Mistake #5 is related to #4 in that the athletes who try to train everything at once usually aren’t
following a structured program and progression model.
I quickly became aware of this problem from some of the earliest emails I received after I first
started my MMA training blog.
I don’t have the actual email saved, but I remember it was from Steve H. and it sounded really
desperate.
He said something like, “I have a fight scheduled in 9 weeks and I train my ass off but I’m still
feeling weak and I gas easily, PLEASE HELP!”
I emailed him back asking about his workout program and he replied back saying, “Somedays I’ll
do chest and biceps, sometimes I’ll do legs and arms, sometimes I’ll work full body, and I usually
run for 30 minutes after every workout.”
When I asked him to forward his exact program, I was SHOCKED when
he told me that he didn’t have one and that he just did what he felt like
when he got to the gym!
This is the difference between working out and training.
Working out is going to the gym trying to break a sweat. Training is
going to the gym with a specific goal in mind, which leads you to a
bigger, long-term goal down the road.
Each session builds on the previous session and will result in a stronger, more powerful athlete.
So when I ask guys about their program and I get answers like, “Oh, I’ll go in and do some bench,
then curls, then maybe hit the shoulders pretty hard,” I know they’ve got a LOT of potential
waiting to be tapped.
Working out is going to the
gym trying to break a sweat.
Training is going to the gym
with a specific goal in mind,
which leads you to a bigger,
long-term goal down the road.
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For my fighters, I have every workout we’ve ever done together logged, with little notes at the
bottom if anything was going on, like decreased performance due to an injury, etc.
Which brings me to another point about tracking your training sessions.
If you’re not following a program, I can guarantee you’re not tracking your workouts.
Even most guys who do follow a program still don’t track their sessions.
Here’s an easy example outlining the importance of tracking your workouts...
It’s Tuesday, and you lift 200 lbs for 5, 5, 4, 3 in the bench press. Your rest time is 2 min between
sets.
Now it’s next Tuesday, and you know you lifted 200 lbs, but you’re not sure how many reps you
did in the last 2 sets.
So now, you do sets of 5, 5, 4, and 3 again.
The thing is, if you had this written down, before you started your workout, you could’ve looked at
it and said, “This time, I’m doing 5, 5, 4, 4.”
Having a goal in mind helps push you to hit that extra rep.
Sure, 1 rep isn’t a big deal, but repeat this process over 12 weeks, for all of your exercises, and
you’ve got yourself a whole bunch of new strength!
You don’t need an extremely complicated training log. You can just write in a notebook what you
lift each session. The key is to consistently track your sessions so that in the next workout you
make progress improve, even if it’s only by a rep or 2.5 lbs.
But instead of a messy notebook, let me share the method I use to track workouts…
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Training Log
Exercise Reps Tempo Intensity Rest Sets
1) Bench Press 8 – 12 2 0 2 -1 RM 60 s 2 - 3
2) Prone Cobra 3 - 9 20 – 60 s 3 min total ½ of hold 1 - 2
Tracking Log
Exercise Date: Apr 10/10 Apr 13/10 Apr 16/10 Apr 20/10
1) Bench Press Reps
Intensity
12 10
135 lbs
12 12 10
135 lbs
12 12 12
135 lbs
10 8 8
145 lbs
2) Prone Cobra Reps
Intensity
9
20 s holds
6
30 s holds
4
45 s holds
2 2
60 s 30 s
First of all the program is outlined with exactly how many reps, what tempo to lift at, what
intensity to use, how much rest between sets and how many total sets to complete.
This way there’s no guessing once you step into the gym – you know exactly what you’re going to
do and you won’t let anyone get in your way!
Then, the tracking log allows you to write down your exact performance.
You can see that on the 3rd workout, the athlete did 2 more reps on the 3rd set compared to the
2nd workout – which is a great improvement.
But you can also see how difficult it will be to know what your goals are if you’re doing 6 or 7
exercises each session and you don’t have anything written down!
Pretty simple stuff - and once you put it into practice, it’s extremely powerful.
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The other benefit that I’ve found from this is that I can look back on my training logs and see
what worked and what didn’t, which allows me to refine my programs and get better results,
faster.
That’s exactly how I created the Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Program.
My goal was to create the most efficient and effective strength and
conditioning program for fighters and guys who train MMA but cant
spend all day in the gym.
So I spent hours looking over all of the old training logs I had from
guys like Jeff Joslin, Rory McDonnell, Ray Penny and others to see what
worked the best and what didn’t work so well.
This process allowed me to create a program that only requires 2-3
days/week, avoids injury and overtraining, and most importantly gets
results in the only place it counts - in the cage and on the mats.
If you want to train instead of workout and get in the best shape of your life, I stand behind my
program 100%.
You can learn more about this program at the end of this ebook.
But for now, I’d like to share my Crazy 8’s MMA Bodyweight Conditioning Circuit
workouts with you. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.
There are 2 versions, a beginner and advanced.
These circuits are focused on developing your Anaerobic Endurance.
They’re NOT strength building routines, although you may get stronger doing them.
To truly develop strength, you’ve got to hit the iron.
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Even though some ‘gurus’ may tell you that bodyweight is all you
need for MMA conditioning, don’t listen to them.
There never was and there never will be a substitute for lifting heavy
weights to get stronger, period.
Now for these workouts, I recommend you start with the beginner
version even if you find it easy – it’ll ensure you’ve built the correct
base to get the most benefit from the advanced circuit, which will
really boost your conditioning level.
Follow the sample progression calendar to make sure your body
continues to make progress from workout to workout.
Here are some of the emails I’ve gotten about the Crazy 8’s workout:
“It's pretty awesome. I really like it. It didnt seem like much but the next day I was like wow!
J.Krize
Sent from my iPhone”
“Eric,
I did try out the crazy 8's and it was a good workout. I did 5 circuits and felt great after and I felt
like I looked like a beast, and I feel like that's still with me. Many of the people that have worked
out with me will tell you I'm pretty strong pound for pound and I'm used to competing against
people atleast 20 pounds bigger than me. I'm real excited about getting away from the way I was
training (basically to be a strongman) and training for something I can apply serious results to and
derive motivation from.
Thanks,
Josh”
“Eric,The workout made me sore in places I don't normally get sore when starting a new workout.
Thanks! Need my batteries recharged from time to time.
Wayne”
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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Week 1
Beginner
2 circuits
90 sec rest
Beginner
2 circuits
60 sec rest
Week 2
Beginner
3 circuits
60 sec rest
Beginner
4 circuits
30 sec rest
Week 3
Advanced
3 circuits
2 min rest
Advanced
3 circuits
90 sec rest
Week 4
Advanced
4 circuits
75 sec rest
Advanced
5 circuits
75 sec rest
Week 5
Advanced
4 circuits
60 sec rest
Advanced
5 circuits
60 sec rest
Week 6
Deload week from Anaerobic Conditioning
Crazy 8’s MMA Bodyweight Conditioning Circuits Progression Scheme
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Crazy 8’s Beginner Bodyweight Circuit
Exercise Reps Rest Sets
1) Bulgarian split squat 8 per side ▼ 2 – 4
2) Pushup (knees) 8 ▼ 2 – 4
3) Side bridge (knees) Hold for 8
sec per side ▼ 2 – 4
4) Prisoner squat 8 ▼ 2 – 4
5) Inverted row (bent-knees) 8 ▼ 2 – 4
6) Woodchop 8 per side ▼ 2 – 4
7) Hip extensions 8 ▼ 2 – 4
8) Prone bridge Hold for 8
sec 30 – 90 sec 2 – 4
=> Click Here to Watch the Crazy 8’s Beginner Bodyweight Circuit Video
Workout Notes
1) This is the toughest exercise of the group – if you can’t do this exercise in proper form,
substitute the standard Split squat, it’s the same exercise except instead of your back foot
elevated on a bench, the foot is on thefloor.
2 and 3) If you can do a proper set on your toes, do it, otherwise do them on your knees.
For exercises #1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7, use a controlled tempo, which means you control the
movement both up and down, not too slow and not too fast.
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Crazy 8’s Advanced Bodyweight Circuit
Exercise Reps Rest Sets
1) Burpees 8 ▼ 2 – 5
2) Chinup 8 ▼ 2 – 5
3) Lunge jump 8 ▼ 2 – 5
4) Clap pushup 8 ▼ 2 – 5
5) Tuck jump 8 ▼ 2 – 5
6) Inverted row 8 ▼ 2 – 5
7) 180 degree jump 8 ▼ 2 – 5
8) Spiderman pushups 8 1 – 2 min 2 – 5
=> Click Here to Watch the Crazy 8’s Advanced Bodyweight Circuit Video
Workout Notes
2) If you can’t do 8 reps of the chinup, do negatives by jumping to the top then lowering
yourself down slowly, or use a bench or chair to assist you in getting up and down.
Do every exercise in perfect form as fast and explosive as possible. Make sure you work
through a full range of motion.
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