Martin Rooney woke me up to the effectiveness of energy system training after I chatted with him several times and watched his Training for Warriors DVD. I don’t have access to a facility like Martin does, but why should that hold anyone back? Conditions never need to be optimal for the results to be optimal!
The insane thing is that many high level fighters and grapplers still continue to perform distance jogging (anything over one mile without stopping) as part of their conditioning. From a very basic standpoint, take a look at what your body does during a two or three mile run. In essence, you move at a steady pace and really step it up maybe the last two or three minutes. The legs and aerobic system are taking the grunt of the work.
Now, let’s take a look at the following energy system workout that we might use. Then we’ll examine how the body works and how closely it resembles an actual grappling or MMA fight. The workout below should be performed nonstop at a nearby field where there’s access to a small playground. If you can find a small playground (which I know you can), you are golden!
1) Forward sled* drag X 100 feet
2) Sprint X 150 feet
3) Picnic table military press X 10 reps
4) Long jumps to pull-up bars (approximately five jumps)
5) Pull-ups X 10 reps
6) Sprint X 150 feet
7) Sled* rows X 6–8 reps
8) Sled* presses X 6–8 reps
9) Backwards sled drag X 100 feet
10) Forward sled* sprint X 50 feet
*The sled is loaded with kettlebells or Olympic plates.
This works great for us because we take our sleds to a field that has the playground on the other end of the parking lot. This type of setting can be found and adapted at any park or empty school lot.
Note that there are a variety of movements that work the body through various “paces.” Sometimes the pace is more controlled, such as during sled drags, and other times the pace is explosive (sprints and sled rows/presses). Other times the movement is rhythmic or explosive (picnic table presses, pull-ups, or jumps). The backward drags intensely work the quads, improving lactate tolerance and muscular endurance, which is a key factor during any stand up portion of the fight.
If the legs fatigue quickly or quicker than your opponent, your takedowns lose speed and effectiveness, your kicks are weaker or your defense against kicks is less effective, and your stance rises. You become prone to more takedowns.
If you look at the nature of the distance jog/run compared to one round of the energy system circuit, you can see which one more closely resembles what the body endures during combat. The sled dragging can be intensified by attaching towels or ropes to the tow straps to work the hands and grip to a greater degree (check out “The Underground Guide to Sled Training” to see how we use ropes with our sleds). If you don’t have a picnic table at the playground then set up a spot with a sandbag and perform the military press, clean and press, or shouldering.
This circuit can be repeated several times, anywhere from 3–6 rounds depending on your level of preparedness and in accordance with all the other “conditioning” work you might already be doing. If much time is spent on the mat or in the cage then you may not need as many rounds of energy system work. As usual, you want to asses your own performance and see where the weak areas are. Focus on the weak areas and find the means to improve them!
Stay tuned for part two which will give you more options for your energy system training!
Zach Even-Esh is a performance coach in New Jersey. Get your free e-book on underground combat training at http://UndergroundCombatTraining.com. You can also discover the time-tested methods of some of the best combat performance coaches out there at http://MMAexperts.com.
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