I'm a BIG fan of training like an athlete...and
top-level fighters are among the versatile
athletes on the planet.

If you think about it, not only do they have to have explosive
power, strength, endurance, coordination, and cardiovascular
capacity, they also have to perform under extremely hostile
conditions.

(think decathlon training with full contact... ;).



But if you want to LOOK like a fighter...without having to
worry about getting punched in the face...you just have to
TRAIN like a fighter.

For me, I actually incorporate a lot of combat conditioning
exercises and drills into my own workouts. It's fun..it's
challenging...and it's EFFECTIVE.

There are 3 tried and true principles that the best fighters
today use to maintain their weight, develop maximum
performance and get that dry, shredded look (they've gotta
make weight, after all!)...


1. Fighters Train Explosively.

Fighters look like athletes because they train like athletes.  

Fighting requires the ability to display power, quickness
and agility from the first round to the last.  In order to
accomplish this, you need to be doing explosive, full-body
exercises that challenge your body as a system, NOT as
individual muscles.

This is why fighters don’t use isolation exercises like
biceps curls or leg extensions.  There is no systemic,
full body demand.

A punch isn’t just a strike of the fist.

A punch is rooted from the ground, power is generated
through the hips & legs, transferred through the core
and finished through the arm.

A punch is a full body effort.  So to train to strike hard,
you must train the body as a system and you must
train it explosively.


2. Fighters Train for “Pound For Pound” Absolute Strength

The big myth with strength training is that it will force
you to gain weight in the form of big bulky muscles.  
This couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact a fighter that isn’t training for absolute strength
is a fighter that will not have a long career.

Much to what the mainstream leads you to believe,
strength training with resistance won’t make you look
like a puffy bodybuilder.

In fact, true strength training, where you are lifting
anywhere from 1-5 repetitions per set, will give you that
lean athletic look and will have you performing like an
athlete.

Don’t believe me?  I have a friend who practices BJJ.  
He’s 5’3”, 133lbs and can bent press a 108lb kettlebell
with 1 arm.

That’s over 2/3 of his bodyweight.

He’s so strong that he can rip a phone book in half with
his bare hands.

And he’s ripped to shreds sporting an 8-pack year round.


3. Fighters Focus on Technique

The problem with MMA-style classes is that all the
emphasis is placed on pushing you to your limit
regardless of what your technique looks like.

The truth is that this approach will engrain bad
movement patterns into your body and then will
eventually cause you to get injured.  

This is why high-rep, metabolicconditioning-style
workouts have such a high injury rate.  Because most
of the effort made is about bravado and pushing
yourself to the limit on highly technical exercises that
have a high-skill demand.

Fighters, however, focus on technique and building
their cardio, endurance and ability to burn fat on
demanding exercises without sacrificing the integrity
of their practice.

In other words, they focus on the mastery of their skill -
both their martial art or in the weight room - and build
their endurance through perfect practice of the skill.

---

So if you want to get RIPPED like a fighter and look
like you could cause some serious damage in the
ring, then make no mistake...you’ll need to train like
one.

If that’s the case, then your solution is on the next page...