868 - Training for MMA and BJJ

Doug Larson, Coach Travis Mash and Dr. Mike Lane break down strength and conditioning for MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with a heavy emphasis on speed and power endurance. Doug shares lessons from his own fighting and coaching experience, including how he structures heavy bag intervals and a simple way to progress fight-specific conditioning. The crew covers aerobic fitness, recovery between rounds, and why your conditioning needs to reflect the muscles, movements and pace you actually use when you compete.

They also get into assessing and developing strength, mobility and work capacity, why strength can't replace technical skill (especially in jiu-jitsu), and how confidence in your defense lets you commit to your offense. If you train or coach combat sports, this one will help you find what's holding you back and make your gym work carry over to the mat or the ring.

In this episode

• Doug's path from taekwondo to wrestling, jiu-jitsu and fighting MMA
• Full-speed heavy bag intervals: hold the pace, rest when it drops, shrink the rest over time
• Aerobic base vs. specificity, and how the big fast fibers recover between rounds
• Simple threshold checks: the talk test and nasal breathing
• Finding weak points: strength, muscle mass, mobility and single-leg strength
• Why skill comes first, and why good defense builds offensive confidence

Connect with the crew

• Coach Travis Mash: mashelite.com and Instagram @coachtravismash
• Dr. Mike Lane: Instagram @mikelanephd
• Doug Larson: Instagram @douglaselarson
• Barbell Shrugged: Instagram @barbell_shrugged
• Work with Doug, Travis and Dr. Mike Lane at Biomolecular Athlete