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Forrest Griffin's Extreme Workout
How the UFC's Light Heavyweight Champ prepares for a fight
Many mixed martial arts experts doubted Forrest Griffin's chances at UFC 86, but all agreed that he would not be outworked. In a sport filled with gym rats, no one is more enamored with training than the 29-year-old former cop. He usually puts in three workouts per day during the week. Here's a look at what the new champion does to prepare for a fight:
Monday
Morning: 30 minutes of boxing practice against mitts, 90 minutes of light wrestling/jiu-jitsu moves
Afternoon: Wrestling practice
Evening: Strength and conditioning exercises (see the moves here), plus 30-minute run on the treadmill
Tuesday and Thursday
Morning: 60 minutes of light wrestling/jiu-jitsu moves
Afternoon: Simulates UFC fight with hard sparring
Evening: 60 minutes of plyometric exercises
Wednesday
Morning: 60 minutes of boxing practice
Afternoon: Practices wrestling and jiu-jitsu moves
Evening: Repeat Monday evening's workout
Friday
Morning: Same as Monday morning
Afternoon: "Shark tank" wrestling practice, an hour-long drill in which he'll wrestle one guy for a minute and see a new guy continually jump in
Evening: Does five "five-minute rounds" on a treadmill at 10 mph with a minute's rest in between
Saturday
Morning: Gantlet workout, which includes weighted running drills on steps and dragging a sled
Evening: Simulates UFC fight with hard sparring
Click Here for Strength and Conditioning Exercises
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Behind the Scenes with Forrest Griffin
Exercise I
Griffin hugs a heavy medicine ball to his chest and performs vertical jumps with it. The move builds tremendous leg power, which the champ needs to score takedowns and throw powerful strikes.
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Behind the Scenes with Forrest Griffin
Exercise II
Griffin improves his ground-and-pound strength by mimicking the action with dumbbells. He walks across the gym raising up each dumbbell as if he's chambering to throw a punch.
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Behind the Scenes with Forrest Griffin
Exercise III
Balancing with his legs on a Swiss ball, Griffi n works his core hard. From this position he can do jackknifes, in which he'll crunch his knees up to his chest, or pushups, making it a full-body exercise.
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Behind the Scenes with Forrest Griffin
Exercise IV
The Ultimate Fighter builds ultimate core strength with moves like this: crunching with a medicine ball and then throwing the ball to a partner.
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Behind the Scenes with Forrest Griffin
Exercise V
In another pushup variation, Griffin performs the move with one hand on a medicine ball to increase shoulder stability—crucial for injury prevention.
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Behind the Scenes with Forrest Griffin
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UFC Workout II
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