Training Tips for Combat Athletes: Get the most benefit from the least number of exercises.

When dealing with combat athletes, like jiu jitsu players and MMA fighters, it's important to remember that all the stuff you do in the weight room is strictly general physical preparation (GPP). The bulk of their time is usually spent working on the skills needed for their sport.

The goal of the weight-room work should be to get the greatest return for the least amount of time. This does not mean that they should not train hard, it just means that you only have so much time in the gym that is beneficial before it begins taking away from their fight training.

Most of the fighters I work with do 2-3 strength workouts a week and 2-4 extra cardiovascular workouts, that represents about 4 maybe 5 hours a week of non-specific physical training. As a result I look at how we can get more benefit out of individual exercises, while ensuring that we are developing all special strengths including maximal strength, speed strength, strength speed, explosive strength and power.

A couple of the strategies we have found to be beneficial are incorporating torso activation during pressing movements and working the grip during pulling movements.

Here are some of the exercises we've seen some success with:

Alternating band punches on the GHR. Basically on this one you just set up in a sit up position on a glute / ham raise, hold that position statically, and perform alternating explosive presses against mini bands. We generally do 15-25 reps per arm.

Alternating seated kettlebell presses. These are done by sitting on the floor, leaning back slightly to increase pressure on the abdominals and pressing a pair of kettlebells overhead in a see-saw or alternating fashion. We usually do sets of 10-15 per arm.

Low cable pull-in alternating floor press. To do this week hook an average band to a low pulley set up. Lie on the back and pull the knees back toward the chest, this engages the hip flexors and abdominals and will help build torso strength for working in the guard. From here we do alternating floor presses with a pair of kettlebells. We usually do sets of 10-15 per arm.

Gi pull-ups. These are done simply by hanging a gi top over a pull-up bar or power rack. Just grab onto the gi and do pull-ups. This is great for developing insane grip strength while training the lats. We also loop a gi over a barbell to perform a variation of a t-bar row with the gi as well. Generally for pull-ups we super-set multiple sets of 1/2 the athlete's max reps throughout the workout.

These are just a few of the ways we can get more out of the time we spend in the gym. Remember, in the gym you are just trying to make athletes stronger, faster, more explosive and better conditioned. Do not let the GPP interfere with SPP, train general to enhance the specific!

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Training Tips for Combat Athletes: Utilize a Variety of Jumps for Power Development.

Typically at EPTS I have our combat athletes in the gym twice a week. This means that every exercise we do has to deliver. In the gym we are trying to build many different physical qualities which is why we use a Conjugate and Concurrent Sequence System of training means. We use unidirectional loading strategies while developing many abilities, such as speed strength, strength speed, power, and endurance on a weekly basis.

For power and explosive strength we utilize a variety of jumps in training. To minimize impact stress on the body and reduce the likelihood of injuries we generally use box jumps. We utilize a lot of variety in the jumps we do to prevent accommodating to any specific protocol.

Some of the jumps we implement are:

• box jumps with body-weight only
• box jumps with a weight vest
• box jumps holding dumbbells or kettlebells
• box jumps wearing ankle and/or wrist weights
• kneeling jump to a box jump

For volume we generally do 40 jumps total per workout, twice a week.

We generally do these movements first in the training session, although on occasion we mix in the power movements toward the end of the session after some fatigue has accumulated. By the nature of sport, combative athletes need the ability to produce power while in a fatigued state. There are many other training modalities we incorporate to prepare for this, but working our power movements in the later part of the training session is a very effective approach.

A huge thanks to Louie Simmons and Tom Barry at Westside Barbell as much of what we've learned and utilized in our training plan has come from their work.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Scott's interview with VoyageATL.

I was recently interviewed by VoyageATL for their "Inspiring Stories" section where they feature Atlanta area business owners and entrepreneurs.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Shetler.

Scott, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

I’ve been interested in physical training since high school. After finishing my enlistment in the Navy I went to college to pursue a degree in Health and Physical Education and became certified as a personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). I have been in the health and fitness industry since 1998 and running my own business since 2004. I am currently working out of my private training facility where I train individuals and small groups. My clients range from motivated fitness enthusiasts to athletes of all levels of competition from many different sports, including powerlifting, swimming, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA, football, volleyball, tennis, baseball, and many others. In addition to running my own training center, I consult with people through my online coaching program and have authored nine industry-related books. I have experience competing in heavy athletics, through Kettlebell Sport and Powerlifting specifically. I have been vegetarian since 2010 and vegan since 2012 and am one of the powerlifters on Team Plantbuilt, a team of vegan bodybuilders and strength athletes who raise money and awareness to support animal welfare and vegan outreach programs. In addition, I have been a student of the internal martial art of Taijiquan for over 5 years. Along with my in-person and online training, I share as much content through books, online blogs, and video as I possibly can.

Has it been a smooth road?

For the most part, it has been a smooth road. My biggest struggle was..... click to read the rest of the interview at VoyageATL!

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Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Strength & Health TV - Episode 46: Training Considerations for Combat Athletes.

In this video I talk about some of the strength training and conditioning strategies I utilize with combat athletes.

I talk about why we use the conjugate sequence system, why programs suck, and the importance of tailoring the training to the individual's specific needs.

In addition I go over some of the specifics of the training of one of our BJJ athletes, Chris Jones, who I interviewed in episode 44.

I hope you enjoy this episode and if you have any questions or suggestions for future episodes be sure to leave them in the comments section below.

Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive updates on future shows.

Stay Strong AND Healthy,

-Scott

Follow me online:
scott@extreme-fitness.org
http://www.scottshetler.com
http://www.extreme-fitness.org
http://www.facebook.com/sshetlerfitness
http://www.twitter.com/sshetler

How To Motivate Yourself To Workout: 100+ Experts Reveal Their Top 3 Tips For 2017

Since we are well into the first month of the new year, I thought it would be great to share this awesome blog post from Garage Gym Planner. In addition to myself, they asked over 100 health and fitness experts our top 3 tips to motivate yourself to stay fit. I hope you find this article informative and inspirational, enjoy!

From Garage Gym Planner

How to Motivate Yourself to Work Out?

It's that time of the year when thousands of people sign up for new gym memberships and then a majority of them just give up the very next week or month.

The first question on everyone’s mind is “How to get fit in 2017?” a close second is “How do I motivate myself to stay fit?”

How to Motivate Yourself to Work Out in 2017:

There are no shortcuts to fitness and you have to motivate yourself enough to get out the door and get working out.

A gym is an option to put your fitness plans into action. If you live far away from a gym, then you also have the option to get your own home gym set up with all the equipment that you’d ever want from a gym.

Motivating yourself to working out for some is harder than the workout!

Since this has been a recurring theme in the fitness industry, we’ve decided to go straight to the source and asked fitness experts a simple question:

What Would Be Your 3 Best Fitness Motivation Tips For 2017?

We posed this question to popular fitness experts to see what they had to say about it.

I wanted to see which one would rise to the top...

Here are the best workout motivation tips recommended by 100+ experts.

Click here to read the rest of the article!

Strength & Health TV - Episode 45: How We Deal with a Missed Lift.

This week's video was recommended by one of our top powerlifters, Doug, concerning the topic of how to deal with a missed lift.

I talk about the psychological aspects of missing a training lift, why it's not a good idea to psyche up for a training lift like you do a competition lift, the difference between a training max and a competition max, and why once you know how to technically execute a lift claiming you miss a heavy attempt due to "poor technique" is mostly bullshit.

I hope you enjoy this week's episode and leave any questions or suggestions for future show topics in the comments section below.

Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive updates on future shows.

Stay Strong AND Healthy,

-Scott

Follow me online:
scott@extreme-fitness.org
http://www.scottshetler.com
http://www.extreme-fitness.org
http://www.facebook.com/sshetlerfitness
http://www.twitter.com/sshetler

Strength & Health TV - Episode 44: Interview with BJJ Athlete Chris Jones.

Photo by Mac Warren from Fight to Win Pro 20

In this episode I interview Chris Jones. Chris is brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who trains out of Creighton MMA in Suwanee, GA. In addition Chris does his strength and conditioning with me at my gym, Extreme Performance Training Systems.

Chris got his start as a combat athlete wrestling in high school and continued through his enlistment in the Marine Corps. Chris has been training in BJJ for 5 years now under the expert eye of Paul Creighton who earned his BJJ black belt from Renzo Gracie. Chris has won gold at the Pan American Championships, 2x silver medals at the IBJJF World Championships, and numerous golds at various competitions throughout his career, as well as a recent victory at the Fight to Win 20 where he also took home a Fight of the Night award.

Training at EPTS Gym

In this video Chris and I talk about his experience getting into combat athletics, some of the major competitions he's won, what his normal training schedule looks like, and why it is important to for combat athletes to include a well planned strength and conditioning program in their training regimen. In addition we talk about the modern state of combat athletics and it's impact on the heritage of traditional martial arts.

Photo by Mac Warren from Fight to Win Pro 20

You can follow Chris online at:

Instagram: @007_jonesy

http://www.facebook.com/wcjones1010

Check out Creighton MMA at - https://paulcreighton.com/

Check out Chris' sponsors at: 

Day by Day Jiu Jitsu: http://www.daybydayjiujitsu.com/

Optimum Healthcare: https://www.optimumhealthrehab.com/

Extreme Performance Training Systems: http://www.extreme-fitness.org 

I hope you enjoy this week's episode and leave any questions or suggestions for future episodes in the comments section below.

Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive updates on future shows.

Stay Strong AND Healthy,

-Scott

Follow me online:

scott@extreme-fitness.org

http://www.scottshetler.com

http://www.extreme-fitness.org

http://www.facebook.com/sshetlerfitness

http://www.twitter.com/sshetler

Strength & Health TV - Episode 43: Triceps Power Cheats to Build Your Bench Press.

In this video I talk about training the triceps for carryover to the bench press.

Strong and well conditioned triceps are critical for a big bench press and I feel it's important to do a lot of volume for the triceps, particularly in single joint movements like extensions.

Recently I was revisiting one of my favorite books, "Forgotten Secrets of the Culver City Westside Barbell Club Revealed" and came across an article reprinted from the October 1966 issue of "Muscle Builder" call "Triceps Power Cheats". The article featured a favorite training exercise of Bill "Peanuts" West and the legendary Pat Casey which was referred to as the power cheat. The power cheat was essentially a half pullover coupled with an extension and by nature allows for a huge overload of the triceps. I discuss the variations of the exercise they favored as well as some of their training loads.

In addition I go over some of the triceps exercises that have been beneficial for a few of my lifters as well.

I hope you enjoy this video and leave any questions or suggestions for future episodes in the comments section below.

Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive updates on future shows.

Stay Strong AND Healthy,

-Scott

Follow me online:
scott@extreme-fitness.org
http://www.scottshetler.com
http://www.extreme-fitness.org
http://www.facebook.com/sshetlerfitness
http://www.twitter.com/sshetler

Take responsibility for you in 2017.

It's that time again. Time to say goodbye to one year and welcome the next. Based on a lot of posts I've seen in various social media feeds many people are happy to see 2016 go. Seriously, they are blaming a lot of shit on a year.

A lot of people died this year. While tragic, it's part of life. 2016 was not unique in that regard, many people die every year. I guess 2016 just happened to claim the lives of many pop culture icons we all seem to "know". Rock stars, actors, celebrities and such. Well considering I'm 41 years old it's a good bet many people I grew up rocking out to and being entertained by will be passing on, it's sad but also very true. It's a fact but the one guarantee in life is that none of us are getting out of it alive. We're likely going to see more of our favorite cultural icons go in 2017, and 2018, and so on right up until it's our turn.

I'm not writing this to start 2017 off in a negative way. In fact it's quite the opposite. 2016 was pretty good for me. I continued to grow my business, I relocated my gym to an amazing new facility and added some cool new pieces of strength equipment, I've acquired more knowledge and experience, I've made more mistakes, I've experienced more successes, I've worked with some great athletes and clients, I've made new business relationships, I've planted seeds for some potential future business opportunities, I got to mentor a great intern and pass on some of the knowledge I've gained in my near 20 years in this industry, I finally got to see the mighty Slayer in concert (along with Anthrax), I continued to support animal welfare organizations, I started my next book, I read many great new books, and so much more. I mean I could seriously write for hours on the awesome things that happened in 2016.

There were some bad things too. One of my pets died, I lost my grandfather, my pet Malamute's health has been declining rapidly, and many other bad things outside of my control have happened. So what, that's all part of life. Bad things happen and you have zero control. The only thing you can control is how you respond to them.

Your life is nothing more than the sum total of the choices you've made, period. My hope for 2017 is that we all wake up to this fact. If you want 2017 to be better than 2016 make better choices for yourself. Don't blame other people, or situations, or the year when things go poorly.

Do you want to lose weight? Make better food choices and exercise. Want a better job? Gain more experience, get more education, work harder. No one owes you anything, make it happen for yourself. Take control of your life and take responsibility for the choices you've made.

When you finally do this you can begin living your life by your design. Doing the things you want, getting the things you want, and helping those you want. That's what we are here for.

Like I said earlier, none of us are getting out of this alive, so with the time you do have I hope you kick ass and make it amazing!

Here's to an awesome 2016 and an even better 2017!

Wishing you all health and happiness in the new year!

-Scott