With the growth of my businesses, websites, and blogs in recent years, I know there are a number of y’all that have only come to start reading my articles, posts, newsletters, and such fairly recently (like as in the past couple years or so). Many of y’all might not know that I actually put out my first training manual back way back in 2003.

Geared toward MMA, it was called “Singles & Doubles”. The original book was originally written with sandbag training in mind, but the driving force behind the program was using a lot of sets of just one or two reps (hence the “Singles & Doubles” name) while reducing rest periods over time.

I had a few articles published around the intranetz at the time, one of which at the T-Nation site (or T-Muscle or Testosterone.net or whatever they hell they’re calling themselves right now). The article was called “Staying Power” and I’ve re-printed the article over at my site.

If you’ve never seen my old “Singles & Doubles” style of training, go check the article out:

=>CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

It’s a pretty cool method of training that can lead to some pretty awesome work capacity gains with near maximal weights. I think alot of y’all will like it.

HOWEVER, I will advise you – don’t use this S&D protocol for either you entire training program, or if you do, not for an extended period of time. While it can build some pretty kickass capacity with near maximal weights, and even though you are resting very minimal, because you’re never doing more than two reps at a time, if you do only this style of training for too long, you shoot your muscular endurance straight in the ass.

(I had to learn this the hard way after training like this for a good 1.5+ years, only to come back to more medium to high rep training, only to realize my muscular endurance would crap out – even with fairly light weights – in as few as six reps. So don’t let this happen to you…)

=>CLICK HERE to give the article a read – I think y’all will like it.

Oh and watch out in the coming days…I’ll be revealing a method (actually, a MMA-specific workout) that utilizes this style of training as a part of an overall program. It’s pretty kickass. But all in good time…

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard-
Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins
Muscle Building Workouts | Muscle Building Programs | Cardio Workouts | Cardio Fitness | MMA Workout | MMA Training

Well, I wasn’t sure how many people were gonna agree w/some of what I said about the judging at Saturday night’s UFC 119. But given the feedback I got, it looks like the internet forum fanboys aren’t the only ones who thought the judging was suspect.

I think there are a few reasons why the judging is so strange in MMA at times.

1 – some judges still just don’t know WTF they’re looking at (and NO, I’m not gonna name names)

2 – clashes in styles (more on that in a second)

3 – regardless of what they’re supposed to do, I think judges give more weight to certain things than others, which leads into…

4 – see #1

See, here’s the thing. Everybody bitches about wrestlers and ‘lay and pray’. Problem is this though…you’ve got guys that are fighting each other whose styles clash into a situation, where, if the judge doesn’t know WTF he’s looking at, he can’t (necessarily) score it accurately.

Say a wrestler is fighting a BJJ black belt. The wrestler shoots in for the takedown, and the BJJer may fight it, or if the shot is real good, he’ll just go with it and pull guard, b/c as a BJJer, pulling guard is actually his offensive position. But then it looks like the wrestler went for something, got it, and ‘imposed his will’. But did he?

Then you’ve got what I call the “Sugar Ray Leonard” syndrome.

In his heyday, Sugar Ray was notorious for ‘surviving’ a round, not really pressing any offense or trying to do anything, being able to keep from absorbing any punishment, then land a few jabs or a combination or two in the last 15-30 secs to ‘steal’ the round.

Well, now you’ve got wrestlers (many times) doing the same thing in the MMA w/takedowns.

It’s all within the rules (even if everybody thinks….knows?…it’s really kinda bullshit), and it gets the “W”, but it ends up
making for lousy fights and pissed off fans.

If the orgs/feds/commissions wanna change this, then they’re gonna have to change the rules and/or how points are scored.

They did it to BJJers. It’s no secret that traditional BJJ (or even Gracie Jiu-Jitsu – as was made famous in the UFC) had to be adapted to MMA as it was sanctioned in the States. BJJ is a very passive art, where you conserve energy, wait for you opponent to make a mistake, and capitalize on it.

(Hence many of Royce’s old fights going so long, and even the idea that when he fought in the 2000 Pride Grand Prix, that he wanted unlimited rounds – special rules just for him.)

Not in sanctioned MMA, though – too boring and not enough aggressiveness. The art had to be changed and adapted to make it more viewer and fan-friendly. Well, if they don’t want fans to keep getting pissed off, they may have to do the same w/the takedowns.

If I were you, though, I wouldn’t wait around for the rules to get changed. Prolly ain’t happening any time soon.

So, if you’re a fighter, and don’t want this kinda thing happening to you, you’d best better be able to impose your will, strategy, fighting style, and gameplan on your opponent.

And if you don’t wanna get beat in the last 30 secs of a round, you’d damn well better be in shape.

Because being gassed at the end of the round is a SURE WAY to let that guy get those takedowns, score those points w/the judges (that may or may not know WTF they’re looking at), and maybe even cost you the fight.

Nobody wants to lose like that…really…esp if it’s happening b/c you’re just too damn tired to keep it from going down that way.

Don’t be too tired. Have a better gas tank. Be more explosive. Have more strength. Be able to outwork and out-hustle your opponent.

How? Simple – get the ‘Championship Edition 2.0′ MMA workout program.

=>CLICK HERE to learn more…and to NOT LOSE to bullshit takedowns at the end of the round

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard-
Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins
Muscle Building Workouts | Muscle Building Programs | Cardio Workouts | Cardio Fitness | MMA Workout | MMA Training

Q – Why is a fighter like the ’80s cartoon and toy He-Man?

(…jeez – this sounds like it’s gonna be some kinda dumb joke, huh?)

(And NO, the answer doesn’t have anything to do with long, flowing locks of blonde hair…LMAO!)

A – They body have “the power”.

(Ok, so maybe it *did* end up sounding like a dumb joke, haha

However you slice it, though, a fighter isn’t gonna get anywhere in his career unless he has power. He can have the big muscles (just like He-Man, LOL), and even be plenty strong, but if he’s slow…he might as well not even show up.

Don’t believe me? Think about it. What about:

-shooting in for a takedown

-sprawling to defend

-scrambling for position

-any kind of strike you want to throw

-avoiding those strikes (lol)

Are ANY of those things done slowly? Not a chance. And most of them need a good chunk of strength, as well.

I mean, being fast is great, but if there’s no strength behind it, then, well…who cares if you can shoot in a grab a leg, if
the other guy could literally just drag you around the cage like a rag doll?

And when you take speed and add strength, you get…

Power.

But even then, though – that’s not enough. B/c believe it or not, I’d be willing to be that most guys who compete or
train MMA (or ‘trane UFC’…inside joke for those that get it, lol), are already pretty damn powerful.

At least, they start out that way.

But after a couple rounds of hard rolling, sparring, or fighting, how are they? How much of that power can they still take
advantage of?

Because THAT is when fights are won!

I mean, think about it – if you’re just as powerful at the end of your fight (or at least pretty damn close to it) as you are
at the beginning, what kinda advantage do you think you now have over your opponent?

Yeah…I bet you’ve got all kinds of cool stuff running through your head right now, huh?

Well, that’s where power-conditioning comes into play…the kind of training that:

-helps you not gas out

-makes your shots and strikes explosive at the end of your fights

-gives you the work capacity to simply out-hustle your opponent

-gives you a ‘leg up’ on all the competition

And it’s exactly what the “Championship Edition 2.0″ MMA workout builds to. Because that is what will get a fighter in
the best shape, and give him the best chance of winning…that’s exactly what the “Champ Edition 2.0″ builds.

So, how interested are you in having that advantage over any opponent you step into the cage with?

=>CLICK HERE to get that power-conditioning advantage NOW

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard-
Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins
Muscle Building Workouts | Muscle Building Programs | Cardio Workouts | Cardio Fitness | MMA Workout | MMA Training

Pro athletes are a funny bunch.

These guys (and gals) get to do – for a living – what most of us love to do in our free time. While you & I wish we had more time to participate in our favorite sport, simply because it’s something we really enjoy doing, these people actually get paid – and usually paid very, very well – to do it full-time.

(Just how awesome would that be, anyway?)

You’d think that like all other professionals (esp when it comes to athletes that make major bank), they’d bust ass to be as prepared as possible. But, many times, that’s just not the case.

Yeah…blows my mind, too. I mean, Albert Haynesworth…dude. Really? How many times did he fail that damn conditioning test, anyway? I dunno about you, but back when I worked for somebody else, if I was given a test or task like that, if I failed it a bunch of times, I didn’t get to keep trying until I made it. My ass woulda got fired.

Sucks being blue-collar, huh?

Funny, because I’ve gotten a number of emails over the years about fighters for this very thing. Too many times you see MMAists that are fighting at top levels – even in friggin’ championship fights – yet still totally gas in their fights.

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

(Or, in other words…WTF!?!)

In an ironic twist, the guy I’ve gotten the most emails questions about is the guy (former UFC champ, actually) that I originally designed the ‘Championship Edition 2.0′ MMA workout for. Here is a guy that’s one of the best fighters in the ENTIRE WORLD (let that sink in for a second) at his weight class. In the opinion of many, for a while, he was one of the best in the world at any weight class.

Yet, he’d go into fights, and completely gas. What gives? Why wouldn’t this guy get in shape?

(I’m not gonna say who I’m talking about, so don’t ask. He ended up not using the ‘Champ Edition’ program, but he did eventually end up solving some of his conditioning problems. Of course, the fight he was supposed to use the ‘Champ Edition’ workout for, what happened? He gassed. Big time. As in bad.)

So why don’t a lot of these guys come into fights in shape?

Well, surprisingly enough, many times, guy actually are in shape…conditioning isn’t their problem. Their problem doesn’t lie within their body. It lies somewhere else. It’s a lack of heart. Motivation. Desire. Cajones.

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all”. How true.

You see, anybody can be a badass when things are easy and going their way. What you do when things get tough is what determines your true character. And some fighters, when they get tired, simply just give the hell up. They quit trying. They let their gameplan go out the window. Their desire to win is gone. You can see the ‘fight’ in their eyes is simply gone. All they give a damn about is getting the fight done so they can rest.

GAWD, I hate that.

I’ve seen more people skate by in their lives (not just in MMA or athletics, but in life in general) on pure talent – their natural abilities that makes them better than almost everybody else just by default.

But know how they say that there is “always somebody bigger” (or badder, or faster, or stronger, or whatever)? When these talent-laden peeps meet ‘em, they just fold up and quit. And it’s sickening.

Because it’s not a lack of heart…at least on some level it’s not. I mean, it takes some nuts to climb into the ring or cage and be willing to get hit in the face. Not just anybody is up for that.

However, let fatigue set in…then you find out who has the true character. The true heart. The true desire.

That’s what causes fighters to gas more than anything, IMO. They don’t gas because they’re tired…they gas because they give up.

Usually, though, if these guys didn’t given up first, they’d end up gassing due to a lack of conditioning, anyway. Because if a guy is gonna quit in his fight (where it all really matters) when he gets tired, chances are that he doesn’t train that hard in the first place.

Because here’s the thing about real hard training – esp hard strength & conditioning workouts – when you work your ass off, when you train harder than you thought you could, when you push your body to new levels…when you make yourself now capable of doing something you couldn’t do before…you not only build your body. You build your character.

You’re not only adapting to lifting heavier weight, or breathing harder. You’re adapting to working. You’re adapting to effort. You’re training yourself to be able to push to that level you didn’t have before.

It’s that kind of intrinsic drive and work ethic that doesn’t let you quit when you get in the ring, and shit hits the fan.

If you’ve spent your time running hard sprints, doing crazy intense complexes and circuits, or struggling up that new deadlift PR, that little voice in you that tells you to keep working and not to give up is the exact same little voice that will keep you working in the cage…that won’t let you give up.

Now, I’m not saying guys don’t legit gas in their fights – because it does happen. Sometimes a guy just works so damn hard that he leaves it all on the mat, and the other guy is just better on that day. There is nothing wrong with that. But when a guy is done early…at least earlier than you know he should be…inferior conditioning usually isn’t his only problem.

So what do you do? Do you keep on pushing? Do you keep on working? Do you not let yourself quit? Or do you, as Lombardi said, let fatigue make a coward of you?

Are you ready to put the effort and work in…making you not only stronger, faster, better conditioned…but tougher, as well?

If so, then you should check out the ‘Championship Edition 2.0′ MMA workout.

It was a program that was specifically designed for the needs of MMA – it gets you stronger, builds an aerobic base, then moves onto power work, anaerobic conditioning, and then most important of all, power-conditioning.

This is the program that will take you as an MMAist through all the physical levels of conditioning to bring you into your next fight, the best you that you’ve ever been.

And what if you don’t fight? Say life itself is your fight. Well, 12 weeks from now, would you be a better you if you were stronger, more explosive, in better shape, had better cardio, and had lost some bodyfat along the way?

Sure would.

Don’t mess around – be a better you. Don’t “gas out” in your next fight…no matter what that fight is.

=>CLICK HERE to get the “Championship Edition 2.0″ MMA Workout NOW!

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard-
Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins
Muscle Building Workouts | Muscle Building Programs | Cardio Workouts | Cardio Fitness | MMA Workout | MMA Training

One of the questions I seem to get a lot is what sort of workout do you need to do to be in shape for MMA?

Many guys seem to think that ‘cardio’ is the big thing, and that they should spend all their time running. (Most of the time, this is b/c they’ve watched too many fights on TV, and some announcer…who usually knows jack about what he’s talking about…keeps talking about some fighter’s “cardio”.)

While cardio is important, it’s just a small piece of the puzzle. A good MMA workout needs to:

-get you stronger and more powerful

-not add muscle mass (remember, MMA is about weight classes – getting stronger is no good if you gotta fight bigger guys now)

-improve your wind (hence all the ‘cardio’ talk)

-increase your power-conditioning (in other words, make you just as powerful at the end of the fight when you’re fatigued as you are at the beginning of your fight)

-give you more work capacity overall – you *never* wanna lose a fight b/c you “gas”

And then there are two of the most important factors not yet mentioned…and both have to do with time. A fight camp doesn’t last forever, so you have to be able to do many of these things pretty quickly (in a matter of just a few weeks).

Also, your workout needs to not take a whole ton of time, as you’re gonna be busy with all your fight training, drilling, and sparring to spend a ton of time on your strength and conditioning.

(And if you think about it, a workout that does all this kinda thing is perfect for the ‘regular guy’, too…even if you don’t train in MMA.)

So how do you accomplish all this? With a dedicated program like the ‘Championship Edition 2.0′ MMA workout.

(You know…the workout that was originally designed for a former UFC champ?)

=>Click Here (or the Add to Cart button) to Learn More

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard-
Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins
Muscle Building Workouts | Muscle Building Programs | Cardio Workouts | Cardio Fitness | MMA Workout | MMA Training