Mixed Martial Arts 101 from Max

Guest blogger: Max (with MMA fighter Forest Griffin on his left)

I get a lot of questions on exactly how does somebody get involved in Mixed Martial Arts ( aka MMA). It all starts with you. The sport is all about you and how much dedication, pain and training you can stand almost everyday.

Basics: NO! Brazilian J J is not a basic. It is a tool and a good one. Boxing, Grappling and Kickboxing are basics. How many fights start on somebody's back? They don't but they will lead there at some point. Once you are on the ground, you need grappling ( Or BJJ) training. Learning Boxing, Grappling and Kickboxing is tough enough but you must spend quality time training in them to the point you could do well in a show in each discipline. This takes time and unless you are gifted, nothing comes overnight.

OK Max, you just talked about Boxing, Grappling and Kickboxing, when and what Martial Arts come into play? I would suggest you start off in a Kempo martial Arts school. Why Kempo? Kempo is every Martial art wrapped into one, so you will train in every Art, and add"tools" to put in your "Toolbox". FYI: Kempo was the original Mixed Martial Art. Kempo sparing is hard and close enough to being in a MMA event without stepping into a cage or ring. ( If you need help finding a school in your area, just shoot me a email.)

Next is "fit shape" and "fight shape". Fit shape is your everyday training shape, and fight shape is your shape at the day of your event that you want to train to be in. Fit shape is part of the basics. Fit shape is different for everybody. I train alot of cardio, up to 3 days a week ontop of my regular Kempo training and ontop of training other Basics. (See Basics above).

How does one get into "Fit shape" for MMA? First things first, see your doctor and get their permission to train. This step is important because they know you better then anybody, and can give you much needed help when ( and you will) crack ribs or bones, or that old high school football injury comes back to say hello. I am lucky enough to train with Doctors.

Basic "Fit Shape" workout that I use.( You will need a Leather jump rope, The Perfect Pushups and The Perfect Pullups, a blow up Exercise ball and a 10 x 10 area, and a place to sprint about 25 feet, a stopwatch and a "egg or cooking timer") Your goal is to gas yourself out and time it. Make sure you are properly hydrated and have water or a sports drink of some sort very close by.

Warm up: 15 mins. of Rope work ( You can break it up into 3 -5 min.s rounds with 30 second rest in between.) After warm up, place The perfect Pushups at the end of the 25 foot run area.(Close to the 10 x 10 area that you just skip rope in). Caution: You will be in constant motion during this workout!

After the warm up,
Run to The Perfect Pushup and do 15 slow reps.
Run to The Perfect Pullups, grab the bar and "Crunch" your knees to your Chest and hold this position for 30 seconds.
Run back to the rope and skip hard for 30 seconds.
Next to the "Exercise ball" and do sit ups slowly for 30 seconds.
Run to the 10 x 10 area and do 25 squat thrusts.
Go right into Jumping Squats.
Sprint to The Perfect Pushups and bang out 15 fast reps.
Run back to The Perfect Pullups and do 15 pull ups.
Run Back to the Rope and skip very hard for 1 min.

The above was 1 overall rep. Your goal is to keep this up and see how many "Reps" you can do. Your cardio will go thru the roof and be happy for that because most fights win because of cardio. Start with 2 times a week and work up to slowly 3 times a week on top of your regular training.

Let's face it, it is not easy. if it was, everybody would be doing it. If you have any questions, shoot me an email at info@likemponews.com.

Max
TheNHBshow.com
NyMMAnews.com

Spiderman and MoJo Frog

CM SEAL Team blogger: Marcus Colburn

What in the world are Prisoner Squats? Bulgarian Split Squats? Spiderman Pushups? Marcus's MMA Fighters Workout had the questions coming fast and furious! Straight from Paris come the answers:

1. Spiderman pushups: Just doing pushups with your feet way up high on a wall like a proverbial "wall crawler". As I demonstrate here on a statue on the Seine River Wall. Or have a friend hold your legs so you're more in an upside-down position.

2. Prisoner squats: Are just squats done with hands behind head with no weights but lots with deep leg movement.

3. Bulgarian Split squats: squats done with no weight with legs as far apart as possible being able to go low!

P.S Did the CharlieMike(PERFECT) team get a kickback from their mention & "product placement" on "THE TONIGHT SHOW" ..."inquiring minds want to know"!

HOOYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CM: Nope -- no product placement! Teammates, here's the clip. Ryan Seacrest starts mentioning the perfect pushup at 2:40. Ryan said that Simon Cowell uses the Perfect Pushup and then Conan mentions that he uses it and then shows a picture of it. HOOYAH indeed!!

MMA Fighters: Modern Day Gladiators

CM SEAL Team blogger: Marcus Colburn

They entered the ring to the sound of rap, rock, old-school hip-hop, reggae, and even country-and-western, but the one thing every fighter at Saturday’s UFC (mixed martial arts fighting) event had in common was a powerful athletic physique built from metabolic resistance training. These modern-day warriors know better than to do bodybuilding, because those workouts just take too long and leave you puffed up, slow, and inflexible. That’s not how modern man should be – or look.

Instead, metabolic resistance training is the answer to the needs of these gladiators. Circuit style lifting, bodyweight exercises, a Navy SEAL type no-quit attitude, and total body movements made these men into the toughest athletes in professional sports today. But here’s the thing… I think hardcore weight exercises are a waste of his time and probably don’t add anything to a vicious knockout power. Instead, I bet he gets more out of bodyweight circuit strength and endurance training. When I work with martial artists – and almost any other type of athlete – we stick to the basic weightlifting exercises and spend more time on bodyweight exercises.

Here’s the "perfect" metabolic resistance training bodyweight circuit that will not only improve your physical strength and endurance for any sport, but it will also give you a killer beach body that will make you stand out in the crowd this summer.

If you want to get lean, build that V-shaped upper body, and essentially have the most bad-assed cover model body with the athletic skills to back it up, you can’t get better than this program.

- Go through this "PERFECT" circuit 3-4 times.

- Rest 1-2 minutes at the end of each circuit.

- Rest as little as possible between exercises within the circuit.

1) Prisoner Squat – 20 reps

2) "PERFECT" Close-grip Pushup – 15 reps

3) 1-Leg Squat – 8 reps per side

4) "Perfect" Pullup – 1 rep short of failure

5) Bulgarian Split Squat – 20 reps per side

6) Spiderman "PERFECT" Pushup – 12 reps per side

7) Bodyweight Row – 15 reps

As you get better and stronger, you can add resistance by wearing a weighted vest.

P.S. Discover the breakthrough metabolic resistance workouts guaranteed to give you a buff body and ultimate fighters physique.

NUFF SAID
"HOOYAHS"