Drawing the Line: Training Hard or Overtraining
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I relish in that power, but it also scares the shit out of me, as it should. There’s such a fine line between firing on all cylinders, and being burnt out and not wanting to get out of bed in the morning. I’ve had athletes two weeks out from fights almost be there – it sucks. How do we manage it? With the NHL and MLB guys it’s a lot easier. They come to me in their off season looking to get better, but in MMA there is no off season. The sport requires constant work, 2 or 3 workouts a day is normal.
Let’s explore ways keep our guys healthy, and ready to peak for their special night. What I see in most of my guys is they travel around from practice to practice beating themselves up, go home, eat, sleep, repeat. Sound like you? You may sprinkle in a shake here or there, but for the most part you don’t take care of your body. Here are some things I like my guys doing.
- Massage: Soft tissue work is key in keeping the body healthy. If you can’t afford a good therapist, buy a foam roller or a PVC pipe.
- Contrast Therapy: Ice baths are a great tool a couple of times a week. It increases blood flow and flushes the system out of all the garbage that is built up.
- Sleep: It sounds easy enough, but often time it’s neglected. Get eight hours if possible, if not take naps in between trainings.
- Prehab Exercises: Prehab, unlike rehab, means you are not injured. Prehab prevents rehab. Learn and apply prehabilitation work into your training. Wall slides, core work, t’s and y’s etc. are all good examples.
- Know Your Body: If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. Know when to take your foot off the gas and refuel because you only have that one night to shine.
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In my gym, I’m boss. My athletes trust me enough to follow exactly what I say in hopes of becoming faster, stronger, more powerful and better conditioned.