Sean Sherk's Workout SUCKS!?!

Ok, time for a little bitch session...

A while back, former UFC LW Champ Sean Sherk detailed his workouts in a bodybuilding rag. It was pretty much bodybuilding - 4 sets of 10 reps, bodypart splits, supersets, using machines, etc.

This is the complete opposite of what many coaches say MMAists should do. There were no full body workouts, no olympic lifts, no complexes, no "sport specific"
exercises,etc.

Just plain old bodybuilding.

When this came out, all the keyboard warriors were blown away. Yeah - I know - nobody ever argues on the intrawebs, right? LOL.

"Just how good could Sean be if he used Program X, Program Y, or Program Whatever..."

*sigh*

Let me tell you something that might have slipped past a few people...

Sean Sherk fights for the UFC and is a former Champ.

He's fought all over the world. Though he lost, he was the first fighter ever to take Matt Hughes a full five rounds...back when Hughes could do no wrong in the cage.

Put simply - there's a darn good chance that Sean is a better fighter and athlete than you are, and has accomplished more than you have. After all, YOU are the one watching HIM on TV and PPV, right?

Sean isn't plunking down $50 to watch you is he?

Didn't think so.

Right now is when the internet quasi-gurus will say, "Well, this is a perfect case of somebody succeeding in spite of his training - not because of it."

*rolls eyes*

Listen, I've heard the whole "in spite of" quote, and many times, I highly agree. However, before you can pull that card, you might wanna take a look at what they're doing, and see what kind of success they're having.

EVERYBODY can improve, so don't go down that route with me. But, if something is working - and working well - should a fighter want to be so quick to change it?

It's "cool" to not like bodybuilding. As MMAists, all we care about is becoming better fighters, so the idea of training just for looks is a little "foo-foo."

But you know what, I'd bet that most bodybuilders think that rolling around on a mat between another guy's legs is a little...

...well, you know.

MMA and bodybuilding aren't alone. Most "cliques" in the S&C world - powerlifters, Olympic lifters, strongman competitors, kettlebell'ers, crossfitt'ers, S&C coaches, etc. all have somebody (and some training method) that they don't like and/or don't agree with. And most of the time, it's everybody besides their own little clique.

And that sucks.

I'm not a fan of the sport of professional bodybuilding. I'm not going to get into why, because this is not the time or place. However, this doesn't mean that bodybuilding training is not useful.

When I say bodybuilding training, know that I mean training programs/methods that can be employed by natural trainees for the sake of looking better. The programs that the pros use are pretty much useless to the "regular joe" because one would have to be on insane amounts of drugs for them to work effectively.

Do I think bodybuilding training is optimum for MMA?

No - I think there are plenty of ways to train that are better.

(=> Check out my "Working Class MMA Workout Program" - at 40% off no less - for an example of how I like to train fighters.)

But that doesn't mean it can't work. Sean Sherk, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, Mark Kerr, Mark Coleman, Frank Shamrock, and several other fighters used it at one point or another in their career...and it just so happened to be when they were WINNING BIG...

...as in when they were CHAMPIONS.

In the end, this is what I want you to take away from this little rant:

Before you start dogging somebody because of their training program, take a look at not only what they do, but why they do it. Are they winning? Why? And if not, why not?

Only then can you begin to ponder ways to improve training methods.

Try to learn something before you start telling somebody they're automatically wrong.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard-
Matt "Wiggy" Wiggins
http://www.workingclassfitness.com

PS - Don't forget to check out that MMA Workout I mentioned above...