MMA Diet: Martin Rooney Edition

In July 2010 I did a 4-part interview with him titled, “The World’s Best MMA Fitness Coach,” but he’s even grown tremendously in popularity since then. However, part of what makes Martin Rooney so successful at what he does – aside from the results: he prepared Frankie Edgar for BJ Penn – is his versatility. He’s a terrific writer, a terrific speaker and he looks like he follows the words he preaches. Sure, it’s usually his Training for Warriors knowledge that’s featured in magazines, books and videos, but he can talk MMA nutrition with the best of them. I caught up with Martin and he agreed to answer a few questions for us here at Sherdog.

CC: Martin, your success has meant loads of athletes are getting proper training advice and information. As I see your career continue to skyrocket I know everyone is benefiting. The same can’t be said for many other big name trainers out there. However, it seems the next step for our MMA athletes (and our country in general) is to continue building upon sound nutritional advice. What are three common misconceptions about MMA nutrition and what advice would you give to counter them?

MR: Thanks for the kind words Cameron. I am always doing my best to share what I have learned with as many people as possible. This goes along with my belief that the more you share with others, the more you benefit.

In terms of nutrition, yes, it could be argued that this is an important area in which MMA athletes are paying more attention. Even with this attention, however, I still feel this is perhaps the most abused aspect of physical preparation next to overtraining.

The first most common misconception is that since an MMA athlete is doing so much training, they he or she thinks they are allowed to eat whatever you want. I don’t know if the Michael Phelps interview helped or hurt here (he prided himself on eating 10,000 calories of poor food choices and won a record haul of gold medals) but there is no good excuse to eat poor food. I would counter this by reminding athletes that a calorie is not a calorie. Make sure that you are eating clean with plenty of good food choices like fruits, vegetables and lean meats. Regardless of how many antioxidants they say dark chocolate has, that doesn’t mean it is good for you.

The next most common misconception is that supplements are actually food and that the labels on these tell the truth. I would like to remind the athletes out there that the term “supplement” means in addition to, not “all you need to eat.” So, a bar here or there in a pinch and a post workout shake is great, but make sure that you are eating “real” food first. Too many people are subsisting mainly on things from bottles and wrappers. We have to be smarter than that.

The final common misconception I see is that huge weight cuts are normal and it is ok to be relatively out of shape and use a less than strict diet and make up with it through a drastic cut. True, I have pushed the knowledge forward in this area and believe being big and strong in a certain weight is essential these days, but it still has to be done well. Good food choices, a more gradual cut and proper rehydration and weight gain processes are essential.

CC: There are many parallels between how a member of the general population needs to eat and how an MMA fighter needs to eat, but can you fill us in on three key differences that make an MMA athlete’s nutritional needs different?

MR: Actually, there are not many differences in terms of how a “normal” person and an MMA fighter should eat in terms of food quality, nutrients and number of meals per day. The key differences would be caloric amount, protein requirement, and eating for recovery.

So, a fighter would need more caloric intake at their meals to supply energy from the advanced amounts of training, increased protein for muscle building and the timing of recovery methods like pre and post workout nutrition as well as certain foods that can decrease inflammation and enhance recovery.

CC: Just like fighters have other fighters they respect in the field, who are some other nutrition folks inside or outside of the MMA community that you read and respect and recommend others pay attention to?

MR: The person I have always gone to most for nutrition advice is John Berardi of Precision Nutrition. He has influenced my nutritional practices and actually wrote an unbelievable chapter in my upcoming book that will be the third book in the Training for Warriors system. In addition to John, of late, I have been reading Michael Pollan’s books. Very interesting and entertaining.

CC: Lastly, you’ve had tremendous success with your three training books, but what’s firing you up now? Do you see yourself still working in the print medium or adapting your skills for something else?

MR: The books have been a passion of mine and now I am also doing regular work for magazines like Gracie Magazine, FIGHT!, Fight Hard, Train Easy, Muscle and Fitness and Men’s Fitness. But, how I see myself is a trainer that writes about his training, not a writer.

My most exciting project now is my Training for Warriors certification. Now I am training trainers from all around the world in my system. I certified over 200 coaches this year including instructors of the Army Rangers. If you want to take your training to another level, I suggest checking out the certification information at www.trainingforwarriors.com.

Cameron Conaway is the author of Caged: Memoirs of a Cage-Fighting Poet.