Training Tracker #1: Josh Samman
“It’s absolutely boggling and insane to consider, but it is absolutely true that when you are tired you would rather get punched in the face than keep your hands up.”
Steph Daniels has debuted at BE a new series called Training Tracker. The first Training Tracker figure is Josh Samman ahead of his fight vs. Eddie Gordon at UFC 181 on December 6. As Josh progresses through this training camp, he will be conducting a series of interviews and guest posts detailing his progress.
Samman’s debut piece details his unique method of tracking his physical conditioning progress. The hardcore fanbase can get off track, and focus on the number of tattoos Ronda Rousey has on her right leg, but if you really are a hardcore fan, or better, if you train, then this is a must.
The following is a system that I have created and used for years now for my own camps, in which I’ve attempted to devise the most methodical approach possible to getting in optimum shape by a certain date. My approach is constructed around three important guidelines; quantify or rate your daily workouts, keep meticulous records of said workouts, and make sure you’re being honest with yourself, otherwise it’s all pointless. The concept is that if we are to learn and grow from each successive camp then we need to be able to assess what was done in each prior camp and what can be improved upon. All of this is impossible without information to analyze, which is where the record keeping comes in.
Each day has a target goal of what I call “workout units”. Workout units are a method of classifying workouts based on intensity. This gives me the ability to revisit days, weeks, and months afterwards, with numbers, to quantify my results and track my progress along the way. Now when I say quantify, the goal is to assess the workout in two ways- one with hard data, and two, with the difficulty level that I completed said workout. Workouts are written down in a log with as many details as possible, as well as given 1-5 points, or “workout units”, based on intensity of exercise. A “1” is breaking a light sweat, and is usually reserved for more passive exercises. A “5” is when you’re looking around and realize you’ve been on every fucking machine in the gym, or maybe a conditioning exercise that had you reaching for the bucket to puke numerous times.
My goal for each day is 10 workout units, including at least one workout where I am pushed to a point that I would classify it with a difficulty of 4 or 5. Some days it will be less than 10, often days it will be more, but the goal is 70 per week.
Any and all workouts are evaluated and recorded. Workouts always target one of three categories; technique, strength, or conditioning. Of those three categories, they are all split into another three sub-categories, which allows me to see exactly how much time and effort I dedicated to very particular areas.
Conditioning is absolute first priority during camp. I watch several dozens fights every month, in all combat sports, and in my opinion the winner is most often determined by who can breathe better. Conditioning for this purpose refers to lung function specifically, as muscular conditioning is classified in conjunction with strength workouts. It is my opinion that in order to be an elite athlete you must first be an elite endurance athlete. As anyone who has ever trained in combat sports can attest, there is nothing in the world harder than defending yourself against an aggressive opponent when you are exhausted, and there is not a much easier task I’ve come across than picking off someone who is much more concerned with getting their next breath than they are what exactly I’m going to be striking them with. It’s absolutely boggling and insane to consider, but it is absolutely true that when you are tired you would rather get punched in the face than keep your hands up. It’s not intentional. The moment you begin to fatigue, your hands just inadvertently drop. It’s not as if you can’t pick your hands back up, you’re able to the moment your coaches remind you to. It is just that in the economy of the human subconsciousness, somewhere in there, we decide that that’s a good trade off, potential brain damage in exchange for a few extra seconds to regain a comfortable breathing pattern and dissipate the lactic acid in our arms. It makes no sense, but what we gather from all of that is that the better you breath the better you will perform, bottom line.
Conditioning as it stands in this system is done mainly through three exercises; running, swimming, and rowing. These include a wide range of distances and pre determined times, and are always included with detailed numbers.
Technique takes second priority during camp, at least one activity that day will be solely dedicated to martial arts. Technique training is split into three; pure striking, pure grappling, or MMA… Technique is almost always done in 5 minute intervals whenever possible, and the number of rounds are recorded upon completion.
Strength training in the form of lifting is done in bulk in between fights, but is continued far into camp, to the week before leading up to the fight, albeit with less priority. Strength workouts (lifts) are also divided into three classes determined by body area; upper body, lower body, or core… All lifts are designed to target muscular endurance as well as explosiveness, and in order to best accomplish this I traditionally do three sets for each particular exercise, starting with a light weight that I can perform 30-40 reps of, to an increased weight of appx 20 reps, down to a set with heavy weight that I can perform 8-12 reps of. I try to limit lifts to movements that mimic those done in a fight.
After my camp all this information allows me to assess what happened in the fight and see how it correlates with the training that I did. Arms get tired too fast? Hips didn’t feel as strong as they should have? Any shortness of breath during the fight, and if so, what was I doing at that time, at what round/minute did it occur during the fight? These are all things I can go back and speculate about with a greater degree of certainty as to why they happened, and improve upon them, whether I won or lost.
Without this information recorded, training camps would be a giant blur of punches and kicks and sweat and dirty clothes and sushi and egg whites. Every camp I’ve done for several years now has been meticulously recorded. I could tell you the exact number of rounds that I spent hitting mits and sparring while on The Ultimate Fighter. I could tell you the moment that my hamstring began to malfunction before my most recent injury. I could tell you my personal record on any and every exercise I’ve ever recorded, should I feel the need to track it down, or tell you where I was at 5 weeks before a fight in a training camp 3 years ago, compared to where I am 5 weeks out now. You could formulate bar graphs, pie charts, whatever nerdy unit of measurement that best tickles your fancy, with the data you can do whatever you want, and apply in a very practical and systematic way.
This is a method best reserved for the obsessive, if you haven’t gathered already. Everything is hyper-specific, and it allows you to plan your workouts almost weeks in advance, albeit tentatively, based on how your body is feeling at the time. The extent that I take it to doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be a definitive blueprint, a casual fitness goer could just as easily water this down and dilute it a bit, personalize it for yourself around the workouts you prefer. If you play another sport, or even if competition isn’t your thing and you’re just looking for a good system of tracking results and bettering yourself, this could still be a good place to start.