Do you take an opponents weight into consideration when training for an upcoming fight?
No, when I weight lift and when I do my conditioning, its strictly for muscle conditioning. When I wrestle is when I lift another person the same weight as myself, a little bit heavier or a little bit lighter, depending on my partner, to get that feel of picking up someone who weighs the same as me.
Well, big news in that I got married the week before last on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Besides having a great time with friends and family, I managed to squeeze in some time to visit BJ Penn’s school in Hilo. I thought I’d share the experience with you guys in case you were ever interested in stopping by.
The school is located in Hilo, which is the eastern side of the Big Island. Hilo is where more of the locals live, while the Kona on the west side is where the resorts and tourists are. We were staying in Kona and drove to Hilo, which takes about 2 hours.
Remember way back when I began my quest for the ultimate MMA bag? Now, almost two years later, there’s finally someone who may have hit the mark. Datsusara is a company out of Albany, California started by Chris Odell. After seeing the market vacuum for decent Mixed Martial Arts gear, Chris decided to spearhead an effort to make his own awesome gear and thus, Datsusara was born. Datsusara’s MMA LGB-1 is designed by Chris and his gym buddies, and the design of this bag addresses real needs from guys who really train.
The security team of the Philippine president uses these $180 fighting umbrellas as part of their weaponry. It’s an interesting choice in that the approach is to appear non-threatening yet be prepared instead of displaying potential force as a deterrent. Check it out.
I came across this article on strength training by Ross Enamait discussing strength training and theories on fast/slow twitch muscle development. Ross teaches training methods appropriate for fighters as opposed to the type of weight training that bodybuilders practice.
The gist of it is that strength training is the development of strength with the use of resistance. It’s a myth that lifting weights is an incorrect way to develop strength for combat athletes. Rather, it’s the way you train that can affect your results regardless whether you lift weights or use body weight.
Ross defines four types of strength:
Maximal Strength – maximum force output under voluntary effort
Explosive Strength – maximal forces in minimal times
Speed Strength – quick execution of unloaded movement
Strength Endurance – maintaining muscular function under stress over time
This video shows Georges St-Pierre, Denis Kang, and David Louiseau doing strength training in a balanced way. Notice that the coach in the video emphasizes that muscle contractions are always done as quickly as possible in an explosive manner, then he slows them down on the negative.
Also, check this video out for some training ideas to develop explosive power and speed:
