Archive for February, 2012
Top of the Tree for Fat Loss?
Posted by: | CommentsCheck out this article by S&C coach and trainer Ian Fisher on Metabolic Resistance Training: The Trainers best friend
I’m going to get straight to the point here, metabolic resistance training is the daddy when comes to fat loss, staying lean, and maintaining lean muscle. For that reason it is jewel in a trainer’s tool box.
The main reasons for people exercising are to lose fat, build lean muscle, or to maintain their lean body composition, and MRT sessions do it all.
MRT is basically circuit training, or using weights in grouped sets of exercises with short rest periods generating a high metabolic effect during and after your exercise session. This can have a strength focus or a more conditioning focus depending on reps and exercises selection, and both methods will increase your metabolic rate at rest helping you to swing the energy in, energy out balance in your favour.
The Hierarchy for burning calories during exercise goes as follows.
- Metabolic Resistance training (circuits with weights)
- High Intensity interval training (sprint training, flat out bursts with short or equal rest)
- Aerobic Interval training (longer duration work to rest periods)
- Steady state cardio (your average treadmill jog or bike)
- Incidental exercise (walking to work, up the stairs etc)
This means if you need to get the most out the 3 to 4 hours you dedicate each week to exercise, that MRT will get you the best results in stripping fat and staying lean. Your metabolic rate will be ramped up during your workout, and then the lean muscle mass you build or maintain will keep your metabolism high long after, leaving a little a bit of space for an odd indulgence…. win win in my eyes.
It must also be said that having a lean physique is as dependant on good nutrition as it is smart training, so once you commit to training in this manner follow some sound nutritional principles to get some seriously good results.
For athletes how they train is a reflection of their sport so footballers will do more high intensity interval sessions and a rugby player would do a lot more strength focused MRT sessions but a good plan for your rego guy is to do a variety of sessions, which is what I try and do myself. This is not to say MRT will make you like a rugby player…. Women in particular tend to shy away from MRT training thinking they are going to get big. The fact is that women simply do not biologically produce the testosterone to build big bulky muscles, and MRT is the best way for them to train too to create those long lean arms and legs most crave. If women do not do resistance exercise at all over time they lose lean muscle mass thus lowering their metabolism making staying lean very difficult without significantly restricting calories.
Please don’t just take my word for it! Here are a couple of links to articles endorsing MRT and High intensity interval training by some world renowned sources.
http://alwyncosgrove.com/tag/metabolic-training/
http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1766.cfm
http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/whats-best-workout-burn-fat-fast/
I use MRT sessions to train many clients and the results simply speak for themselves. We are currently running sessions that use these principles so if you want to make some significant changes to your body composition you need to sign up for a screening and free trial now. The only thing you have to lose is unwanted bodyfat!
Email us or fill out the contact form below if you’re interested in a FREE consultation.
Strength for MMA
Posted by: | CommentsThe importance of strength for MMA athletes is pretty well documented and most fighters understand and implement strength programmes within their overall MMA programme and see great results. However I still feel that there is an under appreciation of just how important it is to your overall performance. For example the relationship between strength and endurance training is huge.
If you think of the energy required to perform a double leg takedown in sparring or competition. Let’s say for example that to perform it requires 15% of your maximum effort. If you can then increase your maximum effort (or maximal strength) from 100% to say 120%, that 15% required is then actually reduced to around 10%, meaning that you can then perform the movement whilst using far less energy and you’ve not even considered conditioning!
This makes you a more explosive and more efficient athlete….its a no-brainer!!
The same applies to all movements in the sport, clinching, kicking, and general movement around the cage. So giving yourself a solid base of strength will add to your game in many ways.
Which type of strength?
There are many different types of strength utilized within MMA. All of which can be developed and should be emphasized according to your individual needs and existing strength profile.
Here are some of the different types of strength that need to be factored in:
- general strength
- maximal strength
- eccentric strength
- starting strength
- reactive strength
- ballistic or explosive strength
- specific strength and
- strength endurance
Yes there is more to it than just being able to move a heavy weight off your chest.
When preparing for a fight the strength and conditioning coach should be able to monitor and track the fighters progress so that the focus on the specific strength quality being chosen will change over the course of a training camp. That being said most programs will start with an initial focus on general and maximal strength through to a focus on strength and power endurance as well as specific strength.
When the athlete comes back after competing, the focus should be on building general strength and preparation levels for a period of around 2-4 weeks, then quickly switching to maximal strength with the goal of building up to the strength levels shown below. The targets for strength are all based on your 1 repetition max (1RM) in relation to your bodyweight, which results in your relative strength, which for a weight controlled sport like MMA, is by far the most important quality!
How strong is strong??
You need to be realistic in your goals but still look to set the bar high. Of course you need to consider what your starting point is. If you have not done much strength training or working with weights the progress that you make in the first few weeks will probably surprise you. This is due more to a ‘neural’ learning process. i.e. your body is learning how to move the weights after the initial increase progress becomes more gradual. There is no reason why you cannot continue to increase your strength as you age. You can continue to get stronger well into your 50’s.
So with that being said here are the strength standards in 4 fundamental exercises that I work towards with my athletes: If you get used to weighing yourself in Kg it will be easier when it comes to loading up the bar to assess what you are lifting. There’s also a quick tutorial showing HOW you do the movements properly.
If you want to learn more about S&C for MMA you should come to the workshop i’m doing on the 17th March in Leeds
For most of the exercises I have indicated a range e.g. for deadlift it is 2-2.5 your body weight in KG. The lighter you are the higher you should set your target e.g. a 50Kg fighter would be looking towards the higher end 2.5x BW which would be a deadlift of 125Kg whereas a heavy 120Kg fighter would be looking more at a target of around 2 x BW or 240 Kg.
It’s more achievable for a lightweight to deadlift 2.5x bodyweight than it is for a heavyweight. All the other weight categories fit in between this range so it is fairly straightforward to interpret where you need to be according to your weight class. This applies to all the ranges for all the exercises.
Deadlift 2-2.5 x BW (Bodyweight):
The deadlift is one of the best full body movements around and features in pretty much all of the programmes I produce for my athletes. It’s important for it to be technically proficient, (e.g. using your hips and legs as well as your back) lift with a straight bar from the floor. You’ll notice that there is a range of strength that is acceptable for me.
Back Squat 1.8-2.5 x BW:
Depending on body shape the squat or the deadlift will be the lift I look to develop maximal strength. Taller leaner individuals sometimes struggle to get into the deep squat position. This doesn’t mean that we don’t squat, on the contrary it is an important lift for all athletes in some way, however the deadlift may be a better choice for those who have limited mobility as the knee and hip flexion required is less than the deadlift. The squat is excellent for developing total body strength with a greater focus on quad and hip strength versus the deadlift which focuses more on hip and lower back. When I talk about squatting I mean getting your hips down to at least in line with your knees, and nothing in between!
Chin BW + 50-75%:
Yes that’s right, 50-70% again in bodyweight for 1 rep. So if you weigh 100Kg I am looking for an extra 50Kg as a minimum. The chin-up is in my opinion the best exercise for upper body strength. It’s very important that you can chin significantly more than your own bodyweight. When you are clinching and grappling you need to move yourself and that other lump opposite you around the cage therefore you need some serious pulling strength to do this repeatedly. When you are training chins make sure you fully lock your arms out and pull until your shoulders touch the bar.
Press- Dumbbell Press / Bench Press 1.5-1.8 x BW:
Upper body pushing strength is very important for the same reasons as pulling strength and it’s also important to be balanced in terms of pushing and pulling. If you put the time into developing maximal pulling and pushing strength to these levels, I can assure you that the number of bodyweight chin-ups and push-ups you can perform will be pretty high too, so don’t worry about your strength endurance on this one. Most people will be better at pushing and than pulling initially because everyone trains the bench press! If this is the case for you, put more time into pulling movements to get your strength up.
Are all of my athletes this strong?
Absolutely not, it’s a target that we are working towards which may take some time to achieve. Is it realistic to be this strong all of the time? If your working on anaerobic endurance it will be very tough perform a double bodyweight lift in this phase of training.
That being said, Danny Mitchell achieved his 2x bodyweight deadlift in the penultimate week of his last camp, so you can constantly makes gains in strength even though the focus is on conditioning with certain athletes. Will this happen with every camp? Possibly not but it is possible in some athletes.
Don’t forget that the BW goals reflect your weight that you will be fighting at in the cage not your weight at the weigh in, so make sure you allow for this in your training goals.
A note on technique!
Don’t sacrifice your technique for extra load on the bar. It is key that you train yourself to produce force in the correct movement patterns, and train safely. This is going to benefit your performance on the mat or in the cage.
And don’t forget, you don’t get better when you’re injured do you!
If you enjoyed this article leave me a comment, and if you want to further your knowledge on strength and conditioning for MMA check out my 1 day workshop on the 17th March on the subject!
If you’re looking to train to become an S&C coach you should check out my 3 day accelerated development workshop in June too.
To your success,
BC
Next Lean Body Challenge Starts on the 12th March
Posted by: | Comments
After the success of the last Lean Body Challenge I have decided to run one starting the 12th March. This time it’s all being done for charity with all proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation and the National Obesity Forum.
It’s going to be quality.
You can check out the Lean Body Challenge Website HERE
See you on the 12th!!
Hear what Corry’s very own Chris Fountain has to say about the Lean Body Challenge!!
Posted by: | CommentsThe Lean Body Challenge Continues on 12th March- ALL proceeds go to charity!
I’ve finally managed to get the website for the challenge up and running. You can check it out at LEAN BODY CHALLENGE.
In a nutshell, this is going to be an awesome event! It starts on the 12th March and runs for 28 days. In that time people will learn a hell of a lot about training and nutrition, and will literally strip fat from their body for the course of the programme.
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION AND THE NATIONAL OBESITY FORUM
Head over the the website and register your interest NOW, you can also read all about the event itself there too.
If you need any more convincing you can listen to Coronation Streets very own Tommy Duckworth (AKA Chris Fountain) talking about his experience on the challenge.
Here’s a picture of myself and Chris after his last training session (just before he was on celebrity juice too! (He was pretty exhausted in this shot it was a tough old session!)
21st Century Core Training Part 2: 5 Key Core Movements you should be doing!
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s the second part of Danny Hagues’ series on core training. This is the HOW, enjoy it!
In part 1 of this post I explained the main function of the core and how to best train this area for optimal health and performance. These methods are based on current research in the field from spine biomechanics experts such as Dr Stu McGill, as well as practical experience and following the methods of leaders in the Strength and Conditioning field.
So with following the principle of the cores role as a stabilizer and the prevention of movement at the lumbar spine, here are 5 movements that require high levels of core stability and rigidity of the torso to ensure efficient movement and force transfer. These movements are multi-planar, integrated anti-movement patterns that will increase your body’s strength and power potential.
1. Band Anti Rotation with Lateral Shuffle
This is an integrated anti-rotation exercise, with lateral movement of the lower body. The exercise is great for core strength and torso rigidity as well as hip stability. It also teaches the athlete to diaphragmatically breathe to ensure core stiffness throughout the movement.
- Grab a super band with an overhand grip. Maintain upright posture.
- Adopt an athletic stance, with chest out shoulder blades back and down.
- While maintaining a rigid co contraction of the surrounding core musculature, move laterally through the hips, ensuring good posture throughout.
- The key here is to avoid rotating of the core, and level hips.
- 3 sets of 4 steps 3 times each side will be enough to fry the core and hips.
2. TRX Anti-Rotation/Lateral Flexion Press
This exercise requires high levels of hip and core stability to resist the rotation and lateral bending of the torso, due to the angle of the body and positioning of the arms. The exercise is great for core strength and shoulder flexibility.
- Hold a TRX or any suspension trainer and set up so your body is leaning away from the fixed point. Set your feet in a staggered stance with front foot forward and back foot directly behind front foot, this will challenge your balance/stability.
- Under control slowly press out from sternum height and flex both arms until your biceps finish by your ears. Maintain torso rigidity and breathing control.
- Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position that is one repetition.
- You will feel this in your hips as well.
- Do 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each side.
3. Dumbbell Rack Walks
This exercise is an integrated anti movement exercise. The movement is initiated with the lower body while the core has to co-contract to ensure torso rigidity in all planes of motion. With the position of the arms resting on the rib cage the athlete is forced to diaphragmatically breathe to maintain core stiffness while breathing under duress, which is very true to certain sporting situations. This is a great all round exercise especially for rugby players, and combat athletes. It also targets upper body endurance while improving work capacity.
- Holding two dumbbell out in front of the body with upper arms resting on rib cage, walk for a set distance maintaining upright posture throughout.
- Keep torso braced and focus on breathing and control.
- Minimize any hip hiking or lateral sway.
- Walking distance can be anything from 30-50m + and for 2-3 sets depending on application.
4. Single Arm Dumbbell Farmer Walks
This is an integrated anti lateral flexion exercise. The movement is initiated through locomotion of the lower body while resisting motion of the torso. The athlete must remain braced throughout to ensure no movement occurs at the torso, while maintaining stable hips. This exercise is great for developing the strength of the quadratus lumborum, a muscle which ensures lumbar spine and hip stability, which is key for athletes who have to change direction rapidly. This exercise also stresses grip and upper back strength.
- Hold a dumbbell at the side of the body with chest out and shoulders back and down.
- Maintain upright posture and brace the core musculature to ensure spinal stability.
- Make sure to keep hips level avoiding any hiking or lateral sway.
- Walking distance can be anything from 30-50m + and for 2-3 sets depending on application.
5. Barbell Rotations without/with pivot
This is a great ground based integrated core movement that replicates how the muscles work in all real world movements, from sprinting, kicking throwing and striking. This exercise works the serape muscles on the anterior and posterior sides of the body as discussed in part 1. If performing the anti-rotary version no movement must occur at the torso or hips and the athlete must brace while moving the arms. If performing the more dynamic version with pivot, the athlete must remain braced to ensure torso rigidity while movement occurs at the hip and upper back. This is great for working on hip and thoracic spine mobility simultaneously while is optimal for efficient movement.
- Using a landmine unit or barbell wedged into the corner of the room, hold the barbell with both hands above your hand, don’t stand to close though.
- Adopt an athletic stance. Keep torso braced, chest out shoulders back while the arms draw an arc from hip to hip on either side of the body. Minimise movement of the torso and hips if performing the anti-rotation version.
- Movement should be slow and controlled eccentric with a controlled faster concentric motion.
- If performing the dynamic version, make sure rotation comes from the hips, and upper back while the torso remains rigid, to ensure power transfer.
- 2-3 sets of 6-10 repetitions each side should work well.
The movements above are no exhaustive list by any means, and there are many regressions, progressions of the above movements. I have hopefully helped you take the concept of the core as a resister of motion, to ensure force is transferred through the body efficiently, thus improving your strength and power potential on the field. Give these movements a try, and let me know how you get on.
Danny Hague ASCC, MMA-CSCC
Matt Lovells 1 Month Muscle is out NOW!
Posted by: | CommentsI was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of Matts new product to review and I can tell you that it really is a great ebook that gives you ALL the info you need to build some serious muscle in a very short period of time.
You can check out the book at the link below:
BUT if you are coming to the nutrition workshop with Matt on the 18th Feb you will get it FOR FREE, so just head over to the 1 month muscle site and download the muscle in 1 page document to give you a flavour (excuse the pun) of the ebook.
If you’re not booked onto the nutrition workshop on the 18th and would like to come there are about 3 places left so don’t mess around, get booked on NOW!
Here’s the link for the workshop:
Performance Nutrition with Matt Lovell
All the best,
BC
21st Century Core Training Part 1: Key things you need to know!
Posted by: | CommentsIn this post S&C coach Danny Hague gives us a really good insight into the principles surrounding core training. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Here we go:
There is still a lot of confusion in the industry about what the core is and how to effectively train this area. I still see fitness enthusiasts as well as some athletes performing the flexion based movements (crunches, sit ups), in hope of carving out that 6 pack look. But is this flexion dominated action the most efficient way to train the core for performance?
For starters you may have heard this many times before but to achieve that 6 pack look, it has everything to do with sound nutritional principles and not just mindlessly isolating the abs for hundreds of repetitions. To quote Mike Boyle ‘table push a ways’ are probably the most effective way to see your abdominals, along with a safe and progressive strength training program focussing on compound movements.
However this is not an article on program design or nutrition, the focus here is on the core. As I have said in a previous post our knowledge of functional anatomy has moved forward leaps and bounds. We know a lot more now a days on how the body functions and operates in its environment to produce, reduce, transfer, and stabiles force. The body is one big kinetic chain, consisting of joints, muscles, connective tissue and fascia that all work together synergistically to produce smooth efficient movement. When training is focussed around movement patterns using multi joint, multi muscle movements and done so in a 360 degree environment, all training is core training. If you adopt to train the core using these flexion based movements such as crunches etc… All you are doing is reinforcing poor postural pattern overload i.e. (rounded thoracic spine, tight hip flexors) which wreak havoc on our ability to function and move properly, limiting our strength and power potential, and increasing our risk of injury.
Dr Stu McGill is a leader in the field when it comes to spine biomechanics and core training. He states that a lumbar flexion based movement such as those of the crunch are the exact injury mechanism for disk problems (buldges, hernations). If you think about it logically, if the rectus abdominis (8 pack) was meant to flex the spine predominantly, wouldn’t it be designed like a hamstring muscle?
So what is the core, and how do we train this area for optimal function and performance. Well again thanks to Stu McGill we can better explain what the core is and how it functions. Current research is pointing at the cores role at preventing motion of the torso, especially at the lumbar-pelvic-hip region, which requires high levels of stability.
The muscles of the core consist of the lumbar spine, muscles of the abdominal wall, back extensors, and quadratus lumborum, this muscle increases lumbar stability and aids in hip stability. Also included are the multi joint muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and the gluteals on the posterior side of the body, as well as the adductors, psoas, internal, external oblique’s and the serratus anterior on the front of the body. These muscles pass in an X fashion linking the legs, hips, and pelvis to the upper body (shoulders, arms on the opposite side). It is this cross coordinated tension of the core, known as the serape effect, that transfers rotational forces through the body from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa. It is this contralateral tension that provides the foundation for all real world movements such as, walking, sprinting, throwing, kicking and striking.
The core muscles then act differently than the limb musculature, in that the core muscles often co-contract, stiffening the torso such that all the muscles act as synergists. This ensures that the lumbar spine is stable and the power generated at the hips is transferred more efficiently through the body increasing the body’s stability, thus increasing strength and power potential in movements, while minimising energy leaks, and reducing injury risk.
I believe the best way to train the core is through integrated anti-movement patterns. Which simply put means creating movement using the extremities (arms, legs) while minimising movement of the torso (low back), and doing so in a 360 degree environment using multi joint multi muscle movements. Training anti-extension, anti-flexion, anti-lateral flexion and anti-rotation based movements will ensure a comprehensive core strength profile.
In part 2 of this article I will show you 5 core movements that I use in my programs to ensure the core is trained in the most specific way to how it functions, which will increase your performance in the athletic field.
Danny Hague ASCC, MMA-CSCC
3 Day S&C Coach Accelerated Development Programme LAUNCHED!
Posted by: | CommentsI’m really excited to share this with you! Its something that i’ve been working on for some time and am really looking forward to.
On the 8th, 9th and 10th June this year i’ll be part of a 3 day S&C coach development programme aimed at aspiring and newly qualified S&C coaches and trainers, athletes and anyone who has a really strong interest in strength and conditioning.
Its going to be a great event. Click the link below to read more about the workshop.
3 Day Accelerated Development Programme
Who wants to join me on it???
This could change your career for the better!
8 Points for a Better MMA Performance Programme
Posted by: | CommentsThis post is a list of the points I made to a group of MMA coaches at my last performance camp with Danny Mitchell on the 15th Jan. We had 12 coaches in on the day, Danny went through some of the technical aspects of preparation while I covered the physical side. If you like this list you should definitely watch the FREE webinar I did on the subject earlier this year. If you are interested in learning more about MMA strength and conditioning I am doing a 1 day workshop March 17th this year in Leeds. You can read more about it HERE.
I ended my talk with this list, which is a summary of some of the observations I have made over the years.
1. Quality VS Quantity: I wrote a blog post about this some time ago now and its highly relevant. Less is more, don’t pad your programme out with unnecessary volume and sessions that really don’t add anything to your game.
2. Add something in: Take something out! This links in with the first point nicely. If you are training hard in a finely balanced programme which pretty much any MMA fighter in my experience is doing, you need to take a session out before you add a session in to avoid overtraining/long term burnout.
3. Prioritise Recovery: Level 1 is getting 8-10 hours sleep a day, quality nutrition and a good warm-up and cool down post training. Level 2 is your active recovery, foam rolling etc and Level 3 is your more advanced methods of recovery such as ice baths, compression clothing etc. Here’s a tip, don’t think about level 2 or 3 until you’ve got level 1 sorted!
4. You can’t train when you’re injured! Do your injury preventative work which includes stretching, core training, mobility, and most importantly specific work that should improve your movement, and address any imbalances you have as an athlete.
5. Develop a High Level of Strength: I’ve written before about the importance of strength for MMA fighters, in fact i wrote a whole series of articles for fighting fit magazine on the subject! You need to work towards 2x bodyweight back squat, 1.5x BW press and pull amongst other strengths that need to be developed. This doesn’t happen overnight it takes commitment and dedication.
6. Think long term: Don’t just think of your next fight, think about this next year as a medium term plan, and the next 3-5 years as a long term plan. This way you can set goals for your technical and physical development and make plans to achieve them. The same for your strength and conditioning.
7. Joined up approach to training: How many coaches do most fighters have? Do they all know what each other is doing and the plans for development? It’s your job to link them up and make that clear. As a strength and conditioning coach I need to know what the technical goals are as it will affect the programme I put in place.
8. Get the basics right: The best way to conserve energy and have great endurance in fights is by having excellent technique. Commit to making it excellent. Efficient technique means you use less energy to execute movements and you will execute your technique on better guys with this improvement. The same goes for your S&C. Do you have great mobility so you can get into deep squat positions, lunge perfectly, press and pull with efficient and controlled shoulder movement? If not you need to work to get excellent technique in the basic movements in the gym. In doing this you become more loadable which means its far easier for someone like me to develop high levels of strength and power and rounded athletisicm.
Thats the list folks, let me know your thoughts on it by leaving a comment below.
Don’t forget, if you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about MMA S&C i’m doing a 1 day workshop on the 17th March. You can still take advantage of the early bird price too, so check out the link HERE.
PS On the subject of recovery, I have elite nutritionalist Matt Lovell coming to Leeds to do a 1 day workshop on performance nutrition. Its going to be a great event, with Matt begin right on the cutting edge in his field. All the details can be found HERE.
All the best,
BC
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