We know a lot of you reading this site are BJJ and MMA practitioners, looking to get stronger, faster, and healthier so you can compete at your sport. For that reason, we are launching our newest free ... Continue Reading
BJJ & MMA Workouts: Cycle 1 (GPP) – Week 1, Day 1
Training for combat sports like MMA, BJJ, judo, wrestling, kickboxing, and boxing requires a great breadth of attributes. Unlike a powerlifter or a marathon runner, focusing on strength or endurance alone ... Continue Reading
Why and How to Build Muscle – for the Combat Athlete
Generally speaking, combat athletes are terrible strength athletes. The dogma of being ‘muscle-bound’ is still rife within the world of martial arts, but as readers of this site are well aware, just ... Continue Reading
3-Day Strength Program for Kickboxers, MMA Fighters, and Grapplers
I can remember reading a book years ago, can’t even remember what it was, but in it the main characters were trying to solve a crime. One of the things that was explained was that often police work is all ... Continue Reading
Featured Photographer: Neville Palmer – Cowboys and Fighters
Art can be so much more meaningful when you know a little bit more about the person behind it - the eye behind the lens. That's why I periodically profile sports/action photographers and their work. Read ... Continue Reading
Featured Coach: Kevin Kearns, Part 2 – Everybody Has a Good Fight
Many of us enjoy watching MMA fighters, but don’t enjoy the thought of getting hit in the face ourselves. According to coach Kevin Kearns, we are not alone in that feeling, but not wanting to get punched ... Continue Reading
Speed Kills, Part 2: Speed Development for the MMA Fighter
In my last article I wrote about the reasons why training for maximal strength will have greater effect on speed production, up to a point, than training directly for speed for the majority of people. This ... Continue Reading
Braulio Estima: On His MMA Debut, the Blackzilians, and the Future
When it comes to watching sports, I’ve always preferred MMA over BJJ. I haven’t spent a lot of time watching BJJ tournaments and so I’m not as familiar with the BJJ competitors as I am with the MMA ... Continue Reading
An MMA Fan Puts It on the Line: Interview with Author Matt Polly
When you pick up a copy of Tapped Out: Rear Naked Chokes, the Octagon, and the Last Emperor: An Odyssey in Mixe When you pick up a copy of Tapped Out: Rear Naked Chokes, the Octagon, and the Last ... Continue Reading
FightMetric: Where MMA Meets Statistics
The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has exploded in popularity, and while it is still in its infancy, this has not stopped a multitude of fans from developing rabid interest in specific fighters and ... Continue Reading
What You Can Learn From Chuck Liddell
I was recently asked to help out at a private Chuck Liddell seminar held in Melbourne. It was different to the normal kind of events that top names put on – very small group, lots of time taken to ask and ... Continue Reading
Book Review: “The Fighter’s Mind: Inside the Mental Game” by Sam Sheridan
Realistically, the vast majority of us will never enter a cage to face off against someone with a menacing nickname, a six-pack, and an unsettling game face, attempting to inflict bodily harm before it is ... Continue Reading
DVD Review: “Burn With Kearns: MMA Strength & Conditioning” by Kevin Kearns
Is there a more natural training modality that fighting? I’d argue that running and fighting are the closest modern training methods to what’s truly engrained in our DNA. With that comes an incredible ... Continue Reading
12 Reps with John Hackleman, MMA and Fitness Coach
EDITOR'S NOTE: Welcome to 12 Reps - in each appearance of 12 Reps, our coaches, writers, and occasional guests will be answering the same twelve questions. Go "into the locker-room" with them and get to ... Continue Reading
DVD Review: “RUSHFIT” Home Fitness Program from Georges St-Pierre
There’s just something about seeing a champion fighter perform consecutive perfect hollow body push ups while spinning 360 degrees in the air that makes you want to watch his DVD training system. That’s ... Continue Reading
Book Review: “Sandbag Training for MMA & Combat Sports” by Matthew Palfrey & Wesley Murch
My initial thought prior to reading Sandbag Training for MMA & Combat Sports was “Here we go again, 194 pages of complicated, rehashed stuff from the past that is nothing new and probably impractical ... Continue Reading
Strikeforce Ticket Winners Announced!
The winners of our Strikeforce ticket giveaway are Jeff Extine Melissa Traynor The winners of our Strikeforce ticket giveaway are Jeff Extine Melissa ... Continue Reading
Strikeforce Ticket Giveaway: Win Tickets to Strikeforce, July 14 in Portland, OR
Do you live in the Portland, Oregon area and love MMA? Well, this is your lucky day - Breaking Muscle is giving away four tickets to the Strikeforce show at the Rose Garden - July 14, 2012. The ... Continue Reading
Dear Coach: I Want To Look Like a UFC Fighter
Dear Coach, I would like some information on what one should take/do while training in MMA. I train about 4 days a week and specialize in Krav Maga. I am not a professional and do it as a hobby. I am ... Continue Reading
4 Must Read Articles for MMA Beginners
With the rise in popularity of the UFC and Ultimate Fighter, you may have some friends who are new fans of MMA. You want to have them over to watch the fights with you, but you're worried they're going to ... Continue Reading
Supplemental High Intensity Rowing and Combat Sports
Indoor rowing is rapidly gaining popularity among recreational and elite athletes. Rowing specific gyms and workout studios like Josh Crosby’s Indo-Row, are now popping up around the country. Rowing can ... Continue Reading
Product Review: Defense Soap Shower Gel – The Combat Athlete’s Soap
Our significant others are not the only ones who appreciate our efforts to get in shape. If you participate in any type of contact sport like wrestling or martial arts, you may become more susceptible to ... Continue Reading
