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Secret #1: Taking
Advantage Of The Speed
Reserve
The concept of speed reserve comes from team sports. But it
doesn't just refer to speed. It can also refer to strength and
power. I've illustrated the concept in the picture below.
To make this easily applicable across speed, strength, and
power, I've added values to represent each quality. I have miles
per hour (m/h) for speed, pounds (lb) for strength, and Watts
(W) for power.
To explain the graph as it may seem confusing at first glance,
the blue bars represent 80% of the maximum output. The
yellow bars are the maximum output for that quality.
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For example, Athlete 1 can lift 200 lb for 1 rep. 80% of that is
160 lbs. Whereas Athlete 2 can lift 250 lb for 1 rep with 80%
being 200 lbs.
Why is this important? What does speed, strength, and power
have to do with not gassing out when striking?
During a fight, there is a certain pace the fight may be fought at.
As highlighted in the graph, if the fight is fought at a pace that
requires around 80% of Athlete 2's effort, it translates roughly
to 90% of Athlete 1's maximum effort.
In this case, who gets tired faster? The Athlete
operating at 80% of his maximum output or the
Athlete operating at 90%?
The fighter who is stronger, faster, and more powerful will be
able to operate at a higher intensity during the fight even
though their relative intensity may be the same as their
opponent.
So how do you develop a speed, strength, and power reserve
for striking?
Speed
• Maximum effort medicine ball throws and jumps with
complete rest: e.g. 3 x 3 w/ 3-5 minutes rest.
• Maximum power pad or bag combinations with complete
rest: e.g. 7-10 second power combo w/ 1.5-3 minutes rest.
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Strength
• Maximum strength training on basic and specific lifts: e.g.
Deadlift 3 x 2-5 @70-90% 1RM w/ 2-5 minutes rest.
Maximum effort isometric pull against the power rack 3 x 6
seconds w/ 1-2 minutes rest.
Power
• Maximum effort loaded jumps or Olympic lifts: e.g. 3 x 3-5
Squat Jump @30-40% 1RM with 2-3 minutes rest. Power
Clean 3 x 1-3 with 2-3 minutes rest.
As you may notice, all of these exercises are performed with
maximal effort and intent. This is how you develop crazy speed,
strength, and power to raise the ceiling of your maximum
outputs.
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Secret #2: Prioritizing LowLevel Aerobic Conditioning
Being fast, strong, and powerful is all well and good until you
can't sustain it and invariably gas out. While having a speed,
strength, and power reserve will help you operate at lower
relative intensities, you still need a gas tank.
Many people will tell you boxing, kickboxing, karate, muay thai,
and taekwondo are predominantly anaerobic sports due to its
intermittent nature and the 'short' rounds. That's far from the
truth.
And here's why. Let’s start with boxing. Amateur boxing when
competing in a 3 x 2-minute format has energy system
contributions of 77-85% aerobic, 19-9% anaerobic alactic,
and 4-6% anaerobic lactic with an activity ratio of 1:2
work:rest.
Elite Commonwealth level boxers have very high aerobic
capacity metrics with average VO2maxmeasures of 64 ml.kg1.min-1
Why is this important?
Elite triathletes have a VO2max ranging between 70-80 ml·kg1
·min-1 which highlights the extreme importance of the aerobic
energy system.
Kickboxing and Muay Thai is slightly more active than boxing
where a 1:1 ratio of high to low-intensity activity is present in
elite male kickboxers.
Top-level karatekas shows an activity to break ratio of 1:1.5
with high-intensity actions showing a ratio of 1:8. International
level WTF Taekwondo has the lowest activity ratio with 1:6
fighting to non-fighting activity
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Those who can sustain more of their effort during
a fight aerobically will be far less likely to gas out
due to the large amount of energy the aerobic
energy system can regenerate at a time.
The anaerobic lactic energy system kicks in when the aerobic
energy system can't keep up with the supply of energy and
needs the lactic system to pick up the slack. However, the lactic
energy system does not last long as you can see in the graph
below (the red line).
This means that once you've burned through your anaerobic
lactic energy stores, you're left to run mainly on aerobic energy
which can't sustain very high-intensity efforts leading you to
operate at reduced outputs.
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Without going too deep into a science lesson, the aerobic
energy system, other than providing energy, helps to remove
acidic waste products from the muscle that alter the pH level.
Think of it as a vacuum cleaner that sucks up all the “bad” stuff.
Quick note: lactate isn’t the “bad” stuff but the rise in lactate
corresponds to the rise in the “bad” stuff.
As the pH of the muscle becomes more acidic, it reduces the
ability of the muscle to contract, subsequently decreasing
performance. As you clear these waste products, you can
maintain performance for longer before fatiguing.
When you've near exhausted the anaerobic lactic system, you
can no longer tolerate the high levels of lactate and can't
clear the acidic waste products from the muscle and that is
why you fatigue or gas out.
So back to improving the aerobic energy system. If we can
push the point of when aerobic processes change to
predominantly anaerobic processes to higher intensities, then
we can operate at higher intensities predominantly aerobically.
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Here is a graphical representation of what I'm talking about.
Athlete 2 has more room to move regarding intensity before the
anaerobic processes start to take over.
If a fight was being fought at a pace that was on the upper
limits of Athlete 2's aerobic processes, Athlete 1 would be
digging deep into their anaerobic energy stores.
So, who gasses out first in this instance?
Athlete 1 due to the fact the aerobic energy system can't keep
up so the anaerobic processes are picking up the pieces… until
they can't anymore.
Just to preface this section on energy systems, each energy
system doesn't work in isolation. They all provide energy during
activity but certain energy systems will dominate depending on
the intensity and duration of exercise.
For example, as you are sitting there reading this, you are
producing lactate. Lactate is not the devil it was thought to be.
The aerobic energy system uses this lactate as energy (the
vacuum concept) keeping the build-up of other waste products
to a minimum.
So how can we raise this aerobic threshold? Here are my two
favorite methods that focus primarily on adaptations to the
heart (known as central adaptations) with some adaptation at
the muscular level (known as peripheral adaptations).
Cardiac Output
Also known as, long-duration, steady-state cardio.
"Oh no! Doing long-duration aerobic exercise is going to make
me slow!"
Pretty much the most used excuse used against performing
low-intensity exercise.
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However, the poison is in the dose. And secondly, if you're not
performing maximal speed and power work to improve your
maximal reserves, that is your other problem (more on the
organization of training later).
But this is a mode of conditioning you can't skip. Performing
long-duration, steady-state exercise stimulated the unique
adaptation to the heart.
It expands the heart chamber where blood is pooled before
being pumped around your body. Which means you're able to
pump more blood per heartbeat. This means more oxygen can
be delivered to the working muscles which is vital for the
aerobic energy system.
Secondly, long-duration, steady-state cardio grows a vast
network of capillaries at the muscular level. This means these
new blood vessels can deliver more oxygen to the muscles.
Here are some simple guidelines for performing cardiac output:
Keep your heart rate between 130-150 BPM is standing and
120-140 BPM if sitting or lying down. Use a heart rate monitor. I
recommend the Polar H10. Don't bother with inaccurate wristworn fitness trackers.
Perform 30-60 minutes of steady-state exercise. You can
perform these 1-3x a week depending on your phases of
training. More on what exercise to choose in secret #4.
Cardiac Power Intervals
These are killer work intervals. To perform these, you need to
keep your heart rate as high as possible for the working
interval. Here are some guidelines taken from James “The
Thinker” Smith “Global Dynamics Of Coaching”:
5-20 x 60-120 seconds with 2-3 minutes rest or 120-130 BPM
heart rate recovery.
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Performing Cardiac Power Intervals increases the strength of
the heart which means your heart can contract with more force
pumping out more blood per heartbeat.
Along with a larger chamber to pool blood, the heart is able to
now deliver much more blood to the working muscles.
A secondary adaptation is the increase in oxygen powerhouses
in the heart known as mitochondria. More mitochondria means
the heart is less likely to fatigue as intensity increases so is
able to keep delivering more oxygen at higher heart rates.
Give these a try 1-2x a week.
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Secret #3: Rarely Using
High-Intensity Interval
Training
I've touched on raising the ceiling of maximum outputs and
building the aerobic base on the low end. The middle between
them would be the anaerobic lactic energy system which we
have discussed already.
Meaning a powerful anaerobic a-lactic, and to some degree,
anaerobic lactic energy system is needed for that finishing
power. So, there is great importance for these energy systems.
However, many fighters spend far too much time training in that
intensity zone where the anaerobic lactic energy system is
stressed constantly.
Especially with the craze of high-intensity interval training
(HIIT). But why may this be an issue?
1. The anaerobic systems are the least trainable energy
systems. This doesn't mean they can't be improved, it just
means the room for improvement is very small compared
to the aerobic energy system.
2. The rate at which anaerobic lactic adaptations are
maximized may only take approximately 4 weeks
(approximately 16 sessions). What do you do for the rest
of the year to spur adaptation?
3. Large positive anaerobic lactic adaptations can occur in
as little as 6 sessions. Do you need to perform HIIT
year-round?
4. HIIT may improve both aerobic and anaerobic
adaptations. But HIIT doesn't provide the adaptations to
the heart like those mentioned in the previous section.
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Further, aerobic adaptations max out after
approximately 3 weeks (approximately 12 sessions)
when using a very high-intensity approach.
If you spend most or all of your conditioning time performing
HIIT, then you miss out greatly specific aerobic adaptations.
Furthermore, anaerobic adaptations oppose aerobic
adaptations.
Meaning the more time you spend chronically stressing the
anaerobic processes, the less "fit" you will become. Which
means you will gas out faster.
While this example comes from MMA, it is a great example of
how a fight preparation should look. Polish UFC middleweight
during his 12-week build-up, he spent weeks 1-7 performing
90-93% of his training volume as aerobic conditioning.
About 6-20% of this 90-93% was spent flirting with the
anaerobic energy system so was likely performed as lactate
threshold training.
During weeks 8-10, this was reduced 75-83% of total
conditioning volume where 25-33% was spent around the
lactate threshold.
It wasn't until week 11 where aerobic conditioning was reduced
to 30%, lactate threshold training increased to 43%, and the
rest was performed as pure anaerobic lactic and a-lactic
training.
It may seem counterintuitive for a sport where fights last only
15 minutes. But there is some more evidence to back this type
of training up.
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The German 4000m Team Pursuit Cycling team spent 94% of
their entire Olympic preparation performing aerobic
conditioning for a 4-minute race.
It wasn't until the last 8 days before the competition did they
start to perform anaerobic style training sessions.
They broke the World Record at the Sydney 2000 Olympics
and the training model has been successfully applied with the
Australian and British Track Cycling teams for the 2004 and
2008 Olympics.
So, be sure to not spend all your focus performing grueling HIIT
circuits you see on All Access and do what matters for your
striking performance.
I like to see it as a funnel which I have coined the "Funnel
System." Training moves from the very high and very low end
of the conditioning spectrum and slowly makes its way to the
middle as a fight gets closer.
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Secret #4: Performing Most
Of Your Conditioning With
Striking Training
"But James, you just said I need to perform long-duration,
steady-state cardio for aerobic conditioning?"
Correct. You should. However, I don't think it should be
performed the traditional way of running, biking, rowing, or
whatever else is at your 24-hour gym.
Think about the number of technical skills you need to train in a
week for striking. On top of that, you will likely need to fit in
strength/power gym sessions and conditioning to get you ready
to fight.
With limited hours in a week, why spend your conditioning time
running when you could put together a circuit of striking style
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drills so you can improve your technical skills and conditioning
together.
Further, you'll develop conditioning that is transferable to your
striking art. Spend all of your conditioning time sitting on a bike
and I guarantee you won't be ready to handle the intensity of a
fight.
Conditioning adaptations are more than just physiology.
Adaptations to the muscles depends on the work they are being
put through.
Performing 30 minutes of shadowboxing will better prepare you
for the rigors of fighting compared to 30 minutes of running.
To do this, all you need to do is stick within the guidelines of the
conditioning protocol you are performing. For example, Cardiac
Output requires 30-60 minutes at a heart rate of 130-150 BPM.
You can perform a simple continuous MMA circuit of:
1. Shadowboxing
2. Footwork
3. Skipping
4. Bag work
You can split whichever exercises you want into 5-20 minute
periods and move between your exercises without rest.
This doesn’t mean you can’t perform any non-specific
conditioning. I even give non-specific options with my
Underground Boxing Conditioning System program.
If you are performing a crazy amount of technical training, then
non-specific modalities can provide a nice break from the
monotony of striking training.
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Secret #5: Preparing For
The Worst-Case Scenario
The Worst-Case Scenario is a term referenced by Nassim
Taleb, an expert in randomness and probability. The WorstCase Scenario is essentially preparing for an event that hasn't
happened before.
A very simple example would be manipulating the work to rest
ratio of boxing which is 1:2. But that doesn't mean every single
part of a fight adheres to these averages.
Ideally, you'd do your analysis on your fights or other fights. It
could look at the maximum number of strikes thrown in a
certain period.
When you know this number, you can train to EXCEED these
numbers.
Taking the work to rest ratio example, you can
prepare for the Worst Case Scenario by
performing high-intensity activity with a 1:1 work to
rest ratio for a whole round. Or even a 1:0.8.
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Secret #6: Integrating
Training Organisation
Block periodization is the most commonly referred to and used
method of planning training within the general sporting
population. Likely because it is easy to map out.
Perform hypertrophy during this block. Strength training the
next block. And then finish with power training for the last block.
Or perform steady-state cardio in the first block. Then HIIT in
the second block. Then sprints in the final block.
However, this concept is highly flawed with it is applied to
mixed sports such as the striking arts. What do I mean by
mixed sports? Sports that require large contributions from all
three energy systems.
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Sports such as sprinting or jumping are pure a-lactic sports so
would not be considered a mixed sport and may benefit from
the block periodization approach.
For the striking arts, you don't just need to be fast. You need to
be strong, powerful, aerobically and anaerobically fit, and to be
able to repeat your high outputs over and over while dealing
with an opponent.
By blocking your training, you lose out on all of the work you
have done in previous blocks. Otherwise known as, "use it or
lose it,"
Rather, taking a Vertical Integration approach works best and is
the exact planning scheme I use with my athletes and teams.
Vertical Integration is simply training all qualities but
emphasizing certain qualities during certain phases. For
example, closer to a fight, you may focus on power type
training and hard anaerobic lactic efforts but you will still have a
small dose of strength work.
If you are far from a fight, you may focus on maximal strength
and low-level aerobic conditioning but you will still train speed
and power but in smaller volumes.
This way, when it comes to emphasizing a certain quality,
you're not starting from behind.
All you need to do is manipulate the volume of work. For
example, if strength is your main priority, you may perform 2-4
exercises with 3-5 sets each. Whereas your speed and power
exercises you may only perform 1-3 sets.
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