Aerobic vs. Anaerobic

Written by Travis “the Gorilla” Thompson

We all want to be bigger, faster and stronger right? Isn’t that what is pounded into our heads, or at least for males since high school football? Well the truth is, you can’t peak in all three at once. In combat sports, the key is POWER not strength nor speed but the right combination of both. This can be supported through basic physics:

POWER = MASS × FORCE

In the equation, mass is the same as strength and force represents velocity or speed. Consider the two extremes. Think of someone big and strong pushing somebody; it will not hurt nor leave a bruise. It will only off-balance the being for a moment. This example represents a large mass with minimal velocity. At the other end, consider a 65MPH gust of wind. This time the object is moving fast, but has minimal mass and again only off-balances but does not injure a being. Let us combine the two and use a baseball as our mass and set its velocity to 65MPH. Any volunteers want to go down to the batting cage and let the machine throw pitches at 65MPH at them? This is taking a mass, speeding it up in which case the power is increased as our volunteers’ bruises are going to demonstrate. So, what is the best type of exercise for combat sports?

First, let us clear up the discrepancy between anaerobic and aerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise is training at a higher intensity for shorter periods of time. It can include the training of the bodies various muscle groups as well as short bursts of cardiovascular training. Aerobic exercise is prolonged exercise such as running several miles at a moderate pace.

Anaerobic training at the right intensity can increase aerobic levels but the reverse is not always true. Firstly, anaerobic training is not restricted to weights but does need a form of resistance. Circuit training can elevate ones heart rate increasing their cardiovascular system while building muscle at the same time. More popular today is High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT. HIIT is shorter work-outs that leave the subject feeling completely depleted by the end of their work-out due to the fast pace which elevates the heart rate and cardiovascular muscles while simultaneously building the beach body muscles.

On the other side, committing exclusively to aerobic exercises can be detrimental to your beach body muscles herein classified as: the core (upper/lower abs, oblique’s and, lower back), legs, chest, back, arms, shoulders and neck. Going back to the evolution theories, human bodies are adapted to hold fat over muscle for two important reasons. First, early humans would often have to go several days without eating therefore the body adapted to holding fat for such emergencies. Secondly, fat requires fewer calories to maintain than muscle mass does. For example, if we take two test subjects, one being a body builder the other being an average person. If they both consumed the same number of calories taken from the exact same foods in a day while engaging in identical exercise, the body builder will have burned significantly more calories throughout the day as the muscles expend significantly more calories. Doing extensive periods of aerobic cardio will cause the body to begin breaking down muscle tissue rather than fat. An optimal time frame for aerobic activity should be about 20-30 minutes at a challenging pace, never an hour if you want to maintain muscle mass. This can be adjusted depending on the individual’s goals. For MMA, workouts should focus on sprints over distance running. Our breed of athletes need to be able to go max effort for the duration of a competition. This can range from a five minute grappling match to 3×5 minute rounds of MMA totaling 15 minutes with 2 minutes of rest. Being able to run at 65% for 45 minutes to an hour is wasting a half hour or more of your day and breaking down your muscles. With this in mind, what should we do for cardio?

The growing OC Kickboxing & Mixed Martial Arts Fight Team has been busy lately with a lot of MMA fight action going on! In 2010 we’ll be even busier preparing for and competing in MMA and Muay Thai events. There are a lot of upcoming MMA events that we’ll be participating in. Some are still tentative and some are confirmed. These are the February 2010 MMA events where we have confirmed fights so far:

OC Kickboxing & MMA fighter Darren Smith will tryout for the Collision in the Cage Series.

For more information visit:  http://www.collegecageseries.com

Next event in February…

Come see OC Kickboxing & MMA fighters Travis Thompson and Darren Smith compete in this Pro MMA event!
For more information visit:  http://www.gladiatorchallenge.com

Written by Travis “the Gorilla” Thompson

(The good stuff, where you should spend most of your time at the store)

Losing weight is the easy part. Keeping it off is more difficult.

Losing weight is roughly 70% diet and 30% exercise. There is a drastic difference between cutting weight for a fight and legitimately losing weight and how the two are approached. For now, we will focus on losing weight and will address cutting weight separately. A diet should not limit one’s intake so much as regulate what is taken in. First, let’s distinguish the difference between losing weight and cutting weight for a fight, so that any confusion is cleared up.

Cutting weight is not as simple as not eating or drinking for the week leading up to the event. Cutting weight is when a fighter loses anywhere from five to ten pounds in a 24 hour time frame. If at 24 hours prior to weigh-ins a fighter is not ten pounds or less over-weight, then he or she has failed to diet properly. Now that cutting weight has been distinguished, we can focus on diet.

To support this we must first look at what we are as humans and how we have evolved. Humans evolved on a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Think of your image of a cavemen and what they would be able to eat prior to learning how to control fire. Certain raw foods that we cannot consume today, like raw poultry, could not be safely consumed and digested by our great ancestors either. Some diets promote high intakes of protein, especially chicken. High protein intake is essential, but chicken is not the only source of protein. Nuts happen to be rich in protein as well. So what does this mean I should eat?

As stated earlier, fruits, vegetables and nuts should be the foundation of a solid diet. Focus on water based fruits such as oranges instead of starchy fruits like bananas. Vegetables can be consumed in large quantities making the consumer feel full while not taking in a large number of calories. Nuts are where things get confusing. Most people first think of the peanut, which is easy to understand as it has the keyword "nut" in it. However a peanut is not a nut. Peanuts are actually beans. While the peanut does boast various benefits, all of these benefits can be found in true nuts (cashews, Brazilian nuts, walnuts, almonds…etc.). I recommend you get your nutrient boost from nuts instead of peanuts.

What particular items should one not eat?

Going back to the caveman diet, which is largely considered a raw diet, products that must be processed before consumed should be ignored. This caveman style diet is so popular that it actually has a name, The Caveman Diet, or scientifically, it is referred to as a Paleolithic Diet or in short Paleo Diet/Challenge. The basic guideline is that if the product must be cooked in any way, it is not acceptable in this diet. This is the reason that beans are not included, nor is poultry. Even red meat should be avoided. Dairy products from cheese to milk should also be minimized if not avoided entirely. If you have paid attention, you do not find uncooked peanuts in grocery stores, nor do you eat beans raw which is why peanuts/beans are dismissed. You can further research this by "googling" the diets specified above in bold print.

Let’s recap the basic guide to this diet:

• Fruits, vegetables and nuts are acceptable.
• Foods that cannot be consumed in their raw form are unacceptable; this includes beans and even potatoes.
• Do not add sodium to your meals. On this diet, most of your fruits and vegetables will not taste good by adding salt anyways.
• Drink lots and lots of water. Someone doing an average amount of daily exercise should consume between ¾ a gallon and 1 gallon of water a day. Those doing lots of exercise should be taking in upwards of 1½ gallons of water.

Taking a trip to a Subway restaurant can help to illustrate what a meal should consist of. Order a salad with all the vegetables but no dressing or croutons and swap out the lettuce for spinach (only because spinach is healthier, nothing against lettuce). A single subway salad for me could be divided into three of my meals for the day, as I also eat a piece or two of fruit with each meal. Nuts are generally snack food. You should grab a handful and walk away from the jar. Through a test in Europe, ten individuals were placed on this diet; the subjects were considered average weight people who did not exercise regularly. The subjects ate upwards of 11 pounds of fruits, vegetables and nuts a day to achieve the calories they needed to function. After ten days the average weight lost was ten pounds. Simple math shows that eating 11 pounds of food a day, the individuals lost about a pound a day. Adjust to see what works for you to reach your goals within your time frame.

Everyone has heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It most certainly is.

The meal can be anything from a bowl of cereal to a glass of cold water. Putting something into your stomach to start your metabolism for the day is what’s important. Essentially, you want to stop your body from fasting which it has done overnight. That’s why we eat breakfast not breakfest.

I personally aim for 4 meals a day:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Mid-Afternoon
• Evening

The idea is to each every 3-4 hours to prevent hunger. When your body begins to starve is when people indulge and eat too much. I’ve heard the saying and do believe that, "Your mind is five minutes behind your stomach." This means that it takes roughly five minutes for your brain to realize your stomach is full. This is why it is suggested to eat slowly, so that you do not eat too much. If I am between meals and hungry, a trick I have found is to pour a large glass of water and quickly drink it. Your stomach will feel full and it does not know what has been consumed until it has been broken down, which takes time. In other words, immediately after consumption, your body does not know if it has consumed water or food.

Here is the breakdown of the “paleo diet”

• Breakfast: Start the day with citrus based fruits. This will help "wake" you up as the fruits natural sugars will get your body moving.
• Meals 2-4: Plate loaded with salad and more fruit.
• 1-2 gallons of water a day.
• Spaced out handfuls of nuts to prevent hunger.
• Do not eat anything within two hours of bed.

For a lot of people, a gallon of water a day seems like a lot. I carry around a gallon jug everywhere I go so that I can see my progress. Other people have different methods and here is a good way to keep hydrated if carrying a jug of water is not practical for your daily routine.

A gallon of water is 128 ounces, or 16 eight ounce glasses of water.

If you are reading this diet it is because you exercise so here is a good method to consume more water. Every hour on the hour, fill an 8oz. cup of water to sip on for that hour. Eight ounces is not much, after an eight hour work day you have consumed half a gallon. The other half gallon is going to be easily consumed during and after your exercise. You should always bring your own water to the gym.

Compared to any other diet, this one does lack certain products. As stated above, there are advantages to consuming meat and other processed goods. The diet I have described is the one I follow precisely starting two weeks out from a fight. On the diet, I will go from "walking around at" 185 pounds down to 175. I am eating huge portions at each sitting because in that time period, I am exercising two or even three times a day and desperately need the calories. The diet is for the most part, empty calories. When I am not cutting weight for a fight, my diet will include some processed items such as cereals and chicken. Even when I am not dieting, I tend to stay away from red meat as the body has a harder time breaking it down and I just do not like it as much as fish and poultry. If you do not need to make weight for a tournament but for personal reasons then including these items that I previously ignored is not bad. I consider myself to be a walking specimen of diets and workouts. I try everything and find what personally works best for me and the paleo diet is what I have found to work most efficiently. There are statics that also show consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight a day helps lose weight. I do consume protein shakes, usually one immediately after anaerobic exercise and a second one later in the day. As the days get closer to my fight, I have to stop taking my supplements to lose that extra pound or two, protein shakes included.

The last thing to be discussed is supplements.

I consume a lot of supplements to make sure my body is full of nutrients. For protein, you want a product that consists of different types of protein. I take a triple whey that is 26 grams per shake. Other products boast up to 50 grams per shake, however the body can only absorb 25-30 grams in a given period of time. The rest goes to waste. There are several needed supplements and using a multi-vitamin/mineral is essential. As with protein, your body can only absorb a certain amount of nutrients in a period of time. If in pill form, I split the pill in two and take one half in the morning and the other in the afternoon. If the product is a powder, only use ½ the recommended dosage, but consume it twice a day. Here is my disclaimer on splitting pills as many people think it should not be done. What I have been told comes from a credible source but if you find or believe it is incorrect, do not split your pills. Take one in the morning and the other later. To my knowledge, and again, I am not a doctor, pills can be split and/or crushed so long as they are not a time released product. In other words, you do not want to crush a pain reliever that is made to release over a six hour time period. I also consume ½ the recommended daily dosage of a fruit supplement and a vegetable supplement. The reason I do this is even though the paleo diet is fruit and vegetable rich, not all fruits and vegetables contain every nutrient. This way my body at least gets a little bit of everything. Another one I take is Spirulina, which is an algae, which I believe is only found in Thailand. Spirulina is considered a "super-food" in that it is basically a high-powered vegetable, comparable to the wheat grass shots we have all seen at "Juice It Up". The fruit rival to this is the açaí (ah-sigh-ee) berry from Brazil that is becoming the new trend. The last of my supplements is a pre-workout drink. I have tried different ones but at the moment I am taking Body Storm. I like the benefits of this but it is important to cycle pre-workout drinks. If you constantly take the same product your body will build a high tolerance level to the product and you will not get the "pump" intended. The product comes in a month’s supply and cycling should be a monthly routine. The following month, find a product that does not have caffeine in it. It is simpler to leave it to the professionals. So, when you go to your supplement shop, ask the salesman what he recommends using for pre-workout and what he recommends to cycle it with. As with protein shakes, I stop consuming my pre-workout drinks a few days before weighing in as the creatine in them forces the body to retain water.

The basic principle of all of this is to consume more natural foods.

The diet does not need to be extremely strict unless you are aiming for certain goals. Consuming processed products and meats is not wrong as they have their own health benefits. Rather than eating at a fast food place, however, I suggest you start bringing a handful of fruits and vegetables to work for lunch. You will quickly become used to it. I know that once I stop eating junk (I typically find it takes a week) my body almost refuses it. After two weeks of very strict dieting, the last thing I want is a big unhealthy meal. My body would rather indulge in large quantities of fruit. Again, this is my "fighting diet" (the one I follow the weeks prior to a fight). Although I do not live by these strict dietary guidelines all the time, the goal remains to return to a more natural, raw diet.

I hope this information is beneficial to you and will help you to reach your health and fitness goals!

There are a only a few submission holds from the top in the guard. It is a good option to pass one or both legs in order to get a submission hold. However, here are a few good submissions from the top in the guard.

Can Opener
		The can opener is a neck crank. Get a clinch on your opponent’s neck with both hands, one on top of the other. Squeeze your elbows together and dig them into your opponent’s chest to form a fulcrum. Pull and lift the head toward you.
Ankle Lock
The Ankle Lock, also called an achilles tendon hold, is a good submission option from on the top in the guard but requires that you partially pass one leg first. First, break the guard by putting your knee on the butt and hands on the hips, with the elbows wedged into the opponent’s thighs then step away with the other leg, lifting the knee off the ground, breaking his guard. Then, push his knee down to the mat with one hand and slide your close leg over his thigh until it touches the mat. You can punch at this point for a distraction. Now grab his leg with a figure four grip and fall sideways onto your side. Be prepared to kick him down if he tries to counter by coming to the top. Then throw your leg over his leg and tuck it under his body, so he can’t leg lock you at the same time. Apply the ankle lock by squeezing and arching the body. This lock attacks the ankle and the achilles tendon.
Heel Hook
If the Ankle Lock is not working, you can switch to a Heel Hook. Or you can go directly to a Heel Hook in pretty much the same way as you set up the Ankle Lock. The Heel Hook is a very dangerous submission that actually attacks the knee and can do serious damage due to the twisting action. Get the opponent’s foot in your arm pit and his heel pointed up. Wedge your forearm around his heel/ankle and grip your other hand. Pull his heel toward your centerline to apply the submission. Be careful not to hurt your partner when practicing this move.
Knee Bar
		To set up the Knee Bar, break the opponent’s guard and stand up to a squatting position. Slide your front knee through toward the ground as you turn away from him and get his leg stuck in your arm pit. Post with your hand and fall to your side. Squeeze your knees together and arch to apply the Leg Bar submission to his knee.
Foot Lock
		If the Leg Bar is not working, you can switch to a foot lock. Let his leg out of your armpit and grip his foot/ toes on the outside. Get a figure four grip on your own arm. Twist his foot inward to apply the submission.

The MMA Guard Position on the bottom is not really where you want to be. It’s advantageous to be on the top, of course. However, if you have to be on the bottom, it’s the best place to be, especially for submissions. The bottom position in the Guard offers a plethora of submission options. Here are a the most common submission holds from the Guard.

Arm Bar
The Arm Bar is an elbow lock. The goal is to hyper extend the elbow enough to get the tap. First, get control of an arm with one arm above his elbow. If the right arm, use your right arm and pull it tight against your body. Put your foot on the same side hip, put your other hand on the side of his face. Push his face and push off of his hip rotating your body to the side and wedging your leg into his armpit. Now throw your leg over his head to get into the Arm Bar position. Control his arm with both arms and pin it to your chest. Squeeze your knees together, lift your hips off the ground and arch to apply the submission.
Arm Bar with Leg Hook
		This variation of the arm bar prevents you from being lifted off the ground and slammed it can also work as a sweep and can set up other sweep variations.
Kimura
The Kimura is a shoulder lock. There are many different terms for the Kimura including American Lock, Chicken Wing, Figure 4 and Key Lock. First grip your oponent’s wrist without using your thumb. Unlock your guard. Reach up and over his arm and grip your own wrist without using your thumb while you simultaneously move your hips out. Once you have a good Figure 4 grip, move your hips the other direction and throw your leg on top of his back, preventing him from rolling out of the lock. Push his wrist toward his head to attack the shoulder joint and apply the submission.
Kimura Variation
		In this variation of the Kimura your foot hooks his leg to prevent him from rolling out of the lock. Straighten your leg to flatten him out a little bit. This variation does not require you to move your hips as much.
Triangle
The Triangle is a choke done with the legs. There are several different ways to set up a triangle. Whichever setup is used, one arm and the head must be between the legs and the other arm outside of the legs. Once you’ve accomplished this, the goal is to lock the triangle. Lift your hips as high as possible off the mat and pivot to get a side angle. Grab your own ankle with your hand and throw your other leg over to lock the triangle with your ankle in the crook of your other knee. Now that the triangle is locked, push his arm across his neck. Grab his head with both hands and pull down as you squeeze your legs to finish the choke.
Triangle Arm Bar
		This variation of the Triangle includes an Arm Bar. When you lock the Triangle but cannot push his arm across his neck, attack his arm instead. Wrap your arm around his getting his arm stuck in your arm pit. Arch to put pressure on his elbow and get the tap.
Guillotine
The Guillotine is a choke. Unlock your guard and put your feet on the mat. Post with one hand move your butt away from him and reach around his neck with the other hand all simultaneously. Get a good grip on your own wrist. Once you’ve got a good grip, lean back and open up your legs. Lock your guard high on his back (above his hips). Arch your body and squeeze your legs to apply the Guillotine choke.
Omoplata
The Omoplata is a shoulder lock done with the legs. There are several different setups for the Omoplata but the goal is to get one of his arms between your legs with his elbow bent across your hips. Next you can lock your triangle to keep his arm from coming out. Now grab his hip to keep him from rolling out of the lock. Unlock your triangle, pivot your body and bring your leg all the way around with your knee bent behind you. Keep a hold on his hips, post with the other arm and sit up forcing your knee down toward the mat to apply the Omoplata submission.
Omoplata Variation
		This variation of the Omoplata does not require that you grab his hips. Instead, you put your foot in his arm pit with your triangle locked to prevent him from rolling out of the position. Then put both hands on the mat and scoot your hips away from him. Straighten both of your legs to apply the Omoplata submission.
Arm Triangle
The Arm Triangle is a choke done with your arms. To apply an Arm Triangle, you must have his head and one arm between your arms. Use your hips to pull him forward and get your arm around his neck and his arm on the side of your neck. Grab your own biceps/ triceps with your hand. Bend your elbow and wrap your arm around his head. Squeeze your arms to apply the submission. If it’s not working, hold on to the Arm Triangle position and sweep and mount him to apply the choke from the top position.
Gogoplata
The Gogoplata is a choke done with your shin across his neck. A good way to set it up is from the high guard or “rubber guard” position. With your guard locked up high on his shoulders, bring your leg over his head and across his neck. Reach up and grab his head with both hands. Pull his head down with both hands and force your shin upward on his neck to apply the Gogoplata choke.
Pillow Arm Bar
The Pillow Arm Bar is a variation on an Arm Bar where you have your foot under his head like a pillow. A good way to set it up is in combination with other submissions. When you go for a standard Arm Bar, and he defends by pulling his arm out, you can switch to a Gogoplata if he defends by sitting up and going away from you, throw your leg over his head and switch to a Pillow Arm Bar. Arch and pull his arm toward your chest to apply the elbow lock submission.
Overhook Arm Bar
		The Overhook Arm Bar is an elbow lock done with your arms. Pull him down into your guard and get an over hook. Put your other hand on his neck and grab your own wrist/ forearm. Put your feet on his hips and move your hips out away from him. Arch and crank your arms putting pressure on his elbow to apply the submission.
Overhook Kimura
		The Overhoook Kimura is a shoulder lock submission very similar to the Overhook Arm Bar. The difference is that he bends his elbow. This sets you up to attack his shoulder instead. Set it up just like the Overhook Arm Bar but he bends his elbow. When he does, go with it and crank his elbow inward and bring his wrist outward to apply the shoulder lock submission.
Biceps Slicer
The Biceps Slicer is a muscle lock submission. To set it up, grip his wrist and put your leg over and under his biceps. Lock your triangle with the other leg. Put both hands around his triceps. Pull down with both hands and force your shin forward at the same time time to apply the lock. Be aware that he can punch from this position and you don’t have an arm free to defend with. If you can weather the punishment, this submission can finish the fight and has the potential of breaking his arm.

The Guard Position on the bottom allows you to get off some pretty good strikes. Although the leverage is not as strong as the top position, if you’re on the bottom it’s the best place to be for both strikes and submissions. Here are the most commonly used strikes from the Guard on bottom.

Straight Punches
		Straight Punches from the bottom have the advantage of having the most reach of any upper body tool. You can keep you Guard locked or unlock it when you deliver straight punches. It’s usually best to aim straight punches up the middle but they can come from the outside as well. You can trap an arm and punch straight or do it without an arm trapped.
Hooks
		Hooks (circular punches) have a little less reach but a lot of power. Circular punches are usually aimed around the outside of his guard. If you trap an arm, he’ll be open on that side.
Hammer Fists
		Hammer Fists are a great weapon for MMA. They are devastating and perfectly legal. You can hit with the fist or the forearm. From the Guard Position, it’s best to trap an arm when he punches to set up a Hammer Fist.
Elbow Strikes
		Elbow strikes are devastating, even from the bottom. Elbow’s can open up big cuts and potentially end a fight. Trapping an arm sets up the elbow very nicely. Aim for the eye brow or the nose.