UFC 124: Georges St. Pierre - "I Don't Believe in Strength and Conditioning... I Lift Weights for Looks"
by Anton Tabuena on Dec 10, 2010 2:46 AM EST
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Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that is probably more famous because of its unconventional and effective strength and conditioning programs. MMA is something that top athletes from other sports take up, mostly to experience the top notch circuit training routines which are filled with ropes, ladders, sledgehammers, truck tires, and the like. What's funny though, is that one of the sport's top athletes, says that he doesn't believe in all these workouts.
Georges St. Pierre talked to Joe Rogan about this on the latest episode of The Ultimate Insider:
Georges St. Pierre: "I don't believe in strength and conditioning. I never do strength and conditioning. I do not believe that running on a treadmill or doing I don't know what, so called machine. I don't believe that's going to help you have better cardio for a fight. I think everything in fighting is about efficiency."
Joe Rogan: "So you don't do strength and conditioning as far as like hitting tires with sledgehammers?"
GSP: "I never did it in my life. I remember I had a Muay Thai instructor from France, that I even brought on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter. The guy smoked, I don't know how many packs of cigarettes a day. He's always drinking alcohol. He's a real character, and he's completely out of shape, but when he spars with us in Muay Thai, he kicks everyone's ass. The reason is because he is more efficient than we are."
"In the UFC, I do believe everyone is in shape. We're all athletes, you know... but the reason I believe a guy is more tired than another guy, is because one guy is more efficient than the other. One guy is able to bring the fight to where he is strongest, and the other guy to where he is out of his comfort zone."
"The only reason it is good to lift weights, to do bench press, and stuff like that, I believe, is because it is going to make me more marketable, and to keep myself looking more symmetric, with a better image... Which is very important, because if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you do good. There's nothing wrong with that you know."
Rogan: "You lift weights for looks?"
GSP: "Yeah, I lift weights for looks. Yeah, I am gonna admit it. Sometimes after I'm training, I'm gonna lift weights, but I'm not doing it because I'm gonna punch harder, or I'm gonna be stronger, because it has nothing to do with it. I'm doing it because you know, I want to to be like you know, have a good shape. I do it for myself."
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Seems almost like a lie
Considering his trainer said he adapted a lot of Georges’ strength training from Olympic power lifting because it works so well for functional strength.
It's just semantics
GSP is basically saying he doesn’t run on a treadmill or do bench press and bicep curls. He’s defining strength and conditioning very narrowly.
Clearly he does lots of training that will fit in those categories if defined more clearly.
"So you don't do strength and conditioning as far as like hitting tires with sledgehammers?"
GSP: “I never did it in my life.”
I think he’s just trolling us. He’s flat out saying strength training doesn’t make a difference, That efficiency is all that matters. While he may be being coy, there’s a lot of truth to it. If you have the more efficient strategy and technique, you will most likely be at huge advantage even when your opponent is really strong or fit.
I have to add
at his level, great conditioning is a prerequisite.
If he came in bad shape, Kos would easily out work him in 5 rounds. Like at the difference great conditioning made in BJ’s recent fights compared to his pre-Marinovich era.
O GSP
You lift weights to impress me?
Whatever. Just ban me. You're all gay. - Josh Grant
Thisredengine and Marta Gallo happily married June 2012
Also
Anton apparently misses him some GSP since his visit to the Philippines : )
Whatever. Just ban me. You're all gay. - Josh Grant
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Did GSP basically admit to being a GTL kind of guy?
by John Nash on Dec 10, 2010 3:03 AM EST via mobile reply actions 4 recs
I think its its about finding the right inbetween. You can be the strongest guy in the guy and be the worst fighter ever, yet you can have the best technique ever and be so weak that you can’t finish.
Plus I think GSP is talking about the typical stuff you see guys doing in your average Gym (Bench, Curls ect..).
Rogan asked him specifically about the S&C workouts where you hit tires with sledgehammers.
and GSP specifically mentioned not liking treadmills and those machines in the weight rooms.
by Anton Tabuena on Dec 10, 2010 3:21 AM EST up reply actions
Good catch, here’s the link: http://twitter.com/#!/danawhite/status/13132431225786368
Awesome if true. Maybe we’ll get the kid – California kid fight we’ve been waiting 3 years for.
Although I think the odds are that he’s mixed up the Kid and the Michihiro Omigawa signing with that tweet.
by John Nash on Dec 10, 2010 4:01 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Not sure about that, the tweet the other guy was replying to was Dana replying to him that it was cool that he was happy about the Omigawa signing.
http://twitter.com/#!/danawhite/status/13131764289507328
If anyone is unfamiliar with Georges' "Muay Thai instructor from France"
It’s Jean-Charles Skarbowski, a complete fucking badass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDTuFKqhafM
Cut kick around 3:52
But yeah, I was impressed… you usually don’t see a front kick have such effect in MMA, and I can see why people talk about the dilution of technique in MMA.
ofcourse there will be a noticable amount of that
instead of focusing entirely on one discipline, boxing for example, you will have to allocate a certain amount of time to train other skills required…
by Anton Tabuena on Dec 10, 2010 4:52 AM EST up reply actions
and because if you try textbook boxing or kickboxing you will probably get dropped on your head. That’s not conducive to winning an mma fight.
I doubt that, people just assume it won’t work and don’t try it and don’t adapt it. Karate was thought to be a total joke till Machida came along. Bobbing and weaving would not work in an MMA context but look at Anderson. And the in the ground game there are all kinds of things that people thought would not work, I remember reading an article about a guard pass and it was mention by some trainer how he did not think it would translate to mma well, until some actually tried. Great pass by the way, wish I could recall the name of it, I like to use it myself. Too lazy to look it up.
I am free because I choose to be so-Me
More importantly, most of the techniques are downright not applicable in MMA.
Duke Roufus recently did an interview where he talked about sparring in the gym and how he has to put about 80% of his techniques on the shelf when sparring MMA versus sparring kickboxing. There is a lot of stuff that works in kickboxing that won’t work in MMA due to differences in footwork, spacing, etc. once takedowns are thrown into the mix.
I dont think so much that they arent aPplicable
In that they have yet to really be modified for MMA. Anthony Pettis is a good example. He ised a few really flashy kicks that would simingly been ineffective vs a wrestler. But he was able to defend the TD against a good wrestler and landed some cool stuff on the feet
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by sitnam90 on Dec 10, 2010 11:06 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I sure hope George does not think he can drink like Skarbowsky and fight guys like Koscheck, it’s a lot different to get drunk off your ass and go train a bunch of TuF guys and fighting a dude like Koscheck that is literally hoping he can troll the world with a ridiculous KO.
He may lift weights for looks but it does not mean that is all they provide for him, I’d imagine he does do cardio, maybe not on a machine, but efficiency is not what gives him great cardio in 5 round fights, he has great cardio from athletic training.
As I said when Carwin gassed after supposedly being in such phenomenal shape – nothing conditions for MMA like MMA. If you are training 10 rounds straight, with different guys each round (sometimes switching mid-round), you last 5 rounds easily, with anyone.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Mark Twain
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying..."
-Bruce Lee
by The American Ronin on Dec 10, 2010 8:45 AM EST up reply actions
Having noted that
I think he is trolling us a bit here, or he has very narrow definitions that differ from the accept ones.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Mark Twain
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying..."
-Bruce Lee
by The American Ronin on Dec 10, 2010 8:49 AM EST up reply actions
I’m pretty sure than GSP does not routinely train 10 high-calibre rounds straight; that’s just not practical. It would be like routinely running for 52 consecutive miles to prepare for a marathon.
Not at all
its completely different principles involved in training for MMA vs something like a marathon. I can’t find anything with GSP, but there is an interview with Anderson and Lyoto post-training one day (for Sonnen) where Lyoto said Anderson did 10 straight rounds of grappling and 5 rounds of sparring (presumably not all 15 consecutive, but idk).
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Mark Twain
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying..."
-Bruce Lee
by The American Ronin on Dec 10, 2010 1:03 PM EST up reply actions
The principles involved are not completely different
You don’t train to do x in a competition by doing 2x workouts on a routine basis.
If Anderson and Lyoto did 15 straight rounds at 30% (or whatever) of the intensity involved in an MMA fight, then yes, that makes sense. But if you’re telling me that they, or anyone else, regularly trains at near-maximal intensity for double the duration, I’m calling bullshit.
Not exactly true
If you wanna run the 100m faster, start running the 200m.
"I'll rock you with.... nasty hooks to the body."
"You don’t train to do x in a competition by doing 2x workouts on a routine basis."
Sprinter usually run really long sprints in practice.
It helps them run harder, longer during the race.
"I'll rock your body with big nasty hooks!"
Efficiency has a lot to do with, I can grapple with a guy who is in way better shape than me(can run longer,lift more,etc) yet he will gass way before me if he is new to BJJ because of a lack of efficient movements.
I am free because I choose to be so-Me
Not unlike
what happened with Carwin, who presumably was in great “cardio shape”
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Mark Twain
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying..."
-Bruce Lee
by The American Ronin on Dec 10, 2010 1:06 PM EST up reply actions
Because GSP wu naut empressed bai hiz purformahnz.
"Okay, I stay clever like Mayweather, will lay leather 'til your face sever, one of the greatest ever." -- Big Daddy Kane
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fan since 7/12/97 — 41-0-0 (25 KOs)
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Hitlist: Manny Pacquiao, Sergio Martinez
by Ryan Tical on Dec 10, 2010 5:27 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Funny, I seem to remember a bunch of footage of GSP doing strength and conditioning drills with Jon Chaimberg on the UFC Primetime before the Hardy fight. Remember Chaimberg making a big deal about Georges vertical leap?
"Everytime I start talking about boxing, a white man gotta pull Rocky Marciano out of their ass!"
This is 100% bullshit. He absolutely does S&C, and there are numerous videos of him doing so. I know I sure as hell didn’t imagine those videos of him doing cleans, numerous explosive exercises, etc. Chamberg has multiple TRX Suspension trainers, Jacobs Ladder, ladders for speed drills, and tons of other stuff. I basically do the exact same routine with my S&C coach, who was the S&C coach for LSU. No one really runs on a treadmill for anything except warm ups, and maybe some intervals (if you don’t have an indoor track available and the weather is shitty). Nothing is done for distance, as that would activate slow muscle fibers. Everything is done for explosive bursts inside his 5min rounds. Chamberg has him do what any other competent coach would do, but to say it’s for “looks” is just an outright lie. Looks are a by product of those drills and exercises. Speed, power, and strength is the REAL goal.
Nothing is done for distance, as that would activate slow muscle fibers. Everything is done for explosive bursts inside his 5min rounds.
If this were remotely true, there’s no way GSP could fight a professional athlete for 25 minutes.
The body has many types of energy transfer and a few respiration systems. Anaerobic respiration can only provide energy for 30-45 seconds because its consumes a lot of ATP and calories. Aerobic respiration can be maintained for as little as 2 or 3 minutes up to 4 hours or more in endurance athletes. A marathon runner couldn’t grapple 1 round, a power lifter couldn’t run 10 miles in 1 hour. Swimming is one of the few activities that improves cardio and muscular endurance. That’s why Nick Diaz has one of the best gas tanks in MMA.
Another component is muscular endurance vs cardio-respiratory fitness. Muscular endurance is the muscles ability to sustain repeated contractions without losing strength. Cardio-respiratory fitness is about improving the body’s ability to exchange gasses. In order to succeed in high level MMA, an athlete needs to have great cardio-respiratory and muscular endurance.
Georges’ strength level and athletic ability may be near his peak. Most of his training is probably more geared toward muscle memory, balance and coordination. Strength training will still cause hypertrophy and increase his overall size and musculature, which makes sense considering his plans to move up to MW.
it made me sleepy
"Live fast, die." ~ GG Allin
by Bonedoctor on Dec 10, 2010 6:31 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Only 10% of 'getting stronger' is caused by muscle hypertrophy
And GSP is boss because he knows deliberate practice > strength training. If guys like Brock wouldn’t spend so much time getting stronger and instead spar for 25 hours a week I’m sure he’d perform better.
by Chris P. Bacon on Dec 10, 2010 8:38 AM EST up reply actions
There's a triangle for preformance
Training, practicing and competing.
All three of these things need to be balanced just right in order to preform at your peak. Without any one of these three you will never be very good.
Training molds the body, like clay. Increasing strength, speed, stamina, flexibility etc.
Practice shapes the skills. Honing the finer points. Creating the distinct style that makes each piece of clay different.
Competition is like the furnace that hardens the clay, bringing the skills and the conditioning together.
UFC 130: GSP vs Sexyama "Battle of the Sexy's!"
Battle for universal sexiness!
Real talk, GSP isn’t an ugly dude, no homo. I wish I looked like him minus the thick accent. Then again, he wouldn’t who he is with his signature: “i ahm naut empressed bai ur pur-for-mahnz.”
"Okay, I stay clever like Mayweather, will lay leather 'til your face sever, one of the greatest ever." -- Big Daddy Kane
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fan since 7/12/97 — 41-0-0 (25 KOs)
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Hitlist: Manny Pacquiao, Sergio Martinez
by Ryan Tical on Dec 10, 2010 5:26 AM EST via mobile reply actions
you kidding dude?
girls love a guy with an accent
Depends on what accent
Aussie/French/Italian/Spanish/British yes
German/Finnish/Russian, not so much.
some german accents are pretty sweet.
www.mmalinker.com
by exsanguinator on Dec 10, 2010 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
Defining Strength and Conditioning...
I remember him in an interview a while ago talking about how he doesn’t do any conditioning workouts separate from his sparring and skill training. To me, that makes sense that he can maximize his sparring sessions by pushing his anaerobic levels harder.
However, I do believe he does serious strength training. Which is different from weightlifting for aesthetic purposes. Everyone saw him doing olympic lifts which are designed to increase power, not mass. In the video below, you don’t do 100lb pull ups and 100lb DB Bench Presses to look better. You do them to get stronger than everyone else.
Just watched that vid,
and GSP doesn’t seem to listen very well.
by MMAInFeRioRiTy on Dec 10, 2010 9:09 AM EST up reply actions
GSP trolling hard
he does squats, power cleans etc. you dont do those for looks.
Woke up this morning, ya got a blue moon, got a blue moon in your eyes
I guess all this deadlifting has made me more "efficent"
But I also appreciate the physique changes it provided. Thanks Starting Strength!
by Schwizzles on Dec 10, 2010 7:12 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I agree with GSP
You don’t run in a fight, unless you are Kalib Starnes or something, so why not just spar for conditioning? Mimic the movements you are actually going to be doing in a fight. I see his point, trolling or not.
This is part of GSP’s evil masterplan to rule the world of mma.
After this statement, everyone will cancel their S&C -workout, since what GSP says, is law.
GSP will continue to do his, and therefore outwork his competition, in every fight from here on.
And regarding the muay thai training in thailand; All the professionals in muay thai run for 1 hour in the morning, and have at least 2 more training passes/day.
In that case,
I don’t see him moving to 185 anytime soon.
by MMAInFeRioRiTy on Dec 10, 2010 8:59 AM EST reply actions
I have my doubts about this
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
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by Damon O. on Dec 10, 2010 9:02 AM EST reply actions 3 recs
If anyone believes any of that is true then I have an investment opportunity that I would like to speak to you about in Nigeria.
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exchange emails?
by sittingbull on Dec 10, 2010 10:01 AM EST up reply actions
I think this was GSP's idea of
trying to kid a kidder, and JR either missed the sarcasm or played along.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Mark Twain
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying..."
-Bruce Lee
by The American Ronin on Dec 10, 2010 9:24 AM EST reply actions 3 recs
It is a general truism that humour does not translate well at all. Last time GSP tried it, he was saying he cheated against Penn by getting some cross-dresser to run out and kiss Penn during the walk in. GSP’s two weaknesses seem to be trash talking and telling jokes (both in English), more so than anything in a fight.
"I'd love to be a Cheick Kongo looking brother that could actually move and do a lot of funky stuff - Jiu Jitsu, takedowns, kicks and stuff." - Jon Jones.
"This is the internet: you either have soul-stopping power or you’re a pillow-fisted pansy. There is no middle ground." - woomikee
by outlander78 on Dec 10, 2010 10:17 AM EST up reply actions
Are you French Canadian?
jk
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Mark Twain
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying..."
-Bruce Lee
by The American Ronin on Dec 10, 2010 11:36 AM EST up reply actions
Now that you mention it...
No. He did manage to butcher the joke after he’d told it, though.
Also, why did he keep saying that the guy kissed BJ on the mouth when he clearly didn’t?
Yes
There are articles about his workut routines in magazines like men’s fitness. Eerything he does is plyo-iso-metrical to the nth degree — lifting heavy ropes, performing crazy plyometric pushups where his entire body goes airborn, working small muscles in his neck and scapular region to prevent injuries, etc. Not the sort of things you do to get big and buff. It will be funny to see whether Rogan repeats it during the fight.
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by The Darkness on Dec 10, 2010 10:27 AM EST up reply actions
Ha!
Joe knows his stuff in many areas of MMA, but its funny the things he will occasionally latch onto that are just blatantly nonsensical. I have only seen the portion of the interview posted with this article, but I would not be the least bit surprised if he does…
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Mark Twain
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying..."
-Bruce Lee
by The American Ronin on Dec 10, 2010 10:50 AM EST up reply actions
I'm sure he was just bullshitting.
Rogan probably will blurt out something regarding how GSP has never done strength training a day in his life.
On his podcast, he was talking about Bully Beatdown as if he thought it was real. Joe’s a smart dude, who says some just plain retarded things.
He did at least ask if the guy was an actor.
That was a great podcast though. Hilarious. I was dying when Rogan was talking about being afraid of mountain lions eating his face.
Perhaps what Georges is saying, but not saying well, is that to get ready for 5 five minute rounds he doesn’t run on the treadmill, he spars. As with any sport, nothing gets you in shape for that particular sport quite like just doing the sport. Any conditioning exercises may replicate aspects of the game/match but you still need to go the distance to be ready for the real game.
I have to agree with Reciprocity on this one:
“Perhaps what Georges is saying, but not saying well, is that to get ready for 5 five minute rounds he doesn’t run on the treadmill, he spars. As with any sport, nothing gets you in shape for that particular sport quite like just doing the sport. Any conditioning exercises may replicate aspects of the game/match but you still need to go the distance to be ready for the real game”
I think the author of the article doesn’t get the point at all.
makes sense
you should train in the tools that you’re going to use for a fight. If you do nothing but grapple, hit some bags and spar all the time you’re gonna be in shape doing just those things
None of those things make you stronger
If you train those things exclusively, you’ll have great muscular endurance, but you’ll be weak as hell and you will lose.
what a true "martial artist"
obsessed with the superficial.
by DoubleHeadedEagle on Dec 10, 2010 12:33 PM EST reply actions
I don't think
GSP was being serious in the slightest.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."
-Mark Twain
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying..."
-Bruce Lee
by The American Ronin on Dec 10, 2010 1:05 PM EST up reply actions
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