Matthew Palfrey Column: Why MMA Athletes Should Stop 'Body Building'

deano · Oct 5, 2010

In this article, Matt discusses the prevalence of body building routines utilised in MMA, why you shouldnt be training this way and how your strength and conditioning programme can be adapted to improve performance.

A taster:

Why are so many of us following body building routines?

Chances are that most of us, at some point, have been following a body building routine. But if these routines arent designed to improve athletic performance then how has this happened?

Back in the seventies, when body building started to become really popular, the distinction between athletic performance and looking good became blurred (in the western world at least). The mainstream health and fitness industry adopted the practices of the body building world. Machines began to fill our gymnasiums and coaching slowly started to die out. If youve ever had a gym induction where the instructor shows you how to turn on various pieces of equipment youll know what I mean.

Today most modern gymnasiums are littered with various bits of fairly useless machinery and generally zero coaching staff and this idea of idiot proof exercise is all too common. There has been a rise in popularity of so called functional fitness in the last decade. Whilst this has helped to move people away from body building routines it should be noted that its not ideal. Many of these functional fitness routines are no different from your average body building routine except youll be doing it while balancing on a stability ball.

The programming in mainstream fitness is also typically designed to improve aesthetic appearance and not performance.

If youve read one of the fitness magazines recently youll appreciate that practically every article is about how you can look better without your shirt on. While this is a nice bonus youll look, and feel better, having your hand raised at the end of a fight.
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Read the whole thing here: http://britmma.co.uk/#/why-mma-athletes-should-stop-b/4544498289

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Matthew Palfrey Column: Why MMA Athletes Should Stop 'Body Building'

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Matthew Palfrey Column: Why MMA Athletes Should Stop 'Body Building'

deano Active Member Full Member