12 Minute Commando Conditioning
Published: Fri, 07/22/16
Q. Lately I’ve been watching some replays of the pay-for-view UFC events and am really impressed. Whew! Anyway in the town where I live there is going to be a Tough man competition in about six months.
It’s kind of like regular boxing where you double up your fists and try to pound the dog crap out of your opponent but only in 3 one-minute rounds. I’m gonna do it and I kind of wonder if you might have some sort of conditioning program that will let me go balls-to-the-wall without running out of gas?
A. I’ve been a judge at Tough man, treat ‘em rough dirty boxing events and can’t help but notice that a majority of the fighters come flying out of their corner totally void of mastering their emotions and very quickly are sucking wind big time and end up losing or getting knocked out in the fight.
Even a seasoned UFC fighter can lose fights because of a lack of super metabolic aerobic conditioning. But to answer your question, yeah I have a 12 minute commando conditioning program of sprinting, chin ups and parallel bar dipping that will help. I should warn you that it will take a dynamic drive and dogged determination to get through it.
Let’s get started.
The original concept of the 12 minute commando conditioning program was the brain child of Ellington Darden Ph.D. The objective of this program is to get a person’s heart rate up to 160-180 beats or more a minute and keep it there for at least 12 minutes. This of course is accomplished by alternating chins and parallel dips with 100 meter sprints for a duration of 12 minutes or so.
The idea is to sprint 50 meters, turn around and sprint back. Then immediately do at least 8 underhand chin ups. If you can’t do the 8 underhand chin ups do as many as you can then do the rest in negative style where you step up on a bench and from the top position lower yourself down, taking approximately 8 seconds to do so.
Immediately upon completion of the chin ups (regular and/or negative fashion) sprint 50 meters, turn around and sprint back. Then immediately perform dips on the parallel bars using the same protocol as with the underhand chin ups.
A good guideline for the sprinting is 16 seconds and under which you most likely will be able to do 3-4 times. After that your times will diminish somewhat but strive for 21 seconds and under.
When doing the chin ups and parallel bar dips in negative fashion you should try to accomplish at least 5 or 6, each with an 8 second count. Remember that the alternating of the chins and parallel bar dips with the 100 meter sprints should conclude after 12 minutes or so.
Begin this program about 3-4 weeks out from the tough man event and on two non-consecutive days per week (usually on a Monday and Thursday) aside from your regular weight training. If by chance you don’t have access to a chin up and dip bars then here is another quick fix alternative.
Alternate the Barbell clean and push press (12-20 reps) with an immediate sprint up a hill or several quick flights of stairs. Four or five combinations of the quick lifting movement and incline sprinting will create a huge oxygen dept in a very short time.
Either one of the two conditioning programs I have suggested will put you on the road to invincible manliness for the upcoming tough man competition.
Keep training hard,
Mike Westerdal
CriticalBench.com
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