Originally Posted by
Chad C.
I only have experience with training football players, most who are lower level athletes and relatively new to training. Recently I've been using a modified Jim Wendler 5/3/1 program with them and have seen a lot of success. In the past I've tried Westside styled training but I found it to be too taxing on their CNS which took away from their ability to perform their sport.
I'm interested in how you structure you training. I have a few friends who box and compete in mma who've asked me to help with their training.
The 531 is awesome for supplemental work, IMO.
I'll give you a quick summary of what I did for one guy who had 3 months before a fight...
Always warmed up with dynamic stretches and some sport-specific movements. A good warm-up lift after, usually involving kettlebell clean-and-press or overhead squats with a barbell.
For the 1st month, we gently worked a few core lifts. For him, I believe it was hip squats and sumo deadlifts (he had some knee stabilization problems, and hip squats are thought to help by strengthening the glutes and vastus lateralis), and then incline press and power cleans. The daily structure usually began with a power movement or plyometric exercise, followed with a static strength lift, and ended with some form of circuit.
The 2nd month was where we began to peak in strength. The focus lifts became heavier, and the rep ranges became smaller. Whereas the 1st month was 80/20 strength movements to plyometrics and cardio movements, the 2nd month was somewhere around 60/40.
The 3rd month was where we tapered down to the event itself. The overall volume of lifting went down, but the weights stayed heavy. The first week was about 50/50 strength to plyometrics and cardio, the 2nd was about 40/60, and the 3rd maybe 30/70. The last week before the event involved only cardio and plyometrics. This allowed his body to rest sufficiently that entire week.
I know a lot of strength coaches who use a template similar to this, and the idea is that the athlete will have maximum 1RM output on the date of the event, their cardio, explosiveness, and sport-specific movements will be fresh in the mind, and their body will be as rested as possible.
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