By: Pankti Parmar Image credit: Reddit
A fight camp is a training camp of 8 weeks where fighters hone their skills before a fight to achieve peak performance levels. Here, they go through a strict routine and an even stricter lifestyle.
The camp has a tailored schedule for all days that the fighter follows. The first thing they focus on is roadwork, which includes short sprints and long runs to condition muscles and lungs.
Followed by stretching and a break for rest and food, which is also set according to the fighter's goals. The fighter does physical training, starting with a jumping rope, a staple for any fighter.
The fighters then do shadowboxing, where they deal with an imaginary opponent as a stimulant. It is a great warmup that also helps them refine their techniques as part of fight training.
The fighters get ready for sparring, which is to improve the speed of their punches. Here, the fighter has to focus on punching and retracting it quickly without moving the equipment much.
Padwork is when the fighter trains by hitting focus mitts with their coaches. They have to deliver around 250 counts of each punch and kick on the mitts. This is vital for conditioning and agility.
The padwork session is followed by heavy bag hitting which helps the fighter condition and strengthen their punches and kicks which is helpful in the cage as it resembles the opponent's weight.
The fighters then proceed to hit the speedball, which improves their speed and coordination levels. It is also great conditioning for shoulder muscles. This one is done for just a few minutes.
The fighters conclude their excruciating session with a whole-body strength and conditioning session. For this, the training coaches work with strength and conditioning coach to create a perfect plan.
After a tough training session, fighters go through the recovery process of their choice. Their options range from ice baths to sports recovery massages to saunas, foam rolling, and even sleep.
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