If you’ve been watching Marcus Buchecha, you have probably noticed his crazy explosiveness.
His S&C coach Tony Gonzalez of UTC Crossfit (also home of Checkmat’s HQ) talks to BJJ Eastern Europe about how he does it:
How is it working with such a great athlete like Buchecha?I was first approached by Marcus to help with his conditioning before the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Pros. Since then, it has been very common to receive requests from other BJJ stars such as Tarcisio Jardim, Nivaldo Oliveira and Lucas Leite. Training an athlete of Buchecha’s caliber is not as easy as it might seem. It would be too easy to administer say a Crossfit style W.O.D. and that would be ok in the early stages of the training cycle but maximizing performance in your desired objective (either strength or conditioning) doesn’t mean simply incorporating the opposite and hoping for the best. Imagine an endurance runner tossing in a bunch of strength training leading into a running event or a large out of shape powerlifter slamming out a bunch of cardio leading into a meet. In both aspects the athlete will likely reduce their performance. CrossFit has done an excellent job at incorporating training across the strength and conditioning spectrum (or broad modal domains in CF language), but at the same time its athletes are not in “Peak” shape for any specific points within those spectrums. Specific training is necessary closer to competition to maximize peak performance. This is where it helps to be creative and to KNOW first hand the mechanics performed in a Jiu Jitsu match.
Can you tell us about Buchecha’s S&C program? Do you think it’s possible to achieve great competition results at a high level with just training Jiu-Jitsu and not lifting weights?My priority goal for Marcus is to keep him explosive in the later matches. ( check out his match against Bernardo Faria) I typically train Marcus 3-4 days per week. A BJJ fighter could condition 4-5 days a week and still train on the mat 6 days a week. They must definitely listen to their bodies and be aware of signs of over training.They must not neglect recovery time and recovery procedures such as ice baths and massages. Nutrition is very important for Jiu Jitsu fighters and I would love to discuss this in another interview. I believe all Bjj fighters should strength condition, more athletes today are realizing how important it is to be stronger and faster.
Buchecha’s workouts:
Marcus Buchecha deadlift:
Buchecha’s bodyweight workout:
20 Seconds each exercise
Forward/back squat
Donkey kicks
Low prisoner jacks
(Repeat 4 rounds)
