Strength & Power FAQ v2.0

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Sherdog Strength & Power FAQ

This thread is designed to point new lifters towards the information they need to get themselves started. It is not supposed to be an exhaustive list of everything you need to know, but should instead point you in the right direction. The best thing you could do to start with is to read Carnal's Treatise on The Lifting of Heavy Iron and then Read This

Please PM me with and errors, omissions or general abuse (if I’m no longer here then just PM a mod).

Table of Contents

Post 1: General Questions
- How do I get stronger?
- How do I specifically get stronger for BJJ/Judo/MMA/Thai boxing/Russian Bear Wrestling?
- Why did my thread get closed?
- Why do you guys hate machines?
- I thought technique was more important than strength. Is lifting heavy weights really important for MMA?
- Won’t lifting heavy things make me really slow and inflexible?
- Can I just do 200 reps with the pink, 2lb, foo-foo dumbbells? After all that gives me a wicked awesome pump and my arms feel really tired.
- Why do so many of your links seem to be aimed at powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters, surely this isn’t what I want to help my MMA training?
- Do I have to do Squats/Deadlifts?
- How do I get more explosive/powerful?
- I want to lose/gain/maintain weight, should I be lifting weights?

Post 2: Routines, Exercises, Programming
- What kind of routine should I follow?
- A lot of routines only have a small number of exercises done three times a week: is this enough? Can I do these routines but add more days and more exercises?
- How do I do exercise x?
- I've got some questions about the Olympic lifts...
- Where can I find some information about Strongman training?
- The training program says I should do an assistance exercise, what’s that?
- I only have a barbell at home, and no power rack or squat stands, what can I do?
- What’s periodisation and how do I do it?
- How do I add 50lbs to my bench/squat/deadlift?
- What are the best ways to develop rotational core strength/core strength?
- How do I make my hands stronger?
- When should I deload? How should I deload?
- What do I need to make a home gym?


Post 3: Miscellaneous, Useful Links
- ****ing *******, that hurt. I just tore a piece of the rough skin off my hand. What can I do about it?
- I’ve heard a lot of people mention kettlebells, what are they and are they worth getting?
- What/who is crossfit?
- What do you think of P90x? Why the hate for P90x?
- I have bad posture/muscle imbalances what can I do to fix it?
- What are some simple mobility/flexibility routines for upper and lower body?
- When should I wear a belt? What type should I get?

Post 4: Interesting threads and Links

Post 5: A Reasonable Approach to Strength Training by Glenn Pendlay

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Q: How do I get stronger?

A: For almost everyone, the best way to do it is through compound barbell exercises; either exercises like the squat, deadlift, overhead press and bench press, or the Olympic lifts (clean, snatch, and jerk), or both. You do these exercises with weights that are heavy (for you) for fairly low numbers of repetitions (most of the time) and you do them progressively (always trying to add more weight to the bar or do more reps). You do a limited amount of extra work, because what makes you strong is getting stronger in the big movements.

The rest of the FAQ explains a lot the details of this but as a starting point read Carnal's treatise on the lifting of heavy iron and then http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/read-886282/

Q: How do I specifically get stronger for BJJ/Judo/MMA/Thai boxing/Russian Bear Wrestling?

A: You get strong. Too many people fall into the trap of thinking there's some magical exercise that will make their training somehow more applicable to their art, bollocks. Strength is strength, go train heavy and hard and you'll find you get stronger on the mat or in the ring. One leg squats on a gym ball while avoiding a stick swung by an old man with a Fu Manchu moustache won't help.


Q: Why did my thread get closed?

A: Check the forbidden threads sticky, the chances are that it contravened these rules and that’s why it was shut down. Forbidden Topics

Q: Why are you anti-bodybuilding in this forum?

A: We're not. We simply believe that, if you are an athlete (strongman, powerlifter, fighter, wrestler, football player, etc.), then there are innumerable training methods superior to bodybuilding, which is aesthetic-oriented rather than performance-oriented. That is not to deny that hypertrophy has its benefits nor is it to close the door entirely on any and all questions/interests in hypertrophy or even bodybuilding. For the non-athlete interested in aesthetics more than performance, this thread is for you.

Q: Why do you guys hate machines?

A: Machines require no stabilization of the weight and will often force an unnatural path of motion, that can lead to injuries. This doesn't apply to machines without a fixed path (e.g. cable machines). Compound freeweight movements are infinitely superior to machines, especially those that are used for isolation movements. A select few machines can be useful due to their specific function, like the reverse hyper or the glute-ham raise. Isolation machines do have uses for rehabilitation and correcting some imbalances, but the majority of your routine should be done on freeweights.

Q: I thought technique was more important than strength. Is lifting heavy weights really important for MMA?

A: Technique and skill are the most important things if you want to be successful as a martial artist, however to completely ignore S&P would be very foolish, when skill levels are equal it is often the stronger and better conditioned fighter that will win, otherwise there would be no point in weight categories.


Q: Won’t lifting heavy things make me really slow and inflexible?

A: NO! This is an ancient piece of nonsense that seems to never die, weights will actually make you quicker and if allied with a good stretching program will actually make you more flexible. However, if you lift slowly, through a shortened ROM and don't stretch then yeah they will make you slow and inflexible.


Q: Can I just do 200 reps with the pink, 2lb, foo-foo dumbbells? After all that gives me a wicked awesome pump and my arms feel really tired.

A: NO! You have to lift heavy if you want to be strong. Read this article - Why You Should Lift Heavy Things


Q: Why do so many of your links seem to be aimed at powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters, surely this isn’t what I want to help my MMA training?

A: Powerlifters and weightlifters are experts at being strong; these guys know an amazing amount about how to train for an incredible level of relative strength. We don’t advise you follow the training routine of a powerlifter, as you have to also complete hours of technique training, sparring and conditioning work each week, but you can learn a lot on how to train for strength from these people. You look to bjj and boxing for elements of your training, yet neither of these arts will make a complete mma fighter, pretty much the same principle.


Q: Do I have to do Squats/Deadlifts?

A:YES, These are the two most important lifts in terms of overall body strength and development. No amount of benching and curling will make up for not doing them; any routine that does not include them is inherently flawed.


Q: How do I get more explosive/powerful?

A: First, understand that being explosive/powerful is about being able to produce large amounts of force quickly. For the majority of us, especially for those who have no or limited strength training experience, the limiting factor is the amount of force that can be produce (I.e. Strength). So start by building a solid base of strength, and after several months, you can add a small amount of explosive work, for example 5x3 box jumps once a week. Once you're at the point where haven't improved at this small amount of explosive work, despite getting stronger, you may benefit from the addition of more explosive/power work.

Plyometrics refers specifically to exercises where an additional force exaggerates the stretch reflex. For example, just jumping onto a box is not plyometric. Jump off a box, and immediately jumping onto another box is plyometric, because the force from jumping off the box assists the exercise. Plyometric exercises are best used sparingly, because (1) They are especially high impact, and (2) Using them more frequently, or in greater amounts doesn't significantly increase results.
 
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Q: I want to lose/gain/maintain weight, should I be lifting weights?

A: Losing, gaining or maintaining weight depends only on one thing: how many calories you eat compared to how many calories you burn. No amount of lifting will make you "big & bulky" if you are not on a caloric surplus, and no amount of lifting will prevent you from losing weight if you are on a caloric deficit. Here is what lifting will do for you: it will help you get stronger, it will help you gain muscle if on a caloric surplus and retain muscle if on a deficit, and it will help you burn more calories (while you are exercising). Gaining muscle will also result in more calories burned when at rest.

For more info on adjusting your diet according to your goals check out the D&S sub-forum.

Q: What kind of routine should I follow?

A: There are many routines that can help you develop strength, here is a thread that will help you pick from the many existing, proven routines:

FAQ Update: Beginner/Intermediate Routines

If you routine looks like this you're in trouble.


Q: A lot of routines only have a small number of exercises done three times a week: is this enough? Can I do these routines but add more days and more exercises?

A: These programs were designed to give you just enough stimulus and enough recovery time to get big and strong and it is extremely likely that they will work very well for you. Until you really know what you are doing and have a lot of experience, it's not recommended to change the program. As Mark Rippetoe is fond of saying, if you alter the program then you're not doing the program.

Especially at the beginning, don't add more lifting days. As Mark Rippetoe says "You don't get strong by lifting heavy weights, you get strong by recovering from lifting heavy weights". If you simply have to add some more exercises on your prescribed lifting days, there's nothing we can do to stop you. Add them at the end and don't go crazy with them and be prepared to drop them if your progress on the main lifts stalls.


Q: How do I do exercise x?

A: Here is our exercise list and glossary, this should explain how to do pretty much any exercise you can think of (and quite a few you can’t).

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/glossary-411218/

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/technique-videos-major-lifts-1212904/


Q: I've got some questions about the Olympic lifts...

A: peep this thread: http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/show-em-your-o-face-oly-lifts-thread-1121258/


Q: Where can I find some information about Strongman training?

A: Here's some places to start:

Muscle and Fitness training LIFT LIKE A STRONGMAN
Strongman Strength Training Routine by Tom Mutaffis | Total Physique Online

Q: The training program says I should do an assistance exercise, what’s that?

A: Assistance exercises are designed to help improve a weak point on a main lift, a weak point in general, or to help towards injury prevention. Examples include using close grip bench presses to strengthen your triceps and therefore improve you bench press and using pause squats to help you with coming out of the bottom position of the squat. Forum member Madmick started a thread on assistance exercises for the powerlifting big three :

https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/the-powerlifting-3-assistance-lift-catalog.309527/


Q: I only have a barbell at home, and no power rack or squat stands, what can I do?

You can do deadlifts, cleans/power cleans, clean the weight and do front squats, clean the weight and do overhead presses/push presses, bent over rows, or do dead stop zercher squats (Google them).

If you have a bench, you can use that to do bench press, or you can do floor presses (you can even use some planks to lie on and create greater ROM in your floor presses). You can use saw horses and do bottom squats, or otherwise improvise to create some type of platform/stands for the weights to rest on.

You can also practice your olympic lifts.


Q: What’s periodisation and how do I do it?

A: Periodisation is how you manage the weights you lift each workout, here are three links to different approaches to it.
Linear Periodization - T NATION | Periodization Bible - Part 1
Conjugated Periodization (Westside Method) - T NATION | Periodization Bible - Part 2
Undulating Periodizatoin - T NATION | Holiday Program


Q: How do I add 50lbs to my bench/squat/deadlift?

A: If you want to be better at a lift the first thing to do is sort out your form, here are Dave Tate’s articles on correctly performing the big three:

Bench Pressing 101

Guide to the Squat

Deadlifting

Another Bench press article

YouTube - Dave Tate's Six-Week Bench Press Cure

So You Think You Can Bench?

So You Think You Can Squat?

So You Think You Can Deadlift?


Q: What are the best ways to develop rotational core strength/core strength?

A: Here’s a thread cataloguing the different exercises for developing core strength– link


Q: How do I make my hands stronger?

A: There are many ways to train your grip so here goes.

The first way is crushing strength i.e. the ability to close your hand against resistance. The best way to do this is with grippers. Check out this thread: http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/crushing-strength-grippers-faq-addition-828240/

Gripper work is only one way to develop your hands; the next thing to do is look at pinch strength, which involves your thumbs as well. The easiest way to do this is to put two weight plates together with their smooth sides out and try to lift them with your hand on top, finger on one side thumb the other.
Grip_pinchWEB2.png


The next thing is to work on wrist strength, the two best things for this are using a wrist roller and sledge hammer levering. A wrist roller can easily be made out of 2” diameter PVC pipe wrapped with cord with weights on the end, you then twist the pipe hand over hand to winch up the weight. Do this both ways round (working both the back and front of your forearms). For more on levering check out this thread: Lever Shot!

The last part is support grip, that is the ability to keep your hand closed with something pulling it open e.g. a heavy barbell during deadlifts or trying to keep your grip on your opponents gi during BJJ. Some good ways to train this are barbell holds (just hold your last deadlift rep as long as possible or pick it up out of a rack and hold it) and towel pull-ups.

Check out this thread too: You All Have Pussy Hands v2.0

Q: When should I deload? How should I deload?

A: You should deload if you've been experiencing symptoms of overtraining, or have been consistently feeling especially "beat up" from your training. Also you may benefit from having a regular deload week, every 4-8 weeks.

There are many different ways to deload. Options include: Taking the week off entirely, just doing a combination of active recovery, light conditioning, mobility work, corrective exercises, lifting similarly to what you'd do regularly but with less intensity(lower weight) and/or volume(lower total reps), or doing different, less intense exercises, for a week (e.g. lunges instead of squats). Some routines will tell you specifically how to deload when following them (e.g. Starting Strength, the Wendler 5/3/1, Smolov), if that's the case, follow those instructions unless you have a convincing reason not to.


Q: What do I need to make a home gym?

A: This has been discussed several times on the board, here’s one of the threads on the subject- home gym link

Forum member Bacon, made his own powerrack, here’s his how to thread - link
 
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Q: ****ing *******, that hurt. I just tore a piece of the rough skin off my hand. What can I do about it?

A: That's called a callous, when doing some exercises, particularly deadlifts, you can tear the top layer of skin off and it can be really annoying. Here's a good video on callous maintenance - Donny Shankle - Hand Care

Q: I’ve heard a lot of people mention kettlebells, what are they and are they worth getting?

A: Kettlebells are an alternative to a dumbbell, they have the handle placed away from the centre of the weight and this means they handle differently from a conventional DB. They can place a higher emphasis on grip and wrist strength and require greater coordination than doing the same movement with a DB.

sif2.jpg
brooks_kb_clean2.JPG

They are much more expensive than a normal weight set and a lot of people argue that although there are benefits to their use they are not worth the ridiculous prices charged for them. Nor do they deserve the hype which surrounds them. To sum up these are a useful tool but are not the super, ultimate, all-singing, all-dancing solution to all your problem that some people claim they are. This article talks about the hype that surrounds them – PT: Kettlebells : An Antidote to the Hype, Brennan

There are ways to homemake one of these, here’s a thread which discusses doing just that – link


Q: What/who is crossfit?

A: CrossFit are at least somewhere along the right path. They generally focus on compound lifts (squats, deads, oly lifts etc) but are often criticized for their lack of planned progression and their frequent use of Olympic lifts for high reps which can lead to form breakdown. They follow a different workout each day and tend to focus more on conditioning than on max strength. While they are better than the vast majority of machine based, cookie cutter routines, we believe that there are better ways to train. To learn more go to Welcome to CrossFit: Forging Elite Fitness

Here is a good review of Crossfit:

A Review of Crossfit - The Sweat Pit

Here are a few threads discussing CrossFit:

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/crossfit-experiences-1037443/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/why-do-people-hate-crossfit-but-love-ross-973780/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/cross-fit-764628/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/truth-about-crossfit-904215/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/your-reasons-hating-loving-crossfit-1996511/

Q: What do you think of P90x? Why the hate for P90x? What about RushFit? Insanity? <insert latest DVD workout fad>?

A: If your goal is simply to get moving and become more active they are fine. If you have specific training goals (get stronger, faster, more powerful etc) there are better ways to do that which have already been discussed in this FAQ.

This topic has been done to death. See below for previous threads...

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/whats-your-thoughts-p90x-1290729/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/p90x-1124716/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/p90x-yoga-kenpo-1167614/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/p90x-pros-cons-1174380/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/p90x-muay-thai-training-988937/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/what-your-thoughts-p90x-977870/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/muscle-confusion-real-992967/

This article discusses why programs like CrossFit and P90X shouldn't be used by serious athletes: Adaptation: Period, Persistence, and Prioritization


Q: I have bad posture/muscle imbalances what can I do to fix it?

A: Neanderthal No More - A series talking about all sorts of postural issues, how to assess them and how to fix them is a good place to start.

T NATION | Neanderthal No More - Part 1
T NATION | Neanderthal No More - Part 2
T NATION | Neanderthal No More - Part 3
T NATION | Neanderthal No More - Part 4
T NATION | Neanderthal No More - Part 5

Click here for the Neanderthal No More program in spreadsheet form: Neanderthal No More (Google Sheet)

T NATION | Functional Anatomy for Bad-Asses - Part 1
T NATION | Functional Anatomy for Bad-Asses! Part 2

Q: What are some simple mobility/flexibility routines for upper and lower body?

A: Joe DeFranco has two simple routines that you should try:

Agile 8 (for lower body): DeFranco's Training ..:: The Ultimate Way To Become A Better Athlete ::..

UPDATE: DeFranco has now released an updated lower body routine called the Limber Eleven: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FSSDLDhbacc

Simple 6 (for upper body): DeFrancosGym.com - Joe DeFranco's Upper body warm-up routine - YouTube


Q: When should I wear a belt? What type should I get?

A: See this thread: The Belt Thread
 
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Interesting threads and Links

Start with The Article Thread

Here&#8217;s some places to continue your lifting education.

S&C Related Studies Thread - A thread full of links to scientific studies about S&C related topics. Get your science on!

Glossary / exercise list - Commonly used terms and acronyms and an ever growing list of exercises and instructions for said exercises.

Starting Strength - Mark Rippetoe's site. He often posts interesting articles and helpful videos. There is also a forum there with a section specifically for questions for Mark.

Urbans Site &#8211; Urban's site. It&#8217;s in need of some updating and a bit of revising but it&#8217;s got good information on routine construction, and some interesting ideas on conditioning.

Overtraining Syndrome - a General Discussion and Overtraining - The Idiots Guide &#8211; overtraining is a big concern for many people trying to develop any sort of well rounded athleticism in the ring. Learn to prevent it.

Plyometrics

T NATION | Rule of 90%

SMR Manual: http://www.robertsontrainingsystems.com/downloads/SMR-manual.pdf

ExRx Exercise and Muscle Directory

PHOENIX BARBELL

Catalog of training logs - list of training logs kept by a number of the regulars around here, sorted by the type of training they do and/or the program they are on (not really up to date anymore)

Squat RX on YouTube - a great series covering many aspects of squatting: YouTube - johnnymnemonic2's Channel

Elite FTS FAQ article - EliteFTS - Powerlifting and Strength Training Products and Knowledge for Lifters, Athletes, Coaches, and Trainers

Dealing with shoulder pain - Shouldering Through The Pain | Wannabebig

Powerlifters Guide to Attempt Selection - an article talking about how to select your attempts at a powerlifting meet. An interesting read even if you don't plan on competing.

Competition Thread (Questions, Vids, Write-ups) - A thread where people share and discuss their experiences at lifting competitions

The Spreadsheet Thread - A thread containing a number of useful spreadsheets for common programs such as 5/3/1 and the Texas Method.

Post workout nap vs sleeping at night - An interesting thread discussing sleeping, napping and you.

Easternbloc's Homemade Equipment Mega Thread

DIY lifting equipment

Squatting Kinematics and Kinetics - a good article that talks about if squatting is bad for your knees (it's not).
 
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Here is a great post by Glenn Pendlay outlining "a reasonable approach to strength work for MMA"

Monday

Squat 3 sets of 5

Bench press 3 sets of 5

Rows 3 sets of 5

Wednesday

Deadlift 3 sets of 3

military press 3 sets of 5

chinups 3 sets of 10, add weight if neccessary

Friday

step-ups 3 sets of 10

push press or incline press or dips 3 sets of 5

power cleans or power snatches, 5 sets of 3


I dont know why an MMA guy would do much more than this. Given all the other things that must be done to succeed in MMA, I dont think your body can benefit from much more heavy training than this.

I am also not sure why an MMA guy would do the same exercises if variations are possible. If you really want a big bench, sure, bench 2 or 3 days a week. If you just want to be overall strong, then pick 3 or 4 different exercises that work the same muscle group and rotate them. This would be more useful for MMA.

Add to this about 10 minutes of a fairly heavy conditioning exercise. These should also be rotated. Remember, the goal is overall strength and condition, not to get good at any one particular thing. Find 5 or 6 exercises that work for you and rotate through them, using one per workout. Keep track of the reps you get in 10 minutes on each exercise, and try to improve. Here are some good ones...

1) Push a prowler. use a set weight and distance, and try to increase the number of trips you get in 10 minutes each time you do the workout.

2) Kettlebell clean and jerks. Try to pick a KB that you can initially get about 50 reps with (25 each arm) in 10 minutes. When you achieve 100 reps, get a heavier KB.

3) Walking Lunges. Use a pair of KB's or Dumbells, and go walking. Dont worry about a lot of knee bend, just make sure you lean over and touch the KB's to the ground each step, and keep track of distance covered. When you can walk the whole 10 minutes without stopping, get heavier dumbells.

4) The vertical lift, best if with thick handled dumbells. This is easy, just bend down and pick up the dumbells with fairly straight legs, hoist them to your shoulders and with little or no hesitation, put them right on up over your head. Same rule as with KB clean and jerks, start with a weight you can do about 50 times, get heavier dumbells when you can do them 100 times in 10 minutes.

5) Farmers walk. Whatever implement you can use, keep track of total ditance covered in 10 minutes. If you dont put them down more than once or twice in 10 minutes, use heavier implements. A great implement for this exercise is 5 gallon buckets with rubber garden hose slid over the wire handle. They are awkward and hard to walk with, which makes them perfect for your purposes. Use sand to add weight.

6) Kettlebell snatch. Do just as you would KB clean and jerk.

7) "Freestyle" complexes. My Olympic lifters do these once in a while. Take a barbell, a light one, and keep it moving without setting it down for 10 minutes. Do whatever you can think of. squats, presses, cleans, good mornings, push presses. Just keep it moving and do not set it down. Try to make it hard on yourself. On tis one there is no need to keep track of anything, just do work for 10 minutes.

8) Shouldering a sandbar or other awkward object. A stump or log would work, as would a large stone. Take it from the ground to one shoulder, drop it, then take it from the ground to the other shoulder. as many as you can in 10 minutes. When you get over 100, get a heavier object.

9) Turkish get ups. As many as you can in 10 minutes. Kettlebells work best for this, but you can do it with a dumbell.

10) Loading a log. Tie a piece of rope at waist height between two objects. Take a sandbag, log, or big rock and place it on the ground on one side of the rope. Pick it up and toss it over. Now duck down and crawl under the rope, stand up and pick the rock back up and throw it back to the other side. Repeat for 10 minutes. When you get more than 100 reps, get a bigger log.

11) Flip a big tire. You all already know what this is. Go for 10 minutes and aim to increase either number of flips or distance covered.

12) Make up your own. Got access to some ground that no one cares about and a 50 gallon barrel? Get a shovel and see if you can fill the barrel up with dirt in 10 minutes. Can you lay hands on some old telephone poles or logs? buy and ax and see how many 2" lengths you can chop off in 10 minutes. Use your imagination, but work your ass off for 10 minutes doing something strenuous and hard.


If you use a system like this, it is very easy to adapt when you get close to a competition. Simply drop 20lbs or so off of your poundages on your strength workout, and put a stop watch on your workout. Try to get through it quickly, and quicker as time goes by. And add on another conditioning exercise. Start with a 10 minute break between your first and second conditioning exercise, as time goes by decrease this rest period till you are going straight from your strength work to your first conditioning exercise and straight from your first to second 10 minute conditioning session.

Another adaptation that will be useful when going from "off-season" to preparing for a fight might be to lower the reps and raise the weight on the conditioning if you are far away from a fight and more worried about getting stronger than increasing conditioning. For example, when doing the vertical exercise, you might want to move to a weight you can only get done 20 times in 10 minutes, and stick with that weight till you can do 40 reps in 10 minutes. This example can be applied to most of the other examples of conditioning drills that i mentioned. When your attention turns to conditioning as a fight gets closer, continue with the same drills, but go to a weight that allows more reps and more continuous movement.

For a lower level fighter or combat athlete, sport specific mat work and conditioning work plus 3 workouts a week like this should have you in good enough shape to compete. For a higher level athlete, of course the mat work will increase, but, you will eventually do more than 3ea 10 minute sessions after your strength session, and eventually start adding in single then multiple sessions on the days you have off from strength training.

This is, IMO, a reasonable approach to strength work for MMA. It has the variety of movements that are appropriate to a sport where you can find yourself in any position and must be strong in all of them. It has an appropriate amount of strength work for an athlete who is training for a difficult sport on top of doing the strength work. It also has just enough structure, if you repeat the same list of conditioning movements in order, to determine if progress is being made. This is important, because it allows you to compete with your own performance 10 or 12 days before every time you do a conditioning exercise. You push harder when you have a number to compete with. It also has a reasonable approach to switching from "off-season" work to getting ready to compete.

Some of you who are looking for workouts or conditioning plans might want to give something like this a try. No, its not the best plan around for a big bench or a huge squat, but I think you would like how good of condition it would get you in for a combat sport like Judo, MMA, or wrestling.


------------------

Here is the original FAQ. It doesn't contain anything that isn't in the new FAQ but there might be other interesting ideas in the 180 or so responses to it.

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/strength-power-faq-read-436935/
 
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Today was my med weight/ high vol day. 5 sets of 5 across for squat after warm up sets. The first 2 sets felt...like a pain in the ass. Not too heavy but I just hated it. 3rd was better, 4th and 5th felt lighter. Is this a sign of not enough warm up? As in not enough bike and dynamic stretching? Also last week due to schedule issues I couldnt do my light day.
 
Starting today I've read through roughly 33% of your guide... Which leads to other guides of good length. So far I've learned a lot on how I want to move forward with my workouts, but still have a ways to go. Coming from the Gentoo community; I've always been a hard ass, but always willing to help people who at least try. With that being said, I appreciate the information; which is well informative.
 
I had put it in my favs when this happened before.

Carnal's treatise was the second thing I read after the FAQs and getting my ass handed to me by LegioTitan (DanO) for posting a shitty routine in the main.

Although it is reminiscent of the old school f13, it is truly a great read for the beginner who is intersted in getting big and strong. Someone like my oldest son needs to read this shit. In fact I'm going to send it to him today!
 
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