Heatrick Muay Thai Strength And Conditioning

Using fighter’s deload week effectively takes discipline! Recovery is often a dirty word for fighters… However, it’s the difference between year-on-year progress, or a monthly boom and bust. In this discussion with Rolf Eijsink during his coaching call, we explore both my approach to maximising deload weeks, and Rolf’s valuable insight too. Use these tips to deload like a pro… Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/10/14/using-fighters-deload-week-to-kill-it/

Regularly practicing this splits, passive, relaxed stretching routine for fighters will rapidly enhance your kicking flexibility. Splits stretching as shown for just 7 mins, at least 3 times per week, will make a huge difference to your kicking ability at all target heights. Not only will you reach higher targets, like the head, that may have not been available to you before, but you'll also kick faster and with less effort at all kicking ranges. Including those you could reach before too This passive relaxed splits stretching routine helps fighters fast-track your kicking ability, and easily maintain flexibility once you've got it too. Check out this week's video for my splits stretching tips... Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/10/07/the-splits-stretching-routine-for-fighters-kicks/

Fighter mental strength training isn't only about what happens on the pads or in sparring. Mental strength is built over the long-term from the habits you repeat each day. In reality, everything you do is an opportunity to either cement the identity of someone who either: 1. Avoids challenging situations or circumstances or gives up before finding their true limit, or, 2. Meets challenges head-on and only stops when physically unable to continue The truth is, the mind quits way before the body will. And training a mind with the mental strength to find out where the limits really are, takes practice.   Take every opportunity you can to train this habit and develop a true fighter's identity. It'll serve you outside the ring just as well as inside it. Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/09/30/mental-strength-training-for-fighters/

Both barbells and dumbbells have their place in a fighters program for exercises like the shoulder press... Either to target specific qualities in different blocks of training, to accommodate shoulder mobility or injury, or simply because of the limited availability of one or the other in your gym! In this episode all is explained, while I share part of a discussion from a video call with one of my Heavy Hitter clients... He struggled to get hold of two barbells for the Deadlift and Shoulder Press superset pairing in his program. Armed with the information shared on this call, he opted to use a barbell for the Deadlift, and then use a pair of dumbbells for the shoulder press – so he could compact his training session as much as possible without negatively affecting his results. Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/09/23/barbell-vs-dumbbell-shoulder-press-for-fighters/

Discipline is needed when your motivation has run dry, and it’s exponentially more important! Fighters must build real discipline in order to become the best they can be. In the last episode, I explained that consistent effort over the long-term makes the biggest difference to your performance. To achieve that, there’s a common denominator – DISCIPLINE. Discipline comes from caring enough about achieving something that you’ll do what it takes, even when things become difficult. Let’s break this down into component parts so you can make practical use of it...  Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/09/16/real-discipline-for-fighters/

Do you know the difference between optimal and peak performance for fighters? Too many fighters don’t, and it’s costing them!  I see many pro and hobbyist fighters alike, rightly working incredibly hard in their training, but mistakenly believing that every session must push them harder than the last. “Go hard or go home” has its place. However, this attitude is regularly misplaced and over simplified. Understanding when this kind of maximal effort is needed, and when it’s not, is what separates those that become the best they can be and those that boom and bust! In this episode, I’ll explain what the difference is between optimal and peak performance training, and how to use both approaches to best effect as a fighter. The objective is to build long-term performance, so that in a year you’ll be a different fighter. And in a few years you’ll be untouchable! This is very different to the flat, cyclic progress the vast majority of fighters make with their athletic performance between one fight and the next

Fighters instinctively feel hill sprints boost their fight performance. But, are there alternatives to hill sprints without a hill? Mixing these High Resistance Intervals amongst your “roadwork” develops your endurance in a way steady state running can’t... And in this episode I’ll break down exactly what hill sprints do for your endurance, how to program them in your training, how steep that hill must be to get the benefit, and what you can do instead if you’re without a decent hill! Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/08/26/how-to-do-hill-sprints-without-a-hill/ And if you enjoyed this video, hit subscribe to stay up to date with our latest Muay Thai performance tips every Friday!

For fighters, strong doesn't mean fast. Although strength is the foundation of speed, the human body responds differently to various weight training loads & speeds. Yes, to become a faster, more explosive fighter you must first become stronger – produce more force... If you can create more force, you can accelerate quicker, hit at higher velocity and do more damage. That’s the mechanics, but we’re biological machines not purely mechanical ones.   If we want our strength to transfer into the greatest striking power and speed possible, we must target the right kind of training, get it in the right order, and make the most efficient use of your training time too. In this episode we’ll dig into how training with different levels of resistance and movement speeds will affect how fast you can really be. Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/08/19/fighters-is-stronger-faster/

To become a stronger fighter, you must use resistance training correctly... Historically, old-school fight coaches claimed that weight training makes fighters big and slow. But that’s only true if you use resistance training poorly. When used in the right way, weight training can either make you much stronger WITHOUT getting any bigger, or both bigger and stronger together, meaning you get FASTER, not slower! And as we’ve seen in the previous episode, getting “the wrong kind of big” will sabotage your speed... How you use resistance training is critical.  Weight training is a tool. We can’t blame the tool for bad results if it’s being used inappropriately! Let’s dig into how to best use weight training to level up your fight performance. Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/08/05/stronger-fighter-training/

Understanding exactly why a big fighter isn’t always stronger is crucial for fight performance. It explains why some fighters perform well in their weight class and others don’t, and informs how you can best train to dominate your weight class too. As we’ve seen in the previous two videos, it’s speed that kills! However, the ability to generate the highest possible striking velocity is first dependent on foundation strength. But in order to achieve an effective strength-to-weight ratio, you must build the right kind of size! For a fighter looking to get bigger, what’s the right kind of size? What’s the wrong kind of size? That’s the focused topic for today. Let’s dig into this now.  Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/07/29/exactly-why-a-big-fighter-isnt-always-stronger/

Continuing our look at who hits harder, now we consider fighters in different weight classes and the effect this has on the physics of striking! The last episode, “Fat Loss: Who Hits Harder, Big Or Fast?” created some fantastic points of discussion. And shone a light on some areas of confusion too. In this episode, I’ll take key elements from Adam’s comment to focus on one area of confusion right now… “…knockouts in the heavyweight division are WAYY more common.  Yet if we say the strike is proportional to the velocity squared, then the little guys should be generating double and triple the punching power.  If that were true, the lower weight divisions would be KO after KO.” Adam is right! However this asks a different question to Toni’s one regarding fat loss in the previous episode. So this time, let’s dig into why Adam is right, why this is a different question, and most importantly, what this means to you and your own performance training! Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/202

When it comes to fat loss, ever wondered who hits harder, BIG or FAST? Toni did when he asked… “I have a question regarding weight loss and punching power. Let’s imagine we have 2 genetically identical fighters…Muay thai fighter 1 weighs 90 kg but is physically less muscular and fat.Muay Thai fighter 2 weighs 78kg but is physically fitter, has more muscle mass through maximum strength, explosive and speed strength training.Which of the two hits harder? The heavier or the fitter?” I love this, it’s right up my street! I’m going to use some simple physics to reveal exactly who wins this punching contest and why! Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/07/15/big-or-fast-who-hits-harder/

Fighters burnout all the time. And to optimise both long term fight performance and health, and to peak on fight night, hobbyists, amateurs, and pros alike must learn how to balance high intensity fight training with adequate recovery...  We all have a training “Goldilocks zone” that boosts our performance without sending us into either overtraining burnout, or injury blowout. Spoiler alert, this zone is a moving target! But there are tricks of the trade you can use to plan your training just right. And the same principles apply regardless if you’re balancing the demands of work, family and friends alongside either a full time fight career, an enthusiastic Muay Thai hobby, or anything in between.   Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/07/01/without-burnout-or-blowout-planning-long-term-fight-performance-training/

Combat sports have so many athletic qualities and technical and tactical skills demanding attention, that training opportunities are inexhaustible! But is fighter performance training healthy? In truth, the objectives are different when either training for optimal health or training for peak fighter performance – even if both walk hand-in-hand for part of the journey. There's a tipping point, leading to divergent paths when the need for short-term performance in competition outweighs the need for long-term health. In this episode we explore balancing training for peak fighter performance while also maintaining good health. Because optimal health and peak fitness are not one and the same. Video version, further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/06/24/is-fighter-performance-training-healthy-or-not/

Fighter training and work life balance is one of, if not THE biggest struggle for fighters living and training outside of Thailand. It's also a struggle for western fighters training long-term in Thailand too, and affects hobbyists and pro fighters alike, regardless of location. In this episode, Iman Barlow, winner of 19 world titles, shares what she describes as her biggest challenges. Fighter training and work life balance is top of her list! Whatever level you train or compete at, you're not alone in this struggle. Video version, show notes and further resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/06/17/fighter-training-and-work-life-balance-with-iman-barlow/

Even many pro fighters don’t understand the real secret of how to use the hips in punching technique – because it can seem counter intuitive. But grasp this and your punch power will sky rocket. Once you understand how the correct hip mechanics can transfer maximum force to your rear hand punching technique, you’ll win by KO far more often! Video version, further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/06/10/punch-power-up-using-secret-hip-mechanics/

One thing’s for sure, fighters training with sore muscles is part of Muay Thai – especially when you head out to Thailand to train! But… Is muscle soreness the sign of a good training session? How can you avoid being too sore? Should you train if you’re really sore? How can you reduce muscle soreness the quickest? There’s quite a bit to unpack on this subject, so let’s get started! In this episode… Everything a fighter must know about delayed onset muscle soreness (aka DOMS). Video version, show notes and further resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/06/03/fighters-and-delayed-onset-muscle-soreness-everything-you-need-to-know/

Why a lower body activation exercise for strength and conditioning for fighters? Activating the right muscles to efficiently create movement patterns in both strength and conditioning, and a fighter’s technical skill training makes a huge difference to your movement economy and ultimate strength and power levels. And many fighters struggle to “feel” the difference between knee and hip dominant patterns, or understand how they play out in fighting movements. Today, we’ll fix that! Video version, further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/05/27/fighters-lower-body-activation-exercise-for-strength-and-conditioning/

There are a ton of different reaction training methods and an ever-increasing crop of reaction training devices…  And for fighters, they’re NOT all created equal. Some methods really only function as warm-up or movement activities, whereas others can develop Saenchai-like reflexes in the ring! In this episode… which reaction training methods will make you a better fighter the quickest, and WHY? Whether it’s throwing and catching tennis balls, punching top-to-bottom balls or boxing bars, hitting reaction lights or even evading striking robots… There are many methods vying for your attention when seeking to improve your fighter reactions. And the truth is, some methods carry over into your fight performance while others don't at all! Understanding what fighter reaction training is and isn’t is key to picking the most appropriate methods to boost your fight reactions… Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/05/20/best-reaction-time-training-for-fighters/

It's critical a fighter's corner team understands how to coach fighters between rounds... It not only makes the difference between winning or losing a closely fought fight, but can make or break a fighter's performance entirely. Although there are certainly best practices, such as keeping your instructions to the bare minimum and focusing only on the priority information to avoid information overload... It's not as simple as "one size fits all". Different fighters have different personalities and require different approaches depending on how the fight is going! In this episode, Damien Trainer shares a wealth of knowledge on cornering fighters, both as a fighter at the highest level himself and as a coach looking after his own fighters between rounds too. Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/05/06/how-to-coach-fighters-between-rounds-with-damien-trainor/