The Weigh-In GILBERT Getty Images Picture

TIGHT SPOT: Mike Pyle demonstrates his mat skills against a ZERO TOLERANCE game John Hathaway In perfect condition Sol Gilbert charts the scientifi c evolution of MMA conditioning

The whole science behind MMA conditioning has really evolved in the last few years. different fi eld have brought knowledge into The cross training that has come in from other sports and the fact that MMA has become its own discipline mixed martial arts conditioning. A lot of body has really helped the athletes extract the best parts from strength and conditioning programmes. Michael builders have to cut weight but retain lean mus- Bisping used a S&C guy for the fi rst time during camp as he prepared for Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120 and cle mass and their scientifi c understanding of nu- it showed. From what I saw, the functional stuff trition crosses over really well for MMA athletes. he was working with ropes and chains is some- My right hand man Alex Backhouse and my- thing we do with our fi ghters at ZT Fight Skool. self have both got really switched on to Olympic It’s all about basic equipment with a scientifi c lifts lately. Alex has completed the JC Santana approach. Consequently, Bisping’s conditioning Bisping’s course as well as doing a mentorship out in IHP was phenomenal in that fi ght. But, to be fair, no (Florida) and we have both completed our Cross- fi ghter in the UFC should be gassing any more. I conditioning was fi t certifi cates. Olympic lifts such as the Snatch think in the past, the problem arose because the and the Clean and Jerk translate really well into fi ghter had come from one discipline like boxing phenomenal. But no MMA. Both of these are the fastest body moves and they weren’t used to the grappling aspect a person can perform and are great for building of MMA. Now, MMA is a whole sport and the fi ghter in the UFC explosive strength. The Crossfi t work, like thrust- strength and conditioning work refl ects that. ers and pull-ups, are really good for benchmark Another change in fi ghter’s preparation has should be gassing testing and are brilliant for building grit and come in the way they cut weight. We used to determination in a fi ghter. We work a lot with see guys trying to sauna off the water weight any more pushing prowlers, chains and ropes as well. In but it can affect their performance, especially if fact, York Fitness has just kitted out the gym they can’t rehydrate in time. For John Hathaway with their new pull-up rigs and we are adapting we used to cut his carb intake and then sauna a lot of the stuff from strongman and caveman off the last few pounds of weight in water. Now training into our S&C programmes at the moment. The workouts that Alex has developed and the stuff he got there are people out there with a greater under- John doing really showed in his last fi ght. John had a really tough fi ght but at just 23 years old he went three standing of nutrition. I know that John now cuts rounds with Randy Couture’s wrestling coach. What does that say about John? I knew Pyle would be a tough his salt intake ahead of fi ghts and clears out his fi ght: he is the same size as John, a great wrestler and really good off his back. He was basically good in all the intestines to ensure his digestion operates prop- areas that John exploits. But, John went the distance and this will be a massive learning curve for him. He’ll be erly and it is clearly working for him. It is another back, all guns blazing and he’ll learn a lot from this experience. I mean, just imagine how good Hathaway will aspect where you can see how experts in a be in a few years time? It’s scary to even think about it. „

FIGHTING FIT | DECEMBER 2010 |15

15_Sol_PASSED.indd 1 26/10/2010 11:07