Combat Sports

A strength program for fighters: nine weeks of strength work for boxers, judoka, wrestlers and grapplers, building rotational power, a hip that snaps, hands that never let go and a neck that takes hits. Three sessions a week, without ever eating into your technical sessions.

Who is it for?

Built for an intermediate practitioner already active in their combat sport, this program sits alongside your technical sessions, not in their place. It calls for a gym or, failing that, a heavy enough pair of dumbbells. Exercises are also chosen with the competition calendar in mind, with lighter weeks possible before an event.

The method

Three phases of three weeks. The first sets the patterns, hip drive, heavy pulling, controlled rotation and neck, at controlled tempo and a wide margin: this is where you learn the movements, not where you load them. The second raises intensity on the same families, heavier and for fewer reps, which builds strength without changing weight class. The third turns that strength into speed, explosive variations and maximal intent, the phase that transfers directly to the strike, the throw and the sprawl. Each phase keeps the same main exercises from start to finish, only load and speed parameters change, so you never have to relearn a movement mid-prep.

Is nine weeks enough without cutting into technical sessions?

Yes, the program is built to sit alongside three technical sessions, not replace them: strength volume stays calibrated to avoid eating into your sport.

Is a gym essential for this program?

A gym is preferable, but a heavy enough pair of dumbbells lets you follow most sessions if one is not available.

Does this program suit a fighter new to strength training?

It targets an intermediate level: the first phase sets the patterns at controlled tempo, but some prior strength experience makes the first weeks easier. The controlled tempo of phase 1 leaves time to set each movement before loading it, which limits risk for a practitioner still new to strength training.

What the program includes

• 9 weeks · 3 sessions / week · Intermediate
• Equipment : gym or dumbbells
• 9 complete session sheets: exercises, sets, reps, tempo, rest and RIR
• Tracking columns to fill straight into the printed PDF, week after week
• Detailed how-to, warm-up routine, adjustments page and glossary

The programming

• Phase 1 · Foundations (weeks 1 to 3) : We set the patterns: hip drive, heavy pulling, controlled rotation and neck. Controlled tempo, wide margin, reference loads written down. This phase is where you learn the movements, not where you load them.
• Phase 2 · Strength (weeks 4 to 6) : The same families, heavier and for fewer reps. We raise intensity, not volume: that is what builds strength without changing weight class. Rest gets longer, technique does not move.
• Phase 3 · Power (weeks 7 to 9) : The strength built turns into speed: explosive variations, short sets, maximal intent on every rep up. This is the phase that transfers to the strike, the throw and the sprawl. Nothing is done tired.

Every week follows a defined cycle (baseline, intensification, accumulation): you always know what to do, at what intensity, and when to adjust. Nothing is left to chance.

Format : Downloadable PDF, yours for life, designed to be printed.