From a recent conversation I had with someone the other day:
Them: “Joey . . . I need to be a beast! I need to be ready to kick-ass in a few weeks. I was in fighting shape a couple of months ago and I lost it! I need to be ready again real soon, within a month.”
Me: “Let me get this right, you need to be literally in kick-ass shape in a very short period of time you say? So . . . this is not a question of fat loss, although it might come in the process, you just need to be in the best freaking shape ever, your body literally needs to be prepared for battle? Is that right?”
Them: “YES SIR! READY FOR BATTLE SIR!”
( . . . True story, that is exactly what he said.) =)
Now the question is what do you do? Where do you begin? How do you go from absolute ZERO to HERO? How do you prepare for an elbow drop off the top ropes in the 3rd round?
I have put quite a few people through my entire Beast in Training Program with much success. This is a complete 16-wk strength and conditioning program where the results have been phenomal in terms of athletic success. The bad-assedness, the fat loss, and the muscle growth were just a by-product. Not only were there significant changes in body composition, but their conditioning levels for whatever sport were well beyond what my athletes expected whether on the court, field or ring.
Strength MMA Coach JC Santana always mentions how his fighters will NEVER lose out to conditioning, it is a completely different situation if your opponent has better technique than you, but your conditioning should never fail you.
So, what do you do?
Part of the Beast in Training program involved some heavy duty conditioning days especially for my fighters who really needed to be in peak condition for competition. Their conditioning would be mostly time based and then get progressively more challenging as time went on. Here is a sample 4wk conditionoing program based on the B.I.T. to make you a complete warrior in no time flat!
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Circuits will definitely be the answer to your dilemma, full body circuits done for time.
1. Record date and time of completion
2. Circuits will be progressed every week
3. The below circuits are to be performed in a countdown fashion. This means that, for example circuit A, you complete 16 reps of ALL the exercises back to back in that order, then 12 reps of everything and so on until you reach 4 reps.
4. To be done 3 days a week. Simply alternate circuit A and Circuit B until the 4 weeks are done.
Circuit A: Countdown Reps 16-12-8-4, This circuit can be done outside, anywhere there is space.
Exercises:
Jump Squat
Explosive Clap Pushup
Reverse Lunge
Burpee
*Time yourself and try to beat your time every week for 4 weeks.
Circuit B: Reps are 10-8-6-4-2, This circuit is done in the weight room.
Exercises:
Pulldown
Spiderman Pushup
Step Up – # of reps done on each leg.
Mtn Climber – this one stays constant – 40 reps
DB Shoulder Press
Single Leg Burpee
*Add 2 reps every week. So on your second week, you will start with 12 reps and count down by 2’s – 12,10,8 . . . 2*
Enjoy! (Insert evil laugh here . . . )
Stay strong,
Joey
