I'm going to quickly highlight the most important nutritional training for MMA tips that I practice when a fight is nearing. While I advise not fighting too far from your natural weight zone, it is completely reasonable to assume that you carry around a few extra pounds when a fight isn't looming. The dedication and energy required to maintain a fighting weight year-round is unbelievable, and in many cases wholly unnecessary. In many instances you'd be better just to practice common sense and focus the majority of your time and effort on mat time.
When you're trying to trim up and get extra lean before the fight, there are things that you do differently. Let me a highlight a few of the most common practices:
1) CRANK UP THE CARDIO.
- For me, I'm addicted to high-intensity interval training. While running wind sprints sucks, it produces great results. You need to train for your sport, and long-distance running/biking are in many ways completely irrelevant and unnecessary in a fighter's training regimine. What we're aiming for is explosiveness and intensity. Training for MMA is prefaced on the need to be an explosive fighter. A fight isn't a marathon, it's far from steady and lacks that simple continuity. In a fight you'll be spending a bit of time on your feet, striking and conserving energy (for most). Then, in a blink of an eye, you'll be defending a double-leg takedown and trying to conjure every bit of muscle fiber strength to defend with a sprawl and sink a deep whizzer in, countering with all your strength and trying to gain top position. Marathon training isn't going to cut it.
2) Stop eating carbohydrates (both simple and complex) after sunset.
- Simple enough. After the sun sets, it's ideal to stick with protein.
3) Try incorporating a stack into your supplement mix.
- For me, an Ephedrine Caffeine Aspirin stack (ECA) works quite well. Many people chose a variety of thermogenics, Yohimbe etc., but Ephedrine works the best for me. Each fighter is a unique case, so don't feel compelled to stick to one.
4) Keep yourself HYDRATED. DRINK A TON OF WATER.
- If you're using any thermogenic stack the importance of this rises tenfold. There were countless instances in the Ephedra era where athletes would drop and die of heat-related, dehydration ailments. A hospital visit isn't going to pay dividends if you've got a fight looming on the horizon.
5) Protein, protein, protein.
- Before bed I usually down a casein shake. While a lot of fighters take issue with this as it can lead to muscle gain, I find it to be completely appropriate and helpful.
6) SLEEP.
- Cortisone levels skyrocket if you're not getting enough sleep. It's really, really difficult trying to deal with this if you're already taking large measures and eating clean. The temptation to concede and "splurge" on cheat foods is much harder to resist.
Until next time,
Train Hard.
When you're trying to trim up and get extra lean before the fight, there are things that you do differently. Let me a highlight a few of the most common practices:
1) CRANK UP THE CARDIO.
- For me, I'm addicted to high-intensity interval training. While running wind sprints sucks, it produces great results. You need to train for your sport, and long-distance running/biking are in many ways completely irrelevant and unnecessary in a fighter's training regimine. What we're aiming for is explosiveness and intensity. Training for MMA is prefaced on the need to be an explosive fighter. A fight isn't a marathon, it's far from steady and lacks that simple continuity. In a fight you'll be spending a bit of time on your feet, striking and conserving energy (for most). Then, in a blink of an eye, you'll be defending a double-leg takedown and trying to conjure every bit of muscle fiber strength to defend with a sprawl and sink a deep whizzer in, countering with all your strength and trying to gain top position. Marathon training isn't going to cut it.
2) Stop eating carbohydrates (both simple and complex) after sunset.
- Simple enough. After the sun sets, it's ideal to stick with protein.
3) Try incorporating a stack into your supplement mix.
- For me, an Ephedrine Caffeine Aspirin stack (ECA) works quite well. Many people chose a variety of thermogenics, Yohimbe etc., but Ephedrine works the best for me. Each fighter is a unique case, so don't feel compelled to stick to one.
4) Keep yourself HYDRATED. DRINK A TON OF WATER.
- If you're using any thermogenic stack the importance of this rises tenfold. There were countless instances in the Ephedra era where athletes would drop and die of heat-related, dehydration ailments. A hospital visit isn't going to pay dividends if you've got a fight looming on the horizon.
5) Protein, protein, protein.
- Before bed I usually down a casein shake. While a lot of fighters take issue with this as it can lead to muscle gain, I find it to be completely appropriate and helpful.
6) SLEEP.
- Cortisone levels skyrocket if you're not getting enough sleep. It's really, really difficult trying to deal with this if you're already taking large measures and eating clean. The temptation to concede and "splurge" on cheat foods is much harder to resist.
Until next time,
Train Hard.