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Twelve Weeks

By AlEXANDER CORTES

This program is divided into two training phases, which can vary in length. At minimum, the program should take 12 weeks to complete

PhASE I—ThE POWER OF 10

During this phase you establish proper movement patterns with your fighter for pressing, pulling, squatting, and hinging. This phase is the foundation for all training and teaches the fighter the basics in weight training and how it will apply to MMA. During this phase no “power” movements are utilized; the goal is entirely strength in the selected compound movements. The periodization during the strength phase is one of progressive overload. The sets and reps do not change. When one has made sufficient progress in the Prime 10 movements and strength has increased, then he/she can enter Phase II of the training. At minimum, Phase I should be eight weeks in length.

PhASE II (6-12 WEEKS)—DEvElOPING POWER

Phase II will typically last four to eight weeks. Phase II workouts always begin with a power movement, followed by heavy strength movements, followed by loaded bodyweight. Phase II training movements are designed to be cycled, with new exercise variations introduced every four to six weeks.

Example for power: barbell jump shrug > barbell high pull > barbell power clean > power snatch.

Example for strength: deadlift > snatch grip deadlift > deficit deadlift.

For BW movements: suspended pushup > pushups with chains > Weighted suspended Pushup.

As the fighter grows stronger, the rep schemes would also be periodized as well, depending on the length of the training cycle.

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Power 4x4 5x4 6x3 10x2

Strength 4x6-8 5x5-7 4x5-7 3x4-6

Bodyweight 3xAMAP 4x Straight sets 3x Ascending set 3xAMAP + weight

ThE 10 PRIME MOvEMENTS ARE ThE FOllOWING

1. Goblet Squat—This is by far the most spine friendly of all squatting variations. The benefits are numerous: improved hip flexibility, proper squat depth, learning to keep the chest up, being able to lockdown the core, shoulder blades pulled back. The Goblet is also very easy to progress, and the goblet carry position can be used for unilateral squat variations as well. A strong fighter should easily be able to goblet squat half his bodyweight for 10+ reps, with 20 reps being the goal. These are limited by the size of the DBs. However, if one has access to heavy kettlebells, then double kettlebell front squats would be the next level of progression.

2. Dip—This is purely anecdotal, but I have never seen a big bencher that was a big puncher. Barring a few very notable exceptions, barbell flat bench pressing is not, in my opinion, the most effective pressing movement a fighter can be doing. Dips, preferably done on rings, allow for much more natural movement of the scapula and the connection of the lats to the triceps and pec minor—

three muscles that play a big role in striking mechanics. Done properly, they strengthen the chest, arms, and shoulders, and are far more shoulder friendly than heavy pressing. While I will utilize various dumbbell and kettlebell pressing variations, dips are always my go-to pressing exercise for fighters. At a minimum, a fighter must be able to do multiple 20-rep sets of dips before adding weight.

3. Pull-ups—These have to happen. Doing a weak five or six pull-ups isn’t good enough. Every fighter should be able to execute sets of 12 on command and aim for a long-term of 20 reps. When they can do 20, then start adding weight. No one that can do 20 pull-ups or reps with BW+50 is going to have a weak back or grip

4. Waterbury Press/Single Arm Floor press with hip bridge—I learned this from Chad Waterbury over a year ago and have been using it ever since. It’s basically a single arm floor press done with a same-side hip bridge—very similar to a get up. It’s a fantastic pressing movement that mimics a punch and builds core and hip strength at the same time. A strong fighter should be able to press 0.5 x BW with both his dominant and non-dominant side.

5. Deadlift—There is no substitute for the deadlift. I’ve pulled both conventional and sumo, and I do not favor one over the other. It’s whatever my guy prefers. I do prefer a double overhand grip for as long as possible, at which point I will allow my fighters to use a mixed grip. The cutoff point I use is 1.5xBW. At that point, a mixed grip is allowable. As they get stronger, I program in many deadlift variations that work the grip and yoke, and these are excellent “armor building” movements to quote Dan John. The deadlift has carryover to literally EVERYTHING. You’re not getting stronger if you are not deadlifting.

6. Barbell hip Thrust—I feel this movement can be an enormous game changer. Most fighters have woefully underdeveloped glutes and hamstrings. The hips are the powerhouses in the kinetic chain when striking or executing takedowns. Striking power WILL increase if a fighter improves his glute and hamstring strength. Additionally, powerful hips will strengthen all aspects of his wrestling and submission game. A strong fighter should be able to thrust 1.5xBW for 10 reps.

7. Kettlebell Swing—Every athlete should be swinging. Kettlebell swings build dynamic hip strength and power and can be used for all forms of energy systems development. A fighter that can’t swing is leaving power on the table. All fighters should start with 24kg Kettlebells, and a strong fighter should be able to use a 32kg or 48kg for multiple sets.

8. Inverted Rows—Highly underrated, inverted rows work the lats, upper back, biceps, and grip.

Often dismissed as a warm up exercise, inverted rows can be used to effectively build muscle and strength. A strong fighter should be able to perform 20 consecutive reps with bodyweight. Inverted rows are easy to recover from and are an excellent tonic exercise for shoulder health as well.

9. Glute/ham hyperextension—Not everyone has access to a GHR, but hyperextensions are found in every gym. A GH Hyper is credited to Bret Contreras, and it is a torso raise performed by contracting the hamstring and glutes and essentially extending the hips forward into the hyper. It is NOT a lumbar flexion exercise. The lumbar spine should remain neutral the entire time. A fighter should be able to perform multiple sets of 20 reps with bodyweight. From there, weight can then be added.

10. Suspended + weighted push-ups—Every fighter can do push-ups. But can they do them with a 50-pound weight vest? Or how about incline ring push-ups with 25 pounds of chains around his neck? Advanced push-up variations are a phenomenal way to build upper body strength while keeping the shoulders healthy, and they are easy to recover from as well.

*Program notes:

You will see that the Phase I workouts put the primary strength exercise third in the workout. This is for a few reasons: 1) the fighters will initially have poor muscular recruitment. Doing the lighter movements first allows us to groove technique and be thoroughly warmed up to avoid injury. 2) Intensity wise, it also lets you grade the workout to protect the fighter from overdoing it. 3) Many fighters have an “all-or-nothing” attitude to training. Forcing them to slow down in the beginning is both for the sake of their health and to teach them that proper training takes time.

Progression—Reps, sets, and weight:

Ascending set—Increase the weight each set. Always start light with the last set being the heaviest set AMAP (As many as possible)—This does not mean grinding/straining out reps or rest-pausing to do more.

Once the athlete begins to grind, the set is over.

l/M/h—This is an ascending set that starts light (50-70%), goes medium (70-85%), and finishes heavy (85% and above).

Straight set—The same weight is used for all sets.

+ denotes an alternating/superset

Percentages—I do not use percentages in this program for the fact that a novice lifter’s “max” will often increase every week, and it makes the 1RM negligible. For beginners, I simply use a perceived exertion scale of “how heavy was it?”—ranging from “do you think you could get five reps with it?” to “Can you do at least three reps with this weight?” I don’t believe in using 1RM for athletes with beginner levels of strength, and the lowest I would ever go to test strength would be a three-rep max. Beginners’ bodies are not sufficiently conditioned enough to execute a one-rep max without significant risk of injury. Injuring yourself by trying to deadlift your 1RM of 275 pounds is both retarded and happens all too often in commercial gyms already.

Determining reps for bodyweight exercises—Have the athlete perform a single set of the exercise to failure.

If he can do 20 reps, he can add weight and do the weighted version of the movement. If form breaks down before 20 reps, then subtract two reps from whatever number he did and that’s the number of reps he should aim for each set.

Determining Additional weight for Bodyweight exercises—I start with a 20-pound weight vest, regardless of the fighter’s size. You could also use chains or a dip belt if you have those available, or even a backpack filled with plates. Never add weight in more than 10-pound increments. Adding too much weight to BW movements will quickly stall any progress being made.

PhASE I TRAINING (6-8 WEEKS)

Workout

1-GH Hyperextension 3x15-20 +

Kettlebell Swing 3x20-Straight set Deadlift 5x3-Ascending set Inverted Rows 4xAMAP +

Dips 4xAMAP

Workout 2

Suspended Pushups 3xAMAP +

Single Leg Hip Thrust 3x15/15 each leg Goblet Squat 6x5-Ascending Sets Barbell Hip Thrust 4x15, ascending sets +

Waterbury Floor Press 4x6, ascending sets

Workout 3 Pull-ups 4xAMAP +

Goblet Squat 4x10-Straight set Barbell Hip Thrust 5x6-Ascending sets

Weighted Pushup-3x8+ -Straight sets with 8-rep minimum per set and 20-rep maximum.

+

Inverted Rows 3xAMAP

PhASE II WORKOUTS (4-6 WEEKS)

Workout 1

Dumbbell Single Arm Snatch 6x3/3-Ascending Sets Deadlift 3x5-Ascending set-L/M/H

Pull-ups 4xAMAP-Alternate wide and neutral grip +

Weighted Dips 4x10+ Straight sets and MUST be able to perform at least 10 reps with added weight +

Leg curl + hip bridge on stability ball or suspension trainer 4xAMAP

Workout 2

Goblet Jump Squat 5x5-Use load that is no more than 30% of fighter’s BW Heavy Kettlebell Swing 3x10

+

Waterybury Floor Press-5x5-Ascending Sets Inverted Rows 4xAMAP

+

Weighted GH Hyperextension 3x10+

Workout 3

Barbell High Pull 5x4, Ascending sets Barbell Hip Thrust 4x10 Straight set Zercher Good Mornings 3x10 Straight set Pull-ups 3xAMAP

+

Weighted/Suspended Pushups 4x10+ Straight sets with 10-rep minimum per set

Commonly Asked Questions:

-Why no back

squats?-Back squats are awesome, but as anyone can attest to when back squatting heavy, they become very draining and take time to recover from. Fighters often train upwards of three hours a day, and that’s not counting the lifting I would like them to do. Between sparring, learning different techniques, roadwork, padwork, and the extra conditioning their coaches will inevitably make them do, having them squat heavy is just unnecessary training stress they won’t recover from. Furthermore, fighters often have continuously strained hips with all manner of mobility and flexibility imbalances. Trying to teach a fighter with tight hamstrings, strained hip flexors, and crappy t-spine mobility how to barbell squat is simply not worth it. The Goblet squat is an idiot proof, maximally effective exercise that everyone immediately “gets.” It acts as a tonic for the hips, and it’s damned near impossible to injure yourself doing it. It’s also an easy to measure progress, and I feel confident my guys can do it without me there coaching them.

-Why no bench

pressing?-Fighters throw thousands of punches in any given week. Their rotator cuffs already have a great deal of wear and tear on them. Add in practicing submissions, and the joint doesn’t, in my opinion, need additional training stress. The majority of the guys I encounter already bench press enough, and all they have to show for it is bad posture and a bench press that hasn’t gone up since their senior year of high school. While I’m not opposed to bench press variations for a fighter that needs to add muscle mass, the vast majority of the time it just isn’t a maximally effective lift. The goal is to improve punching power by the most effective means necessary.

-Can I do something other than

deadlift?-Only if injuries absolutely prevent you deadlifting with straight bar, in which case you may deadlift with a trap bar, there is no other substitution. You will notice that the only traditional barbell lift I readily utilize is the deadlift. I believe the barbell deadlift is the preeminent strength building exercise, especially in regards to expanding the power of the central nervous system and building grip strength and endurance. There is no substitution for deadlifting

-I seem to be repeating a lot of the same bodyweight

movements-Yes you are. This is on purpose. One of the advantages to bodyweight movements is that they can trained with a high frequency without inhibiting the body’s recovery. They are easy to progress forward, and they give fighters instant feedback to how strong they are.

-Will all the hip hinging hurt my

back?-No, it will actually make your back pain free. The majority of individuals that have bad backs have nothing congenitally wrong with their spines. What they do have is weak hamstrings, weak glutes, and woefully underdeveloped erector spinae and posterior transverse abdominis. Simply said, your back and ass are fucking weak. If you get them stronger, they won’t hurt.

-how will stronger glutes help my striking

power?-Try to punch hard while sitting in a chair. Now try punching hard while standing, but don’t turn your hips at all. Every fighter is constantly told, “it’s all in the hips.” Your ass is your hips, and the stronger your glutes can fire and snap, the stronger your punches and kicks are going to be.

-What if I want to train four days a

week?-Please stop with is. Every guy I train is constantly telling me about how beat up, tired, in pain, hurting, strained, pulled, caffeinated, and under slept they are, but then they still want to work out on their one “off day” a week. If you are getting enough sleep, good food, etc., then I am not unopposed to a fourth day of training. This day four is usually a strongman sort of day with some sled pushes and drags, some tire flips, some heavy bag tosses etc.

A sample fourth day could look like this:

Sled push with Bodyweight-6 x 25 yards Sled Rows with BW-6 x 25 yards Heavy Bag throw 6 x 3

Tire Flip-20 total reps

Farmers walk for distance with sandbag duffel bag

*DO NOT TURN THIS INTO ANOTHER CONDITIONING DAY. You’re doing this stuff to get stronger, not to make yourself puke.

-I’ve got heavy weight sized guys I’m training, and I don’t feel comfortable with them doing all the bodyweight stuff. What should I have them

do?-So basically your guys are too fat to do pull-ups and push-ups is what your saying? They need to lose body fat then. I’ve trained “heavyweights” that are basically just overweight light heavies. I’ve also trained heavyweights that are just fat heavyweights. There is no excuse for a fighter’s body fat being higher than 15%. NO FRICKIN’ EXCUSE. Being fat does not help any athletic quality other than making you slower. If your guy is overweight, he needs to stop following the Mickey and Wendy’s diet and shed pounds. Every sized fighter should be able to execute BW exercises, no matter how big they are. Keep in mind, that a legitimate heavyweight sized man with an athletic body fat percentage of 12% is rarely going to be larger than 250 pounds—barring him being unusually tall (6’4 and up) or being built like Alistair Overeem and eating a lot of horse meat and Deca…I mean shark fin soup. That’s a whole other issue though.

-Can I use this program before my next

fight?-No, no you should not. A pre-fight program should take into account your current level of strength and conditioning, your overall training volume and particular focuses, and be periodized according to how many weeks out you are from a fight. Pre-fight training should be optimal, not general.

SATURDAy

Bench Press:

• 20-30 total warm-up reps using PERFECT technique (see videos listed at the end of this program) with weight under 50%. These sets should all be in the 3-5 rep range.

• 50% for 9 sets of 3 reps. Three sets will use a close grip (index finger on the smooth part of the bar), three sets will be with a moderate grip (pinky on the rings), and three sets are wide (forefinger on the ring). 

Flat Dumbbell Presses:

• As many warm-ups as you need.

• Work up to 2 heavy sets of 8 reps.

Tricep Work:

Do your normal triceps training, but cut the volume in half.

Delt Work:

Do your normal shoulder work, but cut the volume in half.

NOTE: If you can’t do this first session, don’t worry about it. Just start with the second one.

WEDNESDAy

Close-Grip Incline Press:

Work up to a max set of 3 reps.

Tricep Work:

Do your normal triceps training.

Delt Work:

Do your normal shoulder work.

Technique Bench Press with Reverse Bands:

• Use a weight that is equal to 50% at the bottom if the bands were NOT on the bar.

• Perform 10 sets of 3-5 reps using PERFECT TECHNIQUE (see videos).

In document Voluntariado en la escuela: (página 55-60)