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22 Mistakes That Fighters Make With Their Strength & Conditioning

By Dustin Lebel

With the exploding popularity of MMA these days everyone and their sister wants to be afighter, but few athletes actually take the time to reflect on their training and see what isactually working and what is not. In no particular order, here are 22 mistakes I’ve seenamongst fighters and martial artists when it comes to their strength and conditioning

program…

1. Doing too much in general. If you’re training 6 days per week for your sport, thenyou don’t need a ton of extra training on top of that. I know the mentality and Iget it because I’ve been there. Focused and deliberate training sessions are muchmore productive than just doing “more” of something. Simplify things and takeout the excess, and you’ll be left with only the most important components of

your program – getting you the most results. More is not better, better is better.

2. Doing what your favorite pros do. 99% of it is crap, and the athlete is greatdespite their strength and conditioning program. Most of these guys havecomplete hacks for strength coaches who like to just toss out random crap for theathlete to do to make them tired.

3. Not enough STRENGTH work. I won’t say that guys need to be lifting worldrecord weights, but everyone needs some type of base to work from. A double

bodyweight deadlift and being able to do 5 chin ups with 20lb strapped from your waist are not earth shattering numbers by any means, but show that an athlete hasa good base of relative strength to work.

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4. Too much conditioning. If you’re training striking 4-6 days per week andgrappling (BJJ, wrestling, judo) 4-6 days per week, do you really need to be doingdaily conditioning outside of your practices? Really, 1-2 short energy systemsessions per week are all you need.

5.

Having an arm day, chest day, etc. I mean, really? Athletes still do this and it boggles my mind. Total body or upper/lower splits are ideal – we are looking tomaximize our time and get the biggest bang for our buck. Doing 9 differentexercises for your chest accomplishes neither of those things.

6. Training like a Bodybuilder, Power lifter, Olympic Lifter, Girevik and not afighter. Don’t get your goals confused. If you want to really be a fighter, thenmake sure that your training is aligned with that objective.

7. Not enough upper body pulling work. All combat sports require great amounts of pulling strength and no one does nearly enough for it. All kinds of rows, chins,and various upper back movements like face pulls and scarecrows should be doneextensively.

8. Not enough grip work. I’m talking to you Mr. gloves and straps. I’m not sayingthat people need to become Captain of Crush certified, but by starting with some

basics like using a towel (or gi) for your recline rows, chins, kettlebell swings andeven deadlift variations you will taking a step in the right direction. Throw in

some timed sets like pinch grip holds, thick bar holds, and hex dumbbell holds for good measure at the end of your workouts.

9. Not enough posterior chain work. Fighters are extremely quad and hip flexor dominant as it is because of all the repetitive stress due to their sport, and everyone needs a stronger backside. Romanian deadlifts, glute ham raises, dumbbell or kettlebell swings, cable or band pull throughs, and snatch grip deadlifts areexcellent ways to start bringing back some structural balance.

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10. Not enough single leg work. Do I need to say it again? Lunges, Bulgarian split

squats, step ups, single leg squats, and the like should done at least once a week.Rarely are you ever on both legs in any sport, and because most of us aredominant on one side, we need to do something to make sure that we are balanced

on the other. Single leg work will not only add slabs of muscle to your lower body, but can actually help prevent injuries and keep your knees and lower back healthy for the long haul.

11. Too much lame “ab work”.. Stop doing all of those worthless crunches and startdoing some serious trunk work like barbell rollouts, full contact twists androtational medball or tire throws. Start treating your core like the rest of your

body and get it strong, powerful and ultra resilient.

12. Trying to train as “sport specific” as possible. Bozu Ball Resistance Band Sprawlsor whatever people come up with is ridiculous and there is no real training effect.I don’t need to say much more on this topic.

13. Not paying enough attention to regeneration and recovery. Most fighters arespending 12-18 (or more) hours per week training and breaking down their

bodies, but pay almost zero attention towards the other end of training – recovering. Take contrast showers, ice baths, soak in a hut tub if you can, sleep,eat for your performance goals, and oh yeah – RELAX. Take some time for yourself every day and meditate / visualize – this will go a long way in improvingevery aspect of your life.

14. Trying to get too gimmicky with their training (read number 12). Yes I use a lotof odd objects in my training, but with a purpose and specific training goals inmind. Get stronger, be in shape, and get really good at your sport. If it sounds to

be good to be true, then it probably is. Nothing replaces hard work.

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15. Not paying attention to prehab, soft tissue, or mobility work (outside of staticstretching). Quit walking around so beat up all the time, and take 10 or 15 minutesevery day to sneak this stuff in. This should be priority if you want a long, healthycareer as a martial artist.

16. Lack of general strength training knowledge. Things like how to squat properly,deadlift, lunge, row, how to plan and periodize your training, etc. There is a lot of good information out there if you know where to look. Spend some timemastering the basics and you will have a lifetime of good training habits.

17. Jogging. What is the point of this again? There are a thousand things that youcould be doing instead that are better for your body. If you insist on doing“something”, then try some low intensity sled dragging or prehab circuits to break a sweat and actually do something that will improve your structural imbalancesand keep you healthy.

18. Not using stuff like sandbags, kegs, sledgehammers, sleds and tires somewhere intheir program. Odd object training is fun, “functional” (whatever that means), andhas a serious cool factor. In all seriousness, once you have built a solid base, for GPP purposes not much else can beat this stuff.

19. Being stuck in the gym…get outside once in awhile and sweat under the sun.Forget about time under tension, tempos, percentages, and whatever other nonsense we use to disguise a crappy program and just work hard for 30-45minutes. You’ll quickly remember how much FUN all of this stuff really is.

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20. No understanding of basic periodization principles. Call it what you want, but inlife and in training there needs to be highs and lows – be sure to include BOTH tomake progress. Too many fighters are go, go, go all of the time, and they burn out

before they ever back down. Understand the cycles of training and life, go hardwhen its time to go hard, and back off when you need to. Rinse and repeat.

21. Lack of variation. Read above, but I feel it needs to be repeated. Total trainingvolume, intensity, movements…these things need to be rotated on a frequent

basis. 3 sets of 10 of this and that only works for so long. There are alwaysvariations of a theme, and for long term progress and motivation, you need to mixit up a little.

22. Not working hard enough. For a bunch of “tough guys” I have seen some prettylazy fighters when it comes to extra strength and conditioning. Reaching a highlevel in any sport requires a ton of sweat, sacrifice, and hard work. If you pay the

price, put in the time, and don’t quit, good things will happen to you.

So there you have it. While you may not be guilty of ALL of these, I’m sure one or twohit the nail on the head and you can find some ways to fine tune your training. They keyis to keep evolving and to make this stuff a long term endeavor.

Author Bio: I am a personal trainer and sports performance coach At Integrated Athletic

Performance in Watertown, CT and an apprentice International Martial Arts & Boxinginstructor under Richard Bustillo. Check out my blog athttp://www.dustinlebeltraining.blogspot.com

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