jluchau
02-06-2007, 09:38 PM
Strength training presents whole new challenge
Sentinel Sports Reporter Jeremy Luchau is training to be a mixed martial artist, a project which will end with a bout in the Palace Fighting Championship at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in October. His column appears every second Tuesday.
I never thought that strength training could be so complex.
With terms such as periodized, macrocycle, microcycle, mesocycle, hypertrophy, dynamic and static, I felt like I was getting ready for an advanced chemistry test.
Oh was I ever tested, too.
I really found out the hard way about strength training on Monday, as just towards the end of my first session I began to emesis. (It's your turn to do some studying on scientific words).
Honestly, I really had no idea how complex strength training could be. I figured I'd throw some weight on a bar and press it, maybe do some sprints and a couple sit-ups.
Again, I was wrong.
But I'm lucky to be working with VQ Fitness, general manager Ron Rodriguez and strength and conditioning coach Steve Novencido.
Novencido has specifically designed a program just for me that is geared towards getting me ready for my fight.
"Certified strength coaches design and implement training programs which are periodized, meaning they implement programs which help avoid stale training as well as manipulate training variables in order to achieve peak performance," Novencido said. "These variables include volume, total repetitions, intensities and or percent of rep max and recovery. The underlying principle of this training is called General Adaptation Syndrome theory, which simply states that the body adapts to stress and stimulus."
It's the perfect time for me to start increasing my strength with about nine months until I enter the ring in the Palace Fighting Championships in October. It will take more than just technique and skill to prevail in the ring.
I've been working hard since the end of May on fundamentals and basics in mixed martial arts and to get to the next level I really need to improve my strength, conditioning and flexibility.
There's no better coach around than Novencido, who has worked with Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame fighter Royce Gracie, the San Diego Chargers and Fresno State.
He's designed programs specifically for MMA fighters and for a variety of styles - wrestler, standup fighter or submission guys.
My training started Monday.
"Your entire training phase is called a macrocycle and it's broken down into two smaller phases called mesocycles and then further to microcycles," Novencido said. "Typically the sequential cyclical periods emphasize hypertrophy, followed by strength and then power. And at that point you should be ready for competition.
"The first mesocycle will consist of hypertrophy (muscle growth) and will be a little longer phase for you since weights are somewhat new. This phase will involve high volume of training and moderate intensities. This will be the ideal training in order for to put on some muscle."
Things didn't start off too bad. A quick warm-up and then some exercises and then some light lifting. Novencido did a lot of teaching and focussed mostly on technique.
"You appeared to already have the necessary kinematic and balance awareness this type of training involves," Novencido said. "You're a good listener, which plays an enormous part in both technique improvement and positive feedback.
"You seem to have good flexibility, which is a major component to multi-joint exercises. Additionally, you need to increase your hip flexibility and ankle flexibility in order to achieve a greater range of motion. Ove-rall, I think you will enjoy and benefit from your training, as well as learn from your mistakes."
Like eating to close to workouts, which leads to emesis.
I also got some good news Monday morning from Inez Rodriguez at Supplement Dir-ect in Hanford. I stopped by the shop in the morning to check my weight and body fat after the three-week supplement program.
"This is a great weight for you right now," Rodriguez said after seeing that I had dropped just about 15 pounds.
"You can probably stay right here at this weight and get really strong," he added.
"I think if you continue to work hard you will see great results. It's all about what you sacrifice."
Rodriguez knows that I cheated from time-to-time on my diet and I really didn't work out all that hard during this process.
"If you put forth more effort next time, think about what the results could be? You lost 10 pounds that first week when you were strict," Rodriguez said. "Still, though, to lose a pound every two days is great. I think 165-170 is a great place for you right now."
With my new body, a great new strength and conditioning coach and great facility (VQ Fitness), I can't wait to see where I'm at a month or two down the road.
Oh and emesis - the act of vomiting.
Sentinel Sports Reporter Jeremy Luchau is training to be a mixed martial artist, a project which will end with a bout in the Palace Fighting Championship at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in October. His column appears every second Tuesday.
I never thought that strength training could be so complex.
With terms such as periodized, macrocycle, microcycle, mesocycle, hypertrophy, dynamic and static, I felt like I was getting ready for an advanced chemistry test.
Oh was I ever tested, too.
I really found out the hard way about strength training on Monday, as just towards the end of my first session I began to emesis. (It's your turn to do some studying on scientific words).
Honestly, I really had no idea how complex strength training could be. I figured I'd throw some weight on a bar and press it, maybe do some sprints and a couple sit-ups.
Again, I was wrong.
But I'm lucky to be working with VQ Fitness, general manager Ron Rodriguez and strength and conditioning coach Steve Novencido.
Novencido has specifically designed a program just for me that is geared towards getting me ready for my fight.
"Certified strength coaches design and implement training programs which are periodized, meaning they implement programs which help avoid stale training as well as manipulate training variables in order to achieve peak performance," Novencido said. "These variables include volume, total repetitions, intensities and or percent of rep max and recovery. The underlying principle of this training is called General Adaptation Syndrome theory, which simply states that the body adapts to stress and stimulus."
It's the perfect time for me to start increasing my strength with about nine months until I enter the ring in the Palace Fighting Championships in October. It will take more than just technique and skill to prevail in the ring.
I've been working hard since the end of May on fundamentals and basics in mixed martial arts and to get to the next level I really need to improve my strength, conditioning and flexibility.
There's no better coach around than Novencido, who has worked with Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame fighter Royce Gracie, the San Diego Chargers and Fresno State.
He's designed programs specifically for MMA fighters and for a variety of styles - wrestler, standup fighter or submission guys.
My training started Monday.
"Your entire training phase is called a macrocycle and it's broken down into two smaller phases called mesocycles and then further to microcycles," Novencido said. "Typically the sequential cyclical periods emphasize hypertrophy, followed by strength and then power. And at that point you should be ready for competition.
"The first mesocycle will consist of hypertrophy (muscle growth) and will be a little longer phase for you since weights are somewhat new. This phase will involve high volume of training and moderate intensities. This will be the ideal training in order for to put on some muscle."
Things didn't start off too bad. A quick warm-up and then some exercises and then some light lifting. Novencido did a lot of teaching and focussed mostly on technique.
"You appeared to already have the necessary kinematic and balance awareness this type of training involves," Novencido said. "You're a good listener, which plays an enormous part in both technique improvement and positive feedback.
"You seem to have good flexibility, which is a major component to multi-joint exercises. Additionally, you need to increase your hip flexibility and ankle flexibility in order to achieve a greater range of motion. Ove-rall, I think you will enjoy and benefit from your training, as well as learn from your mistakes."
Like eating to close to workouts, which leads to emesis.
I also got some good news Monday morning from Inez Rodriguez at Supplement Dir-ect in Hanford. I stopped by the shop in the morning to check my weight and body fat after the three-week supplement program.
"This is a great weight for you right now," Rodriguez said after seeing that I had dropped just about 15 pounds.
"You can probably stay right here at this weight and get really strong," he added.
"I think if you continue to work hard you will see great results. It's all about what you sacrifice."
Rodriguez knows that I cheated from time-to-time on my diet and I really didn't work out all that hard during this process.
"If you put forth more effort next time, think about what the results could be? You lost 10 pounds that first week when you were strict," Rodriguez said. "Still, though, to lose a pound every two days is great. I think 165-170 is a great place for you right now."
With my new body, a great new strength and conditioning coach and great facility (VQ Fitness), I can't wait to see where I'm at a month or two down the road.
Oh and emesis - the act of vomiting.