John Kavanagh believes that over-training can really hinder a fighter’s development.
The SBG head coach outlined his approach to training in an interview with Caroline Foran in the Sunday Independent. He explained that when it comes to training Conor McGregor, the key is to keep to the routine without allowing boredom to set in.
“We train twice a day every day. Once at lunch time and once in the evening, and that’s not including the weeks leading up to a fight where we enter ‘caveman mode.'”
“The training we do is light to medium, but a lot and often. We’ve never had the approach of training super-hard; you just get too tired and burn out.”
Kavanagh believes that training too hard can have a negative impact on a fighter, and actually discourage them from progressing. He feels that a smarter, more conservative approach to training is a lot more valuable than killing yourself in the gym.
“We prefer intelligent, light training where your brain is always switched on, over mindless heavy training. Otherwise, it’s too hard to stick at it. It’s a lifestyle approach rather than a short-term plan.”
“The types of training used in MMA are all about technicality and functionality; there’s a lot of what I call gross movement skills, with deadlifting, sled runs, squats and more. Think big exercises that involve the whole body. We’re training for competitions, not just to look good on the beach.”
He emphasised the importance of mixing up techniques to ensure that fighters don’t get mentally burnt out, and also to ensure that it remains a fun experience.
“There are times when we mix things up; sessions will sometimes look like a dance class or yoga class, which give the guys a mental break from repeating the same techniques and bring in a more playful approach. Sometimes we do all sorts of crazy things.”
