I'm going to be competing BJJ 12/14 weeks from now for sure and maybe a few times before then, I'm creating a programme based on never gymless and essentially I only have time for two Strength workouts a week, one will be focused on maximal strength but I don't know what is more important to focus the second one on muscle endurance or explosiveness. If you had to choose one what would you consider most important, do you think muscle endurance is built up enough just by sport specific training i.e lots of grappling ?
Theres loads of articles around detailing how to programme for this, Periodization seems to be key. I.e. develop maximal strength, then develop strength over time afterwards. Iirc that also works for plyrometrics, untill you can squat x2 bodyweight plyros tend to cause injury.
Still leaves the question of which one should come first, closer to the time after 6 or 8 weeks I'll ramp up the cardio, this usually involves allot of explosive interval training anyway, but I still have a notion that it might be better to work on it from the get go because muscle endurance must improve simply from continuous grappling ?
Maybe it's cause I'm young, maybe I'v just always done it to a certain digree but I'v never gotten the fear of explosive training/plyometrics.
It depends on what your work rate limiting factor is. Lung capacity, heart capacity, strength, nervous system recovery etc.
Thats where injuries happen. I saw it during judo squad conditioning last year, box jumps at the end of the session when everyone was tired, wasnt optimal.
Maximal strength for a good while then explosive strength. Endurance will come from mat time, especially as mat time increases.
Don't do explosive stuff last if you can help it. And leave all the endurance/conditioning stuff off to more quality mat time
Steve Preston has a very good wrestling S&C guide available online (Google!). Let me know if you can't find it and I'll email it to you (got a copy on my other tablet).
Typically strength endurance and max strength wont be trained at the same time, conflicting goals and methods of training (ones aerobic and one alactic anaerobic) its not that you cant train both, but it’s the fact you wont see gains in both because they are fundermentally using different pathways and causing different adoptions within the body Explosive strength and max strength can be worked at the same time since they put the same stress on the body (a lactic in nature) and use the same energy system, and you can work on improving your explosive endurance as well whilst allowing your endurance to come from your mat time Here is an example of how to progamme explosive power development and then programme explosive endurance (from joel jamision over at endzone athletics) make each block 4 weeks long and you should be all set Alactic power development should take place over three separate but overlapping blocks, or phases of training. Each of these phases is designed to develop the mechanical and met abolic properties of the neuromuscular system we just discussed. The three blocks are sequenced specifically to develop these properties in the correct order for their maximal development. In other words, the properties that are developed in one block form the basis for the development of the properties that will be targeted in the next block. This is exactly what periodization is all about – or at least what it should be about. Keep in mind the final stage is designed to take place in the final stages prior to a fight as this is when your explosive power should reach its peak. BLOCK A: Max Explosive Strength The purpose of the first block is to increase the mechanical potential of the muscles, i.e. their max effort power, by raising the abilities of the nervous system – this motor ability is also known as starting strength. You want to start by improving your maximum 1-rep power and rate of force development as this will provide the foundation for training your ability to maintain this explosive power in the later blocks. Block A should come just after a maximal strength block in your yearly training cycle and will generally last 3-6 weeks. The focus should be on 100% quality and maximal acceleration on each and every rep. Make sure to follow the rest guidelines strictly. For Block A, the following principles should be used to improve maximum explosive strength: Reps: 1-8 per exercise Sets: 3-5 per exercise Rest: 2-4 minutes between sets, 6-10 minutes between exercises (active rest) Tempo: Max acceleration, 1-2 second pause between reps Volume: 2-6 exercises per workout, 2 workouts per week. Exercise selection: Squats, Olympic lift variations, Jump squats, Jump lunges, Presses, Explosive Jumps, Heavy Med ball throws, etc. BLOCK B: Max Alactic Power After you’ve improved you max explosive strength in Block A, it’s time to develop the ability to maintain this power output by focusing on the max power of the alactic system. The elastic properties of the neuromuscular system – this is also known as reactive strength – will also be developed during this phase and will serve to further improve your overall explosive power and build upon the previous block. In order to improve max alactic power, specific exercises will be selected that allow for maximum power output for 10-12 seconds. The transition from general to specific exercise selection will also begin and the principles of this phase should also be utilized specifically in your MMA skill development as well. By the end of the block the exercises used should consist of explosive MMA drills, i.e. bag and pad work along with grappling and ground drills. The focus should be on maximum intensity of effort for each 10-12 second set. You should begin monitoring your heart rate in between sets to gauge heart rate recovery and use this to set rest intervals. You will notice your heart rate decreasing faster during intervals between sets as your explosive conditioning improves. Block B should last 2-4 weeks. For Block B, the following principles should be used improve maximum alactic power: Time: 10-12 seconds per set Reps: 8-15 per set Sets: 6-10 sets per exercise Load: 30-50% Rest between sets: rest until heart rate drops to 130-140 Rest between exercises: 8-10 minutes active rest Tempo: Approximately 1 second per rep Volume: 2-4 exercises per workout Exercise selection: Jump squats with KB, Explosive Jump exercises, Uphill running, Stair jumps, Explosive Push-ups/pull-ups, Med ball throws, Explosive wrestling drills, pad and bag work, etc. BLOCK C: Max Alactic Capacity Now that you’ve significantly increased your maximum explosive strength and alactic power in the first two blocks, it’s necessary to finalize these improvements by maximizing how long you can maintain your explosive power for and ensuring that it’s specific to MMA. This is the final stage and at the end of the block your explosive power will reach its peak. In order to develop your alactic capacity, slightly longer work intervals will be used along with shorter rest intervals. By doing this, a maximal demand is placed on the alactic system’s capacity and thus it will adapt by improving. Keep in mind there is a strong genetic component to this capacity and there is only so much it can possibly improve. You can improve your alactic capacity 10-20% with intelligent training, but your alactic system is ultimately limited by the amount of creatine phosphate and ATP that can be stored in the muscle so there will always be an upper limit to its capacity. An important part of Block C is the finalized transition from general to specific exercises. This means you should only use exercises and drills that are specific to your sport. In MMA that gives you the option of doing pad and bag work, wrestling drills, ground and pound, etc. The focus should be on maintaining proper technique in the drill at the highest rate of speed possible. You should continue monitoring your heart rate in between sets to gauge heart rate recovery and decrease the rest intervals over the course of the block until they are only 10-20 seconds as your conditioning and power endurance improve. You will continue to notice your heart rate decreasing faster during intervals between sets as your explosive conditioning improves. By the end of this block, you should be able to keep your average heart rate under your anaerobic threshold. Block C should last 2-3 weeks and should end 1 week prior to fight or competition date. For Block C, the following principles should be used improve maximum alactic capacity: Time: 12-20 seconds per set Reps: 10-20 per set Sets: 4-8 sets per exercise Volume: 2-3 exercises per workout Rest between sets: start with 30-45 seconds, decrease to 10-20 seconds Rest between exercises: 10-12 minutes active rest Tempo: Max speed Exercise selection: Explosive drills specific to MMA disciplines
