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The Muscle Shark

Sean Sherk's grueling workout routine includes something he calls "caveman training"

by Brandon Guarneri | photo courtesy of UFC

We should have known better than to try and fit Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk's complete workout routine in our May 2008 issue, but we tried anyway. And man, did we fail. Since Sherk trains twice a day, six days a week, doing everything from striking and boxing to weightlifting, cardio, and specialized conditioning drills he calls "caveman training," we could only squeeze so much into print.

"No matter how sick the workout is, he does it without question or hesitation," says Scott Ramsdale, owner of Athletic Performance Inc. "When I train Sean, he works at an unbelievable level for almost 30 minutes, with his heart rate ranging between 170 and 185 bpm. Most people cannot tolerate this type of pain and intensity for five minutes, let alone 30 minutes. It takes a special, almost demented type of athlete to train at this level. Sean is one of those athletes."

Sherk will look to regain the UFC lightweight title when he takes on champion BJ Penn on May 24. "I still feel like the belt's mine," says Sherk, who was stripped of the title after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs following a title defense over Hermes Franca last year. Sherk is finishing up his six-month suspension, which was reduced from a full year after he appealed.

"You know, I feel like he's got to beat me to be champ, that's my feeling on the whole thing," says Sherk. "I think it's going to be a war. We both feel like we own that belt, and we're going to go out there and see who the real champ is."

Below, check out Sherk's complete routine that will lead him up to the fight. One warning, though: If you're not an elite athlete, skip the monkey-see, monkey-do thing with this one.

Directions:

Lifting
Ramsdale: "Sean supersets everything together to get as much work done in the shortest time possible, and to elevate his heart rate as much as he can during all of his workouts. He will usually do eight to 12 reps in four to five supersets, with no more than one minute rest in between them."

Resistance Shots
Ramsdale: "Sean does resistance shots with a large belt around his waist, attached to two strong elastic cables with handles. A partner stands behind him, providing resistance. As Sean does the repeated shots, the partner moves forward slightly. Sean does these straight ahead to improve the speed and strength of his shots. He'll start by doing two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps, but then, as his conditioning improves, these numbers go way up."

Monday Morning

Submission grappling (five minutes on, one minute off, 45 minutes total training)

Thai boxing (five five-minute rounds, 25 minutes total training)

BREAK: lunch, nap

Afternoon

Caveman training (five five-minute rounds)

Round 1

Elliptical — two minutes

Sprint — 30 seconds

Upper-body ergometer — two minutes

Sprint — 30 seconds

Rest one minute

Round 2 (each station one minute)

Tire flips

Sledgehammers

Rope climb

Tire flips

Rope climbs

Rest one minute

Round 3 (each station one minute)

Bear crawls

Plyo pushups

Plyo jumps

Medicine ball throws

Recline pull-ups

Rest one minute

Round 4

Same as round 1

Rest one minute

Round 5

Same as round 2

Rest one minute

Tuesday Morning

Hard drill work — takedowns, pads, wrestling (five minutes on, one minute off, 45 minutes total training)

Resistance shots

BREAK: lunch, nap

Afternoon

Weightlifting — arms

EZ-bar curl superset with skull crushers

Alternating dumbbell curls superset with rope press-down

Concentration curls

Hard drill work — takedowns, pads, wrestling (five minutes on, one minute off, 45 minutes total training)

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READERS COMMENTS:

I wouldn't fight this guy with an AK-47, he must be in phenomenal shape. I'm a little turned off by the performance enhancing substance though.
-- tootall

SICK WORKOUTS
-- VINNY FROM BOSTON

At what time are the steroids injected?
-- Johnny Sizzlechest

That kind of training give yo excellent conditioning, but not necesary makes you a better fighter and gives you better technique.
-- Oliver

Too bad he did it with the help of steroids, I thought he was just eating well.
-- The Woot

he`s an animal..if anybody really looked at the evidence in his case where he was stripped of the title for using roids..they will see. he proved himself innocent. he is the champ in my eyes..
-- Reagan

dude is going to explode...
-- treelife

Seriously? No wonder the guy looks like that...
-- Ryan

Don't forget your vitamins people! Tough stuff.
-- Malosi

crazy! No wonder he needed to juice to recover. What the heck does he eat to fuel that kind of body tear down?
-- Brian Martin

i notice it didnt mention anything about needles and steriods here, i guess he left that part out? The guys a cheat, and he doesnt deserve another shot at the title
-- Mike

Must you be on steroids to follow this?
-- steve

The guys who think Sherk is innocent has no clue. Absolutely no idea about this. If you look at an article written by Marc Ratner, the fact guys like Sherk Marquadt Barnett have low levels when they test is more proof of guilt. It's brutally simple. It shows cycling. If you take a substance unknowingly you should have an monumentally high amount in your system. When they test you a week later and your negative it shows most likely your guilty. There are many reasons for this. Google Ratner and see how clearly he explains it. Easy to see.
-- Payaam

It was not him, he didn't know that there was a small amount of steroid in one of his multivitamin. and it was proven that he did no wrong.
-- Jeremy

The man is a champ, if you doubt it, you pick a fight w/ him. Or just try his workout and see if you can hang.
-- Jared

this dude is insane he will have that belt hands down with that training
-- Holden

BJ will show sean that you dont need steroids to beat someones ass!!!!!
-- Tommy

sherk doesnt use roids. i wana see some1 work as hard as he does in 1 day in there hole life. People assume hes gota be on roids cause he works his ass off
-- J

This workout isnt that crazy. We do the same type things at my gym, "yea its hard", but your body learns to adapt.
-- Matt

Come on lets use common sense, you cant keep that up and not burn out within a couple weeks without pharmacological assistance.
-- Jerad

I'm personally a BJ Penn Fan
-- Jon$Chestrockwel

No, you don't need to be on steroids to follow this, but must take the right supplements and vitamins, especially if you do not get enough sleep. Lots of high-speed guys in the military are going to similar programs, mixture of cross-fit and other conditioning/weight lifting regimens.
-- USA

i dont belive it at all he is a liar
-- dude

he forgot to mention he had steroids for breakfast, lunch then a evening meal. its called the stead fast plan.
-- noony

stop being a big wimp just shut up and deal w/ the workout I can do it
-- James

Giving credit where credit is due, the guy does work his ass off. But let's come back down to Planet Earth. Not even well-known genetic freaks can withstand the consistent torture of Sherk's preparation without resorting to some degree of "chemical enhancement" to recuperate not only from the training session, but from injuries associated with MMA.

I train 4 times a week for two hours at a time, and I'm having Advil for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now imagine training MMA 6 days a week, 4-5 hours a day. Oh, and by the way, this workout's just a fraction of the overall regimen. You still have BJJ, grappling, striking, wrestling in the picture. Plausible deniability? Maybe, but not likely.

Sherk just happens to be the best-known of the bunch that have already tested positive for drugs (Stephan Bonnar, Tim Sylvia), so don't be fooled by claims of innocence. Image is money.

-- Scotland Forever

Hey Sherk, your routine is sick. GL with the fight but my money is on BJ Penn.
-- 10pound

what they found in his system anadrol, you find that in a thousand supplements,a great deal of them legal, which as far as im concerned makes those tests null and void, you have to measure the drug not the chemical that might, might be caused by it.
-- Reno knoe

hope he passes the pee test this time. What a joke this guy is! he should be a body builder not a fighter.
-- Nick

Sean Sherk is beast mode without steroids man his work ethic is among the gods...everybody in that league has tried it once guaranteed, i just hope he doesnt fall into that trap again
-- Ricky

everyone in the fight game knows you cant fight a good fight if you dont train like that and cumming from a boxer i train just as and have been for years no steriods
-- peter

Regardless of whether or not he was aware of the roids in his multivitamin, he is still an outstanding fighter. It's a tough call between Penn and Sherk for the title, but I think Penn will end up with it in the end. His training is insane. I would like to see someone bashing him roll around on the mat with him for two minutes and then count the bruises, cuts, and broken bones; then turn around and talk shit.

-- SCRAPPER

He was not busted w/ steroids. He was busted w/ a natural hormone that your body produces. He just had double the amount your body can produce.
-- Prof. of Pharm.

The Muscle Shark

Sean Sherk's grueling workout routine includes something he calls "caveman training"

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