Training for Combat Athletes

First of all, the key to being a successful athlete in any
given sport is practicing the skills required. Connor McGregor is an all-time
great fighter. Floyd Mayweather Jr is an all-time great boxer. Even after
coming out of retirement at the age of 40 years old compared to a 29 year old
at or near his physical peak, Mayweather is a superior boxer. So skill work
should the number one priority when training.

That being said, there is no such thing as being too strong.
More strength means more force means more damage to an opponent. Many athletes
across all sports equate getting stronger to getting bigger, which for combat
athletes who must strictly adhere to weight classes, may be off-putting. This
need not be the case. Keep nutrition in check, and you’ll still be floating
like a butterfly with the below sample training session.

Notes:

• Training Priorities
  • Power
    • As a fighter, it’s no good throwing weights around like the Hulk if you can’t move quickly. Your heavy blows will be too easy to dodge. We want to keep your training explosive
  • Anaerobic endurance / L.I.P
    • A tired fighter is a bad fighter. Extending the amount of time you can fight without a significant decrease in performance is essential to staying upright in the ring/octagon. Capitalise on your opponents’ mistakes, rather than making your own
  • Core strength / stability
    • Throwing a punch relies on a lot more than the strength of your arm. Ensure your core is strong and that all the force produced by your legs and torso are not leaked as you swing
    • Fighters rarely use both hands at the same time while in a stable position. Twists, turns and dodges mean you must be ready to move from all positions and angles. Powerlifting type training isn’t going to translate here
    • A strong rectus abdominus also helps to deflect blows to the stomach
• Big to small
  • You will notice we start off with big, technical movements which become simpler as the workout progresses. Rest is also decreased as time goes on. This enables both power/force production to be optimised at the start of the session, whilst working on conditioning that carries over to the real thing
  • Each exercise is supersetted as no matter what discipline, fighters will not repeatedly perform the same movements again and again, or they will become predictable. You will notice the bigger movement always comes first in the super sets, and always lower to upper. All force is generated through the legs, transmitted through the core and applied through the limbs
• Off balance
  • There are no benches, seated exercises or max-loading type movements such as conventional deadlifts or squats. Unilateral strength is crucial for all fighters, and must be ready to absorb contact whilst in unstable positions