CAGE Cardio Bodyweight Edition Page 1 - Amazon S3 · ready to smash their head through a wall if they think it will help. ... shape, but I followed some basic bodybuilding routines,

CAGE Cardio Bodyweight Edition Page 1


Copyright, Disclaimer, Other Legalese Copyright © 2014 by Mixed Martial Media – All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission of Eric Wong or Eric Wong Training Systems. Published by: Mixed Martial Media 388 Richmond St. W Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3P1 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.EricWongMMA.com This program is designed to improve your fitness. Not cure cancer, gonorrhea, or any other disease you may have. While a lot of time and effort has been invested in making this program as effective and safe as possible, you may still hurt yourself while doing it. You may even die. While both are unlikely, if either happens, it’s not my fault. It could’ve been just the trigger for something that’s been hanging around for a while, waiting to come out. That’s why before starting any exercise program, including this one, you may want to get cleared by your doctor. If you have any weird symptoms like dizziness, pain in your left arm, forgetfulness, or anything else that’s not normal, stop and seek medical help. If you choose not to obtain the consent of your physician and/or work with your physician throughout the duration of your time using the recommendations in the program, you are agreeing to accept full responsibility for your actions. I don’t know what the law says if your doctor is fat and unhealthy, though, in which case you may want to get a new doctor. You can’t give what you don’t have! This is my legal disclaimer as well as a tidbit of sound advice

http://www.ericwongmma.com/


Table of Contents

Intro .............................................................................. 4-10 Principles of S&C ....................................................... 11-18 The Science Behind CAGE Cardio .............................. 19-29 Implementing the Workouts ..................................... 30-31 CAGE Cardio Workouts ............................................. 32-38

The DESCENT .......................................................... 32 Elastic Punching Power .......................................... 33 The GRIND .............................................................. 34 Explode then Hold .................................................. 35 Speed Kills .............................................................. 36 Potential Energy ..................................................... 37 The Total Package .................................................. 38

Advanced Workouts .................................................. 40-43 The Mutant ............................................................ 40 Next Level Power ................................................... 41 Clinch of Death ........................................................ 42 Rock Climber .......................................................... 43

In Conclusion .................................................................. 44


Intro to CAGE Cardio Welcome to the premier Bodyweight Edition of CAGE Cardio! It’s great to have you here and I’m looking forward to hearing about your results with these workouts. Before we get into them, I’d like to quickly share the story of how I first came up with the CAGE Cardio concept… I’ve run into many fighters and athletes whose concept of conditioning for MMA is based on the idea of “no pain no gain”. Go balls to the wall each and every time and then you’ll have top-notch conditioning. It’s obvious why this is – MMA is a combat sport and you can’t be a weak little pussy and expect to get anywhere… Yes, only the strong survive. However, it’s the strong AND the smart that thrive. If it rhymes, it must be true. Anyway, the “no pain no gain” mindset is certainly necessary at times, but adopt it 100% of the time for each and every workout and training session you do and you’ll run into problems associated with OVERTRAINING. While overtraining is a common excuse used by many regular folks to avoid exerting themselves, it is a real problem for MMA fighters, who are often ready to smash their head through a wall if they think it will help. Fighters usually train MMA at least 4-5 days/week, on top of 2-3 days of strength and conditioning. And if a fight is coming up, they’re on a lower than optimal calorie diet to reach a weight from which they have to cut an additional 10% of their bodyweight in water. Combine this with having late nights of wild sex with young MMA groupies another 1-2 nights per week and the conditions to breed overtraining are ripe. Well, the first 4 are common and one can only hope for the last one… And when a fighter encounters a poor performance, perhaps in the weight room or in sparring, they’ll usually chalk it up to not enough training or not training hard enough and they’ll add workouts or up the volume or intensity and that’s when the problems occur.


Before continuing, let’s define a few different things that I’ll be talking about so we’re all on the same page and you understand this important concept. First, you’ve got to understand the nervous system and the various components of it. The central nervous system (CNS) is the main controller of everything in your body and includes your brain and the spinal cord. Think of it as the CPU in your computer. One part of the CNS is the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which in most cases, is not under your conscious control. The ANS controls respiratory rate, heart rate, digestion, the dilation of your pupils, and a host of other things you need to function. The ANS is further divided into the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Dominant SNS activity results in the “fight or flight” response, while dominant PNS activity results in the “rest and digest” response. Again, with the rhymes! So when you’re training at max intensity, the SNS thinks, “I’m in a fight” and is dominant. When you sleep is when the PNS is dominant. Here’s a diagram outlining some of the major functions of the SNS and PNS:


There’s a little background info on the nervous system. Hopefully you understand it a bit better. Now let’s talk OVERTRAINING… Overtraining is a term thrown around a lot but isn’t clearly understood or defined. So let’s do that now… Overtraining is the accumulation of exercise over time beyond the limits of an individual’s recovery ability, where a return to previous levels of performance takes 3 weeks or more of recovery. This is different from a similar term called overreaching. Overreaching is the accumulation of exercise over time over time beyond the limits of an individual’s recovery ability, where a return to or passing of previous levels of performance requires less than 3 weeks of recovery. Overreaching is an advanced method used to train advanced athletes. But for beginners and intermediates with less than 3 years of consistent and intelligent training under their belts, it’s totally unnecessary. Generally speaking, for most of you reading this, overreaching is an unnecessary risk and not something you want to plan your training program around, because if you screw it up and train just a bit too much, your performance could be in the dumps for months. Now, if you’re really keen, you may have heard about 2 different types of overtraining (sympathetic vs. parasympathetic). There is some debate about the topic, but it’s not worth going into because it doesn’t lead to any practical solutions. Because regardless, you’ll generally run into sympathetic overtraining first, so it’s most useful to understand the symptoms of it so you can avoid getting into parasympathetic overtraining, which is like the next level of overtraining. The symptoms of (sympathetic) overtraining include: Constant muscle soreness Lack of motivation to train General overall feeling of tiredness Get sick easily/more often than normal Sleep is messed up; usually in the beginning stages you’ll have trouble

falling asleep, whereas in later stages you’ll sleep excessively Depression


Decreased appetite Increased resting heart rate Irritable Decreased fitness performance Difficulty learning new skills (like combos or multiple move BJJ

transitions) As you can see, the list is quite large and there is no way to determine what your particular symptoms will be. Because of the real dangers of overtraining for mixed martial artists, instead of the “no pain, no gain” mindset, I’d like you to adopt the mindset of “less is more”.

I first learned this concept from a pro bodybuilder named Rudy. That’s him pictured to the right. He’s a big Polish guy and he had that hard eastern European/Russian vibe about him. But he was also one of the friendliest guys you’ll ever meet. Isn’t that often the case? Rudy was a sergeant on the police force and fellow instructor at the Ontario Police College – where new recruits go to get training. I served as a physical training instructor. At the time, I lifted weights regularly and was in good shape, but I followed some basic bodybuilding routines, hitting the various muscle groups via split workouts. One day in the cafeteria, I asked him if he had any tips with respect to training. The only thing he said to me with that friendly grin he was always flashing was, “Less is more.” I was hoping he’d break down an entire training program right there over our pork loin lunch, but that’s all I got. But even though I was disappointed, I still took it to heart. Based on this advice, instead of doing multiple body parts per day like I’d been doing, I did a single body part with 2 or 3 exercises and trained 5 days/week, Monday to Friday.


Combined with copying what Rudy ate in the cafeteria, albeit at a smaller scale (for example, he ate 10 egg whites at breakfast and 1-2 whole eggs; I ate 4 or 5 whites + 1 whole egg), I’d achieved my most muscular physique ever. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with getting the maximum results with the minimum effort. Efficiency. In fact, it’s one of the core values that I and my fellow powerDOJO Kyoudai live by, but there, I’ve framed it a little more simply as “Waste Nothing” as when phrased this way it also better applies to other areas of your life. With this mindset, things just happened to work out great for me since this mindset was necessary in helping me successfully train fighters. Many have failed in this regard and I chalk a lot of it up to the trainer also believing “no pain no gain” and just hammering the athlete and putting them into a state of overtraining. Bear with me for a sec as I feel a rant coming on… The situation is even more grim on the internet. Back to basics workouts don’t go viral, so guys are coming up with totally random workouts that look cool and might be hell to go through and posting them on YouTube. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a science background yourself, you’re going to be attracted to the guy with the six-pack telling you that his workouts are the magic key to getting ripped, building muscle, burning fat, increasing strength AND power who gives you some lame scientific explanation for the fact. Who wouldn’t want to achieve all of these things with just a SINGLE workout? But often the workout is based on absolutely no science or fundamental training principles and it’s often when these workouts are performed regularly by well-intentioned athletes or weekend warriors that overtraining and/or injury results. That’s why I’ve created this CAGE Cardio workout collection – to give you some workouts based on science and more importantly, to show you how to use them properly for optimal results and to avoid the pitfalls of overtraining. /END RANT Back to our regularly scheduled programming. :) Now, following the “less is more” mindset does not involve being lazy or not putting in a good effort – it’s about putting in the effort required to get the desired result and no more.


To get in great shape, yes, you’ve got to train hard. Sometimes you’ve got to push yourself farther than you want to. Dig down deep and push yourself beyond your previous limits. This is necessary. But it’s also about training smart and using the knowledge gained from science, on top of the experience of training athletes, to determine what is needed and what is superfluous. Life is not lived in a vacuum and energy saved in one domain can be applied to another. In MMA, it’s easy to see the benefit of this approach – energy saved on strength and conditioning can be applied to training MMA and developing actual fighting skills. But it’s just as important if you don’t fight or don’t train MMA. If you’ve got a family, you’ll have more energy and time to engage with them. If you’re a career man, you can work on moving on up. Or maybe you just want to hang out and chill with your mates instead of crawling into bed and passing out. Whatever your situation and whoever you are, the less is more mindset and efficiency at the very least gives you more time and energy and therefore options on how you want to live your life. As is so often the case, Master Bruce had something to say about this concept:


So now you know the motivations behind me creating this program. I’m doing my best to spread the word of scientific and intelligent training in this world where the only requirements for becoming a “guru” are a computer, internet access and a video camera. Thanks for being one of the enlightened souls who values investing their time, energy and hard-earned money in personal growth, not only in body but also in mind.


EricWongMMA Principles of S&C Discussing the principle of doing the least amount of work to get the desired result is the perfect segue into this section where I’d like to share some of my principles of strength and conditioning with you. I first wrote about these in my updated version of the Ultimate MMA S&C Master Manual, but instead of copying and pasting them here, I’ve re-written them from memory. I’ve also added one that I now realize was missing, so for those of you who have already learned these principles, read through them again and it’ll be a refresher for you and you’ll also learn the new principles. I’ve hidden it in the middle so see if you can spot it! NOTE: PSC stands for Principle of Strength and Conditioning

EricWongMMA PSC #1 do the least amount of work to get the desired result We’ve already discussed this bad boy; I’m just listing it here to keep the collection complete.

EricWongMMA PSC #2 what gets measured and tracked improves How often do you see people reading workouts or writing things down in the gym? I’ll bet as often as you see people getting results, because those that do are the ones that tend to make progress. If you’re not doing this, start. Now. Following a program is of vital importance for weight lifting. If you don’t, you’ll get to the gym, think “What should I do today?” then do the same things you always do. Combined with not knowing what weights you’ve lifted in the past, you can sit on a plateau for week or months and think you’re making gains because the workouts are tough, but you might not have increased your strength or endurance or whatever it is you’re hoping to achieve at all.

http://ultimatemmastrength.com/

http://ultimatemmastrength.com/


At the very least, buy a small notebook and write down your workouts and what weights you lift. If you’ve followed any of my strength programs before, I guide you through the process I use to track workouts for my athletes (and myself). For the CAGE Cardio workouts, you don’t really have to write much down. You simply have to check off that you did the workouts. I suggest you write the date you did the specific workout on the workout sheet itself. This way you’ll know if you’re doing the workouts when you should be doing them and making the proper progressions.

EricWongMMA PSC #3 follow a progressive program aka don’t wing it This is probably the biggest mistake most athletes and trainees make. If you’re not following a program, I guarantee you’re not getting the results that you could be. At the very least, having a set program to follow with built-in progression eliminates the time you waste when you go to the gym and think, “Soooo, what am I going to work today?” Plus, when you do ask yourself this question at the gym, you’re likely going to do the same exercises you’ve always done. What you’re comfortable with. As I’m sure you know, stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow. Now, you’re here and you’ve gotten this program and it’s a pretty solid progressive conditioning program so all you need to do is follow it. But there’s one thing that might be in your way, as I’ve seen it hinder many others and it’s hindered myself as well, and that is information overload. Being subscribed to dozens of training or nutrition newsletters. Following a bunch of internet gurus on YouTube and Facebook. While learning and growth is all good, too many inputs can result in confusion and inaction. And that’s where guys get stuck. This isn’t just my opinion, this is backed by research.


A study by Wiltermuth and Francesca, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2012 showed that inaction can result from too many options and is the result of a phenomenon called Fear of Missing Out (FMO). The study was fairly complex and included 6 different experiments, so I’ll just summarize it so you understand the bottom line and how it applies to what we’re discussing here. Participants were asked to do some mundane work for a set amount of time and depending on how long they worked, could choose rewards (like a chocolate bar or pen) that were separated in different bins. When participants could work towards getting a reward from each of the separate bins, they worked harder and longer than when they could work towards choosing rewards from 2 of 4 bins, for example. So if there were 2 bins, and they worked long enough, they could get a prize from each of the 2 bins, they worked longer than if there were 4 bins and they could only get a prize from 2 of the bins. This is FMO in action. When the participants knew they would miss out on prizes from 2 of the bins, it decreased their motivation and effort. Now, this applies to you because when you’re on 10 different newsletters, you’re going to learn different workouts, different exercises and hear about different programs. INFORMATION OVERLOAD. Even if you’ve just bought one of my programs, the new programs you’re hearing about will make you think that you’re missing out on whatever is being promoted. Especially when guys are getting better at marketing their programs, which as an S&C coach who sells program online, I’m always working on because the competition is fierce and I have to put bread on the table. Has this happened to you? It’s definitely happened to me. Therefore, my suggestion is to stay subscribed to 2 or 3 different coaches or authors (on email, YouTube and Facebook) and no more. I do suggest you stay on my list.


Because if you stay on my email list, when you get an email from me, what I talk about will further reinforce what you learn in the program of mine that you’re following. It won’t further confuse the matter and will only serve to deepen your understanding of what I teach. So create a separate email account if you want to put all your newsletters in that you can check in a few months when you’re looking for a new program after completing one. But to be constantly bombarded by emails and marketing messages promoting the latest and greatest program, supplement, diet or concept to take your gains to the next level, you’re putting yourself at the risk of suffering from the Fear of Missing Out, and preventing the gains you could get from actually following the program.

EricWongMMA PSC #4 proper technique is crucial Ugly form reigns supreme in gyms around the world. There’s a lot to say here, but just know that poor form distributes the load to muscles less suited for the job, which results in:

• Acceleration of the injury process – you may recruit muscles or even ligaments that aren’t biomechanically suited for the job, which will result in an overuse injury if you push the intensity far enough

• Creation of inefficient muscle activation patterns – basically, when you don’t train in good form, you waste energy

• Muscle imbalances – good form is often associated with good posture, which is where your muscles are balanced

• Strength plateaus – this is why athletes in sports like Powerlifting continually work on their technique, because it’s these little tweaks that allow them to lift enormous weights without injuring themselves

A real world example of this principle in action is when you’re doing a set and your goal is 8 reps, but your form falters on the 5th rep, you stop there, write it down, lower the weight for your next set if you have to, and swallow your pride. In the long run, you’ll make greater gains following this principle then just pushing through with poor technique, because do so and you’ll injure yourself and the weeks or months that you’ve got to take off from training will have you much farther behind compared to stopping 3 reps short on a single set.


EricWongMMA PSC #5 avoid training dogma If you’ve read the Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Master Bruce then you know that JKD is founded on the concept that there is no superior martial art or form. No, “our team is #1 and the rest of you are fools!” Back in his day this was a ground-breaking concept and one that was met with a lot of resistance because every ‘master’ of a martial art thought they were the king shit. But as we see now in mixed martial arts, realizing that everything has its time and place and there is no best style is the only logical mindset to adopt if your goal is to be the best fighter you can be. Within the strength and conditioning world, we see the same little cliques and groups that the traditional martial arts world has: you have your die-hard Cross Fitters, your kettlebellers, the bodyweight crowd; the bodybuilders and powerlifters all promoting their was as the best way. But there can be no best way until we understand what our goal is. Once you know your goal, you can pick and choose the methods that will serve you the best. None of these methods are superior to others and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages, but if your goal is to be a fighter, then your only concern is what will help you improve your fighting. Likewise, if your goal is fitness, then it’s up to you to define what your specific fitness goal is and use the methods that will help you reach that goal. If your main goal is general fitness, playing with all of these different methods adds variety and keeps your workouts interesting and fun.

EricWongMMA PSC #6 health is your foundation for peak performance If you somehow summoned the 10 best strength and conditioning coaches in the world, flew them into your hometown, booked them in the same hotel and paid them to spend 6 hours per day for 6 days in a row to create an 8 week program to get you ready for your upcoming fight, if you had terminal cancer or you were sick and had mono or gonorrhea or something that sapped your energy, even if you could do the workouts, the program wouldn’t be that effective, would it?


This is a rather extreme example to prove my point that if you’re not healthy, you’re not going to be able to perform at your best and achieve stellar results, no matter what the program is. Modern society always has us looking for the quick fix and the magic button that we can push and get everything our heart desires. Unfortunately this mindset leads us to want to put the cart before the horse. With respect to nutrition, I get more questions about supplements than anything else and the fact of the matter is that if you’re not eating well, the supplement won’t do anything for you. So before you get all wrapped up in the details about something, ensure that you’ve built a strong foundation first. For peak performance, that foundation is health.

EricWongMMA PSC #7 manage your “adaptation energy” I’m not going to go into depth about this topic at all here because it’s beyond the scope of this program, but basically, your ability to make gains is a combination of the proper stimulus and having adaptation energy to be able to build your body to superior levels of performance. Think of it as a battery. Everything that you do including training, your job, dealing with your finances, maintaining a healthy relationship with your wife or girlfriend, etc, drains some of your adaptation energy. Some of these things more than others, but I digress… Now there are other things that recharge this energy. Things like good sleep. Healthy food. Laughing. Meditation. If you’ve got no adaptation energy left, you’ll never make gains. But if you train with the proper workouts and have an abundance of adaptation energy, you will make gains. It’s as simple as that. The CAGE Cardio workouts here are enough to start this process.


Just ensure you’re doing enough of the other stuff to allow your body to recover to a level greater than where you are now.

EricWongMMA PSC #8 set goals and work towards them When it comes to goals, setting things like, “I want to become the UFC champion” or “I want to gain 20 pounds of muscle” are what we call outcome goals. While these are great goals and can be motivating, just by setting them, there’s no guarantee of success. The popular movie The Secret popularized the idea that you if you simply set a goal, get all emotional about it and think about it every day, it’ll happen. Sorry to burst your bubble but the only secret there is the secret to living with your parents for the rest of your life. The bottom line is that nothing in this world happens without one thing – ACTION. You’ve got to do something to get what you want. You’ve got to step off the sidelines and put in an honest effort. You’ve got to make things happen. So that was a long-winded way to get to my point – instead of just setting outcome goals, also set BEHAVIOUR goals. Behaviour goals are the things that you do that you think will help you reach your outcome goals. This isn’t just my opinion, this is something that’s been studied many times and proven to be an effective goal setting process. The science backs it up, but if we apply some critical thinking about it, we see that it logically and practically makes sense and in the real-world, practical application is more important. One roadblock that often stops you from taking the actions to achieve your goals is the fear of failure and its close cousin, the fear of not being perfect. If you’ve got a very analytical mind, you’ll spend hours researching a topic before making a decision.


While this is good to a point, done to excess it can be paralyzing and leave you with no confidence in moving forward in areas where there is no clear-cut definitive answer. It’s one thing to figure out what TV has the features you want at the price you want to pay and a completely different animal to determine what training program to follow and what exercises to do. The thing to remember is that a lot of different methods work – it’s finding the methods that work for you and the only way to do that is to actually try them out and see how your body responds. If you do something and it turns out to be wrong, at the very least you’ve gotten some feedback and learned what doesn’t work. You can then adjust, tweak and maybe find something that actually does work. But if you just think about your goal - short of a miracle - how does anything actually happen? Exactly. It doesn’t. Do nothing, get nothing. That’s the only thing I can guarantee. Sorry, that was another mini-rant. I just had to get that off my chest. There are just too many charlatans out there preaching the gospel of achieving everything you want with absolutely zero effort that I had to say something. So now, you and I are on the same page. Let me share the science behind the CAGE Cardio workouts and then it’ll be time to put the work in.


The Science Behind CAGE Cardio For all movement, your body relies on energy, just like a car relies on gas. In fact, it’s easy to understand what the energy systems are all about when you think of each energy system as a car: The Aerobic energy system is like a Toyota Prius Hybrid – it’s very efficient and can literally go on forever but isn’t very fast or powerful (marathon runners are fueled by the Aerobic system). The Anaerobic Lactic energy system is like a Ford Truck – it’s powerful and has a lot of torque and towing capacity (think GRIND) but it eats a lot more gas than a Prius and lasts a maximum of 2 minutes. The Anaerobic Alactic energy system is like a Drag Racing Car – it’s fast as hell but can only last for short period of time, typically up to 15 seconds before it’s out of gas. The CAGE Cardio workouts are based on your body’s energy systems. You can perform exercises and workouts to target each specific energy system, giving you 3 distinct types of training based on the energy systems. However, the energy systems can also be combined and these are the types of workouts we’ll be focusing on in CAGE Cardio. Let me break ‘em down for you now:

Aerobic + Lactic (A+L) Most circuit training workouts such as CrossFit hit the Aerobic and Lactic energy systems. However, I’ve never seen these workouts broken down or described as I’m about to do for you here, which is why I’ve created the CAGE Cardio workouts and written this manual. There are 2 main subsets of A+L training that you can target Systemic Lactic and Local Lactic. When performing a Systemic A+L workout, the Lactic energy system of a muscle group is stimulated through at least 20 seconds of work, then the focus changes to stimulating the Lactic energy system of a different muscle group.


This back and forth between different muscle groups is the basic template for Systemic A+L workouts. The cardiovascular system is trained because it needs to move blood to and from different muscle groups in the body and to the liver. In effect, the entire body is vasodilated (blood vessels are opened) and blood is shunted up and down and all around. Thus, the Aerobic system is stressed and through progressive training methods, also improves. Plus, there’s a large Lactic system overload, since many different muscle groups are producing the by-products of Lactic energy metabolism, which enters the bloodstream. When Lactic by-products enter the bloodstream, the liver is in charge of processing these by-products and in effect, Systemic Lactic workouts stimulate adaptations in your liver to help you process these metabolites so you can keep training, fighting, or drinking. Actually, I don’t know if these workouts will help you drink more or not, but the other two are true. The end result is that the POWER of the Aerobic and the Lactic energy systems is improved. Local A+L workouts have a lot more variety in the way that they can be designed. One example is where a certain muscle group is targeted, let’s say the legs, and we hit them with 2 or 3 exercises such as Squat Jumps, Reverse Lunge and the Wall Sit for 30 seconds each, which really pushes the capacity of Lactic metabolism for the muscles being worked because the legs are being worked for 90 seconds total. Focus can then switch to a different muscle group, say the upper body through Pushups for a 30 second set, and then we could come back to some more lower body work by performing the same exercises again or different ones. The brief interlude of the Pushups in between leg exercises allows a little bit of recovery in the legs, but not much. Combine that with a relatively long duration of lower body work (90 seconds) and you can see that we’re training the ENDURANCE of your legs to handle Lactic work. In doing this workout, blood is not being shunted around the body as much as in the Systemic workouts, but the Aerobic system is still being stimulated, just at a lower level.


So there you have the Aerobic + Lactic workouts broken down and you can see how it’s always possible to get a little more precise in our training when we apply a little bit of good ole science.

Aerobic + Alactic (A+A) Before I explain the energy system demands of A+A workouts, unlike the Lactic system, when we think about the Alactic system where we’re thinking about overloading certain muscles with the by-products of Lactic metabolism, it’s more productive to think in terms of movement patterns. Thus, compound and sport-specific movements are the ticket to getting the best results. But when training the Lactic system we can make use of other means such as isolation movements and isometrics because with them, we can get maximal Lactic engagement. Unlike the A+L workouts, in the A+A workouts we want to keep muscular fatigue to a minimum. Instead of fighting through burning and pain, the goal is to focus on maximal effort for the short period of time you’ll be doing the exercise, then regroup so you can focus again on maximal effort. Remember that the Alactic system is what generates explosive power such as the ability to land a huge KO punch or shake the cage via a thundering takedown, but this power is very limited. You’ll usually be able to perform a set for a max of about 10 seconds before the Alactic system is tapped out. The exact time depends on the exercise – exercises with a smaller within-rep work:rest ratio or a large relative elastic component can be performed for longer without fatigue, but 10 seconds is a good general rule of thumb and you can’t go wrong using it. To illustrate my point, here’s an example from the race where Usain Bolt set a world record of 9.58 seconds in the 100 m sprint:


Source: http://www.sportsscientists.com/2009/08/analysis-of-bolts-958-wr.html The graph shows the speed of the top 3 competitors in the race, Bolt, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell. You can see that speed for all 3 increases until they hit the 80 metre mark, at which point they all slow down. It took Bolt 7.92 seconds to reach the 80 metre mark before he started to slow down. This is for a total body movement that requires a lot of muscular work with a relatively small elastic component, which would make the exercise more taxing on the Alactic system, resulting in the shorter time to fatigue. Compare this with the Pogo Jump, which has a low within-rep work:rest ratio and is highly elastic and you can see why it is able to do Pogo Jumps for 15, even 20 seconds before the height you jump decreases. With these factors in mind, I may prescribe a certain # of reps or a timed set that may fall anywhere from 5-20 seconds long. It all depends on the exercise and the exact time needed to maximize the involvement of the Alactic energy system. An important point to keep in mind is that the endurance of the Alactic system cannot necessarily be increased directly i.e. the storage of the energy source (ATP-CP) that fuels the Alactic energy system is limited. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t increase the power of the Alactic system, which is what you do when you increase your maximal strength and/or ability to generate force rapidly.

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2009/08/analysis-of-bolts-958-wr.html


That’s why performing a complementary and effective strength training program is so important – it allows you to increase your maximal strength. Bodyweight exercises, for example, help train how fast you can generate that force. So they work hand in hand. Synergistically. Like two peas in a pod. The circuits here where we’re training the Alactic system also go to improve the speed at which your muscles recover and this is done through the progressive decrease of rest between sets. And the faster you recover, the more often you can explode at full force within a 5 minute round and the better chances you have of pulling off a big win in the cage. We can also still target systemic vs. local as we did with the Lactic workouts, but in either case, your CNS is being stimulated maximally and you’re getting a low to medium level of Aerobic stimulation. With Systemic A+A workouts, the goal is minimal muscular fatigue and it’s achieved by alternating between different movement patterns as you progress through the circuit. When you alternate between movement patterns for each set, the rest before you repeat a movement pattern is relatively long. For example, let’s say your A+A workout consists of 2 exercises: Squat Jumps and Explosive Pushups.

1. Perform Squat Jumps for 10 seconds 2. Rest 50 seconds 3. Perform Explosive Pushups for 10 seconds 4. Rest 50 seconds – this is 1 complete circuit 5. Repeat for a total of 5 circuits

You can see that even though your rest between exercises is only 50 seconds, the rest between sets of Squat Jumps is almost 2 minutes (1 minute 50 seconds to be exact). This allows the movement pattern to be executed at full power. On the other hand, Local A+A workouts will focus on endurance a little more since you will repeat a movement pattern before moving on. Thus, there is relatively less rest within a single movement pattern vs. Systemic A+A workouts.


Let’s use the same 2 exercises as an example:

1. Perform Squat Jumps for 10 seconds 2. Rest 50 seconds 3. Perform Squat Jumps for 10 seconds 4. Rest 50 seconds 5. Perform Explosive Pushups for 10 seconds 6. Rest 50 seconds 7. Perform Explosive Pushups for 10 seconds 8. Rest 2 minutes – this is 1 complete circuit 9. Repeat for a total of 3 circuits

Now, you’ve only got 50 seconds of rest before repeating Squat Jumps vs. a minute 50 in the Systemic A+A example. I should mention here that these are in fact examples – 50 seconds is not a magic number for rest periods. In fact, along with total # of circuits, rest periods will be the most dynamic variable in A+A workouts, as I’ll explain in the Progression section. In thinking about all of this, it’s dawned on me that everything I’ve detailed in the previous section could be neatly summarized in a chart that might help you understand these concepts, so here it is:

CAGE Cardio Workout Aerobic Stimulus Anaerobic Stimulus Specific Target Systemic Aerobic + Lactic Medium-High Power LIVER | muscles Local A+L Medium Endurance liver | MUSCLES* Systemic Aerobic + Alactic Medium Power CNS Local A+A Low-Medium Endurance CNS

* ALL CAPS for the Specific Target for A+L workouts means it is higher relative to small caps

NRG System Complexes Ahhhh, my bread and butter… I created the first NRG System Complex training Jeff “The Inferno” Joslin for a title fight for a now defunct organization back in 2006. He was the first mixed martial artist I’d trained and was also my BJJ instructor and now he’s a great friend of mine. I remember how nervous I was watching the fight. It was at a hockey rink in Quebec and I was sitting with at least 70 of Jeff’s friends, students and training partners.


When Jeff came out, our section went absolutely crazy and this just added to the anxiety I was feeling. I think I spent more time thinking about and researching training methods than I actually did training him. I did my best but regardless, I’d still never had an athlete compete and when he stepped into the ring, as they say, shit got real. If he gassed, I would’ve felt terrible because I’d let him down. Plus, it would’ve been embarrassing as hell. When the fight started, Jeff and his opponent (Nuri Shakir) circled each other, feeling each other out. Then, about 2 minutes in, Jeff landed a big right hand and POW, Nuri went down, Jeff pounced, and the fight was over. I went bonkers (as did everyone else around me) and started high-fiving neighbours and chanting “Joslin! Joslin!”. I was super pumped that Jeff won. But I still didn’t know how his conditioning was, since he ended the fight so fast. However, I would find out in 6 weeks… After Jeff won the Apex welterweight title, he got a call from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. Someone had dropped out of a fight with Josh Koscheck due to injury. At first Jeff thought that one of his friends was messing around with him, but once he realized it really was Joe Silva, he got serious pretty quick. After thinking about it for a whole 2 seconds, Jeff agreed and training camp would begin again. The fight took place at a Marine base in California, so it wasn’t exactly friendly territory for us Canadians. It was a unique venue for the event and a surreal experience with fighter jets and helicopters outside and being surrounded by Marines. Here are a few pics from the event:


Clockwise from top-left: Jeff and I pre-fight, a chopper, me in front of the crowd, Jeff vs. Koscheck.

I still watch the fight every once in a while because it was my first time at a live UFC event and it was even more special because I trained one of the fighters on the card! I could probably describe the fight in detail from start to finish, but while Jeff put up a great fight and by most accounts won the standup game, he couldn’t stop Koscheck’s takedowns and lost the fight via unanimous decision. While losing was heartbreaking, Jeff was happy about his performance and received a lot of praise from Joe Rogan on the broadcast as well as some of the UFC brass.


And I finally had the proof that my conditioning methods worked, as Jeff was able to battle for all 3 rounds against a tough wrestler who is also known for his conditioning. After the fight, Jeff told me he could’ve kept going and felt great in there. And while I’m always the first to say that fitness is the result of a well-designed and periodized program, I credit a large part of his high level of conditioning to the NRG System Complexes we’d done leading up to both of the fights I’d trained him for. [NOTE: while Jeff’s future was bright, he suffered multiple concussions in training and decided to retire from MMA to focus on coaching. He’s also created the hands-down best beginner’s MMA training program called MMA Quickstart. Highly recommended for those wanting to learn MMA at home or those looking to start training at a club but who don’t want to feel lost when they get there.] My unique NRG System Complexes are performed with very specific set, rep and exercise order. The way the workouts are designed effectively train all 3 energy systems of your body and develop your conditioning perfectly for MMA. They integrate and advance the principles from both the A+L and A+A workouts that you’ve just learned about and are highly specific to an MMA fight, but not just any fight, a worst-case scenario fight. This is because the # of reps you perform keep you within the alactic system, and the exercise choices and order allow the alactic system to slightly recover on a local level, thus avoiding heavy lactic engagement. For example, in my classic NRG System Bodyweight Complex found in the Ultimate MMA S&C Program, you superset between 8 Lunge jumps and 8 Explosive pushups. 8 reps of either take less than 10 seconds of work – so the alactic system is predominant. While you’re doing the pushups, the legs are resting, and vice versa, so the alactic system has a bit of time to recover. You’d then perform the Lunge jumps again and the Pushups again, completing 2 sets of each before moving on to the next exercise. Doing 2 sets allows you to challenge alactic endurance, without totally fatiguing the system and forcing you into lactic dominance. You might then move on to a core stability or quickness exercise giving the major upper and lower body muscles a chance to recover, while you’re still working and doing an exercise specific to MMA.

http://mmaquickstart.net/

http://mmaquickstart.net/


This goes on for about 5 minutes, so as you proceed through the complex, the lactic and aerobic energy systems are engaged more, giving you complete energy system development, never-ending cardio AND explosive knockout power that will last you to the final bell – if you don’t KO your opponent first! The one downfall from these complexes is that they require a little more thinking because you’re moving between exercises a lot quicker and there are more exercises to perform. NRG System Complexes aren’t as simple as doing 30 sec of one exercise then moving on, but they are the most scientific and effective workouts to peak your conditioning for MMA. Because after you’ve pushed yourself through these workouts, in terms of pure fitness, you’ll be ready to deal with anything thrown your way. The way the NRG System Complexes are organized allows you to train all 3 energy systems at once with the emphasis on the Aerobic and Alactic systems and allowing you to feel the Lactic system in later rounds (with low frequency) so you don’t freak out if you do have to go there in your fight. As I’ve mentioned earlier, traditional timed station circuits train the Aerobic + Lactic energy systems and if this is all you do, you’ll lack the speed and explosive power development you get from effective training of the Anaerobic Alactic system. Now you might be here for general fitness and have no intentions or desire to punch, kick or choke your way to glory. For you, one style of training is not superior to the others, they are all important for balanced fitness development as well as variety. Each style of workout carries with it specific stresses that if continued without interruption, can lead to a plateau at the very least or an overuse injury or overtraining syndrome at the very worst. But training like a mixed martial artist is a great way to develop your overall fitness and chisel out an athletic and powerful physique. MMA is what’s known as a relative strength sport. Relative strength means being as strong (or powerful, or fit) as possible for a certain bodyweight. Unlike sports like football or basketball, MMA doesn’t favour the largest athletes or large amounts of muscle mass – it’s all about achieving the right amount of muscle for your frame. Too little muscle and you’ll be weak compared to your opponents and they’ll be able to bully you. Kendall Grove is a good example of a really tall guy with


great skills but who just couldn’t deal with the strength of other fighters in his weight class. Too much muscle and you’ll either have trouble making weight (see Anthony Johnson) or you’ll have to move up a weight class and fight larger taller opponent who are just as heavy and strong as you are. So unless your only goal is muscular development like a bodybuilder, training like a fighter is a great way to keep your workouts fun, develop a high level of fitness and build a warrior’s physique. If you’re down (and you probably wouldn’t be here if you weren’t), we’ve just got one more thing to discuss before you get to the workouts, and that thing is PROGRESSION. It’s a component of many programs that is missing and often left as something that is supposed to happen as long as you’re working hard. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. For beginners, any type of workout will improve fitness. But once you reach a decent level of strength or conditioning, without progression built into your workouts, plateaus are a likely result. That’s why you’ve got to have your progression built-in, so you can continually force your body to adapt and improve. All of the CAGE Cardio workouts have built-in progression. All you need to do is schedule the workouts, do them, then you’ll find yourself in better shape than when you started, guaranteed. Enough talk. Thanks for listening. Now let’s do this!


Implementing the Workouts First, let me share the principles behind proper implementation that will help you create a weekly training schedule that best suits you:

• Do the workouts twice per week and spread them out, don’t do them back to back

• Train in 2-4 week blocks where you focus on one of the anaerobic energy systems: either Lactic or Alactic; if you do a block shorter than 4 weeks for any given workout, make sure you perform the most intense/highest volume workout at the end of your block – if you can’t perform it well, it means you should’ve performed the entire 4 week program as outlined to better build up your fitness

• If you’ve never done training like this before, start with Lactic Alactic NRG, spending at least 3 weeks on each main type of workout

• High intensity interval training once a week goes well with Aerobic + Alactic CAGE Cardio workouts; the aerobic training stimulus of HIIT is complementary to that of Aerobic + Alactic workouts (lower intensity aerobic training)

• Low intensity cardio (HR < 155 bpm) once or twice a week for 30-45

mins or less pairs well with A+L workouts; Lactic training takes its toll on the muscular system and can result in soreness and also has a more intense stimulus on the Aerobic system, so low intensity cardio can aid in active recovery and help you avoid overtraining

• When performing any Alactic workouts on the same day as a Strength workout, do it before the workout if the movement patterns aren’t similar to the exercises in your Strength program or after the workout if they are; when done

• When performing any Lactic workouts on the same day as a Strength workout, do it after the strength session

• NRG System Complexes are best performed on a separate day; if this is not possible, the more rest you can get before the NRG workout the better – do it AFTER strength training

There you have the principles guiding proper implementation. Now let me give you a few different examples of ways you can do the CAGE Cardio workouts.


I’d also like to provide some fun workouts that you can do, with some other ideas mixed in to the CAGE Cardio workouts.

The POWER Stack 1. Potential Energy 2. 5-10 mins of light activity with HR < 150 bpm 3. Speed Kills

The BURNOUT 1. The DESCENT 2. Max Chinups in 5 minutes 3. The GRIND

The Ultimate Warrior 1. The Total Package 2. 5 minutes of passive rest 3. Descending Pyramid Superset - 12/10/8/6/4/2 reps alternating

between a. KB Swings b. Inverted Rows (on barbell or TRX)

Those are just some additional ideas of how you can combine these workouts if you’re doing them on a separate day. All of the workouts above will be no more than 40 minutes long. Just make sure to do a good dynamic warmup and get a light sweat going before you get into it. I also recommend practicing any exercises you’re unfamiliar with before you get into the workout so you can practice good form without having to think about what’s coming next.


The DESCENT

Anaerobic Lactic Called ‘The DESCENT’ because you start standing tall and jumping, then move low for the Low Lunge Split and finally descend to the ground for the Sit Thru. Isometric contractions are used to maximize stimulation of the lactic system of the legs in the ISO Squat hold position, by staying low with knees bent for the Low Lunge Split and totally bent but supporting the body in the Sit Thru, giving you that lovely Lactic burn. Perform this workout as a circuit, doing as many reps as you can in good form for the duration outlined, then moving to the next exercise before resting for the prescribed amount of time.

Exercise

1) Jump Squats with ISO

2) Low Lunge Splits

3) Sit Thru

Progression A combination of increasing exercise duration and decreasing rest between circuits will increasingly engage the Lactic energy system giving you that burning feeling that we all have the love-hate relationship with. The # of sets were chosen based on duration and rest to manage volume and ensure you get a time-efficient workout. Details Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4

Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 # of Circuits 4 5 4 5 6 4 6 4 Duration (s) 20 20 30 30 30 40 30 40 Rest (s) 60 60 45 45 45 45 30 30 Workout Duration (mm:ss)

08:00 10:00 09:00 11:15 13:50 11:00 12:00 10:00

NOTE: for each workout, instructional and follow along workout videos are located in the CAGE Cardio Members area.


Elastic Punching Power

Anaerobic Alactic True plyometric exercise used for the development of general upper body explosiveness and punching power; for a deeper understanding of plyometrics, read this article. Staying in the bottom range of motion (ROM) puts the tendon of the pecs on stretch, improving the elastic ability of the musculo-tendinous complex, tapping into the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC); for more info on the SSC, click here. Start at the bottom of a Pushup and drive up powerfully then lift the hands off the floor. Perform as many reps as you can for the duration outlined. Spend as little time as possible on the ground; think of the ground as hot coals. Rest according to the table then repeat.

Exercise

Bottom ROM Plyo Pushups

Progression While increases of 2 seconds might seem insignificant, because reps are very quick it does make a difference of 2 to 3 reps per set. Starting at 8 seconds per set is a bit conservative, which ensures minimal fatigue and maximal power. Your goal is to make the last set look the same as the first set and every rep look identical.

Details Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2

# of Sets 4 6 8 5 6 7 4 6 Duration (s) 8 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 Rest (s) 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 Workout Duration (mm:ss)

04:32 06:48 09:07 05:50 07:00 10:00 04:48 07:24

http://ericwongmma.com/the-truth-about-plyometrics/

http://ericwongmma.com/how-to-punch-harder-part-ii/


The GRIND Aerobic + Anaerobic Lactic You’ll be GRINDING your way through this little workout, particularly as the workout progresses because your legs will get going from the Lunge Jumps, then they’ll take a beating through the Quad Hop to be finished off with the Push Plank. Perform each exercise for the duration outlined then move to the next exercise. Rest after all 4 exercises are complete then repeat for the # of circuits prescribed.

Exercise

1) Lunge Jumps

2) 10 Second Pushup (Intention)

3) Quad Hop

4) Push Plank

Progression Increased set duration and thus increased endurance of the Lactic system is the goal here. When bumps are made to set duration, # of sets is decreased to keep overall volume similar from week to week, with Day 1 being higher total workout volume and Day 2 being higher relative workout volume (more work relative to the total work time). Doing fewer sets when set duration is increased is a little mental game trick that makes the increased work time feel easier. Details Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4


11:40 08:00 13:20 09:00 15:00 10:00 16:40 11:00


Explode then Hold Aerobic + Anaerobic Lactic Isometric exercises are the best stimulators of Lactic metabolism since they inhibit blood flow (and thus, oxygen) from reaching the muscles, thus forcing the muscle to use stored glycogen to generate energy – the burn is also intensified since Lactic by-products cannot leave the muscle. However, isometrics do little for stimulating the cardiovascular system, thus, explosive exercises precede the isometric hold to get the Aerobic system engaged. Perform each exercise for the duration outlined then move to the next exercise. Rest after all 4 exercises are complete then repeat for the # of circuits prescribed.

Exercise

1) Kick Pushups

2) Hand Walkouts

3) 180° Squat Jumps

4) Duck Walk / Wall Sit

Progression Each week you’ll alternate decreasing rest time on Day 1 to promote faster recovery and increasing the work time on Day 2 to promote greater endurance. Overall, the volume each week stays relatively constant. Details Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4


09:20 10:40 08:40 12:00 08:00 13:20 07:20 14:40


Speed Kills Aerobic + Anaerobic Alactic The exercises in this little circuit are relatively low intensity exercises (i.e. you’re not moving a huge barbell) which allow you to maximize the speed with which you move at to improve speed and quickness. This workout is performed as a circuit but with rest between exercises, which is outlined in the progression table. When rest is 45-60 sec between exercises feel free to perform some light activity such as shadowboxing, jumping jacks or light mobility exercises. When rest is 30 sec, just walk around so you don’t delay the start of your next exercise. This will allow you to get the Aerobic benefit from these workouts.

Exercise

1) Speed Skaters

2) Clap Pushups

3) Shuffle Splits

Progression Decreasing rest between exercises is the main mode of progression to drive adaptation. The CNS will improve its capacity to be explosive allowing you to be more powerful, longer. Details Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4

Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 # of sets 4 5 4 6 4 5 6 6 Duration (s) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Rest b/t exercises (s) 60 60 45 45 30 30 30 30 Workout Duration (mm:ss)

14:00 17:30 11:00 16:30 08:00 10:00 12:00 12:00


Potential Energy Aerobic + Anaerobic Alactic According to dictionary.com, the definition of potential energy is, “The energy possessed by a body as a result of its position or condition rather than its motion.” An example of this is when you compress a spring – energy is stored and when you release it, the spring explodes. I’ve named this workout Potential Energy because of the exercise choices: they train you to learn how to absorb force like a spring then explode to make use of the stretch-shortening cycle to maximize your power output. As in the Speed Kills workout, perform Potential Energy as a circuit with rest between each exercise to maximize the ability of your nervous system to activate your muscles. Shadowbox, jog lightly, do mobility exercises or any other light movements that don’t fatigue your muscles between exercises to keep the Aerobic system working.

Exercise

1) Pogo to Tuck Jump

2) Springing Tripod

3) Lateral Hops

Progression When working the Alactic system, duration must be kept within a tight range. But because of the exercises chosen, reps are used instead of duration since there is a high elastic component to these exercises. Stretching the duration to the max of the Alactic system’s capacity will improve your power endurance. This workout follows the weekly volume model, where volume is built over weeks 1-2 to peak during week 3, then decreases for week 4. Details Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4

Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 # of sets 4 5 4 6 6 6 4 4 # of reps 1) 2 2 3 3 4 4 3 3

2) 2 per 2 per 3 per 3 per 4 per 4 per 3 per 3 per 3) 20 20 26 26 30 30 26 26

Rest b/t exercises (s) 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Approx. Workout Duration (mm:ss)

10:00 12:30 10:25 15:35 16:30 16:30 10:25 10:25


The Total Package NRG This workout is based on my famed NRG System Complex template and will allow you to develop the 3 energy systems specifically for MMA. The key to proper execution is to perform each exercise in good form as quickly and explosively as possible and moving as fast as you can between exercises.

Exercise # of Reps / Duration 1) Mountain Climbers 30 sec

A2) T-Pushup 8

A3) Scissor Jump 4 per

4) Tap Planks 30

B5) Breakfall Jump 4

B6) Swinging Plank 8

7) 180° Burpees 8

Progression Rest between circuits and total # of circuits are the variables being manipulated here. Starting out with a low volume and longer rest allows you to get used to the workout since there are a lot of exercises and they must be done precisely as outlined. Steady progression occurs until you hit 5 rounds with a minute off – the Championship level!


# of sets 2 3 3 4 3 4 5 3 Rest (s) 120 120 90 90 60 60 60 60 Approx. Workout Duration (mm:ss) 10:00 15:00 13:30 18:00 12:00 16:00 20:00 12:00


ADVANCED CAGE Cardio Workouts

The 4 workouts that you’ll see next are a little more advanced in that they include some more difficult exercises and also use a Pullup bar (and a TRX or barbell in a power rack in one case), however, they follow the same principles you’ve already discovered in this manual. If you have difficulty with these workouts, stick to the 7 previous workouts until your strength and conditioning improves.


Clinch of Death Anaerobic Lactic This workout is based on my famed NRG System Complex template and will allow you to develop the 3 energy systems specifically for MMA. The key to proper execution is to perform each exercise in good form as quickly and explosively as possible and moving as fast as you can between exercises.

Exercise # of Reps / Duration 1) Alternating Chinups 1/2 of max # of Pullups

2) Clinch Hold 2 reps x 5-15 sec hold

Progression Rest between circuits and total # of circuits are the variables being manipulated here. Starting out with a low volume and longer rest allows you to get used to the workout since there are a lot of exercises and they must be done precisely as outlined. Steady progression occurs until you hit 5 rounds with a minute off – the Championship level! Details Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4


08:00 10:00 09:00 11:15 13:50 11:00 12:00 10:00


Rock Climber Aerobic + Anaerobic Lactic This workout is based on my famed NRG System Complex template and will allow you to develop the 3 energy systems specifically for MMA. The key to proper execution is to perform each exercise in good form as quickly and explosively as possible and moving as fast as you can between exercises.

Exercise 1) Head to Hand Pullups

2) Spiderman Pushup

3) 1-leg SLD to Pistol

4) Kangaroo Jumps

Progression Rest between circuits and total # of circuits are the variables being manipulated here. Starting out with a low volume and longer rest allows you to get used to the workout since there are a lot of exercises and they must be done precisely as outlined. Steady progression occurs until you hit 5 rounds with a minute off – the Championship level!




Next Level Power Aerobic + Alactic This workout is based on my famed NRG System Complex template and will allow you to develop the 3 energy systems specifically for MMA. The key to proper execution is to perform each exercise in good form as quickly and explosively as possible and moving as fast as you can between exercises.

Exercise # of Reps / Duration 1) Muscleups (or Explosive Pullups) 3

2) 1-leg 180 Jump 6

3) Explosive Superman Pushups 3

4) Bottom ROM Squat Jumps 10

Progression Be explosive and don’t try to do too much on your rest period – it’s active recovery so don’t bring yourself into fatigue in whatever activity you choose.

Details Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4

Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 # of sets 3 3 4 4 4 5 4 5 Rest b/t exercises (s) 40 40 30 30 30 30 20 20 Workout Duration (mm:ss)

14:00 17:30 11:00 16:30 09:00 11:00 8:00 10:00


The Mutant NRG I call this ‘The Mutant’ for the simple reason that it includes the X-Drill, and the X-Drill reminds me of the X-Men, whom are all mutants. Clever.

Exercise # of Reps / Duration 1) 1-foot X-Drill 4 per

A2) Switching Chinups 4 total

A3) ISO Squat Jump 4 reps

4) 2-foot 180 X-Drill 6 reps

B5) 1-leg Tuck Jumps 4 per

B6) Windshield Wipers 8 total

7) Forearm Drop Pushups 8

8) Gate Swings 15

Progression Decreasing rest between rounds, increasing # of rounds as you continue the workout will force your body to get in better and better shape each and every week.




In Conclusion I’ve written this book and created these programs to give you an understanding of the science behind the conditioning programs I use to get my athletes in top fight shape. I’ve also written it because with the Internet and YouTube in particular, we’ve got more and more workouts but less and less understanding of why we’re doing a particular workout and how it impacts the body. My hope is that this book will help to bridge this gap. Just because a workout looks cool and is hard doesn’t mean it will “BUILD STRENGTH, POWER, LEAN ATHLETIC MUSCLE AND WILL BURN FAT FASTER THAN THE BLINK OF AN EYE”. It’s this superficial labeling of workouts that I’ve done my best to avoid and in its place, I’ve provided a science-based rationale for the workouts I’ve created. I think I’ve done a good job. I wouldn’t have published this book if I didn’t. But the only way I’ll truly know if I’ve been successful or not is if you give me your feedback. In particular, I’d like to know: • Do you feel you have a greater understanding about conditioning? • Will this book change the way you workout in the future? If so, how? • Is there anything you still don’t understand or find a bit confusing? • Did you find the workouts effective? (answer this one after at least 2

weeks on a particular workout) >> CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK WITH ERIC Answering these questions will help me better communicate what I’ve learned through my studies and thousands of hours of training sessions to you in a way that you understand and can apply. This is your opportunity to be active in your own learning instead of just taking what’s put out there. Finally, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to educate yourself and grow. This is something that is severely lacking in today’s world of quick fixes and instant results and is something to be proud of. You are a part of a small and progressive minority and it’s people like you who make the world a better place. Seriously – I’m not just nut-hugging here. ;) Continue doing so and nothing but good things can come of it. Promise. Until next time, keep training hard AND smart. PEACE~! Eric

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