© National Strength & Conditioning Association Volume 25, Number 2, pages 67–72

Strength and Conditioning for Reality Fighting John Amtmann, EdD Montana Tech University of Montana Butte, Montana Steve Berry West Side Judo & Vale Tudo Club Butte, Montana Keywords: Reality fighting; ultimate fighting; mixed martial arts; strength training. REALITY FIGHTING, OR MIXED martial arts (MMA), is a sport that brings together numerous talented combat athletes from a variety of backgrounds. Strength and conditioning professionals should be aware of this newly evolved sport and should closely analyze the sport before developing a strength and conditioning strategy for athletes with inquiries on effective programs. One well-known authority has recommended that all fighters seek out qualified individuals to consult with regarding strength training for this sport (12). Here, we provide some basic background information, list some common injuries and strength and conditioning prescription principles, and provide some strength and conditioning recommendations for coaches and athletes.

■ Background One of the first official modern reality fighting events, the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), was staged in 1993 as a pay-perview event. The original idea was to bring together champions of various martial arts and Olympic sports, such as karate, jujitsu, judo, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, April 2003

and sumo, to determine which style would be most successful in a reality fighting tournament. International support for the event was enormous. Since this original show, there have been more than 35 UFCs. Another event, Pride, features the same style of fighting with elite athletes, and there are numerous local and regional events that feature lower level athletes. Since the initial reality fighting events began, athletes who compete in these events began to realize that training for this style of fighting must be comprehensive in nature. The successful athlete mixed all of the styles, which included stand-up striking (boxing, kick-boxing, muay thai), stand-up grappling (judo, greco-roman, and freestyle wrestling), and ground grappling (jujitsu/judo and wrestling), with extraordinary strength and conditioning levels. This sport has come to be known by a variety of terms, including extreme fighting, ultimate fighting, reality fighting, and MMA.

■ Injuries Preventing injury in sports by training the specific joints identified as frequently injured is known Strength and Conditioning Journal

as prehabilitation (6), and because boxing and wrestling are components within MMA, MMA training and events will produce the same type of injuries common to those sports. The most common musculoskeletal injuries in college wrestling occur at the knee, shoulder, ankle, head, elbow, and neck (11), and the most common musculoskeletal injuries in boxing occur at the shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand, low back, and neck (5). An additional concern regarding injuries is the use of submission techniques. MMA events can be won by knockout, decision, or submission. A submission occurs when one athlete “taps,” signaling defeat by physically tapping the mat or the opponent; submission is usually the result of a strangulation or joint lock. Joint locks, by their very nature, can be dangerous. A joint lock occurs when a body segment is intentionally moved by an opponent toward the limit of its range of motion, causing pain. Ideally, the movement is made in a slow and controlled manner, giving the athlete time to “tap.” Sometimes, however, an athlete may apply the technique too quickly for the opponent to give the 67

Table 1 Contributions of Anaerobic and Aerobic Energy Systems Time (s)

Anaerobic (%)

Aerobic (%)

0–30

80

20

0–60

70

30

0–120

60

40

0–240

40

60

Data from Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance. By S. Powers and E. Howley. New York: McGraw Hill, 2001 (15).

signal. Also, the opponent may be overly focused on winning and may not concede defeat until injury or loss of consciousness results. The rules of most events prevent applying joint locking techniques to the small joints, such as the finger joints. However, it is usually legal to apply a lock to the ankle, knee, hip, spine, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. All of these joints, then, are possible injury sites, which is important for strength and conditioning specialists to know. The take-home message for the strength and conditioning specialist is to create a program that is balanced and comprehensive and will produce improvements in overall structural integrity.

■ Principles of Strength and Conditioning Strength training both improves performance and decreases the likelihood of injury. There are two basic reasons why strength training may decrease the likelihood of injury for athletes involved in combative sports. First, improvement of the strength of muscles surrounding a joint results in improved structural integrity of that joint (6). Second, increased muscle mass helps pad the falls that 68

these athletes will, sooner or later, have to take. Fleck and Kraemer recommended conducting a needs analysis that answer the following questions (6): 1. What muscle groups need to be trained? 2. What are the basic energy sources that need to be trained? 3. What type of muscle action should be used? 4. What are the primary sites of injury for the specific sport or prior injury history of the athlete?

■ What Muscle Groups Need To Be Trained? Question 1 can be answered by addressing question 4. Considering the intention of submission techniques and the fact that joint locking techniques can be applied to the ankle, knee, hip, neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist, there is a significant potential for each of these joints to be injury sites. Therefore, a major objective of the strength training program for MMA athletes is to improve overall structural integrity of the musculoskeletal system, and all major muscle groups should be given equal emphasis.

■ What Energy Systems Need To Be Trained? When considering the energy systems used for a particular activity, it is essential to analyze the intensity of effort and the duration of that effort. Experts agree that most activities require energy from both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, but the percentage of ATP production from aerobic and anaerobic sources will vary according to intensity and duration. According to the general guidelines in Table 1, energy system inStrength and Conditioning Journal

volvement is directly dependent on the duration of the activity. However, there are intermittent periods where intensity changes according to the demands of the particular match in dynamic sports such as MMA. For example, at certain times the athletes may be working at 100% of their maximum intensity and at other times a submaximal percentage, which is true for many sports. Most experts agree that both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems are contributing varying percentages at various times during the fight. Also, the specific rules of the event will have a direct effect on energy system use and on the strength and conditioning specialist’s approach to preparing the athlete. Rules of the Game Many of the MMA events share the same rules. In most events, the rounds are 5 minutes long. The number of rounds usually ranges from two 5-minute rounds in amateur events to five 5-minute rounds in professional championship events. Depending on the age group and sanctioning organization, wrestling matches can range from two 1-minute periods with a rest to one 5-minute period without rest. Collegiate wrestling matches consist of a 3-minute first period followed by 2-minute second and third periods. Judo matches are usually 1 round of 4–5 minutes. Internationally, amateur boxing includes four 2minute rounds with a 1-minute rest, and there are ten 3-minute rounds with 1-minute rests in most professional bouts. In most MMA events, the fight usually is not stopped when the fight becomes a grappling chess match, where one fighter may appear to be stalling or doing next to nothing. In traditional grappling sports such as judo and wrestling, April 2003

the stalling athlete is penalized. In boxing, the tie-up/clinch is used to slow the advance of a more superior fighter, and excessive use of this tactic may lead to a penalty. Thus, although there are periods of higher and lower intensity in all of these sports, the MMA athlete may have longer periods of submaximal effort. Depending on the specifics of each fight, the energy system demands of reality fighting may be quite different when compared with the bouts and matches of boxing, judo, and wrestling. According to Paul Soucy (oral communication, September 2002), the strength and conditioning coach for Jimmy Pedro, 1999 World Judo Champion, it is the duty of the strength and conditioning specialist to create the worst-case scenario when developing a metabolic conditioning program for a specific sport. Consideration of the duration and intensities involved is a vital part of this process. The strength and conditioning specialist must realize this and, because many MMA fighters are former/current competitors in these other sports, must adjust the training to fit the needs of the specific reality fighting event. Metabolic Conditioning Most coaches of more traditional sports use a periodized approach to strength and conditioning. With the timetable of the sport’s season already laid out, it is easy for the coaches to address the needs of their athletes in a systematic manner. Typically, the preseason mesocycle ensures that the wrestler will enter the season with a sound aerobic base and adequate strength. The program then will begin to focus on developing muscular endurance and power, peaking in these areas for the most important end of the season tournaments (8, 9). MMA athletes do not have the luxury of knowing the April 2003

exact timetable of all of their fights. Unlike boxing, wrestling, and judo tournaments, where the athletes register and are pooled according to weight and sometimes age, MMA event promoters often choose the match-ups and must exhibit care when doing so. Some athletes who submit an application for an event are well (evenly) matched with another athlete of the same weight, and a fight is scheduled. However, some athletes are not scheduled simply because of a lack of a safe match-up. Occasionally, the fighters do not know whether the planned event will actually be held. Some of the smaller regional and local events are cancelled because of a lack of fighter applicants, and some events are held with unsafe and uneven match-ups just to avoid event cancellation. Some MMA athletes have accepted fights on the night of the event; however, most of the athletes have at least 1–2 months of notice before a scheduled event. Thus, active MMA athletes must maintain aerobic and anaerobic conditioning levels throughout the year. In the 4–8 weeks prior to a fight, a metabolic conditioning phase specific to the rules of the event should be the top priority. There is no substitute for training in the actual sport (3, 9, 12); however, circuit weight training (CWT) and event-specific metabolic conditioning can be effective in safely creating a metabolic state similar to what develops in an MMA event. The chance for injury would increase significantly if training were to be limited to continual high-intensity sparring (12). CWT should be developed in accordance with the established number of rounds and the length of the rounds. For example, the CWT session for an athlete preparing for an event consisting of two Strength and Conditioning Journal

Table 2 Circuit Weight Training Session 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

One-min jumping rope Leg extension Leg curl Bent-knee sit-ups Neck flexion/extension Overhead press Lat pull-down Dumbbell bench press Barbell curl

Note: For this session, upper body exercises should have a performance goal of 12–15 repetitions, and lower body exercises should have 12–20 repetitions. There should be little to no rest between the exercises.

5-minute rounds may be different from the session for an athlete preparing for five 5-minute rounds or one 15-minute round (for an example of a CWT session, see Table 2). The intensity of the CWT session can be varied by several methods. The preferred method is to vary the order of the exercise to increase or decrease the overall intensity. For example, for the first 2–3 weeks, the strength and conditioning coach may alternate upper body and lower body muscle groups with successive exercises to gradually prepare the athlete for the more intense sessions to follow. As the event nears, the intensity may be increased by working all lower body and all upper body muscle groups or by adding more multijoint movements. Event-specific metabolic conditioning refers to a collection of movements that are specific to MMA and can be performed with high intensity. For example, for an event with 5-minute rounds, the athlete could begin with 1 minute of shadow striking and then proceed to timed segments of exercises totaling 5 minutes. This process can be continued for as many rounds as needed. Shadow strik69

Table 3 Sport-Specific Metabolic Conditioning Time (s)

Exercise

Round 1 60

Shadow striking

30

Push-ups

30

Pull-ups

60

Free squats

30

Heavy bag lifts or double leg lifts with partner

30

Mountain climbers

30

Sit-ups or abdominal curls

30

Shrimping (hip-scoots)

Maximum 60-s break between rounds Round 2 60

Shadow striking

30

Hold the peak position of the pull-up

30

Half push-up (holding the mid position)

60

Lunges

60

Back bridge

60

Mountain climbers

ing would include all strikes legal for the event, which are usually punches, elbows, knees, and kicks to various targets on an imaginary opponent (for an example of a conditioning session, see Table 3). There are many ways to manipulate this phase as the athlete’s conditioning and ability to withstand lactic acid improves. For example, the first week may require complete rest during the 60-second break between rounds. In successive weeks, the athlete may begin to shadow strike between rounds with increasing intensity. Also, the coach may decrease the break from 60 seconds to 50 and then to 40 seconds. Again, the purpose is to create the worst-case metabolic scenario. 70

■ What Types of Muscle Actions? Concentric and eccentric muscle actions will be natural parts of all of the movements within the metabolic conditioning phase. Isometric muscle actions are a significant aspect of most grappling sports and should be used in the metabolic conditioning phase. For example, the strength and conditioning coach may implement specific isometric variations of exercises, which may include the half push-up, the v-up, or a hold of the peak contraction in the pull-up or bicep curl (Table 3, round 2).

■ Other Recommendations There are several other points to be made regarding development of Strength and Conditioning Journal

a strength training program for the MMA athlete. First, some fighters do not participate in strength training (1). These athletes may be convinced of previous myths and misperceptions regarding how strength training may decrease flexibility and reduce speed of movement. The strength and conditioning specialist may have to educate the athlete about how a properly designed and executed strength and conditioning program will increase punching speed and power (4). The second point is related to overall volume of training. Overtraining is a serious consideration for the MMA athlete because these individuals are literally training intensely in multiple sports, and the risk of musculoskeletal injury increases for all levels of participation with increasing physical activity, intensity, and duration (13). Many top-level competitors in this sport train 3 times/day, 7 days/week (10). In a survey at a regional MMA event consisting of competitors from 5 states, the average number of training and practice sessions reported by fighters was 11 sessions/week (1). In general, there are 5 dimensions to MMA that must be included in MMA-specific training: (a) stand-up striking (punching, elbow striking, knee striking, kicking), (b) closing the distance (to your opponent), (c) clinching and stand-up grappling, (d) takedowns, and (e) ground grappling and all of the related ground-grappling skills, such as striking and submissions from various ground positions. Because of the sheer volume of training involved in MMA training, the strength and conditioning professional must make efficiency a top priority. Lansky (14) implemented a time-efficient in-season strength training program for wrestlers that focused on the April 2003

Olympic lifts. To reduce the risk of overtraining, the frequency of the program was limited to 1 or 2 sessions/week. Likewise, a strength training program using multijoint lifts with a similar (low volume) frequency may be required for MMA athletes to maximize efficiency. Athletes planning to compete in an MMA event must train in free fighting and must realize the risk of injury. Training from drilling specific skills alone will not be adequate preparation and would be similar to a boxer competing in a tournament having trained only the supplemental skills such as the heavy bag, focus mitts, double end bag, and the speed bag, with no actual sparring. Most experts agree that sparring in a freestyle manner is a requirement for the boxer, or MMA athlete, to optimize success. Sparring increases the risk of injury, but there are a number of ways to spar in preparation for an MMA event that may modify these risks (12): • Stand-up: punches only. • Stand-up: punches and kicks. • Stand-up: punches, kicks and knees. • Stand-up: takedowns only. • Stand-up: strikes and takedowns. • Mat work: position only. • Mat work: position and submission. • Mat work: position, submission, and strikes. • Vale Tudo: anything goes, which is freestyle fighting, combining all of the skills listed above. If the strength and conditioning professional is not already involved in the planning of the the athlete’s entire training regimen, it is vital to at least have an idea of the overall volume of sport-specific training, and the associated April 2003

Table 4 Muscle Strength Balance at Potential Injury Sites Joint

Movement

Ratio

Shoulder

Flexion: extension

2:3

Shoulder

Internal: external rotation

3:2

Elbow

Flexion: extension

1:1

Trunk

Flexion: extension

1:1

Data from Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Edited by T.R. Baechle. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1994 (2).

risks, that these athletes must endure to safely develop programs. The third important issue is that boxers and MMA athletes tend to utilize the anterior musculature of the glenohumeral joint disproportionately more than the posterior musculature, and the further the muscle balance deviates from the guidelines in Table 4 the higher the risk for imbalance and injury (17). This problem is exacerbated when well-meaning athletes market strength and conditioning programs that completely exclude the posterior musculature (7, 16). Therefore, one of the strength and conditioning professional’s priorities should be to develop a balanced program and to ensure proper ratios of strength among muscle groups. Beachle (2) offered guidelines (Table 2) for strength ratios for opposing muscle groups. Fourth, many MMA athletes do not perform exercises specifically for the neck (1). A properly designed and executed strength training program should include training the neck musculature in the various planes of movement, because the neck is one of the top injury sites in college wrestling and improved strength of the neck musculature also may help to prevent neck injury in MMA (3, 5, 17). Strength and Conditioning Journal

■ Conclusion MMA is a sport that brings together numerous talented combat athletes from a variety of backgrounds. Strength and conditioning professionals should be aware of this newly evolved sport. Because MMA is a mixture of several combative sports, the overall volume of training for these athletes is likely to be very high. With this in mind, fight athletes could benefit from strength-training programs employing exercises that focus on improving the strength of all of the major muscle groups in a balanced and time-efficient manner. Many competitors in MMA events are former or current competitors in other combative sports, such as wrestling, judo, and boxing. The metabolic conditioning for MMA events should be specific to the event, and the strength training prescription principles and metabolic conditioning should be specific to the MMA athlete. ▲

■ References 1. Amtmann, J., and S. Berry. A Survey of Strength T raining Methods Employed by Fighters at a Regional Mixed Martial Arts Event. Butte, MT: West Side Judo/Vale Tudo Club. 2002. 2. Baechle, T.R. Essentials of 71

Strength Training and Conditioning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 1994. 3. Bryzcki, M. Wrestling Strength: Prepare to Win. Indianapolis, IN: Cardinal Publishers Group. 2002. 4. Ebben, W. Developing a strength power program for amateur boxing. Strength Cond. J. 19:42–51. 1997. 5. Estwanik, J. Injuries to the extremities, trunk and head. In: Boxing and Medicine. R. Cantu, ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 1995. pp. 79–87. 6. Fleck, S., and W. Kraemer. Designing Resistance T raining Programs. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 1997. 7. Furey, M. Combat Conditioning: Functional Exercises for Fitness and Combat Sports. Tampa, FL: Furey Books. 2000. 8. Grisaffi, D. Ballarmine Prep’s strength training program for wrestling. Strength Cond. J. 18:54–58. 1996. 9. Horswill, C. Physiology of wrestling. In: Exercise and Sport Science. W. Garrett and D. Kirkendall, eds. New York: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. 2000. pp. 475. 10. Hunt, L. Postfight with the

72

Hawaiian Phenom: BJ Penn. Full Contact Fighter. 7:10–11. 2002. 11. Jarret, G., J. Orwin, and R. Dick. Injuries in collegiate wrestling. Am. J. Sports Med. 26:674. 1998. 12. Jenness, K. Fighter’s Notebook. Amherst, MA: Bench Press International. 1998. 13. Kovaleski, J., L. Gurchiek, and A. Pearsall. Musculoskeletal injuries: Risks, prevention, and care. In: ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. 2001. pp. 492. 14. Lansky, R. Wrestling and Olympic style lifts: In-season maintenance of power and anaerobic endurance. Strength Cond. J. 21:21–27. 1999. 15. Powers, S., and E. Howley, E. Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2001. 16. Rutten, B. Bas Rutten Mixed Martial Arts Workout [videotape]. 2001. 17. Wallace, B., and S. Flanagan. Boxing: Resistance training considerations for modifying injury risk. Strength Cond. J. 21:31–39. 1999.

Strength and Conditioning Journal

Amtmann

John Amtmann is a professor of Applied Health Sciences at Montana Tech of the University of Montana in Butte, Montana.

Berry

Steve Berry is a strength and conditioning coach at the West Side Judo & Vale Tudo Club in Butte, Montana.

April 2003