MMA training is definitely not for someone that does not like to push
themselves to there limit. As in limit, I do not mean until you are tired. I
mean way beyond this point. At many workouts there will be guys on
our team, including myself that will run out the back door of the gym
to take care of that sick feeling in there stomach. To some this may
seem a little overboard or weird, but when you have another person
laying on top of you beating the shit out of you, you have to know
deep down inside you did what it took for you to survive and get out of
that bad position. This all goes back to training. I trained as a
bodybuilder for four years and enjoyed it a great deal. Now that I have
switched to MMA my entire outlook on exercise and training has
changed. I understand now that functional muscle is more important
that visual muscle. What I mean by Functional muscle is muscle that I
can use on my job and in the cage. With visual muscle, a person
looks good, but they can’t run a mile or do anything involving a
tremendous cardiovascular load. Both training styles have there
advantages, and it is up to the individual to decide what they are
setting out to accomplish.
For myself my typical training day when preparing for a fight looks
something like this. First thing in the morning I will do my crossfit
workout of the day. This workout is not only for my strength, but also
for my conditioning. Crossfit is by far the best training program I have
ever used and within just a few weeks I noticed a huge improvement
not only in my strength, but also my cardio in the cage. Depending on
how much running is required in the crossfit workout, I will usually go
for a run afterwards as well. After my crossfit, I will refuel rest and get
ready for my afternoon workout. The afternoon workout consists of
more cardio, and one discipline that I am training that day; whether it
be boxing, muay Thai, jui jitsu, or wrestling. These sessions will
always be to work on certain techniques and learn new things that will
help me with my fight game. Cardio usually consists of stadiums with
a weight vest, tire flips, sledgehammer work, long runs, sprints, truck
push, etc. After this workout, I will again refuel, rest, and get ready for
my team practice at night. The team practice will usually be free
rolling, live mma sparring, technical work, and of course more cardio.
As you can see cardio is a big part of the fight game. I take the cardio
side very seriously because it has never been my strong point in any
sport I have ever played in the past. I have successfully changed that
about myself and I look at my cardio as one of my strong points now.
There are going to be a lot of fighters that are just better than me
technical wise because they have been training longer, but I will put
my cardio up with anyone. They will break before I will and that is
when I can take advantage.
Of course, this schedule changes daily and includes rest days, and
some days that are just focused on a discipline or cardio. My training
is high intensity and sometimes I do way too much. I just enjoying
training and trying to work on my weaknesses. I have always believed
that if you are going to do something, either do it all the way or don’t
waste your time. I am glad I made the switch to MMA and wish I would
have done it sooner. I understand now that just because someone
looks like they are muscular does not mean they can perform at a
high intensity level. My choice is functional muscle.  I am in the best
shape of my life. When I used to train as a bodybuilder I worked out
for an hour a day with weights, did thirty minutes of cardio, and
thought that was hard. I think back to that when I am on my third
session and sixth hour of training of the day and laugh. Hard, Ha that’
s just a warm-up now. I am no longer for show, I am for go.
Next fight August 1, 2009 at The Schwartz Center in Wilmington NC.
Watch Griff's
2nd round
KO!!
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