Today I wanted to share an interview I did a while ago for YourMMA with Strength and Conditioning Coach Ollie Richardson.
Give it a read and let me know what you think!
YourMMA.tv's Mike Leng recently caught up with strength and conditioning coach for Team Rough House, Ollie Richardson. Richardson is a respected figure, not just in UK MMA circles, but in the strength and conditioning field as a whole. He also works with the Leicester Tigers and world-class grappler Victor Estima. There are many hot topics in the blurry field of MMA strength and conditioning, and here is what Ollie had to say.
YourMMA.tv: Ok so first things first, in your opinion what are the biggest mistakes people make in strength and conditioning?
Ollie: OK, well it depends if you mean when they are coaching or when they are doing strength and conditioning workouts for themselves.
I think the biggest mistake coaches are making is not taking the time to understand the physiology that underpins what they do. Although there is plenty to learn from other coaches, simply copying what other more established guys do will ultimately limit you as a coach. The principles of strength and conditioning are universal; once you learn the physiology you can adapt and apply them to any sport you choose. You can't be an ‘MMA strength and conditioning coach' or a 'lawn bowls strength and conditioning coach'. You become one by learning the principles of the profession and then apply those principles to the sport you choose.
In terms of the major problems for people training, I would say that being blinded by the lights would be a problem. There are no miracle programs. Stick to the basics, be consistent and if you are competing in a sport, make sure you understand that strength and conditioning is only part of your training, don't neglect your technical work.
The other problem would be reliance on volume. The more research that is done, the clearer it is that you don't need a lot of volume to become stronger. Accurate, quality, intense exposures with plenty of time between them will elicit strength gains with far less gym hours needed.
YourMMA.tv: How many weights workouts would you say as a minimum, have to be done to elicit gains?
Ollie: This would depend on a lot of things (genetics, other training requirements, quality of those exposures etc.) but I know for a fact that someone can get 'stronger' with one exposure every seven, days but how much stronger and how much more they could gain with more would be dependant on the individual. However, for a professional MMA fighter, I usually recommend two strength/power exposures (usually 30-45 mins) and one conditioning session (15-20 mins).
YourMMA.tv: If someone is 100% dedicated to a strength routine, what are realistic gains someone can make (taking out genetic freaks)?
Ollie: Tricky question and very much dependant on their previous training history (beginners will make huge gains but more advanced lifters will make small improvements). I look for an athlete to consistently improve one of their physical qualities every time they train. If they are not improving, even if it’s only by 1-2%, then why are they training? I plan for a 3-5% increase in max strength over a 10 week period, but like I said that is dependant on a lot of other factors.
YourMMA.tv: As people become more focused on nutrition (and rightly so) what are the main priorities fighters should have providing they are not in camp?
Ollie: Balance is key. Camp is a very stressful and restrictive time for a fighter - they have to train, they can't eat what they want and then at the end they have to go and compete. So once that is all over, it's important that they do get to eat and drink some of the things they want. However, I would recommend that they still stick to the basics in the off season. Plenty of lean protein, plenty of green veg, fish oil supplementation and stay hydrated all the time.
If they get themselves into bad shape it is just much harder on them when it comes around to camp time again. They have to realize that the training load will also decrease outside of camp as well so there is a calorie discrepancy to address. Having said all of the above, I am not aware of any fighters who don't go a bit crazy in the weeks after they fight. I won't mention any names but a certain Rough House fighter has been known to mainly live off all you can eat Chinese buffets for a month after fights. His initials are JW.
YourMMA.tv: As MMA fighters people rarely get an 'off season', do you think it would be important to be taking time off inbetween fights to work on strength issues?
Ollie: Yes, definitely. Once a fight is set it's time to fine tune and drill their game plan. Strength and power development at this stage is important but not a priority. Once the fight is over and they have taken some time out, it’s a great opportunity to make some serious progress in terms of mechanical strength and power as well as improving their technical capabilities.
YourMMA.tv: Would you say it is more important for a fighter to get consistently stronger or work on areas of weakness i.e. power? Is there a base of strength that must come first?
Ollie: I'm not 100% sure what you mean here, but fighters have to see strength as a long term plan. You can't get strong over night. You might get more efficient at the strength exercise you are performing but to actually get those strength gains ingrained and transferable to the sport takes time. An aggressive, consistent and accurate approach to strength training will ultimately give you the best results that are useful to you in your sport.
YourMMA.tv: What would you consider the top five strength exercises that people aren't aware of or aren't doing?
Ollie: There are no magic exercises, but basing your program around the basic lifts will set you in good stead. Deadlifts or squat, barbell bench press, prone row, some sort of loaded jumping exercise (Olympic lifts, box jumps etc.) and some sort of med ball throwing movement. I'm not a big believer in exercise change being a good change of stimulus. I usually keep the exercises the same but manipulate the load, speed, variable resistance and range of motion.
YourMMA.tv: How important would you say it was for fighters to work on percentages when getting stronger? Is this an area where some fighters are lacking, preferring to just go by 'feel' in the gym?
Ollie: I have no idea how people think they will improve their force, power or velocity qualities without firstly knowing their existing peak force capacity, and then without implementing progressive overload methods to encourage adaptation. Beginners will pretty much get stronger whatever they do, but once someone has had a few years of training, a very calculated and informed approach is the only way to get consistent results. Coaches have to be objective, they need numbers to inform them, not feelings.
YourMMA.tv: Running. Still got a place in MMA training or a relic from a past age?
Ollie: [Laughs] I have this argument a lot. I can only see a limited place for running.
Steady state running has pretty much been covered and I think most people are accepting that it is a very outdated training concept that will not aid performance in combat sports, but even interval or anaerobic running based conditioning sessions I think are limited as the mode in which a fighter is conditioning does not match their competition. It would be like a marathon runner doing all the training on a bike - at no point will a fighter do any kind of running in competition. This is why all of the conditioning sessions I do are based around the activities in the sport, with some key pre-fatiguing exercises thrown in that overload key musculature (anterior deltoids and leg drive).
Some very short sprinting (5m) may well be beneficial for developing power as sprinting is the fastest type of plyometric you can train, so there maybe be some use there in terms of developing horizontal power and velocity.
YourMMA.tv: What's the most impressive MMA performance you have seen recently?
Ollie: Nick Diaz when he fought Daley. I still don't understand how he got back up after being dropped by Paul. He is definitely a fighter's fighter and earnt some serious respect by taking the chance and standing up with Paul. That was the most exciting first round I've seen in a long time. I would like to see him against Georges. But I'm also glad Daley seems to be back in favour with the UFC, he'll always be one of the best in the welterweight division.
YourMMA.tv: What are the 5 top things rocking your world at the moment?
Ollie: Top 5 things at the minute.... in no particular order:
- At last there being some sunshine in the UK!
- The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins
- Thor
- Deadlifts
- My little girl, Mia (and my girlfriend, Anna!)
YourMMA.tv: Thanks for taking the time to talk to Your MMA Ollie.
Stay healthy,
Mike
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