Back to Basics
By: Dr. Randy Borum

You have a big fight coming up in about eight weeks.

Do you have a ready answer to the following questions?:

– What phase of your resistance training are you currently in and when will you transition?
– What specifically will you eat tomorrow, and when?
– What are your specific goals for your next training workout?
– What is in your training log and when is the last time you and your coach reviewed that log together?
– What are the specific strengths and weaknesses in your mental game and how have you addressed these in your training plan?
– How will you measure and know when you are ready?

Answers to these questions reflect just some of the basic elements of a systematic approach to training and preparation. But how many times have you talked to a fighter who takes it one day at a time, with little advance planning, has only general goals for a training session or phase, and keeps no training log? He or she may train really, really hard, but have no detailed roadmap to guide the journey. Might this be a factor separating the good fight camps and fighters from the truly great ones?

Thomas Alva Edison said: “There is no substitute for hard work.” That’s true. But it’s also true that hard work