7 Things to Consider When Developing the Best MMA Strength and Conditioning Plan for You

By Brett Bartholomew

First off, please realize that there is no perfect plan that is going to work for everyone.  I don't care of its the workout used by the most successful fighter in history.  What is the best for you depends on your ability level, equipment you have, nutrition and sleep that you get , etc.  You can develop he best strategy for you by understanding the training components that go into a  smart adaptable, long term program.  In the video below, I'll address 7 things to address when you are trying to develop the best MMA strength and conditioning plan for yourself or your athletes.

Best MMA Strength and Conditioning Strategies

Buy In - Everybody on your fight team has to be on the same page.  Commitment and trust that everyone is doing whats best for that athlete.No egos, no agendas.

Long Term Plan - Understanding that athletic development takes time and we reverse engineer what the athletes needs and wants and then develop a plan to attain those qualities.

Phase Breakdown - Building the foundation to address your needs, increasing intensity to develop strength and power and realizing that training will change over time to address multiple aspects of your athleticism.

Flexibility - Following a rigid plan vs being flexible.  Life will happen and you might get sick, have family challenges, work drama, etc.  You need a plan that is flexible in order to stay consistent. Rigid and strict are not realistic.

Phases 1-3 - Resistance training to develop strength, address imbalances and transitioning into higher intensity work.

Taper - Fights are won or lost outside of the cage.  If you do anything drastic here, you can wipe out all of the hard work that you've done during the camp.

ESD - Conditioning is essential, but you have to understand when to ramp up and when to pump the breaks and recover if you want to be sharp and prepared on fight night.