Fight Strength Podcast Phil Daru & Macgregor McNair

After a short hiatus, the Fight Strength Podcast is back on air! In the months gone by since the last episode, questions from Phil's and the show's followers have been piling up - so Phil & Mac waste no time and get busy answering some of them.
 
If you haven't already, hurry up and cast your vote for Phil at the World MMA Awards!!  You have until the end of May 2019 to show your support and vote for Phil in the category "Trainer of the Year".  This is a massive honour, and there is no more deserving coach than Phil for this coveted award!  To cast your vote, head over to https://www.worldmmaawards.com/vote/
If you are in the South Florida area, be sure to get your tickets for the upcoming Fight Science Institute Seminar on July 27th at Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  The speakers for the seminar will be:
Prof. Tony Ricci Dr. Mike Camp Dr. Corey Peacock Phil Daru Dr. Jose Antonio (founder of International Society of Sports Nutrition ISSN) Tickets available at www.fightscienceinstitute.com
Some of the questions from the audience which Phil & Mac address in this episode are:
How is Dustin Poirier's preparation for the UFC Lightweight Title match against Khabib Nurmagomedov? If you had to choose between a Belt Squat machine or a Reverse Hyper machine, which would you choose? How do you warm up properly for a fight? How do you periodise energy systems training during a fight camp?  Do you train each individually phase for phase, or do you train them all concurrently during camp? Did you have any moments throughout your career where you thought you were doing a disservice to your athletes?  What challenges did you face and what lessons did you learn? What is the best training routine for fighters wanting to gain muscle mass? What are the mechanisms involved in hypertrophy training using blood flow restriction training? What books do you recommend for MMA strength & conditioning, and strength & conditioning in general? What mobility prerequisites do you have for fighters based on what you've seen? What distance and intensity do you recommend for roadwork/running for boxers? What are your favourite glute & hamstring exercises for hypertrophy? What are the most effective exercises for strength & conditioning for Judo athletes? Check out the Fight Strength Podcast on YouTube!!!  Watch the video recording of this episode on Phil Daru's YouTube Channel!
Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:
Twitter: @DaruStrong
Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength
Instagram: @DaruStrong & @unknownstrength
& @fightscienceinstitute
 
Online:  www.darustrong.com
www.theunknownstrength.com
www.fightscienceinstitute.com
And please follow the shows social media pages, and send us questions for Phil and Mac to answer:
Facebook: Fight Strength Podcast
FightScienceInstitute
Twitter: @FightStrength_
Outro Music:
J1 - Floridian Fighting Bear

Episode #50 is finally here!  What a milestone! What a privilege and an honour to be joined AGAIN by Canadian Strength Coach and Nutritionist, Dan Garner! Hardcore followers of this show will remember Dan Garner's first appearance as a guest back on episode #19 of the Fight Strength Podcast!
This time around, we had the opportunity to get Dan in the studio in-person during his Australian Seminar tour.  Unfortunately due to that pesky little thing called timezone difference, we were not able to sync availabilty between Phil Daru in Florida with the boys in Melbourne, Australia.  So to make up for Phil's absence, Macgregor enlisted the help of our old friend, Dan Howard, to round out the interview.
Some of the topics covered in this incredibly entertaining and informative episode are:
* Dan's background and career achievements (including coaching Michael Bisping to the UFC Middleweight Championship, coaching Ronda Rousey as well as many others)
* Common myths which need busting, i.e: "should fighters drop carbs during camp to cut weight?"
* Energy balance and weight loss for fighters
* Using Carbs to help with weight cutting
* Pre/Intra/Post workout nutrition for fighters
* Hydration and electrolyte balance
* Meal frequency for fighters
* Testosterone replacement therapy for older trainees
* Getting the basics right, i.e: "tried and proven always beats new and improved"
** Please remember to subscribe to this podcast so that you get notified as soon as we put out more new content **
 
Check out the Fight Strength Podcast on YouTube!!!  Watch the video recording of this episode on Phil Daru's YouTube Channel!
Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:
Twitter: @DaruStrong
Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength
& Dan Garner - Strength Coach & Nutritionist
Instagram: @DaruStrong & @unknownstrength
& @dangarnernutrition
& @fightscienceinstitute
& @coach_dan_howard
 
Online:  www.darustrong.com
www.theunknownstrength.com
www.fightscienceinstitute.com
www.coachgarner.com
And please follow the shows social media pages, and send us questions for Phil and Mac to answer:
Facebook: Fight Strength Podcast
FightScienceInstitute
Twitter: @FightStrength_
Outro Music:
J1 - Floridian Fighting Bear

Episode #49 is here!  Featuring co-founder of Lockhart & Leith Nutrition, Dan Leith, your hosts Macgregor McNair and Phil Daru dive deep into the world of nutrition and weight cutting for elite MMA fighters.
Dan Leith is responsible for the nutrition and weight cutting process for countless UFC fighters and celebrities including UFC "champ champ" Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold, Cody Garbrandt, Uriah Faber, Michael Chiesa, as well as pop icon Demi Lovato.
In a very short amount of time, George Lockhart and Dan Leith have built the world's premier nutrition coaching business, which amazingly serves OVER HALF THE UFC'S FIGHTER ROSTER!
Some of the topics discussed:
* Dan's background and career path
* Dan's experience working with Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez and most of the fighters from American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)
* Dan's experience working with Demi Lovato
* Dealing with eating disorders
* Paradigm shifts within the industry
* Lockhart & Leith coaches certification program
* Insight on the inner workings of the Lockhart & Leith business
Check out the Fight Strength Podcast on YouTube!!!  Watch the video recording of this episode on Phil Daru's YouTube Channel!
Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:
Twitter: @DaruStrong
Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength
& Lockhart & Leith
Instagram: @DaruStrong & @unknownstrength
& @d.leith
& @fightscienceinstitute
 
Online:  www.darustrong.com
www.theunknownstrength.com
www.fightscienceinstitute.com
www.lockhartandleith.com
And please follow the shows social media pages, and send us questions for Phil and Mac to answer:
Facebook: Fight Strength Podcast
FightScienceInstitute
Twitter: @FightStrength_
Outro Music:
J1 - Floridian Fighting Bear

In this week's episode, your hosts Phil Daru and Macgregor McNair choose a select few questions from Phil's Instagram followers and dive deep to answer in as much detail as possible.  Some of the topics and questions were:
* Understanding short term stimuli to create long term adaptations.
* Understanding the law of diminishing returns.
* What are the three essential exercises for Wrestling and MMA?
* What is the best way to improve upper body endurance?
* Tyron Woodley's energy expenditure.
* How many S&C training sessions per week for a kick boxer would you recommend?
* What are the similarities and differences when programming for an amateur boxer as opposed to an MMA fighter?
* What are the best exercises to incorporate into your program to enhance single leg strength?
* When fighting once every two months how do I plan for my strength and conditioning to maximise my performance?
* Recovery = GO EAT & GO SLEEP
* What are the top three lessons you would pass down to the up-and-coming personal trainer or strength & conditioning coach?
* If you want to help people, you need to put out content to remind people that you know what you're talking about! 
Check out the Fight Strength Podcast on YouTube!!!  Watch the video recording of this episode on Phil Daru's YouTube Channel!
Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:
Twitter: @DaruStrong
Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength
& Daniel Howard
Instagram: @DaruStrong & @unknownstrength
& @dan_absolute_conditioning
& @fightscienceinstitute
 
Online:  www.darustrong.com
www.theunknownstrength.com
www.fightscienceinstitute.com
And please follow the shows social media pages, and send us questions for Phil and Mac to answer:
Facebook: Fight Strength Podcast
FightScienceInstitute
Twitter: @FightStrength_
Outro Music:
J1 - Floridian Fighting Bear

Welcome 2019! To kick off the new year, Phil and Mac bring you another instalment of the Fight Strength Podcast, and dive deep into some of the more technical and specialised elements of high performance coaching for elite MMA S&C coaches.
After a very busy couple of months with coaching, international travel, seminars, Christmas and New Years - Phil and Mac are back in their saddles to bring you the highest quality information and insights.
Some of the topics covered in this episode are:
* Periodization and programming for MMA
* Special exercises for different combat sports
* Phil's Instagram saga
* Amanda Nunes, ATT's new champ champ
* Phil's recent Paris seminar
* Fight Science Institute's upcoming March seminar
* Team USA Judo Olympian Angelica Delgado
Show notes:
Programming for MMA: Key points-
• understanding the circumstances of the athlete and what method fits the situation
• 2 methods that are highly effective Weekly undulation or step loading and conjugate concurrent model
• Long term block periodization is outdated and ultimately leads to detraining if not programmed in the essence of potentiation and adaptive decay
• I run conjugate in a 3 day a week microcycle with a 3 week pendulum wave to enhance readiness throughout the year
• Aerobic systems are also concurrently trained throughout each week to optimize readiness and to balance the strength adaptions along with the skills work Key points to training:
• main lifts should have high transfer to the sport
• Special exercises should be integrated in to help progress the biomotor abilities of the athlete and to increase strength in the main lifts
• Accessory exercises should center around weak points in the body
• Posterior chain, core, neck, and grip strength are areas we must hit with high frequency and volume in order to increase performance
• Single joint exercises with high volumes around 100-200 reps with light load every other day to enhance tissue strength and restoration
GPP work:
• GPP work is done primarily 20-9 weeks out from fight or on the 3rd day of training
• focus is on sled drags, and pulls, fast twitch capacity and ft hypertrophy
• utilizing EDT, aerobic circuits, and locate retention method
• for energy system training the focus is going to match the stimulus in the weight room Aerobic demands training:
• on max effort day we work on anaerobic alactic training keeping time frame consistent with load time under tension roughly 4-6 seconds with 2 minute recovery usually active
• On dynamic effort we work on what’s called alactic speed endurance where we will use emom’s
• On RE days we work on lactic threshold if needed (primarily if they miss sparring or wrestling that week)
• Saturday’s and Monday’s are aerobic capacity training LSD or low intensity tempos
Rotation of exercises:
• We rotate exercises but not as frequently as Westside may do simply because athletes aren’t as efficient in lifting or have to experience
• 3 week rotations with a deload at the end of week 4 this will just be about 15% reduction in intensity and a 65-70% reduction in volume
• We rotate 6 major compound lifts:
1. zercher squats
2. Sumo deadlift
3. Trap bar deadlift
4. Floor press
5. Incline Bench Press
6. Pendlay Row
• these all have specific special exercises to help increase strength Special exercises are:
1. goodmornings
2. Barbell RDL
3. Deficit pulls
4. Rack pulls
5. Close grip bench press
6. Zercher split squat
7. Zercher split squat goodmorning
8. Glute Bridge Floor Press
Tapering and peaking:
• taper is usually depending upon the strength of the athlete the stronger and more experienced the longer the taper
• Generally 2 weeks for my fighters
• We bring down intensity by 10% the first week and 60% of volume
• The second week before fight most of the work is done and they travel focusing on some speed work and mobility to maintain mechanics and f

In an extra special episode, your hosts Phil Daru and Macgregor McNair team up once again with S&C brainiac, Dan Howard, on location in Clarke Quay, Singapore to recap the "Daru Strong Combat Sports Performance Seminar" held on Oct 22nd-24th at Strength Avenue, Singapore.
The guys chat candidly over a few beers about their experience in magnificent Singapore, the content of the seminar they just presented, a variety of questions and scenarios which were brought up during the seminar, and one particularly controversial study which may shake things up for some high level coaches out there...
Be sure to get your tickets for Fight Science Institute (FSci-I), inaugral seminar in on Sunday November 4th.  The day after UFC 230 in New York!  Get your seminar tickets HERE!
Other topics of conversations include Phil's upcoming seminar in Paris, and the seminar video from Phil's Australian tour available for purchase HERE!
Check out the Fight Strength Podcast on YouTube!!!  Watch the video recording of this episode on Phil Daru's YouTube Channel!
Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:
Twitter: @DaruStrong
Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength
& Daniel Howard
Instagram: @DaruStrong & @unknownstrength
& @dan_absolute_conditioning
& @fightscienceinstitute
And please follow the shows social media pages, and send us questions for Phil and Mac to answer:
Facebook: Fight Strength Podcast
FightScienceInstitute
Twitter: @FightStrength_
Outro Music:
J1 - Floridian Fighting Bear