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 fluidity

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

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 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

In a stand-out episode, this week your hosts Phil Daru & Macgregor McNair are joined by Dr. Christiana Marron.  Christiana is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Strength & Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer.  She has been hailed as one of the brightest up-and-coming Physical Therapists in the country, attracting work with an endless stream of high profile athletes in New York and south Florida.

The fascinating journey Dr. Christiana has been on in both her personal and professional life will amaze and inspire you!  She shares with us a bit about her background in academia, powerlifting and bodybuilding, her battles with cancer, her new Physical Therapy practice in south Florida, her affiliation with Fight Science Institute directors (Tony Ricci, Chris Algeri, Mike Camp, Corey Peacock and Phil Daru himself), as well as her work with a whole host of fighters from American Top Team in Coconut Creek.

For all you performance coaches out there, listen out for Christiana's philosophies on therapy, the 'bio-phycho-social' model of therapy, common physiological issues she sees in fighters, the Graston technique and much much more!

Be sure to get your tickets for Fight Science Institute (FSci-I), inaugral seminar in on Sunday November 4th.  The day after Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz UFC 230 in New York!  Get your seminar tickets HERE!

Other topics of conversations include Phil's upcoming seminars in Singapore and Paris, Seminar video from Phil's Australian tour available for purchase HERE!

Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:

Twitter: @DaruStrong

Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength

& Christiana Marron

Instagram: @DaruStrong & @unknownstrength

& @drchristianamarron

& @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

On this week's show, Phil and Mac are joined once again by coach Dan Howard from Melbourne's Absolute MMA.  The guys chat at length about the concept of a UFC 165lb Super Lightweight Division.  Phil shares some inside info about this week's tweets from both Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier suggesting that their upcoming fight at UFC 230.

To address a couple of requests from the audience, Phil, Mac and Dan tackle some of the myths and fallacies out there to do with strength and conditioning for fighters.  Periodising aerobic development, autoregulation, athlete testing and "does cardio kill gains" are some of the myths attacked.

The guys also chat about some exiting new changes to the Fight Science Institute (FSci-I), inaugral seminar in on Sunday November 4th.  The day after Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz UFC 230 in New York!  Get your tickets HERE!

Other topics of conversations include Phil's upcoming seminars in Singapore and Paris, Seminar video from Phil's Australian tour available for purchase here!

Lastly we can't resist a massive shout out to Bird Dog Whiskey, a true American Whiskey...  Phil just happened to be drinking Bird Dog on ice during recording of this episode.

Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:

Twitter: @DaruStrong

Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength

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

In this week's episode, we feature the S&C juggernaut behind all of the killers coming out of Henry Hooft's HK365 gym in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Dr. Corey Peacock holds several titles, degrees and qualifications, not the least of which being Director of Sport Science for the Fight Science Institute.

Some of the topics discussed are Kamaru Usman's preparation as an alternate for the UFC's upcoming welterweight championship bout featuring Tyron Woodley vs. Darren Till at UFC 228.  In an unprecedented move, the UFC brass have covered all bases by paying Kamaru Usman to weight in and be ready for the title shot if one of the combatants miss weight on fight day.

We also chat about baseline testing for fighters, autoregulation & training schedules, analysing data for fight athletes, future plans for FSc-I  as well as All in Strength as a tool for coaches to efficiently program for their fighters.

The guys also chat about some exiting new changes to the Fight Science Institute (FSci-I), and announce that the Fight Strength Podcast is now the official podcast of the Fight Science Institute with Dan and Mac being inducted as staff members of FSci-I.

Other topics of conversations include Fsc-I' first ever seminar to be held in New York on November 4th 2018!  Purchase your tickets to the event HERE!  Also, the Seminar video from Phil's Australian tour is available for purchase here!

Check out APEMAN STRONG apparel while you're at it!

Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:

Twitter: @DaruStrong

Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength

Instagram: @DaruStrong & @unknownstrength

& @drcpeacock

& @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

Our "extra special" guest for this week's episode is none other than Dan Howard from Melbourne's Absolute MMA.  The guys chat at length about MAS (maximum aerobic speed) testing for athletes and it's relevance to optimizing performance and recovery in fight athletes.

The guys also chat about some exiting new changes to the Fight Science Institute (FSci-I), and announce that the Fight Strength Podcast is now the official podcast of the Fight Science Institute with Dan and Mac being inducted as staff members of FSci-I.

Other topics of conversations include Phil's upcoming seminars in Singapore and Paris, Seminar video from Phil's Australian tour available for purchase here!

Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:

Twitter: @DaruStrong

Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength

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

In this week's show, Phil and Mac reminisce about the recent whirlwind 'Daru Strong Combat Sports Performance Seminar - Australian Tour' which they are both still recovering from! Phil shares his latest updates from some of the fighters he is working with, and utilising some conditioning/testing protocols he picked up during his time in Australia.

Other topics discussed are the matchup between Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz, Kayla Harrison's development as a newcomer to pro MMA, psychology and the 'art of coaching' fighters, as well as a whole lot more.

Late in the episode, Mac & Phil answer a handful of questions from the audience - thank you to everyone who sent through their questions!

Follow the show, Phil, and Mac on social media at:

Twitter: @DaruStrong

Facebook: Phil Daru & The Unknown Strength

Instagram: @DaruStrong & @unknownstrength

And please follow the shows social media pages, and send us questions for Phil and Mac to answer:

Facebook: Fight Strength Podcast

Twitter: @FightStrength_

Outro Music:

J1 - Floridian Fighting Bear