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A favorite system for mixed martial artists, Caveman Training combines old-fashioned grunt work with traditional exercises to constitute one hellish and effective total-body program
YOUR ROUTINE IS STALE
Somewhere along the way you lost the visceral drive to invoke your inner Arnold and power through your workouts with focus and ferocity. Instead, you find yourself lulling your body into complacency, plodding robotically through set after set, forgetting your goals and perhaps your motivation. At risk are your strength, muscle mass, conditioning and training identity.
Enter Caveman Training, which is gaining steam with elite mixed martial artists because it can improve body composition while boosting athleticism. In short, it's a great way to inject new life into your routine without straying too far from your traditional weightlifting roots. A combination of strongman disciplines, high-intensity training and toweldrenching cardio, Caveman Training will leave you feeling (and looking) like the hard-charging cage warriors who are taking it mainstream. So beat your chest with a primal thud and get ready to work like the alpha male you really are.
PRIMITIVE FITNESS
Watching Sean Sherk scramble, shoot and strike his way to victory over Tyson Griffin at UFC 90 in October was impressive if for no other reason than the ease with which he cruised through the bout. But not tactically, physically. It has become a trademark of his fighting arsenal. When most fighters are starting to suck wind, Sherk is getting stronger. `When his opponents wilt in the late rounds of a fight, Sherk flourishes. That's because his conditioning coach has trained him with a simple philosophy in mind: "Whatever the intensity level of the competition, the level of training should be higher."
So says Scott Ramsdell, creator of Caveman Training and owner of Minnesota-based Athletic Performance Inc. (API), where Sherk and a handful of other top-tier mixed martial artists endure the frenzied and relentless pace of this system before heading to the Octagon.
A calculated mix of traditional and novel strength and conditioning exercises, Caveman Training is prided on its specificity as much as its difficulty. It produces fast and measurable results whether you're seeking muscle mass and definition or looking to boost performance in a particular sport or activity. "It takes the best of all training...