What % of fighters train hard all the time, and what % just do it before a fight?

ThaiFighter_83 · 01-08-2009, 06:12 PM

I know so many good fighters at my gym (smoker, amatuer, and pro) who will only run and eat healthy when they have a fight coming up within a month or two (sometimes less). They still come to the gym and hit pads and spar, but no running or healthy eating. A lot of them drink and smoke, too.

This has never made sense to me. I have always kept up my conditioning throughout all my years of doing Muay Thai (and now grappling). I've always ran 4-5 times a week, and gone to class regularly. And this year I started lifting, too.

I'll admitt, my job schedule is flexible so it allows me the time to do this all year round...but the other people I'm thinking of don't work full time either. I would think it would throw their bodies off if they ran and ate healthy ONLY during parts of the year when there was a fight coming up. Doesn't it make more sense to keep up that conditioning all year round? It's MUCH healthier...no one can argue with me on that.

The thing that annoys me is that whenever I tell people how much I weigh, they say, "Oh, you should drop 15 pounds for your next fight." I have a feeling that they think those 15 pounds will come off when I add in the running and healthy eating THAT I HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOING ALL YEAR ROUND. I think my bones are also denser than most, because of the constant impact from running (which increases bone mineral density). That's why I look lighter than I really am.

BostonBadBoy · 01-08-2009, 06:34 PM

I'm not sure about percentages, but a lot of fighters get out of shape between fights. Ricky Hatton blows up to like 180 between fights, then SOMEHOW sheds it down to 140 by fight time. Not everyone is a health freak/great athlete, some people just love to fight.Then of course you have the floyd mayweathers and georges st. pierres who seem to NEVER get out of shape. But let me tell you this, fighters are nowhere NEAR as bad as bodybuilders, have you seen those guys off season when theyre trying to add mass? its disgusting. they look obese, then 13 weeks out from a show they drop like 50 pounds of fat and look great like you see them in the magazines. freaks.. it is definitely more healthy to stay in shape. i like to stay around 15-20 pounds over my competing weight, then during training camp for a tournament i'll drop around 5 pounds, then i'll cut the last 8-10. much easier that way. something gina carano needs to learn....

**Sonny** · 01-08-2009, 06:34 PM

I know some pro fighters claim to train year round. Mickey Ward, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather etc. have stated that they do some sort of training year round, be it road work, light gym work etc. And then they go into a full training camp leading up to a fight, so essentially they give themselves a head start.

Other fighters however do it like you said, they only start training during camp leading up to a fight. I've heard stories about guys like Erik Morales ballooning up to 180 lbs between fights due to inactivity and eating more. You would think these guys might want to do something just so they're not starting from scratch when they enter training camp but whatever works I guess.

Maybe KK can give some more detailed input but I'm under the impression that most high caliber pros only train during training camp.

ThaiFighter_83 · 01-08-2009, 06:42 PM

About that first part that Sonny said...Are there fighters who train 100% hard all year round, regardless if they have a fight or not? I'm not talking about light roadwork or gym work. I'm talking about the whole nine yards of running 5 miles, hitting the weight room, sparring full blast, hitting pads full blast, etc, etc. I know I do. Why is it that other people don't do it that way? I don't get motivated to train at all unless I'm training 100%. That's the only way it's motivating to me. Otherwise, I'm just maintaining...and that's BORING!

**Sonny** · 01-08-2009, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaiFighter_83

About that first part that Sonny said...Are there fighters who train 100% hard all year round, regardless if they have a fight or not? I'm not talking about light roadwork or gym work. I'm talking about the whole nine yards of running 5 miles, hitting the weight room, sparring full blast, hitting pads full blast, etc, etc. I know I do. Why is it that other people don't do it that way? I don't get motivated to train at all unless I'm training 100%. That's the only way it's motivating to me. Otherwise, I'm just maintaining...and that's BORING!

I can't really say for sure, but I'm sure that there's someone out there who trains all out, year round.

The thing is, you have to consider that the body can only take so much. Some of these guys are in the gym ALL DAY when they're in camp. Training like that, for 5,6,7 hours a day, year round might not be feasible. Overtraining and possible injury come into play.

And you also have to consider money. Money and the luxuries that come with it can make a person's life a lot easier. It's easy for us to say, I would do this and that and it wouldn't matter how much money I had, but you just don't know, money changes people. It can make them go soft.

A figher early in his/her career also might be training more frequently because he/she might be fighting ever couple of months or so.

HawkeyeMMA · 01-08-2009, 07:06 PM

Well you can't train at 100% all year round. You will overtrain and get sick. Most fighters are always training year round but its not nearly as intense as when they have a fight coming up. They have it set up where leading up to the fight they start doing harder and harder workouts and right when its fight time they are at their peak conditioning.

tri4ben · 01-08-2009, 09:06 PM

I think I am just repeating what everybody else said, but I would think most fighters train all the time, but you can only train hard for about eight weeks before you start getting overtrained, so you will find that most camps are about that length.

After a big fight, or competition in any sport, most people take some time off. Depending on who they are, some of them can get pretty fat in a short amount of time.

Ifight4Beer · 01-08-2009, 09:33 PM

I don't know that much about all the big name pro fighters but I see how alot of the amature and and the mor "local" pro fighters do it and the good one's stay in good enuff shape that they can at least roll for a hour or two. I hate training with a dicent guy thats 3 or 4 months away from a fight and he doesn't have enuff gas to roll for a 5 min round. I personaly back off ;for a while after a fight but I still spar and roll enuff that with a few run and weight training sessions in the week I stay in pritty good shape. My diet on the other hand gets pritty loose in those times. and I doubt any of the big name pro fighters smoke ciggs. Dieago smokes weed but not ciggs

mikahsteele · 01-08-2009, 10:03 PM

90% don't stay in fighting shape and 10% do all the time.

KILL KILL · 01-08-2009, 10:54 PM

I stopped training for 3 weeks to come home for the holidays, and ended up eating pizza and drinking beer every night (which is something I never do). I must have gained 10-15 pounds and felt incredibley slow at tonight's practice. For me, personally, I won't do it ever again.