Combat Conditioning Series: Training Around Work and Sport Specific Training Schedules

One of the most challenging aspects of continuing to pursue a high level of performance in athletics past the university level is navigating the challenges of training around a day job schedule. In the case of many fighters, especially at the amateur and regional professional level, they must find a way to train, in the context of strength and conditioning, around a full day job schedule as well as the sport specific training at the MMA or BJJ school.

Matt Owen

In today’s article, we are going to discuss how to build, select, and execute what we call “mini workouts” which are designed to be efficient in terms of time and effectively target a specific energy system or muscular imbalances and deficiencies.

When a combat athlete is pressed for time, the most common request I receive is training to improve their conditioning. Often, I have about half an hour to work with in terms of total training time. One of my go-to workouts is a simple interval-based workout designed to improve the body’s anaerobic and lactic acid tolerance. Keep in mind, we must keep these workouts concise, efficient and focused on intensity.

Warm Up with 5 Minute Cardiovascular Effort

10x Air Squat + 5x Jump Squat + 5x Push-Up + 3x Burpee Rest 30 seconds Three Rotations

10x (30 second Bike, Row, SkiERG, VersaClimber, Run, ETC @ 85-90% Max Heart Rate / 90 seconds of Active Recovery) During Active Recovery for Rounds 1-5, Perform 10x Push-Up. During Active Recovery for Rounds 6-10, Perform 5x Goblet Squat @ 35-53# Kettlebell

“Cool Down” with 5 Minute Cardiovascular Effort

Our second Mini Workout is simple and designed to address one of the most common deficiencies we see amongst combat athletes: the posterior chain. The Lower Posterior Chain consists of the Glutes, Hamstrings, Gastroc, and Soleus muscles. A weak posterior chain can put the athlete at risk for several hip, knee, and lower leg injuries. So, strengthening this chain of musculature is very important. Once again, when designing these mini workouts, we want to be efficient, concise, and get straight to the point.

Warm Up with 5 minute Cardiovascular Effort

10x KB Swing @ Moderate Weight + 10x KB Halo @ Light Weight + 10x KB Headcutter @ Moderate Weight + 10x Goblet Squat @ Moderate Weight Rest 2 Minutes Two Rotations

10x Push-Up + 15x KB Swing @ Moderate to Heavy Weight + 20x Seated, Banded Hamstring Curl @ Light to Moderate Band Rest as Needed Five Rotations

50 Calories For Time on Echo Bike, Rower, SkiERG, VersaClimber, ETC

Any of these workouts can be advanced or regressed to adjust the intensity or difficulty. When we correctly make use of these mini workouts, there’s never any excuse to not train. If you utilize this style of training 5-6x a week, you will build up a solid amount of training volume on roughly 30-45 minutes of training time each day. Over the course of a week, this training volume adds up quickly and will have you in good condition and fit for whatever comes next.