Ok, I thought I have seen it all now, but I think this takes the cake.
Hold on to your seat for..................snorkel training for mixed martial arts (MMA)!
Yes, this is not training for scuba divers my friends, this is for elite MMA athletes. I first heard this and I thought it was a joke. Lately, I've heard it more and below there is a video for you as proof.
The theory goes that if you can train with LESS oxygen, that it will trigger more adaptive processes in your body so you will be better prepared for your upcoming fight.
Just because something "feels" harder, does NOT mean it is BETTER!
Performance should be your indicator. If I let you have LESS oxygen, your performance will suffer. Bad idea. This is not the way to elicit elite performance. I can tape both your feet together and argue that its harder that way too, but it is not specific.
Elite sprint coaches (and other coaches) have know this fact for years. I believe it was Charlie Francis that stated (paraphrasing here) that he would have his sprinters run at above 90% of capacity or less than 70%. He felt that the middle ground between 70-90/95% was just training them to run SLOWER. Not good.
SAID
Remember the SAID principle---your body ALWAYS adapts to EXACTLY what you do! If you are training slow, you will be slower. If your training is compromised because your friggin' nose is taped and you are breathing through a snorkel, you will not be breaking personal records. Performance suffers.
Now, this does not mean that athletes can not succeed by doing crazy things and elite athletes will do anything to get an edge (and I don't blame them for that part at all). Many do succeed IN SPITE of their training and this does not mean that they don't work hard, but for the ultimate edge you need to work HARD and INTELLIGENTLY.
Stay tuned as around the start of 2009 I will have a product available that will completely alter how MMA train. I can't take credit for it, but I did help with some of the references/science side.
In the meantime, until there is MMA Snorkel style, leave if for the scuba divers.
Rock on
Mike N
Watch VIDEO: Wanderlei Silva Defeats Keith Jardine at UFC 84: Still Hungry For Liddell on RawVegas.tv
