def. Karo Parisyan TKO (Punches) R1 1:43

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Def. Malik Merad TKO (Elbows) R2 4:04

http://www.mmamania.com/2014/10/3/6906215/gif-fernando-gonzalez-annihilates-karo-parisyan-via-bro-fists-at

http://www.cagepotato.com/bellator-127-results-straus-buries-wilcox-gonzalez-decimates-parisyan/

When you punch a bag, you are bounced back.  Your fists are repelled after every punch.  Even though this might be such a slight push, it is enough to help you develop positive momentum in the “punch reverse” direction.  This is the part of the punching process in which your fists are pulled back, so that you can deliver the next punch.  Many fighters just take this part for granted, overlooking the fact that the punch recovery is actually HALF of the punching process.  Their hands have to travel just as far BACK to the starting position – even further when a punch misses.

Now, when training with a bag, when the push-back is a given, many fighters don’t notice the amount of energy needed to pull a punch back to the starting position.  This is likely because they don’t miss much, when hitting a bag.  The bag just sits there.  In real life, however, their opponent will very much be moving around, dodging and deflecting punches.  Not only will the fighter have to put on the brakes and stop a punch, he will then need to muster the energy to pull the hands back to the starting punch (and possibly a defensive) position.  This requires a lot of energy, and many fighters don’t realize how much energy until they get into the ring.

The solution is simple and obvious.  You should be training your “punch recovery” muscles with the same intensity and attention as you train your punching muscles.  Once you realize that the “holstering” of a punch, returning it to starting position, is just as important as the punch itself, you can make adjustments to your training protocols to ensure you are training these muscles in an effective manner.

There are two ways you can target your punch recovery muscles.  The first is to employ shadowboxing in your training regimen.  There is no bounce back from a bag when you shadow box.  You are 100% responsible for delivering the punch, stopping the punch, and returning your hand to the starting position.  Many fighters toss shadowboxing to the side in favor of more bag work – but it does serve some serious function in the punching recovery process.  Put on your gloves, and practice punching with full speed.  You’ll quickly see you have a little work to do in building the recovery muscles.

The other approach is strength training.  The back, shoulders, and upper rear lat (back) muscles are the groups which pull a punch back to the starting position.  Many fighters focus on chest and triceps exercises to deliver the punch, but forget the usefulness of these exercises for pulling that punch back.  Once the fight starts, the imbalance becomes obvious as their punch arrives fast and hard, but is slow and off track on the way back to starting position.

Body weight pull-ups are an ideal movement for adding this muscular strength and endurance.  Keep the repetition range high – in the 12 to 20 reps per set range.  You aren’t trying to become big and thick, you’re trying to condition your back muscles to pull back faster in a more deliberate manner to the starting position.  You can use the lat pull-down bar if you don’t have the strength to complete body weight pull-ups, but focus upon achieving that strength quickly.  Always pull to the front, not the back.  Behind-the-neck pull-ups have wrecked many a rotator cuff- don’t let yours be one of them!

Compliment pull-ups with cable and machine work also.  Seated military presses are great for strengthening the overall shoulders.  Cable and dumbbell side raises target the side deltoids.  Bent-over 45 degree dumbbell raises specifically target the rear deltoids (a key area for development for pulling punch power).   Use various Hammer Strength, Nautilus and other gym machines to deliver more cable and pulley work to force you to pull, pull, pull that weight from every angle imaginable.

Above all, work hard to instill in your training that sense of balance when working on punching power.  Yes, it is highly important for your punches to be precise, fast, and powerful.  But your punch recovery must be equally deliberate, so your training should reflect this as well.  Good luck!

Aerobic Power Capacity, or simply, your aerobic base, is highly important in mixed martial arts.  You are engaging in a series of high-intensity activities, standing and on the mat.    From the moment  the match begins, your heart rate is elevated, your muscles are engorged with blood, and your lungs are pumping at full capacity.  The higher the level of which your body is capable of taking these three aspects, the greater you will be able to perform as the minutes pass.

We’ve all seen fighters “gas” or run out of steam during a match.  Their quick and concise strikes and other moves suddenly become sloppy, slow, and predictable. Their muscles can’t move as much weight. They don’t think at full capacity due to less oxygen reaching their brains, and they make mistakes.  Once an athlete hits this wall, he is usually defeated quickly (unless the other athlete is also in this same oxygen-deprived state, in which case the fight quickly gets ugly).
In order to gain an advantage in the cage, you are going to want to find an edge in terms of your own maximum aerobic power capacity.  In other words, you need to get into better shape than your opponent, so that your lungs push more air, your heart pumps a higher volume of blood to your body, your muscles tire more slowly, and your brain can think and react quicker, even when the strain of your activities are starting to make you tired.  He will gas, and you will not.  But you’ve got to make sure you’re focusing upon BOTH kinds of aerobic conditioning in order for this to happen.

You’ll first want to address your slow-twitch muscle fibers.  These are situated within the muscle groups throughout your body – your arm, legs, back, etc.  These are the long-term endurance muscle fibers.  They are stimulated after you’ve been training for several minutes.  Long walks, then jogs, then runs, as well as biking and rowing are ideal for targeting these “long endurance” capabilities of your body.  These need to be your first focus, as they take longer to develop, are much more resistant to change, and are arguably more important in terms of lasting up to a half hour in the cage.

Additionally, you will have higher power output needs on a much more demanding yet shorter term basis, and this is why you should also target your fast-twitch muscle fibers.  Quick sprints, powerful takedowns, and other fast, explosive movements are conducted with the help of these muscle fibers.  And these movements should be used each week, so that you can improve your function and capability in these areas.

Your own aerobic threshold is the limit your body possesses for each of these groups of fibers.  And documenting it is step one in improving it.  Record your current performance capability (time/distance/incline) at long-distance activities such as biking and running.  Then do the same for the short term sprints and other intense work.  Document your improvements each week as you force yourself to train to failure and reach a new level of capability and performance almost every time.  Your muscles and circulatory system will adapt and your aerobic performance capability will improve rather quickly as a result.

Your anaerobic performance capability works in the same way.  Your use of heavy lifting movement such as squat, bench press and deadlift also targets both groups of muscle fibers.  You should adjust your weight used to stimulate the differing groups of fibers.  Sets where you can only complete 1 to 6 repetitions will target the fast-twitch fibers as you build strength.  Likewise, those sets where you use light enough weight to complete 8 to 12 to 20 or more repetitions will target the slow-twitch muscle fibers.  Just as with cardio, both types will need to be targeted to ensure you have the greatest possible performance capability once you get in the cage.  Good luck!

Smith vs South – Images courtesy of Rob Trudeau & TopMMANews.com

Be aware of your surroundings

Very often, the damage incurred from CrossFit won’t occur during a movement.  It will occur in the seconds AFTER a movement is complete.  Often, a celebratory toss of the weight will result in a dumbbell breaking a foot or a barbell rolling into a full-length mirror.  Remember that just because YOU are able to temporarily violate some laws of physics with your strength, stamina, balance and control, the weights are still just as dumb as ever, and intent on rolling, bouncing, and reacting to drops any way they choose.  Lower the weight carefully to a complete stop, and THEN do your celebrating.

No Heaving!

Much of what we are able to achieve while lifting heavy weights isn’t achieved with the use of our muscles.  Rather, it is the joints and tendons of our body that perform the work required to move the weight past muscular capability.  This is a standard part of lifting. However, when the “Body English” becomes the only way the weight can be moved, the bulk of the work is moved from the targeted muscle groups to other parts of the body.  This is where injuries to knees, shoulders and back can occur.  This is also when kettlebells or heavy barbells decide to adhere to the laws of physics and fall straight down, pulling the body with it.  Move the weight in a controlled yet explosive manner, and you’ll have great lifting results.  Swing the weight using your back and legs, and you’re looking for trouble.  And remember, no personal record PR counts if you had to cheat to reach it!

Properly Secure Equipment

In many instances, injuries which occur are not the fault of the person doing the CrossFit training.  Rather, it is a chin bar or hanging rings breaking away from the brace on thewall or ceiling that causes the fall, collapse, and injury.  “Muscle ups” suddenly become “man down!” Train at a reputable CrossFitCenter.  If the box doesn’t look right, it’s probably not.  Trust your instincts.  Test equipment.  Ask a trainer to try it first.  Often, putting weight on shoddy equipment won’t dislodge it from the wall or ceiling. Rather, it is the tugging with full body weight during a movement that leads to the damage.

Reassessing, halfway through

If at any point, in the middle of a repetition, you discover it is likely you will be unable to complete the repetition in a safe manner, you should immediately stop, reset, and begin again.  Too many injuries are entirely preventable, and occur because a lifter will attempt to break through a sticking point with a foreign, unusual and dangerous movement to break through.  This can lead to injury as the muscle gives way or more often, the weight falls with great force.

Keep your eye on the ball

What comes up must come down.  Throwing the ball into the air, completing a movement, and then returning to catch the ball can be a great way to develop explosive force.  However, that ball is heavy and arrives back at your head at 9.80 ms^2.  That’s a lot of force if you threw the ball several feet into the sky.  Move up the weight slowly, practice, and be alert.  Remember that the more tired you are, particularly during MetCon, the less altitude that ball will gain, making it land that much sooner.

Remember to look down

Before you engage in any altitude jumping, assess what it is you will be landing upon, should you fail to land properly on the stack of plates.  If you’re looking at concrete, you should spend a moment imagining what color cast you would like on that broken arm.   Move that weight stack to some mats, ensuring you’ll at last land a bit more softly.  Measure carefully, recording your last and best jumps so you know a safe starting point.  Never just “go for it” based on pump and adrenaline.  Giving it your all often helps you reach the top, but if often means you have little in the tank as far as balance and control should you narrowly miss the top, become tripped up, and return to the ground in an awkward fashion.

First off, let’s dispel the notion that MMA is the most dangerous sport.  A five-year study of 1,270 MMA athletes by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Emergency concluded that the overall risk of sustaining a critical sports related injury was actually very low.  While almost a quarter of athletes in professional matches did sustain some sort of fighting injury, most were either minor lacerations of possible head concussions, requiring some observation.   MMA has had four recorded deaths.  Boxing has had nearly a thousand.  No sport is entirely safe – people are hit by golf balls – but MMA is much safer, according to the numbers, than many people believe.

One important statistic to remember is that most fighters at the higher levels only actually engage in 1 to 6 actual fights per year.  They are training 10 to 20 times each week, but mostly on drills in which the risk of an actual injury is near zero.  Yes, the in-fight numbers show about a fourth of the time you’re going to need some treatment, but that’s only a few times each year.  Compare that to professional athletes in sports like football and hockey, in which many players are injured in nearly every game, once or several times each week!

MMA officials have inserted many safeguards into matches to further keep the sport safe.  Aside from the obvious “no biting or eye gouging”, there are slightly less noticeable policies in place that keep the fights fair and the athletes intact.  Weight classes are evenly matched.  Restrictions on technique ensure full-contact can only be employed once both participants have reached a desired level of expertise.  Younger and less skilled athletes are subjected to less risk.  Officials will stop fights at the first sign of any real injury.  Additionally, advancements in headgear, diagnosis, and other protection systems are arriving very quickly as the popularity of the sport continues to grow.

Above all, the mindset of the MMA athlete should not be overlooked.  Most people who compete in MMA began their sports lives in other sports, such as wrestling or boxing or martial arts.  They grew up disciplined, in tune with their bodies, and with a sense of respect and honor.  Look at a football game and it’s likely you don’t see that kind of discipline.  While linemen and defenders are on the football field trying to seriously injure each other, most MMA fighters are the first to hug when a match concludes, and would rather win on a quick submission as opposed to a long bloody battle ending with a knockout.  Fast, efficient fights between skilled and respectful athletes deliver plenty of safety and help with injury prevention.   Skill usually wins out over brute force.

The bottom line is that while MMA is a sport where there is going to be some damage incurred, there has been a great effort to make these matches as safe as possible.  The statistics show the risk of injury is much higher in other contact sports, and advances in rules and technology are making MMA safer for the athlete every day.