Dewey you run a very successful bjj/mma school. Do you offer strength training classes at your facility and how to you deal with logistic problems like varying training levels and equipment usage

All training in our facility is done with me as one on one training or group training (no more than 4 per group). In these scenarios we really don’t run into any logistic problems. Equipment usage is not an issue and true beginners will never be paired with my advanced guys.

We will be starting some group fitness classes in the next month. The classes will have a heavy metabolic emphasis. Basically it will be structured group interval training using different tools like kettlebells, dumbbells, bodyweight, etc. In this situation we will probably limit class sizes to around 10 or 12.

How do you warm up for a Jits class and how does this differ from schools that don’t have a coach with a background in strength and conditioning.

This is a great question. Our warm ups definitely reflect some strength and conditioning. I think traditionally you will see BJJ gyms warm guys up with some stretching, jogging and a boat load of flexion abdominal work. As a side note, BJJ/MMA guys perform WAY too much spinal flexion. Some of the best advice I could give to keep them healthy is to cut that junk out.

As far as our warm-ups go, we start with some soft-tissue work using the foam rollers (this has become a habit in our gym. Guys immediately grab a roller). From there we will spend a few minutes stretching and move right into some movement prep. Our movement prep will start with some basic lunging variations, a lot of crawling movements and then move into more specific drilling like shooting, arm bars, triangles, etc. After movement prep, our class lesson will begin.

Your recent article “Common Mistakes of a Mixed Martial Artist” raised some interesting points. Your opinion of long distance running goes against the opinion of many combat sport coaches. Why do you feel that low intensity cardio isn’t optimal for combat athletes.

In the article I put this as the number one mistake. The bottom line is, if a coach is giving a combat athlete LSD (long slow distance), they generally do not understand the physiological demands of combat sports. That may piss some guys off but it’s the truth. There may be some valid reasons for recovery to use LSD but other than that there is NO place for it in a program. Your body will adapt to the training stress that is place upon it. Train slow, perform slow. PERIOD! Simply ask yourself, are you going to fight at slow pace for 45 minutes? No. So why would you train that way? LSD is the kiss of death for combat athletes.

In your article you mentioned you used Gray cooks Functional movement screen. What does this screen assess and how does it help you enhance your athlete performance?

We screen all of our athletes using the FMS. What it shows us is mobility problems, stability problems and asymmetries in the athlete. The screen consists of 7 tests which we score between a 0 and a 3. Basically we are looking to see if they can function at a fundamental level. If they are scoring low on these tests, we know they are compensating at a more dynamic level on the mat. The FMS really helps us see common limiting factors in our sport. If we can recognize these and clean up our athlete’s movement patterns, then we are more likely to prevent non-contact and overuse injuries. Realize we can’t prevent an arm from popping in an arm bar. That’s not what we are talking about. Non-contact and overuse injuries are a big problem. BJJ/MMA guys just don’t take care of their bodies like they should. If they can avoid more injuries, that means they can train more consistently. That in itself is going to increase an athletes’ performance.

How do you deal with the hyperkyphotic posture you have encountered in many mma athletes?

This is like a plague among MMA athletes. It’s ironic because bad, hunch back posture is actually “good” posture in fighting. The first thing is to get the athlete aware of what good posture is. They need to understand that walking around with Neanderthal like posture is going to lead to pain and eventually injuries. Beyond that, we address soft-tissue work around the pecs, lats, t-spine and posterior shoulder. We will work a lot on t-spine mobility along with general upper body flexibility. And then we will compliment the mobility we have gained with some good scap activation exercises and rowing variations. In our strength training, we make sure that are equal in their pulling to pushing exercises. Too many guys are pushing dominant from so much bench pressing and suck at pull-ups and rows.

How often do you recommend that your athlete’s strength train and what is the breakdown of typical session?

Our guys will generally be on two or three day programs depending on they often they are training MMA/BJJ, how close they are to competition, etc. A typical session will look like this:

Soft-tissue work (foam roll, tennis ball, etc)
Flexibility
Activation (glutes, scap, etc.)
Movement prep
Power/Speed (med ball, plyos, Sled, etc)
Olympic Lift
Strength (generally total body)
Conditioning (no LSD)

Depending on what phase we are in and how close they are to competition this can look a little bit different but we will still address all of these components.

Part 2 HERE