team jorge gurgel

POWER
PIMP MY PROGRAM
Get Olympic-level power and conditioning worthy of winning medals
[WORDS KEVIN KEARNS]
he Olympics are everywhere at
the minute. Many people see all
these world-class athletes and
wonder how they stay in such great
shape. Olympic athletes are some of the best
conditioned and best disciplined athletes in
the world; the time, energy, and commitment
it takes to spend years of your life dedicated
to excellence in your sport is truly amazing.
My hat is off to these workhorses.
Luckily, I live in an Olympic bronze
medalist’s back yard: my friend and martial
artist Jimmy Pedro. Jimmy is a double bronze
medal winner for Team USA in judo at the
1996 and 2004 Games.
Judo is one of the most demanding sports
in martial arts. It requires superior technique,
extreme balance, crushing grip strength,
cardio to go and mental focus. I studied very
briefly in my 20’s and I found the training very
intense and full body. If your core is weak in
judo, you’ll be exposed. If your grip is sub
par, they will find that too. If your balance is
not up to snuff, your opponent will capitalize
on that and put you through the mat.
As with any combat sport, it takes not just
superior technique but superior conditioning.
If you want to train like an Olympian the
workout here is part of how, present-day
Team USA coach, Jimmy Pedro does it.
It’s important to note his full training regime
might not be for everyone; Jimmy was so
serious he left his family for six months to train
in Japan! A special thanks goes to Jimmy and
his team for their help putting together this
entire Olympian S&C workout.
This month’s letter comes from Jeremy
Hinman of Sydney, Australia, who has
a little bit of Olympic fever. “Hi THFE,
I’m super psyched about the Olympics
in London this year, but I always find
it gives me athlete envy. You know
how you feel when you watch Georges
St Pierre effortlessly defend his UFC
welterweight title and you wish you
were that fantastic? It’s like that but
with champion judokas instead of GSP.
Any tips to help get me somewhere
near Olympic-athlete level?”
54
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
THFE’S OLYMPIC WORKOUT
One-Legged Squats
This is an oldie but goodie. It’ll help you not
only create superior leg strength but also
add a large balance demand to your entire
lower body from ankle to hip.
20 reps each leg, three times a week.
Medicine Ball Plyo Push-ups
Explosive power is needed in the upper
body too. One-arm medicine ball explosive
crossover push-ups is an excellent way to
develop this. 20 reps, three sets.
Rope Climb
There’s no doubt in my mind this is one of
the toughest old-school exercises around.
For anyone needing grip strength and
mental toughness it’s well worth getting a
rope. Three sets of 30 seconds each.
Band Uchikomi
This lends itself to muscle memory and
sport specificity; the form fits the function.
And as it uses a band, it can be done
anywhere. 20 reps, three sets.
Partner Med Ball Throws: To work the trunk with a partner is some of the best
training anyone can do. The motion is great for building explosiveness. 20 reps, three sets.
Kevin Kearns has been strength and conditioning coach for several UFC fighters, including
Kenny Florian, Stephan Bonnar, Jorge Gurgel, Alex Karalexis, Marcus Davis and Spencer
Fisher. He is the creator of the Burn With Kearns MMA Conditioning System now available for
certification. For more information about seminars, hosting certifications, and training go to
burnwithkearns.com or email him: kevin@burnwithkearns.com.