The MMA Conditioning Revolution

Martial artists are some the most disciplined athletes you will find. Initially, the UFC  was more about which style worked better. As the sport evolved, fighters realized that they had to have both a standup game and a ground game to succeed. In today’s MMA arena, a new revolution is talking place.

It is no longer a matter of being a BJJ black belt, an accomplished Muay Thai fighter, or an NCAA wrestling champ to succeed. The competitive edge comes to those who have deep conditioning plans that detail how to train all year round.

The outcome of many fights is now coming down to who has the most gas left in the tank. This concept is prevalent in many other sports as well. Besides the physical edge, if an athlete is fresh - the mind is clearer, reactions quicker and balance is better.

Whether you are fighting professionally, or just want your next BJJ belt, or want to train injury free, you need to stay in shape even when you’re not on the mat. A conditioning program should address:

 1. Movement evaluation of the fighter or trainee.

 2. Evaluation of physical strengths and weaknesses.

 3. Evaluation of current nutritional intake.

 4. In-depth analysis of current performance.

 5. Identifying specific performance needs and goals.

 6. Detailed outline of conditioning program modules.

 7. Coordination of programming time table with other professionals

 8. Implementation of conditioning and nutrition.

 9. Post event evaluation.

10. Sports psychology analysis

MMA conditioning falls into these categories:

1. Cardiovascular endurance

2. Explosive strength

3. Muscular endurance and strength

4. Functional strength

5. Sport specific flexibility

6. Nutrient timing

I have produced 5 MMA Training DVDs that cover these approaches. They are available at UFC.com.

The Mother Nature Fitness Incentive

Over the holidays, I was able to enjoy many invigorating times with my family and friends. I believe that fitness is everywhere and during my holiday vacation I lived it. One day we received a significant amount of snow. It took me about an hour to shovel. Then I went sledding with my kids for 2 hours. Next I decided to hike in the deep snow for an hour. At the end of the day, I added it up and realized I just got 4 hours of solid fitness activity in! The best part was that I was back to nature. 

Moving around outside is a real treat, even in the winter when we have a natural tendency to stay indoors. For me, if it's 25 degrees or above and the sun's shining, I'm outside. I take a page from my kids. They don't care how cold it is, they just want to go out and play! As adults we need to open our minds to this same sense of exploration and freedom.

The other activity I was able to experience with my kids on vacation was ice skating. This is something I have not done since I was 12 years old. We have a pond near our house which makes it great for them to learn. From my ankles to my core, I felt it the next day.

I begin the new year with my wife and 60 other people at a 10pm to midnight hot yoga practice. Believe it or not it was better than going out and drinking! The endorphins we received after that session were incredible. It was quite the experience and I plan on doing it next year as well!


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Promotional Contest for my new Grappling Specific Conditioning DVD

In celebration of my new Grappling Specific Conditioning DVD, everyone who purchases any Burn with Kearns DVD or DVD Package (Jan 1 through Feb 6, 2010) is automatically entered into a drawing for a Customized Workout and Nutrition Plan ($795 value) that I will develop for you.  The winner will be announced on Feb 8, 2010. Check out my DVDs.

Congratulations to Chris Rappold

I'm truly honored to announce that not more than 2 hours ago, I received a phone call from Italy. Master Chris Rappold, founder of Personal Best Sport Karate, won the 40 and over gold medal at the World Karate Championships!

Master Rappold is more than a client, he is one of my business mentors and a great friend. We started training for his competition in August.  It was a good challenge for me as well to take a number of concepts that I use for training my MMA athletes and formulate a plan for him.

Of course I was not alone on this venture, this was a team effort. Master Rappold had many sparring partners, supporters, and his family behind him. Just goes to show you there is no I in team!

Strength and Conditioning Certification

We had particpants from around the country (including Alaska) attend the most recent Burn with Kearns' Core Concepts Certification. Friday afternoon, we started with the art of training. This is really important to me since I believe training is an art just as much as a science. We finished off the day with evaluation techniques and started Burn with Kearns (BWK) Phase 1 programming. Later, a network dinner enabled everybody to rap and hear different experiences with client training.

Saturday we started bright and early and finished Phase 1 BWK programming. In the afternoon, we explored Explosive Power Concepts in a very in depth manner. By the end of the day everyone was pretty well fried and needed to refuel at dinner.

Sunday sesssions included warm ups, BWK Gas in the Tank protocols and partner drills. I threw the kitchen sink at them and they loved it! After lunch, one of my professional fighters came by so everybody could see BWK training in action. At the end of the day we had an hour review session, Question & Answer forum and then everyone exchanged email addresses and said their good byes.

Warriors Weekend in Toronto

I had a great weekend in Toronto at Robinson's Karate. Master Robinson hosted a Warrior's Weekend for his students. Instructors included myself, Master Chris Rappold, Shihan Moti Hornstien, and UFC fighter Jeff Joshlin.

I came in early to work with Master Robinson and his staff on part of the Burn with Kearns Core Conditioning Certification Level 1. They definitely absorbed a lot during the course's 8 hours.

Since I am training Master Rappold for his World Championship fight in Italy next month, we took the opportunity to work on his gas in the tank program. He will be ready for his upcoming fight next month.

As a bonus for me I got the chance to train with Shihan Moti on gun defense. I was amazed at the detail that he went into during his seminar. Master Rappold and I teamed as training partners for that seminar and continued with Jeff Joshlin's striking seminar.

Saturday started off fast and furious with Master Rappold's sparring seminar. You can see why Master Rappold has been a champion so many times. With a short break the students hung in there and got ready to Burn with Kearns. Even though the weather wasn't great, we had an a boatload of training and laughs. Good food after was provided by Master Robinson in the form of miles upon miles of sushi.

I want to say thanks to Master Robinson and his team of instructors, Ian, Eric, Mike, Trevor, Jason, Troy, Tyler, Steve,and Nate for a great time as well as all the students.

Pull Ups

Pull-ups can be done just about anywhere. They are great for preventing shoulder injuries and are very functional. Thus, it's no wonder why the military and many top MMA athletes include pull-ups on a regular basis in their training. The really fun part is that they can be performed in a bunch of challenging and different ways.

1. If you can not handle your own bodyweight, place a chair behind you to put your feet on. This will reduce the weight load.

2. To avoid shoulder injury, never have your hands wider than shoulder width.

3. Vary your grips often to increase different muscles activated