One of the common misconceptions and falsehoods that confuses the profession of Strength and Conditioning, is the idea that all weight training is the same and same outcomes will be achieved. One of the 1st issues you have to face as a coach working with fighters is persuading them that weight training will not make them muscle bound and make them run out of steam quickers. These issues are easily avoided but there is underlying physiology that backs up their worries and also explains (once again) why bodybuilding is a terrible training method for mma fighters.
The purpose of bodybuilding is to develop hypertrophy (and possibly hyperplasia, although the research seems sketchy) (1) at all costs. Force production, power output and ballistic qualities are all predominantly irrelevent to competition. And so there needs not to be any decrepancy between whether the hypertrophy is sarcoplasmic or myofibrill in nature.
Dr Siff (2) describes sarcoplasmic hypertrophy as the growth of non contractile proteins and semi fluid plasma between the muscle fibers. This is in stark contrast to sarcomere (myofibril) hypertrophy which refers to the size increase of the actual contractile components. Clearly there is no place for non contractile hypertrophy in weight class guided sports such as mma. This would just be wasted 'weight'.
Failure to address this will lead to the classic idea of an mma fighter who looks like a body builder but 'gasses' very quickly in a fight. The physiology that brings this about is best described by Zalessky and Burkhanov (via Supertraining)
'Other research has found that hypertrophied muscle fibres need a
significantly larger tissue volume to perform a given amount of work. With
the development of non-functional muscle bulk (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy), the
increase in muscle mass outstrips the development of the circulatory system,
resulting in decreased nutrition and oxygenation of the muscle, slowing down
the metabolic processes in the muscle and less efficient disposal of
metabolic waste products from the musculoskeletal system'
significantly larger tissue volume to perform a given amount of work. With
the development of non-functional muscle bulk (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy), the
increase in muscle mass outstrips the development of the circulatory system,
resulting in decreased nutrition and oxygenation of the muscle, slowing down
the metabolic processes in the muscle and less efficient disposal of
metabolic waste products from the musculoskeletal system'
In order to avoid this happening a strength program that is aimed at developing strength by training for predominantly neural adaptations is paramount. In order to avoid cellular adaptations (sattelite cell incorperation and subsequent fusing)(3)(4), limiting the overall volume of the training program is key (5).
With the Roughouse fighters, we rarely perform an exercise that is at an intensity lower than 85% 1Rm and limit the total number of reps performed per muscle group to < 12, usually over 4 sets.
(1) Kadi F: Adaptation of human skeletal muscle to training and anabolic steroids. Acta Physiol Scand, 2000
(2) Siff M: Supertraining
(3) Hawke and Garry: Myogenic sattelite cels: physiology to molecular biology. J Appl Physiol, 2001
(4) Machida and Booth: Insulin-like growth factor 1 and muscle growth. Proc Nutr Soc, 2004
(5) Frobose et al: Z Orthop Ihre Grenzeb, 1993
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Found that hypertrophy is better stimulated by higher volume‐loads
before anyone moans..... i know i can't spell, but i don't care.
ReplyDeleteOllie how do you feel about complexing exercises together to address different areas of the force-velocity curve into a circuit? like bench press x 3, bench press throw x 5, medicine ball throw x 5 and plyo push ups x 8 resting 60 seconds between exercises and 3 minutes between circuits. Do you feel it would have any relevance/benefit for MMA athletes?
ReplyDeletewell, yes and no. If you're complexing exercises then you're usually looking for the 1st exercise to have a positive effect (post activation potentiation) on the 2nd exercise. For example using a heavy squat (1-2 reps @ 90%1RM or above) followed by a 12-15 minute rest coupled with a max power exercise like loaded jumps or a short sled acceleration.
ReplyDeleteThe circuit you outline is likely to negatively effect each of the exercises execution. What i mean is, because of the number of exercises, will you be able to produce as much force or power by doing them in a circuit than if you were doing them as a single exercise ? Probably not, so in effect you are training a fighter to consistantly produce sub max force and power characteristics.
However, having said that. If you choose to follow the 'non specific' power endurance route for CONDITIONING (not strength) then that circuit would seem like a good plan. I don't coach this route but that is not to say it is not a legitimate avenue, as the idea of fighters training to produce repeated efforts of power (although sub max) is valid and relevant for the sport. But you are unlikely to gain any max strength, max power or inc'd velocity as a result.
hope that helps
compliments my comments on your article in Fighting Fit this month - great minds!!!
ReplyDeleteDo you ever focus much on the eccentric phases of the lifts/movements?
ReplyDelete