MMA Strength

Q: Hey coach, my name is Jason and I have been training MMA for about 6 months and I have been feeling really fatigued lately. I think I am overtraining I practice MMA 5-6 days a week a lift 4 times. I was wondering what you have your MMA athletes do for strength training.

A: Jason,
Not knowing your diet or having trained you before it is hard for me to tell you what is going on. It defiantly sounds like overtraining. Remember the best way to get better at your sport is to actually do it, so I would continue to train your sport 5-6 days a week. I would cut your strength training down to two days a week.
This is a base template I like to use for my MMA and wrestlers while in-season,
you can plug in what you need. You mainly want to work on bring up your weaknesses. You want to separate them by about 3 days Ex. Monday and again on Thursday. Just choose one out of these and rotate every 2 weeks.

WORKOUT 1

Plyometrics- 8 sets of 1-3
Box Jump
Split Lunge Jump
Depth Jump into Broad Jump
Box squat into box jump
Depth jumps (onto box)
Light tire flips

ME Upper Body movement- Work up to a 3-5 rep max
Weighted Chin-ups or Pull-ups (alternate grips)
V-grip rows
Flexed arm hang for time (vary all 3 grips / add weight if necessary)

Posterior chain lower body movement- 3 sets 10-12 reps
45-degree hyperextensions
Pull-throughs
Glute-ham raises
Romanian deadlift
Forward sled dragging, upright posture (3 sets of 30 yards)
Kettelbell swings

DB press variation- 3-4 sets 10-15 reps
Flat DB bench press (palms in or out)
Military DB Press
Incline DB bench press (palms in or out)
DB floor press (palms in)
Push-ups (wearing weighted vest, bands, or chains)

Lat/Upper back superset Group 1 and 2- 3 sets 12-15 reps
Group1
Lat pulldowns (various bars)
Kroc rows
Barbell rows
Seated cable rows (various bars fat bar rec.)
Grappler rows
Renegade Rows

Group 2
Rear delt flyes
Scarecrows
Face pulls
Seated DB cleans
Band pull-aparts
Band walk aparts
Y,T,W

Abs circuit 15-20 reps 3-4 sets of 3-4 exercises per set

WORKOUT #2

ME Lower Body Movement- Work up to a 3-5 rep max
Box squats (various Bars)
Free squats (Various Bars)
Front Squats
Straight bar deadlifts
Trap Bar deadlifts
Tire flip
Stone Load

Rep Upper Body movement 3 sets 10-20 reps
Push-up variations
Chin-up variations
Log Press

Unilateral lower body movement-2-3 sets 6-8 reps
(keep reps low and weight moderate, it will save your legs)
Bulgarian split squats
Barbell reverse lunge
Walking lunge
Zecher Lunge
Step-ups (box height slightly above knee)

Shrug variation super-setted with rear delt movement- 3-4 sets 8-12 reps
Group 1
DB shrugs
Barbell shrugs
Chaos Shrugs
Farmer Walk Shrugs

Group2
Rear delt flyes
Scarecrows
Face pulls
Seated DB Cleans
Band pull-aparts
Grip training- Usually some kind of grip medley 3-5 exercises 2-3 sets

Heavy Abs- 5 sets 10-15 reps