Dr. Austin Schoen - Podcast Details

Shows

Building a FighterThe Science of Weight Cutting and Nutrition in Combat Sports with Alex Lamond The Science of Weight Cutting and Nutrition in Combat Sports with Alex Lamond | Building a Fighter S2 E1 In the premiere episode of Building a Fighter Season 2, Dr. Austin Schoen is joined by Alex Lamond, a sports dietitian from Australia. They discuss the intricacies of weight cutting, nutrition strategies for combat sports, and how individual needs shape the dietary plans for athletes. Alex shares his experience working with Australian boxers, Muay Thai champions, and Jiu Jitsu national champions, providing insights into the differences in dietary needs between combat sports and team sports. They dive into topics like heat acclimation...2025-01-2756 min

Building a FighterExploring Red Light Therapy with Kineon CEO Forrest SmithExploring Red Light Therapy with Kineon CEO Forrest Smith | Building a Fighter Podcast In this episode of the Building a Fighter Podcast, Dr. Austin Schoen sits down with Forrest Smith, CEO of Kineon, to delve deep into the world of red light therapy. They discuss Forrest's background in sports and technology, the science behind red light and near-infrared (NIR) therapy, and the innovative Kineon Move Plus device. They also explore practical applications of red light therapy for injury recovery, sports performance, systemic health benefits, and potential future technologies such as a transcranial device for brain health. Whether you're an...2024-11-181h 02

Building a FighterThe Building of Fighter Podcast: Nutrition and Combat Sports with Christina ChuDr. Austin Schoen, a sports chiropractor, strength coach, and wrestling coach based in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosts Christina Chu, a registered dietitian from Chicago, on the Building of Fighter Podcast. Christina specializes in working with combat sports athletes and offers remote nutrition counseling. They discuss the differences between a dietitian and a nutritionist, effective meal strategies for fighters, the importance of nutrient timing and hydration, and the role of supplements. Christina also introduces her Patreon, which provides members with unbiased, ad-free nutrition advice, meal-building guides, and live office hours. Tune in for expert advice on how to optimize nutrition for...2024-11-141h 19

Building a FighterUnlock Personal Growth and Performance: Mindfulness and Breathwork With Rick Moschel Unlock Personal Growth and Performance: Mindfulness, Breathwork, and Emotional Healing Join Dr. Austin Schoen and expert guests in this transformative episode of the 'Building a Fighter' podcast. Delve into the powerful practices of breathwork, emotional healing, and mindfulness to unlock profound personal growth and athletic performance. Learn how reprogramming your mind and maintaining high vibrations can lead to a fulfilling life. Discover techniques like triactive breath, 4-7-8 breathing, and sound baths to manage stress, improve sleep, and enhance overall mental health. Explore the significance of self-awareness, non-judgmental listening, and understanding generational trauma. Gain practical tips for setting goals...2024-10-151h 13

Building a FighterInside the Mind of MMA Fighter Henry Corrales Inside the Mind of MMA Fighter Henry Corrales | Building a Fighter Podcast Join Dr. Austin Schoen as he sits down with Henry Corrales, Bellator superstar and seasoned MMA fighter. In this in-depth conversation, Henry opens up about his journey from a late start in MMA to becoming a top fighter in Bellator. They discuss the importance of a growth mindset, structured training, recovery strategies, and maintaining a competitive edge. Whether you're an aspiring fighter or a seasoned pro, this episode is packed with valuable insights and advice to help you elevate your game. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:45 Henry Corrales...2024-09-1650 min

Building a FighterBuilding a Championship Culture with Coach Dustyn Azure - Insights from Eastern Oregon UniversityBuilding a Championship Culture with Coach Dustyn Azure - Insights from Eastern Oregon University Join Dr. Austin Schoen, sports chiropractor and strength coach, as he sits down with Dustyn Azure, head wrestling coach at Eastern Oregon University. In this episode, they discuss the critical elements of building a successful athletic program from the ground up. Dustyn shares his journey from growing up in a small town in Montana to becoming a national champion coach. They explore the importance of hard work, confidence, accountability, and effective strength and conditioning programs. Dustyn also highlights the unique sober season culture at EOU...2024-09-0351 min

Building a FighterIntroducing Sid Pearce and Expanding Our Impact Building a Fighter: Introducing Sid Pearce and Expanding Our Impact In this episode of Building a Fighter, Dr. Austin Schoen introduces Sid Pearce, the new co-owner of Building a Fighter, who has been managing their Instagram for the past 6-8 months. The episode covers Sid's background in sports and fitness, his journey to becoming a firefighter, and his expertise in social media management. They discuss the importance of authenticity in personal branding, especially for fighters and coaches, and how to effectively leverage social media for self-marketing. Sid also delves into his own training regimen and the challenges of programming...2024-08-211h 02

Building a FighterMastering Training: Finding Focus, Routine, and Discipline Mastering Training: Finding Focus, Routine, and Discipline Join Dr. Austin Schoen and Alex Friedman as they delve into the complexities of preparing for a training session. In this insightful conversation, they discuss different approaches to getting mentally ready, the importance of having a routine, and the challenges of maintaining focus. Whether it's treating the training mat as sacred ground or incorporating fun and carefree moments, they share valuable tips on how to stay disciplined. Listen to their experiences, the crucial role of having a well-thought-out plan, and how coaches can adapt to different athlete needs. This episode also marks...2024-08-1240 min

Building a FighterWhat Does Leadership Look Like In Combat Sports? Unveiling the Secrets of Effective Leadership in Sports and Beyond Join Dr. Austin Schoen and Alex Friedman as they dive deep into the principles of leadership in this episode of 'Building a Fighter.' From defining what leadership is, to discussing the attributes of effective leaders, to addressing common pitfalls, this conversation covers it all. Learn about the importance of authenticity, consistency, positive communication, and delegation in leadership roles within sports and other fields. Discover how to connect with people, inspire teams, and create a lasting impact as a true leader. 00:00 Introduction to Leadership 00:37 Defining Leadership 02:58 Leading by Example 07:02...2024-07-2245 min

Building a FighterSport Specific Training: Is It Even A Thing? Debunking Sports Specific Training: Myths, Facts, and Best Practices | Building a Fighter Join Dr. Austin Schoen, a sports chiropractor from Scottsdale, Arizona, and strength coach Alex Friedman from Denver, Colorado, as they dive into the highly debated topic of sports specific exercises in strength and conditioning. Addressing the controversy, they explore whether sport-specific training exists, how to apply it effectively, and the balancing act between specific and general exercises. With insights from both their professional experiences and foundational research, they discuss the importance of meeting athletes where they are and ensuring training program efficacy. Don't miss out on understanding...2024-07-1535 min

Building a FighterTop 5 Underrated Strength & Conditioning Movements for MMA Part 2Top Underrated Strength & Conditioning Movements for MMA Part 2 Welcome back to another episode of Building a Fighter with Dr. Austin Schoen, sports chiropractor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Alex Friedman, strength coach in Denver, Colorado. In this part two, we discuss the top five movements and concepts that can elevate your strength and conditioning for combat sports. From innovative med ball techniques to kettlebell swings, isometric contrasts, and extensive plyometrics, this episode is packed with valuable insights. Learn how to train like the pros and improve your combat sports performance with these often overlooked exercises. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:51 Enhancing Med...2024-07-0840 min

Building a FighterStrength And Conditioning For Master's Level Combat Athletes Maintaining Fitness for Masters Combat Athletes: Strength, Endurance, and Longevity Tips Join Dr. Austin Schoen, a sports chiropractor based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Alex Friedman, a strength coach and part-time samurai, as they discuss essential fitness tips for recreational combat sports athletes over the age of 35-40. This episode dives into the importance of consistency, creating a fitness routine, and prioritizing health and longevity for those who want to stay active in jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, and other combat sports. Learn practical advice on aerobic capacity, strength training, and the benefits of plyometrics. This episode also highlights the significance of working...2024-07-0129 min

Building a FighterMaster MMA Conditioning Mastering MMA Conditioning: Energy Systems, Training Methods, and Fight Camp Programming In this episode of 'Building a Fighter,' Dr. Austin Schoen and strength coach Alex Friedman dive into mastering MMA conditioning. They discuss the three primary energy systems—aerobic, lactic, and alactic—and how to properly train each one to enhance MMA performance. Learn about the univariable, multivariable, and sports-specific approaches to conditioning, and how to apply these methods through various stages of training from out-of-camp to fight week. This comprehensive guide offers practical insights on building aerobic capacity, improving lactic power, and utilizing sport-specific drills to ensure your...2024-06-1854 min

Building a FighterHow To Elevate Yourself As A CoachJoin Dr. Austin Schoen and Alex Friedman as they delve into essential coaching techniques, from effective communication and tactical drills to understanding athlete feedback and enhancing practice routines. Elevate your coaching game with actionable strategies and insights tailored for both beginners and elite athletes. 00:00 Introduction 00:25 Today's Topic: Elevating Your Coaching Game 00:52 Importance of Cueing 02:04 Types of Cueing: Intrinsic and Extrinsic 03:57 Application of Cueing in Coaching 10:17 Different Types of Practice Sessions 11:06 Technical Days for Elite Athletes 12:33 Tactical Practices and Short-Sighted Games 25:32 Adapting Training...2024-06-0456 min

Building a FighterMastering Grappling in MMAThis episode delves into the intricate fight IQ aspects of grappling within MMA, featuring insights from Dr. Austin Schoen and strength coach Alex Friedman. Explore the dynamics of MMA wrestling, traditional wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as they discuss strategies for minimizing risk and maximizing reward in a fight. From the importance of setups and distance control to understanding the subtleties of cage wrestling and the mental game, this talk covers essential tactics and philosophies for both new fighters and seasoned practitioners. Tune in to elevate your grappling game with expert advice from two of the sport's leading professionals. 2024-05-2833 min

Building a FighterCommon Strengths In Combat Sports Athletes Unlocking the Strengths of Combat Sports: A Personal Insight Join Dr. Austin Schoen and Alex Friedman as we delve into the transformative power of combat sports in 'Unlocking the Strengths of Combat Sports: A Personal Insight'. Explore our journey and firsthand experiences in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Denver, Colorado, sharing key strengths that make combat athletes exceptional. From boosting confidence and fostering accessibility to enhancing adaptability, mental toughness, and embracing vulnerability, we uncover how these disciplines shape better individuals both in and out of the ring. 00:00 Introduction and Hosts’ Background 00:53 Confidence Through Combat Sports 07:41 Ac...2024-05-2040 min

Building a FighterTop 5 Training Concepts That Apply To ALL Portions Of Combat Sports Training In this episode of "Building a Fighter," Dr. Austin Schoen and strength coach Alex Friedman discuss the importance of minimal effective dosing in MMA training. We explore how it's about achieving adaptation without overtraining and how it varies from athlete to athlete. We stress the importance of hard work, understanding energy systems, and applying these concepts effectively in practice. Tune in for this informative discussion on MMA training strategies. Visit our Website at buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at buildingafighter@gmail.com @buildingafighter on Instagram https://www.youtube...2024-03-181h 00

Building a FighterLearn How To Elevate Your Mental Performance. An Interview With Micah Schnurstein In this riveting episode of "Building a Fighter", hosts Dr. Austin Schoen, a sports chiropractor, and Alex Friedman, a strength coach, sit down with Micah Schnurstein, a licensed clinical social worker and a part of the sports psychology department at the Performance Institute. Micah shares his journey from being a professional baseball player struggling with performance anxiety to becoming a mental performance coach. He dives deep into the concept of the 'Negativity Bias' and how understanding the brain can change everything for an athlete. Micah also introduces the concept of 'Triple F' (Fears, Flaws, and Failures) and emphasizes the...2024-02-191h 03

Building a FighterHow Do You Know You're At The Right Gym? In this episode of Building a Fighter, Dr. Austin Schoen and Alex Friedman discuss the key factors when choosing the right gym. They discuss the importance of a coach's adaptability and the necessity for coaches to communicate with each other, not just with the athlete. They stress the importance of finding a balance between training and personal life, underlining that a harmonious personal life is crucial for high-performance training. Tune in to explore these topics and more. Visit our Website at buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at buildingafighter@gmail.com 2024-02-1232 min

Building a FighterUsing Tech In TrainingTechnology and life balance! How should you approach technology as a business person in 2023. Alex takes the Bah-humbug approach to tech, whereas Austin thrives in it. This is a talk as much about taking on challenges and deciding how to address hurdles as it is about embracing technology in training or business. This talk gets heated as we argue about systems and how to become robust in dealing with technology. We end talking about the best way forward in coaching athletes and how to approach their development! We cover a lot! Hope you enjoy this “civil discourse.” Visit our Website at bu...2023-09-2550 min

Building a FighterCommon Neck And Back Problems With Grappling And How To Manage ThemApologies for Austin being so cringy. Odds are, if you grapple your lower back and neck have and still hurt. We have created some continuing care protocols for these areas of pain. Here we talk about the causes, symptoms, and rehabilitation processes you can go through to address these specific problems. Austin, Building a Fighter’s very own Chiropractor, spits his wisdom for general spine wellness, and potential mechanisms for pain. Those potential mechanisms are very common in grappling based sports. We finish with some daily maintenance protocols that can help to bulletproof your spine for prolonged health. Our low ba...2023-05-0133 min

Building a FighterPost Competition PlanPost Competition Plan. How should we carry on with training after a fight, or season. We talk about good mental and physical training strategies when you’re fresh off a fight in this podcast. So many times there are high emotions and a lot of adrenaline dumping after a competition, and while you have earned the right to relax a bit and enjoy the fruits of labor, we shouldn’t take too much time. Training is a 365 day per year endeavor. Now we should be smart about that and take time to heal and optimize our body for more hard trai...2023-03-1333 min

Building a FighterHow To Have The Tough Conversations In CoachingHaving hard conversations. We talk a lot about the leadership aspect of being a coach, business partner, husband, athlete, and quite frankly a person. What makes anyone reliable and accountable to their job? For a lot of athletes accountability comes down to a coach. As a coach there is a good way to hold athletes accountable and a more toxic way. It's the classic argument of leading with fear or love. Holding athletes accountable in a high performance setting and meaningful relationship is not “100 burpees per minute that you are late.” Having a harder conversation of punctuality and the impact that...2023-02-1341 min

Building a FighterFreestylin' In JanuaryWe hit the ground running on this edition of our Building a Fighter Freestyle. Talking about holistic wellness vs going all in for a goal. Are they one in the same, or is one approach better than the other? How can we function best as humans, and how can we balance all of our priorities? We explore so many facets of living your best life in martial arts and training. We talk about setting a plan, but chronically and dynamically adjusting that plan. Austin comes from a stance of pursuing excellence and there are necessary sacrifices that must be made...2023-01-3145 min

Building a FighterTraining Trunk Stability Pt. 1Training Trunk Stability Part. 1 One of Austin’s favorite topics within human movement. Trunk Stability provides a foundation for good movement, and an ability to hold good position. We dive into how the trunk works best, and how we can train to make that our default movement pattern. Trunk Stability is a huge part in training, and also in competition, so why wouldn’t we really emphasize it as the foundation in movement. Treating it as such makes it important enough to train from the ground up. Which leads us into another of Austin’s favorite topics: Breathing! Message Building a Figh...2022-12-2644 min

Building a FighterYou Can't Cheat PhysiologyEveryone is looking for a quick fix, a shortcut, a cheat to get the same results with less work. We’re here to tell you that you cannot in fact cheat physiology. Adaptation, recovery, and healing all have aspects of physical health surrounding them. You cannot modify or change those processes to fit your convenience. There are ways to supplement them or optimize them, but we simply cannot make things better right now. Long story short, we must accept the processing time for our body’s physiology and do our best to optimize the process. Also as Austin says he’s not...2022-12-1344 min

Building a FighterAll Things Training and Rehab. An Interview With Dr. Rich Ulm, DCHuge guest appearance. Richard Ulm, DC is a phenomenal coach, and coach educator. He is a former NCAA track and field athlete and strength coach. He now practices in Columbus, OH, and teaches DNS courses through his website https://www.athlete-enhancement.com/ Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization is a system of movement that facilitates training appropriately and factors in so many topics including biomechanics, functional movement, and movement efficiency. DNS has had a huge impact in how Austin and Alex approach training athletes. Rich is a treasure trove of great coaching and movement information. He talks circles around the training process and n...2022-11-211h 59

Building a FighterWhat Matters More: Proper Mechanics or Natural Movement?Fiery debate time! Austin and I go at it talking about correct biomechanics vs. learned successful movement. This debate is rife with performance vs. health type arguments and we articulate the landscape on this type of topic. As we always qualify our talk the context matters and it depends on the athlete’s lived experiences. Ultimately we do want to clean up athletes’ biomechanics and make them more efficient and effective in their movement. We do however need to take into account the time of the fight, the movement demands of the sport, and who the athlete is. We want to k...2022-11-1447 min

Building a FighterInterview With Austin Jochum, of Jochum StrengthWelcome Austin Jochum! We have followed Jochum Strength for a longtime through social media and our mutual connection with Tim Murray. Austin Jochum is a wealth of information and innovation in the strength and conditioning space. He is truly a self-starter and loves to dive deep in the philosophical and psychological aspects of coaching. We flow through a conversation and touch on so many topics in this episode including mentality, business ownership, creativity in a dogmatic field, and personal development. Austin is a great business owner and it was a pleasure to have him on the pod. Thanks Austin...2022-09-051h 09

Building a FighterCultivate A Growth MindsetGrowth Mindset and awareness of mental training. We dig into what a strong mental approach means for mixed martial artists. Consistency and accountability make up two of the key performance indicators for a growth mindset. Being honest and aware of your own consistency is super necessary when it comes to a smart mental approach. We touch on ensuring the right environment for growth, as a coach and as athletes we must take ownership over the process and truly kill it. The important piece of this podcast is to set yourself up for not only success but for consistent success in...2022-08-1537 min

Building a FighterMake Your Schedule Help You, Not Hurt You.Workload management. What does that mean? Specifically in this podcast we talk about weekly schedules. Your schedule needs to be balanced enough to ensure recovery from hard training and that you are fresh enough to train hard. When we continually grind we are performing at suboptimal levels constantly. No, you wont feel like rainbows every time you need to train but if we are chronically fatigued we will never feel or perform great. Another motivation behind this conversation is to get into the nitty-gritty of scheduling. We are offering a free 15 minute conversation to anyone who wants to optimize their c...2022-08-0836 min

Building a FighterShould Young Athletes Sport Specify?Quick take on youth sports development and sports specificity. Should we specify one sport? Is there value to branching out and trying multiple sports? We agree that there is value to trying multiple sports and adding movements to your skill set. Ultimately more diversity in movements allows for more physical and mental robustness. This robustness is what is needed if your kid, or you are to make it in a sport of your choosing. Specifying is necessary at some point on the career journey, just not too early or against anyone’s wishes. buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at b...2022-08-0126 min

Building a FighterA Look Into How A Strength And Conditioning Program Is MadeWelcome to our live programming session. We talk about building a program for an athlete, and even put on a case study so that you guys can see our process. We go through philosophies, principles of lifting and even get into the weeds of methods for our athletes. We hit on a lot of background questions off the get go, but we bring it completely practical in the end. If you listen intently you can take a free lesson in strength and conditioning and a free workout home! Let us know what you think of our process and if you...2022-07-2656 min

Building a FighterThe 3 R’s of RecoveryRecovery’s 3 R’s - regulate, refuel, and reflect. You are only as good as you can recover. Each training session cost us - energy, fuel, mental exhaustion. We must come back from that cost even stronger. Here we offer various methods to recover in between workouts and on a constant basis. These methods are not one-off sexy theraguns and ice baths, but rather consistent routines that will have a meaningful impact on your training and lifestyle. Let us know what you think! buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at buildingafighter@gmail.com @buildingafighter on Instagram Alex: IG @strong_a.f ...2022-06-2033 min

Building a FighterBuilding a Robust MentalityHow do you approach training? What is the right mindset to take into workouts? How do we change our thoughts and mental state in front of a challenge? Lets evolve our understanding of the mental side in sports performance. Scale your workouts but still push your athletes to perform. Two words we refer back to in this podcast are robust, and fragile. We want to create robustness and a general resilience to all challenges in our athletes. This challenge happens in the weight room and not, but robustness is an ability to withstand and prevail in any circumstance. Fragility is...2022-06-1335 min

Building a FighterStep Up Your EffortQuick hitter this week. How do you maintain high effort? Everyone says they train hard, everyone works hard, but how do you know you are truly giving peak effort? WE break it down into being present and being motivated to hit the target. Many athletes come in with a goal to just “go hard” that intent is not good enough and it leads to burn out. You simply cannot maintain the go to go as hard as possible every session. You can however give 100% to a targeted goal every session. We dig into what comprises good effort in our everyday trai...2022-06-0725 min

Building a FighterMental Conditioning with Darren Treasure Ph.D.Hello, and welcome to our interview with Darren Treasure. Darren is a mental performance coach who works with multiple world level and professional athletes. We talk a lot about mental skills and what a mental performance coach can offer for athletes. As strength coaches and healthcare practitioners we can always employ a better battery of mental skills. This is a great entry level talk on what mental performance is and how it can help you as a performer! Darren is an excellent mind and articulates his profession and services very effectively. Thank you so much for joining us Darren, we...2022-05-311h 16

Building a FighterThe BAF Jiu Jitsu Journeys: Part 1Having trouble transitioning from wrestling to jiu jitsu? Or just starting jiu jitsu? We can empathize. As we continue our journey as sports performance professionals for MMA we detail our own transition into BJJ. Austin and I have been having a blast learning Jiu Jitsu and grappling. We talk about learning progressions, drilling, and etiquette when doing BJJ. It holds so much value to know the sport that you are coaching in S&C. Jiu Jitsu is so accessible to everyone, it is literally called the “gentle” martial art. You should have some experience in some martial discipline if you are...2022-05-2539 min

Building a FighterInterview with Jordan Rudolph of Unity FitnessJordan Rudolph! Jordan has been a great mentor and friend to Alex since 2016 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Jordan is the owner and operator of Unity Fitness. Unity is a fantastic gym where the commUNITY shines and people are able to move better, feel better, and look better. He talks a lot about starting a business, being genuinely yourself in coaching and owning a business. We talk about coaching models, coaching through COVID, and how to continue growing and innovating as a coach. If you need to contact Jordan, He is available on IG @unity_fitness_la_crosse or @jordan22r Uni...2022-05-161h 02

Building a FighterAdding Value To Your Athlete’s Performance TeamHow can you add value to a performance team? Is this your show or do you play a role in culminating a holistic service? There are times and places for both. You must know your role and be able to nail it on repeat. At the same time part of nailing it is knowing where you fit in the team and how to effectively communicate with everyone else on the team. Ultimately serving the athlete is the main goal, other motivations are valid. You should want to progress your career, you should want to launch your initiatives, and you should b...2022-05-0938 min

Building a FighterLessons From The Field: Wrestling AdaptationLessons from the field. Within this new series we deep dive into our own process in adapting our wrestling skills to mma coaching. With the inclusion of striking, submissions, cage wrestling, and the general mma ruleset. Outlining our journey in coaching helps us to see where our thoughts lie and how we can progress into a more mma dominant mindset. We really focus on the adaptations that wrestlers can make into mma and how we can coach transitioning wrestlers as well. Share with us your thoughts on this series and whether you would like to hear more of it! buildingafighter.c...2022-05-0232 min

Building a FighterInterview With Dr. Brian GearityWe welcome Dr. Brian Gearity of The University of Denver. He is the director of the Masters of the Arts in coaching and sports education. “Dr. G” was Alex’s Graduate advisor and has published multiple works in sports sociology and the study of coaching. Formerly a strength coach Dr. G, has been around sport his entire life and now studies how coaching is developed and works. He shares a plethora of knowledge in this podcast about the study of sporting culture, coaching philosophy, and ethics. We want to extend our gratitude to Dr. Gearity for joining us and we hope y...2022-04-261h 01

Building a FighterBook Club: Relentless by Tim GroverBook Club installment number two! Relentless by Tim Grover. This book is very popular as Tim Grover (the author) was the strength coach to many greats in the NBA, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade. Tim outlines his thoughts on mental performance and the right mentality that takes you to the top. He classifies athletes into Coolers, Closers, and Cleaners. Enjoy our conversation about the book and let us know what you think! We hope you guys enjoy this book club idea, and please let us know books we should add to our list or read too! We d...2022-04-1847 min

Building a FighterEPISODE 100! What Do Coaches Need To Know About Healthcare?Our Zone #2! Austin goes off in the realm of Sports Performance Heatlthcare and return to performance. How do we modify practice, S&C, or movement to completely enable each and every athlete despite any injury/irritation. We talk about how healthcare practitioners can create better relationships and be involved in the training process not just the rehabilitation process. Concussions and other typical MMA injuries are also a huge topic that we cover in this podcast. Austin runs through typical avenues of injury in MMA how to analyze and treat/handle each. As always we should be diligent in our scope...2022-04-111h 01

Building a FighterHow to Implement Different Types of Training in Your WorkoutsBack in our zone! We consciously try to explore topics that get us out of our comfort zone both to spread knowledge and awareness as well as grow in our own understanding of those topics. This is not one of those podcasts. We are talking about various training methodologies to accomplish training goals. We go through Triphasic training, Density circuits, and Contrast training. What are they, why utilize them, and we give specific examples where they could be useful for an mma athlete. We felt like we were in the zone with this podcast and will continue to mix it u...2022-04-0458 min

Building a FighterFreestylin’ in MarchFreeeeeeeeee - Style! Video games, going to practice, getting respect from your athletes, cards against humanity, movement patterns. We are back to a more open format for this podcast. Little bit of Ranting on movement patterns, and knowing the sport that you coach, but we keep it light and topical for this episode! Plus a bit of a peek into our very formal planning process of podcasts. We hope you enjoy! buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at buildingafighter@gmail.com @buildingafighter on Instagram Alex: IG @strong_a.f email: afriedman.strong@gmail.com Austin: IG @warriorsportswellness email: austin@warr...2022-03-2833 min

Building a FighterPractice What You PreachAs a coach you have a moral responsibility to your team to lead them. You are an instructor, teacher, shoulder to cry on and often an example of how you want your team to behave. How can we demand more athletes to be “bought in” if we ourselves aren’t operating from a moral place. The little things count in this profession. Being punctual, respectful, empathetic, and authentic all can build credibility for you as a coach. You still need to be damn good at your job, but don’t undermine that skill by being a shitty person. Fairness in coaching...2022-03-2127 min

Building a FighterBAF Book Club: It Takes What It Takes By: Trevor MoawadWelcome to our new series! We are starting a book club. This month’s book is It Takes What It Takes by Trevor Moawad. We will be reading a book per month and then reviewing it and talking about our opinions. This book is very popular as Trevor is the mental performance coach for Russel Wilson. Trevor talks about his approach for neutral thinking and the power of controlling your settings. We have been deep diving into a bit more mental performance recently which is a great avenue for professional development. We organize our nutrition, our training, and we should or...2022-03-1638 min

Building a FighterHow Amateur Wrestling Sets You Up For SuccessHigh School Wrestling. What can the sport do for you and how does it feed into success in mma, school, career, and life. The accountability, work ethic, and narrow focus bred in wrestling helps to instill some foundational behaviors of success. Wrestling has another key aspect that can help in an mma, or elite mindset. That key aspect in domination. In wrestling winning is often not enough, winning in dominant fashion is the expectation. We talk about mindset and how mature wrestling helps as a base for mma. We are obviously huge fans of wrestling from the youth level and...2022-03-0735 min

Building a FighterWeight Cutting With Christina Chu MS, RDCutting Weight. This is almost an unavoidable aspect of combat sport, today we are talking about the culture and psychological impact of cutting weight. This podcast is rife with personal experiences of cutting weight and improper weight cutting strategies. We work through our own experiences to find some data and diamonds in the rough as to why we act this way in weight cutting. If you have wrestled or cut weight in a “serious manner” then you know what we are talking about when we talk about suffering and prioritizing making weight over athletic performance. We come to some good conc...2022-02-2857 min

Building a FighterDifference Between Training for Recreation and Training for PerformanceThis episode gets a bit more philosophical on you! We open it up from our typical elite MMA athlete topics to a more recreational based idea. We tackle the question of “Why do you train and perform at sport?” Typically there are two models of sport in the sociological world: “Pleasure and Participation” or “Power and Performance.” Try saying that 10 times fast! Do you train to enjoy the pursuit of growth and be happy with just participating with peers, or are you trying to dominate and win? Is there room for both approaches in any athlete’s training? This conversation is interesting...2022-02-2130 min

Building a FighterShould You be Friends With Your AthletesA quick hitter for this episode, we touch on coach-athlete relationships. Most coaches do this well, some do it great, and few are horrific. Specifically we tackle this question, “Should you be friends with your athletes?” We agree that getting the work done is essential to any coach-athlete relationship, so creating a friendship cannot hurt your ability to push, pull, or stress the athlete. In some contexts a friendship can help the ability to coach your athletes, and as a coach we must identify if this is a beneficial thing or not. This is a huge gray area, we are all...2022-02-1524 min

Building a FighterInterview with Corey Beasley of Getphysical.comSuper Special Guest this episode, we have with us Corey Beasley from Fight Camp Conditioning, what is now GetPhysical.com Corey is a wealth of knowledge in the MMA strength and conditioning field. He has done an awesome job of platforming and spreading the good word of knowledgeable, and reasonable S&C to mixed martial arts. Corey shares so much great information on his come up into mma, some innovative unconventional S&C methods, and load management. Thank you Corey for sharing your time with us! Check out all of Corey’s resources on his website GetPhysical.com And his Inst...2022-02-0857 min

Building a FighterProgramming 101Science! Its real! Exercise Science: a passion of both Alex and Austin’s. How do we approach a practical method of exercise science within our training context. AKA: How do you write an exercise program. We talk about this and much more in this episode. Running through scenarios we define our thought process and how we get there. What should or shouldn’t be in a program? How many days per week should you train? Which exercise should we pick? We outline our approach to each decision made in programming. As always Austin and Alex agree on some points, but disag...2022-01-3149 min

Building a FighterOrthopedic Cost and Exercise SelectionOrthopedic Cost, what does that mean? Is it a real thing? We riff on a trending tweet in the strength and conditioning world. We argue that exercise selection matters, and all exercise is not good exercise. We dive a bit into pain science, and how to correctly orchestrate exercise selection, load, volume and stress management. We contend that every variable in an exercise program needs to be weighed and thought through in order to have “the best” program not just a “good” program. Let us know your thoughts on this hot take! We would love to hear from anyone and everyone...2022-01-2433 min

Building a FighterHelp Your Athletes Exploit Their SuperpowersShout out to Coach Augie from Landow Performance for the inspiration for this podcast. We are talking about finding and exploiting your athlete’s superpowers! Should you raise the ceilings aka train into your superpower, or should we focus on the weaknesses? The answer, as always, it depends. One key we highlight in this podcast is the awareness of your superpower and the awareness to utilize it. Becoming more aware and being able to utilize your superpower as a fighter, or being able to identify and coach an athlete through their superpower is very important and we talk about our pr...2022-01-1835 min

Building a FighterGenetic Components to Strength and ConditioningWe talk about genetic potential and what percentage of success or performance comes from genetics. We play around with the idea of talent vs. hard work vs skill vs innate ability. Genetics predispose us to be better or worse at certain athletic qualities. As coaches we need to be able to recognize and plan for this. The better we can match our training to utilize this advantage the more success that we can have. We reference “The Sports Gene” by David Epstien in this podcast and it is a terrific book on this topic. Genetics are a hard variable to plan...2022-01-1047 min

Building a FighterInterview With: Augie Agyei and Eric Telly of Landow PerformanceThis week we are joined by Alex’s fellow performance coaches at Landow Performance. We dive into strength and conditioning for mma. Augie Agyei and Eric Telly have been training fighters for 10+ years amongst other athletes. We primarily work with the Factory X professional fight team. These guys drop so many knowledge bombs in this short hour. I am insanely grateful to work alongside them everyday, and grateful that they joined this podcast. We hit topics of the strength and conditioning profession, approach to training MMA athletes, and approaches to coaching mentality. Thanks again to Augie, and Eric for this ep...2022-01-031h 07

Building a FighterYear In Review!On this episode of BAF we did a recap of 2021 for Alex and Austin Personally as well as Building A fighter as a business. Alex Came, Saw, and Conquered 2021. With his switch over to Landow Performance, joining up with Factory X Team, and Working with Queens City Rugby club. Austin also had a solid 2021! With Warrior Sports Wellness growing, getting married, and getting his first UFC cornering experience. Combined, Building A Fighter specifically was a part of 8 different camps this year, programs for 1 college team, and a couple high school teams. This is only the beginning and be sure to...2021-12-2840 min

Building a FighterDecember FreestyleThis episode covers a ton of various topics! We start by reviewing a BJJ tournament Alex competed in over the weekend. Then we talk about a technical model for aggression. From there we talk about how athletic styles lead to coaching styles and the life experience that everyone brings to their professional or athletic approaches. This then leads to a great discussion on the training of coaches and how it can be better. Right now, strength and conditioning is a very autonomous field, more hands on and standards of care education can raise the bar for fitness professionals. How are...2021-12-2059 min

Building a FighterProfessionalism Vs. AuthenticityWhat does professionalism look like for you? As a coach, athlete, manager, administrator, or physician. Austin and Alex debate amongst themselves on what professionalism should look like in the combat sports realm and in sports performance in general. I like to boil it down to two very unprofessional mantras. 1. Do your fucking job. Make them better, provide a top level service. 2. Don’t be a dick. Understand, empathize and treat human beings with respect. Regardless, you must do what is best in your environment and navigate with integrity and honesty. We end talking a bit on professional culture, the hiring pr...2021-12-1446 min

Building a FighterIt’s OK To Be SoreIT’S OK TO BE SORE!!! In recent years it’s popular to want to work smarter, not harder. While it's amazing that sentiment has seeped into combat sports, recently I have seen the training pendulum swing too far to the left. Under-dosing your exercise is also a huge problem and this whole “you should never be sore” idea is bullshit. It’s all about finding the Goldilocks principle, “not too much, not too little, just right!” We appreciate the listens and want to keep putting good information out there. Let us know how we can best serve you! Talk soon! buildinga...2021-11-3027 min

Building a FighterSpooky Training and A little Freestylin’Halloween Freestyle. We have been letting these episodes flow recently and finding the topics along the way. Within this episode we get to scary training methods, 10x10 german volume training, burpees, and 100 push up challenges, what is the scariest training you have ever done? We then segue into scary injuries we have seen and how to handle scary injuries and coach them up or just logistically handle them. We make it all the way to honest, individualized communication. Let us know how you like these freestyles vs our more structured format. We appreciate the listens and want to keep putting g...2021-11-2444 min

Building a FighterFreestylin’Episode 78 and we’re back freestylin Welcome to a more free flowing format of Building a Fighter. We talk about life as married peoples, mma training, and scheduling out your training! Let us know if you like this change of pace! Let us know what you think of our opinions, banter, and information. We want to hear from you! Leave a review or message us. Until next time, this is Building a Fighter. buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at buildingafighter@gmail.com @buildingafighter on Instagram Alex: IG @strong_a.f email: afriedman.strong@gmail.com Austin: IG @warriorsportswellness email...2021-11-1637 min

Building a Fighter5 Things That Can F*ck Right OffTaking a note from @thefightdietician, we are listing 5 items/ concepts in MMA and physical training the can F*ck Right Off. If you love rants, this is the podcast for you. There are a lot of actual tips for more logical training in this episode. Learn the actual backbone of what we are training vs learning the fancy tool. Principles > Methods. The Fight Dietician runs a phenomenal page with great content and we loved his concept for this post. You will have to listen in for 5 training quirks that we abhor, and how to accurately address the issues that these “tr...2021-11-0830 min

Building a FighterBuilding Your Combat Sports Based BusinessBuy In” We are talking about how to infiltrate and be a genuine member of a community or create your own community. In growing both of our small businesses Austin and I have found great success in endeavors where we went all in. Being a member of a community brings a personal touch to gaining clientele from that community and not just “selling.” We talk about branding and how to present yourself and your skillset into a marketable package. Then from there acquiring and expanding on a market that you have an unfair advantage in. Navigating the business side of this wo...2021-11-0138 min

Building a FighterPreparing For Practice with Christina Chu, RDOur favorite guest is back! Christina is here to help us talk about pre-session preparation. This episode is a great guide to make sure you are completely ready to go when the workout hits. Whether it is practice, a lift, or cardio session: at 6am, Noon, or 7pm we cover what can be a good strategy to optimize that session. Christina talks nutrition, Alex talks physical and mental preparation, and Austin talks warm-up and wellness strategies. We troubleshoot some common problems with fueling/preparing for a session and offer better alternatives. Put yourself in the best place to win the...2021-10-251h 10

Building a FighterGrapple To WinGrappling can be a huge weapon within your MMA game, however there are good and bad ways to implement it in the cage. How does grappling come off to the judges? What is the optimal position to maintain. Even if you are good off your back, should you go there or stay there? Advancing position, staying on top, landing ground and pound, what is a good sequence to maintain once the fight hits the ground? We dive into an analysis of grappling within MMA and how to maximize that aspect of your game. Let us know what you think and...2021-10-2036 min

Building a FighterFreestyle Part 2Welcome to a sequel of our freestyle episode where we do the exact same thing as the original. We freestyle, from anime to life choices, to coaching style, to S&C scope. We cover the gambit here. Let us know what our freestyle conversation makes you think of! Hang with us through the Anime talk and I promise you will find some value and vulnerability in this podcast. Thanks for listening. buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at buildingafighter@gmail.com @buildingafighter on Instagram Alex: IG @strong_a.f email: afriedman.strong@gmail.com Austin: IG @warriorsportswellness email: austin@warr...2021-10-0449 min

Building a FighterInterview With Aaron Porter and Nate Smock; Strength and Conditioning Coaches for Elevation Fight TeamThis week we are joined by some special guests! Alex’s fellow performance coaches at Landow Performance, Aaron Porter, and Nate Smock join us! Both these guys have a ton of experience in training mma athletes and both were trained under Loren Landow. Aaron is a Black Belt in BJJ and sports performance coach for Team Elevation in Denver, Colorado. Nate, also coaches at Landow Performance with Team Elevation and has been through the Landow Performance Internship. Both of these guys have been coaching strength and conditioning with high level MMA for 6-7 years. Most notable is Aaron’s coaching of t...2021-09-2759 min

Building a FighterThe Difference Between Training and Working OutTraining vs. Working Out. What’s the difference? Working out is like going for a cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop with some friends and enjoying the view, company and coffee. Training is like drinking a Folgers cup of coffee in a high rise office building while you are negotiating the details of a business deal. Training encompasses a process with a defined end goal and an aim to accomplish a goal. Working out is an act of physical activity. We define the role and need of a sports performance professional (strength coach) to assist you with training in...2021-09-2236 min

Building a FighterComparing the Force/Velocity curve to Energy System developmentDown the S&C rabbit hole. We play with and juxtapose the Force x Velocity Curve with our Energy System Development. How can we combine the two different exercise science tools and mix intensities with durations and get a certain training effect? We go over a lot of conditioning, exercise modalities and new circuits in this episode, defining energy systems and strength qualities as we go. We question how we can differentiate training effects based on durations and intensities then what will be the most effective for certain athletes. buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at buildingafighter@gmail.com @bu...2021-09-1341 min

Building a FighterSkills AssessmentsAn assessment of skill is necessary for progression within any sport. Specifically in MMA we have some very definitive skills that need to be measured. Each athlete has their own skills and weaknesses. We need to know how accurately those skills are measured, and then create a plan to work on them in preparation for our upcoming fight! The key here is to be accurate in your assessment and to work on necessary skills. As a coach you must create, or use someone else’s system to progress. Austin goes in depth on his flowchart approach. We talk a lot ab...2021-09-0738 min

Building a FighterBe an Artist, Not a just a TechnicianMixed Martial Artist. Be an artist in what you do. Learn the techniques, understand the playing field, but then make it your own. Whether it is skill practice, strength and conditioning, or any other discipline, find what works for you. We take the time to discuss how exploration, creativity, and fun can benefit your training. Plan in some freestyle sessions, create some games, find some enjoyment in what you do and the creativity that can accompany this movement. Get more abstract in your training and find your way to success. “Absorb what's useful, discard what’s useless, and add what is sp...2021-08-3043 min

Building a FighterOwner Interview: Alex FriedmanOur owner interviews continue with part two of our dynamic duo! Alex Friedman explains his upbringing and his experiences as a wrestler and coach! Alex has wrestled forever, and coached ever since. Alex goes through a background on himself, then explains his current situation and approach to strength and conditioning. Alex explains a lot about his approach to exercise science, his favorite methods, and tips that he has learned along the way. Alex is a big picture guy and looks for the best place to apply what he knows in an effective manner for fighters! On top of everything, Alex...2021-08-2350 min

Building a FighterBAF Owner Interviews: AustinThis week we turn the turntables on ourselves. (I hope you watched The Office and get that reference!) This episode is an interview of Austin which makes up one half of our Building a Fighter ownership! Austin explains his background, current hustle, and what the future holds for him. Austin is a phenomenal chiropractor, strength coach, wrestling coach, and not to mention business owner. He has built a position for himself to innovate and expand the healthcare game for MMA athletes. Tune in to see what he is all about, and who is behind your program at building a fighter...2021-08-1653 min

Building a FighterGrappling With Biomechanics: Takedowns Pt. 2Takedowns Part Two! Here we go: part two of our Grappling with Biomechanics Takedowns series. Through our exercise science background and biomechanical approach we analyze preparation and how to best execute physical abilities for transfer to takedowns. The highlights of this episode are promoting single leg strength, fluid strength, Isometric Strength, neck pain solutions, hip pain and blockages, and ankle strengthening. We love integrating our strength and conditioning training to wrestling in MMA like this. As always we hope that it is beneficial in your strength and conditioning! Leave a comment or like on this episode and subscribe to be...2021-08-0955 min

Building a FighterGrappling With Biomechanics: TakedownsTakedowns! We go off on this one about our favorite takedowns and how to implement them into your BJJ or MMA game. This episode deals a lot in the technical and tactical side of takedowns and how they can play an effective role in your performance. Watch out for part two where we really mix our exercise science background and biomechanical approach to analyze preparation and how to best execute takedowns. We love integrating our wrestling to MMA like this and hope that it is beneficial in your practice! Leave a comment or like on this episode and subscribe to...2021-08-0357 min

Building a FighterInterview With Scotty Miller, Head Grappling Coach at Factory X MMAScottyJiuJitsu himself. My Jiu Jitsu professor and the head grappling coach from Factory X Scott Miller. Scott shares a ton of good insights about coaching, Jiu Jitsu, and working as part of a coaching staff. Scotty is one of the most hungry and adaptable coaches that we have met. He is always looking to be better, and make his life about his athletes. We talk a lot about the culture of an MMA team and how to make the best atmosphere around the athlete. We get into grappling a bit too! Our first skill coach on the podcast and we...2021-07-261h 04

Building a FighterInterview With Tim Murray, Sports Performance Coach at the Naval AcademyThis week we have Tim Murray, a Sports Performance Coach, and mentor to myself (Alex) in the strength and conditioning field. We talk a ton about the role of Strength and Conditioning, the S&C Coach, and the impact that we can make. Tim is super knowledgeable about exercise methods, systems, and the field and history of Strength and Conditioning. This is a huge episode to provide background for training and why systematizing your training matters. For the practitioner we are very clear that what and how you do your job matters. Huge thank you to Tim! Find him @robust...2021-07-201h 14

Building a FighterInterview With Bobby Gaisford, ATC for the UFC Performance InstituteMr. Bobby Gaisford, we were very fortunate to have this entertaining and hugely knowledgeable guest on the Podcast. Another awesome team member from the UFC PI, Bobby is an ATC, and clinic manager with tons of experience with combat sports. Bobby tells some great stories, gives some great tips and tricks for working with this population and was a joy to have on! We cover wound care, quick fixes for bleeding, travel safety for athletes, and the model at the PI. If you want to reach out find Bobby on IG @b_oh_b buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter...2021-07-121h 04

Building a FighterTop 5 MMA Information Sources To FollowTop 5 best follows for mma sports performance. These people are influencers in the best possible way for the sport and helping it grow in a healthy and effective way. We give kudos to them and describe our interaction/ perception of their content. We applaud them and want you to get more quality information through these resources. @ufcpi @fightcampconditioning @the_fightdietician @coachjoeljamieson @doctor_kickass buildingafighter.com Message Building a Fighter directly at buildingafighter@gmail.com @buildingafighter on Instagram Alex: IG @strong_a.f email: afriedman.strong@gmail.com Austin: IG @warriorsportswellness email: austin@warriorsportswellness.com 2021-07-0533 min

Building a FighterFreestyle EpisodeWelcome to a more free flowing format of Building a Fighter. We touch on sociology, coaching, Division three wrestling, research methods, trigger points, and go all over the place. We just bounce off of each other and try to frustrate our best friends. A little more candid and off the cuff this week. Let us know if you like this change of pace! Let us know what you think of our opinions, banter, and information. We want to hear from you! Leave a review or message us. Until next time, this is Building a Fighter. buildingafighter.com Message Building a F...2021-06-2847 min

Building a FighterHe Who Only Treats The Site Of Pain Is LostWhen you have a leak in your roof? What do you do? Place a bucket under the drip to catch the water, right? Well yes, but then what? You get on the roof and fix the leak, or you call and pay someone to do it. The drip is the symptom, the damaged roof is the problem. As healthcare practitioners we are interested in fixing the roof, not just replacing the bucket. Pardon the long form analogy, but that is what we talk about in this episode. How as athletes you deserve to correct and see the problem for what it...2021-06-2235 min

Building a FighterWrestling With Biomechanics: UnderhookHey y’all! Great to be back on the wrestling with biomechanics series. We are discussing the underhook today. Such a useful tool, in wrestling for takedowns, control on the cage, and escaping in BJJ! This is a foundational move to master in your grappling practice. We make our way through technical and tactical points, highlighting the benefits in folkstyle wrestling and cage wrestling. We then talk about training the shoulder to and neck complex to strengthen the general qualities that can lead to excellent execution of this position. One take home message of this podcast is to be intentional wi...2021-06-1546 min

Building a FighterInterview With Bo Sandoval of the UFC PI“Bo Bathtime Sandoval” This week we are joined by Bo Sandoval. Bo is the Head of Strength and Conditioning at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Bo is a legend in the strength and conditioning field as well as a personal mentor to Alex who Interned with him in 2019. Bo has a background working with Olympic boxing, and wrestling, as well as Olympic weightlifting and Collegiate Strength and Conditioning. We talk about the interdisciplinary approach that is employed at the Performance Institute, and we try to replicate with Building a Fighter. We talk about creating training paradigms within different MMA co...2021-06-071h 09

Building a FighterOut Of Camp TrainingOut of camp conditioning! You must train year round and be dedicated to the process. We talk about why it is important to train out of camp, and some of the most important methods to use at this time. We want to eliminate the 8 week fight camp. We have a 52 week fight camp with our athletes. Every week gives you an opportunity to prepare, and we should plan to take advantage of a year round training system! We talk about training the aerobic system, getting strong and other opportunities when our athletes are “out of camp.” Training frequency and intensity should...2021-06-0141 min

Building a FighterSports Medicine for MMA with Dr. Tera Giroux of the UFC PIThis week we are joined by Dr. Tera Giroux. Tera is a Sports Medicine Manager, and Sports Chiropractor at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Dr. Tera is a bad ass. She specializes in high-performance, inter-disciplinary settings, manual therapy, musculoskeletal injuries, emergency sports medicine, sports chiropractic, sport specific injuries, as well as functional, pre-hab, and post-surgical rehabilitation. Tera shares some of her journey, how she practices, and what adjusting to the position at the UFC is like. This podcast is information rich and we are honored that Dr. Tera shared the podcast with us. Thanks for listening and a...2021-05-241h 16

Building a FighterWhy Confidence MattersConfidence, why does that matter? We get pretty personal on this one. As a fighter, practitioner, and person how can confidence influence your psyche and your success. Overconfidence, under confidence, preparation and how does that all play a part into what you do, how you do it. The training grounds and weight room is a great place to build confidence. But how do we do that? We talk all about confidence and how it can influence your life and training. @buildingafighter on Instagram Alex: IG @strong_a.f email: afriedman.strong@gmail.com Austin: IG @warriorsportswellness email: austin@warriorsportswellness.com 2021-05-1744 min

Building a FighterWrestling With Biomechanics: Leg RidingSecond in our Wrestling with Biomechanics Series is leg riding! Throwing in hooks, attacking from the back, escaping and anything to do with leg riding. We talk about cross-body riding, taking the back, using your legs as arms in the strategy of leg riding. We then talk about specific anatomical approaches to training for leg riding and some necessities to train. These include hip internal and external rotation, strong adduction, and co-contraction of the hips and trunk! We finish with potential injury risks and how to address these problems you may have from riding legs or getting ridden out! These...2021-05-1049 min

Building a FighterPlanning Practice For Skill AcquisitionPractice Planning. Many coaches plan practice, they at least plan what technique will be the key point and the general format. Along with our Building a Fighter mission, we believe that this practice planning should be done better. Warm-ups, general activity, specific skill development, positional goes, training, drilling, physical conditioning we can and should include it all in our practice. We should also plan based around what individuals are in our class, how the athletes are feeling, and what time of year is it? This manipulation of practice takes experience skill, and most of all effort on the coach’s be...2021-05-0353 min

Building a FighterRound Table Discussion With Special Guest: Christina Chu RDFirst Performance Team Roundtable! We are rejoined by Christina Chu RD, a performance dietician based in Chicago, IL. We discuss a hypothetical athlete with whom we are preparing for a fight camp. Our athlete is staged within the episode, and we talk though our whole process in planning, collaboration and preparation. The value in this episode it to see where we prioritize our plan, our time, and most importantly our collaboration. One fighter can never be separated into isolated aspects like our professions: nutrition, strength, health. So as practitioners we need to see the process of our peers and genuinely...2021-04-261h 35

Building a FighterHow To Apply Your AssessmentsApplying and applicable assessments. Let’s assume we have already selected the most beneficial and most important training assessments for our sport. (which is another episode altogether.) So we have our tests, and we got some results, what do we do with them? We first weigh the athlete’s results for adequacy. See where the athlete lies on the testing scale, and modify your training plan accordingly. Next, replicate the test. Measure if you got better at what you are trying to get better at. Lastly, we compare to performance. Did this athlete benefit from getting better at this assessment. Is i...2021-04-1958 min

Building a FighterWrestling With Biomechanics: Front HeadlockThis week’s area for Wrestling / Grappling with Biomechanics is the Front Headlock! We are starting up a New Series: Wrestling with Biomechanics. We are going on an in-depth look at specific positions that arise in wrestling/grappling. We explore the position, strategies, and techniques that apply in wrestling and mma. We investigate the biomechanics specific joints involved in the area, how to strengthen them, make them more effective, and the most advantageous positions to hold. Lastly we look at common instances of injury or problems that have to do with the position. how to address those injuries or problem areas...2021-04-1241 min

Building a FighterCombat Sports Needs AnalysisThis one is a treat! we go through a few disciplines that make up mixed martial arts and put our spin of a needs analysis on each one. This is valuable for the athlete to know and especially the coach to know. Rather than making athletes go through general workouts, we should be customizing each one to the sporting goal and style. This gives us a cheat sheet for that! We use a framework that I was exposed to through a podcast a while back, and have found a good summary here. Biomechanics, Biodynamics, and Bioenergetics tell us a lot ab...2021-04-051h 13

Building a FighterOvertrainingAthletes, Coaches, other bad asses: Overtraining is real! There are multiple factors that go into a training load but at the end of the day you need to know your own body. Coaches are generally well meaning, your inner-drive is well meaning but at times can be detrimental. Take charge of your training schedule, mental health, and workload. Offensive #1 against overtraining: monitoring. Monitor your schedule, your resting heart rate, sleep, general wellness, monitor your health. Chronic injuries do not have to be chronic. Overtraining is not just an acute or extreme detriment for your performance. If you are overtrained, it co...2021-04-0243 min

Building a FighterTransitioning from Athlete to CoachTalking transitioning from athlete to coach, but more specifically collegiate wrestling athlete to MMA coach/support staff. We talk about our own struggles in learning the multiple artforms that go into MMA, but we also see how pursuing things outside of our comfort zone, like boxing, Jiu jitsu, and muaythai helped us become better coaches. Austin provides great points about mastery, practicing what you preach and creating systems which see further than just knowing pieces of technique. This episode encompasses the biggest points that we have learned about coaching through our experiences. We love MMA, wrestling, coaching and getting better: Tha...2020-11-1648 min

Building a FighterTop 5 exercises for MMA TrainingPodcastin’ on the road, Austin joins in from coaching at Bellator 250 & 251. This episode covers the 5 best exercises we can transfer from the weight room to MMA. Focusing in on general exercises we look for exercises that give us the biggest bang for our buck. That is, we are efficient at performing them, there is low risk, and a high return on investment. We expand on each exercise and describe why & where we employ them in our training. A final important point that we make is that all of these exercises have a ton of variability and can be applied in al...2020-11-0942 min

Building a FighterAnatomical Approach to Training: KneeThe Knee: a continuation of our Anatomical Approach to Training series. Speaking on the knee today we address common methods of training, the joint itself, and how it is involved in lower body training. Austin references Tibial CARs and you can find the link here. Don’t overlook the middle-man or middle child which is the knee. Train the area isometrically, within multiple planes of movement, and from every angle (quads, adductors, hamstrings, abductors). Austin wraps up with a summary and rehab overview of MCL sprains, and bursitis. Context, Context, Context. Thanks for listening. Talk to ya next time! Alex: IG @stron...2020-10-1840 min

Building a FighterIs Functional Movement Really Functional for MMAWithin this episode we critically consider movement screens, and the correct placement for corrective exercise within an athlete’s training session. How valuable is “functional movement?” Which lens of movement should we use to analyze movement? and What is the overall effect of all of these interventions? We dive into how we approach and have grown through prescribing correctives for functional capacity and other reasons with our athletes. Dr. Austin Schoen gives a great overview of some of the most popular movement systems popular today. We end on the application of these lens to knowing your sport and how to effective...2020-09-2836 min