The people who participate in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) are some of the most well-trained and physically fit individuals in the world. Many of them are on par with Olympic athletes, pushing themselves to the limits of their willpower and endurance to get better every day.

Those who become the best in MMA organizations are those who train the hardest to become masters of their sport. No detail of training gets overlooked when trying to achieve the well-honed body of an MMA champion.

Workout routines and exercises designed to achieve MMA-level fitness focus on different aspects that are tried and tested. Endurance, raw power, flexibility, striking power, speed and agility are just a few of the important needs of an MMA fighter.

Coaches often talk about how competition is 90% mental and 10% physical. Yet many focus completely on the physical side before fights or competitions. This could be because fighters believe that they don't need to prepare mentally, don't know how to prepare mentally, or sometimes let egos get in the way and and think that to prepare mentally makes them weak. Yet, most high level athletes have enlisted the help of sports psychologist to assist with mental hurdles, including UFC Champion Georges St. Pierre.

Everyone who trains in any form of combative sport understands the importance of strength and conditioning. The market has been flooded with all sorts of products from all kinds of personalities such as Martin Rooney's book and website Training for Warriors, Georges St. Pierre's RushFit program, and Brandon Vera's endorsement of the TRX suspension system.

With so many products on the market it can make it difficult to differentiate the gimmicks from the training tools that should be a part of every combat athlete’s arsenal.  The Kamagon claims to be one of the latter.

Some might say that the UFC Gym is another way for Zuffa to stuff millions of dollars into their pockets and yet in reality it is a brilliant blend of workout and combative fitness programs designed to lure both aspiring fighters and the everyday person hoping to get into better physical condition.

Weight cutting is the practice of rapidly attempting to lose weight prior to a sporting competition. It most frequently happens in order to qualify for a lower weight class (usually in combat sports, where weight is a significant advantage) or in sports where it is advantageous to weigh as little as possible. Many athletes think of weight cutting as an art, and there are many things that must be considered during cutting weight including total amount of weight to be lost, how much time you will have to rehydrate, the duration of the event in which you will be competing, as well as several other factors.

Zar Horton, a twenty-three year veteran of the Albuquerque Fire Department, and his team of fitness specialists have brought Russian Kettlebell training to denizens of the Duke City. Working out of their studio aptly named Firebellz, Horton and crew put elite athletes and everyday folks through the paces of efficient, functional workouts by way of the kettlebell.

Proper nutrition is important for everyone, but especially professional MMA fighters who train six to eight hours a day. Nutrients foster everything in the body from adequate energy levels in muscles to healthy skin and muscle growth. Unfortunately, many fighters face the pressure of dropping 10, 20, 30 or more pounds to make a weight class and choose to malnourish and dehydrate their body before a fight.

Ringworm, or tinea as it’s known medically, is an infectious skin disease caused by mold like fungi called Dermatophytes. These Dermatophytes thrive on dead tissues on skin surface and follow a circular path to spread its infection outward. Combative sports participants need to take an active measure to prevent this condition, and here’s how.

At some point in the sport's development, coaches and fighters decided that because mixed martial arts is “extreme” or “crazy,” the workouts should be, too. But, looking at the facts, mixed martial arts strength and conditioning shouldn't be any different from other sports.

I’m willing to bet that almost every mixed martial arts fan out there can think of at least three fights in 2010, in shows as big as the UFC, that were decided by conditioning. And it doesn’t take a genius to understand that to make it to that level, one does not ignore preparation.

So why, then, can an athlete not go for 15-25 minutes of competition with all that he has. Is it will and determination? While mental toughness obviously has its benefits, probably not.

We see it on behind the scenes footage all the time. Fighter “x” is going through a crazy non-stop workout full of the latest fitness trends and gadgets. His heart rate is through the roof, he can hardly lift himself off of the floor when it finally finishes, and he swears that is what you need to put in to get to the top.

Stop by your local gym for an MMA conditioning class, and you’ll probably see similar techniques being applied daily. This approach is wrong.

Fighter “x” is being filmed for television. The footage needs to be entertaining for the fans and play mind games with his opponent all at once. This fighter probably only trains at that pace for the cameras, or, on occasion, to develop the mental edge to push through stressful, unknown situations.

There are two categories of training an athlete's camp addresses: General physical preparation, or GPP for short, makes up the general, physical, basic abilities to perform in almost any sport. GPP includes, but is not limited to, endurance, strength, speed, and flexibility. There's also, specific physical preparation, or SPP, which makes up the specific exercises that address the sport directly. There is no cut and dry distinction between GPP and SPP for every exercise. It merely depends on the period of training and demands of the sport.

That crazy workout for the cameras is going to fit into the GPP category. But remember, GPP involves endurance, strength, speed, and flexibility. These “run them into the ground” programs only address some form of endurance, at best. The other stuff just isn’t that entertaining for television, because it is what most other athletes are already doing.

A properly designed strength and conditioning program for MMA needs to address all of the facets of GPP, as well as SPP. Following the workout on TV, no matter what it was, is going to be too narrow a focus to bring competitive success.

Let’s look at a very basic layout for a proper week’s training:

Monday- Upper/lower strength split: This workout should flow from dynamic warm-ups, including corrective work, to core lifts (speed-strength before strength), assistance lifts, and finally cool-down  with corrective work and stretches.

Tuesday- Conditioning: See Martin Rooney’s "Hurricane Training" (Men's Fitness- Hurricane Training). Not to say that this is all that there is for conditioning, but Martin has some great ideas and a solid, laid-out plan to work off of.

Wednesday- Upper/lower strength split. See above.*

Thursday- Conditioning. See above.*

Friday- Upper/lower strength split. See above.*

*Workouts will not necessarily be the same from day to day.

This layout does not include any skill training. Ultimately, the above routine is a supplement and skill training is the most important part of preparation. In all reality, the best conditioning for any sport is to play the sport. Nothing else can emulate the adrenaline, energy, or dynamics of a fight.

So before you run into your next “MMA conditioning class,” take a look at the overall picture and make sure that you’ve got all of the bases covered.

For more on this philosophy of conditioning, check out Eric Cressey’s article, “What I learned in 2010,” #8 (What I Learned in 2010). Nor does this layout include an obscene amount of cardio on a daily basis. To understand a little more about the need for strength training over conditioning, see USCS writer Tyler Welch’s “Strength vs. Conditioning” article (Strength vs. Conditioning).

Chris Merritt is the co-founder of Beyond Strength Performance, received his B.S. in Kinesiology from the Pennsylvania State University, and has a multitude of certifications that say he can regurgitate information to pass a test. The important thing: Chris Merritt gets results. He has countless mixed martial arts athletes whom he coaches and consults with to help make weight and turn right around to perform optimally when it matters. If you or any of your athletes have questions, feel free to contact Chris through his website (www.beyondstrengthperformance.com).

It’s Thursday afternoon, you’re dying for a bite of anything- anything. Only one more day until you step on the scale and, finally, put that weight back on. But maybe that shouldn't be your main concern.

Honestly, what do you worry about more: cutting weight, or bulking back up after the weigh in? I’m willing to bet that you said cutting the weight. Sure, that’s the stressful part, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

In a study of Division 1 college wrestlers, Yankanich, Kenney, Fleck, and Kraemer of the Pennsylvania State University found that the speed in which an athlete cut weight the week prior to an event had no effect on the hydration status following the cut (5). In other words, as long as you make the weight, what you do after is the important part.

Even though you’ve been “starving” yourself, you didn't drop 15 pounds of fat in four or so days. By lowering or even cutting off your caloric intake, especially carbohydrates, you are actually first and foremost dehydrating the body. No significant change in lean body mass is going to take place in these few days. Couple that with the fact that you are cutting off water intake at least the day of weigh-ins, if not earlier, and you’re looking at some serious dehydration.

A fighter who walks at 165 pounds and fights at 155 pounds is dropping around 6% of his bodyweight- and most are dropping a lot more than that. One high level pro that works with Beyond Strength Performance walks at 165+ and weighs in at 135. That’s an 18% reduction in bodyweight.

Water is the largest component of the body, representing from 45-70% of a person’s body weight. Muscle tissue is approximately 75% water whereas fat tissue is about 20% water (1). That drawn-out, sunken in look that a fighter has before weigh-ins is visible evidence that his body is depleted of good old H20.

There are substantial amounts of research available on the effects of performance in a dehydrated state. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning research on dehydration and rehydration found that “...Acute passive dehydration (less than or equal to 2% of body mass) decreased bench press 1RM of experienced male competitive power lifters by 5.6% (4).”

Notice that the study is for 1RM (one repetition maximum), not multiple repetitions. The effects on sustained activity: like the 3 or 5 minute rounds of a mixed martial arts event, are even more unfavorable. And that’s only a maximum of 2% dehydration. Compare that with findings from Ferguson and her team of researchers at The George Washington University that 3 weeks of caloric restriction and an overnight fast prior to testing showed “no significant changes in power output, revolutions per minute, HR, or V̇o₂ during a 2-hour cycling time trial (2).”

Simply put, fluid replenishment is more important than food.

In my experiences working with mixed martial arts athletes, too many fighters look at the number on the scale and think they have to get it back up. While it is true that we need to reinstate lost weight, we don’t want to do it just any old way. Jones, Lopez, Cleary, Zuri, and Lopez, in another study on dehydration, found that “humans do not adequately replace sweat losses when fluids are consumed at will; most athletes replace only about two thirds of the water that they sweat off (3).”

Fluid intake needs to be calculated in order to fully rehydrate the athlete with the proper amount of electrolytes, carbohydrates, and water. Simply drinking until presumably satiated is not enough. Your body will tell you it’s feeling full long before it is replenished for optimal performance.

So before you hop off the scale and run to the nearest all-you-can-eat buffet, really think about the percentage of weight you’ve lost, the implications for your performance, and the fact that your body will tell you it’s replenished long before it truly is.

Keep an eye out for part two of "After the Cut". 

1.  Baechle, TR and Earle, R. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (2

ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 2000.

2.  Ferguson, Lisa M., Rossi, Kelly A., Ward, Emily, Jadwin, Emily, Miller, Todd A., and Miller, Wayne C. Effects of caloric restriction and overnight fasting on cycling endurance performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 23(2): 560-570, 2009.

3.  Jones, Leon C., Cleary, Michelle A., Lopez, Rebecca M., Zuri, Ron E., Lopez, Richard. Active dehydration impairs upper and lower body anaerobic muscular power.

. 22(2): 455-463, 2008.

4.  Schoffstall, James E., Branch, J. David, Leutholtz, Brian C., and Swain, David P. Effects of dehydration and rehydration on the one-repetition maximum bench press of weight-trained males.

. 15(1): 102-108, 2001.

5.  Yankanich, John, Kenney, Larry, Fleck, Steven J, Kraemer, William J. Precompetition weight loss and changes in vascular volume in NCAA Division I college wrestlers.

. 12(3): 138-145, 1998.

Chris Merritt is the co-founder of Beyond Strength Performance, received his B.S. in Kinesiology from the Pennsylvania State University, and has a multitude of certifications that say he can regurgitate information to pass a test. The important thing: Chris Merritt gets results. He has countless mixed martial arts athletes whom he coaches and consults with to help make weight and turn right around to perform optimally when it matters. If you or any of your athletes have questions, feel free to contact Chris through his website (www.beyondstrengthperformance.com).