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WillBrink
07-25-10, 17:54
This article is written by one of the guys who works with me at times at OS, and is SnC Director for Tap Out Boston. The article is directed at MMA fighters, but has cross over info for any "tactical athletes" out there. It's from his "built for battle" blog:

Five Common Training Errors
July 22nd, 2010
By John Sullivan

The constant evolution of combat sports has lead to fighters with constantly improving skill sets. Likewise, strength & conditioning for combat athletes is gaining increased attention, as it is becoming an integral part of the various attributes needed for success.

Unfortunately, strength and conditioning often becomes relegated to a few sets of bench presses and curls, then a jog outside. There exists, however, a significant body of research on wrestling, boxing, judo and to a lesser extent MMA that gives us as coaches information on how to better prepare our athletes. Below are five common errors I have frequently seen with regards to strength & conditioning in the sport. While it is by no means an exhaustive list, these tips may be useful in avoiding wasted time, injuries or subpar performance.

1. Lack of maximal strength training

Regarding the training of wrestlers, William Kraemer, PhD & colleagues note that training “absolute strength & power in a non-fatigued state should not be neglected in the preseason or off-season. Recall that strength is a major component of power, so carefully manipulating strength development with power-endurance development is a priority for wrestling success.” The development of maximal strength requires an athlete to train with weights close to their 1 repetition maximum, (doing sets of 1-6 reps with the most weight you can lift with good technique) and taking longer rest periods (2-4 minutes). While combat athletes often like to keep moving, these longer rests are necessary to develop this capacity. Choose a few basic lifts for upper and lower body (squats, deadlifts, lunges, pull ups, presses, etc) to incorporate into your strength & conditioning program.

2. Misapplication of Plyometrics

While it is generally accepted that plyometric training will produce increases in speed and power, their implementation into a training program must be done so appropriately. Like maximal strength training, high intensity plyometric exercises require longer rest periods (60 seconds to several minutes) to avoid injury and maintain a high power output. In addition, high impact exercises such as depth jumps are potentially dangerous without careful and progressive development of jumping ability through lower intensity methods. If you choose to add plyometric training to your program, be sure to warm up thoroughly and do them at the beginning on your workout.

3. Drastic Weight Cuts

While there is no doubt that a proper weight cut can give an athlete an advantage, excessive or poorly planned cuts can hinder an athlete’s ability to perform. It’s not uncommon to see a fighter not perform up to their skill level, only to hear “it was the weight cut that killed them”. This is certainly possible, as noted by researchers from the University of Louisville: “a reduction of body weight by approximately 3.3 to 6% will result in impaired performance as assessed by wrestling specific tests”, especially measures of muscular endurance. Cutting that last 10-15 pounds the day before weigh-ins may actually hurt rather than help, so if you’ve never cut weight before it may be better to be a little more conservative. Preferably, try to bring down your weight gradually with proper diet and reductions in bodyfat during your training camp, with the last few pounds coming off at the end via a sensible weight cut.

4. Excessive Non-Specific Cardiovascular Conditioning

While there is no doubt that wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts and similar sports require high levels of conditioning, it is important to realize that these sports require explosive anaerobic endurance interspersed with less intense aerobic recovery periods. As noted in an earlier blog post, large amounts of low intensity, long duration cardiovascular exercise can inhibit a muscle’s ability to produce maximal contractions. Because of this, we must find ways to develop high levels of aerobic and anaerobic fitness without sacrificing our power. This can be achieved with various interval training protocols, higher intensity workloads interspersed with either complete rest or lower intensity exercise. Intervals can be done on a bike, track, or with conditioning tools such as ropes, sleds or sledgehammers. One additional note, it’s important to use conditioning tools that stress both the upper and lower body musculature, to condition the entire body for the rigors of combat.

5. Always Training the Abdominals Lying Down

While there is definitely merit to training abdominals on the floor, especially for ground based fighters, it is also important to do standing core exercises for the greatest carryover to striking, clinching or (standing) grappling situations. In “Athletic Development”, Vern Gambetta notes that “the orientation of the body to gravity and its effects must be a prime consideration when designing and implementing a functional core training program, or you are not preparing the body for the forces that it must overcome and control”. In other words, only training your core on the ground will not have the functional carryover to all your athletic needs as a combat athlete. The addition of medicine balls drills, cable & elastic band exercises, standing dumbbell & kettlebell lifts and other upright, core intensive activities will take your functional strength & power to new levels.

Source:

http://blog.built-for-battle.com/

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