Back pain… It’s one of the most common and debilitating injuries that anyone can get.
Stats show that 80% of adults will incur some form of low back injury in their lifetime.
If you’ve ever had a bad one, you know how shitty it feels to miss training because you’re all stiff and you’re moving around like you’re 95.
Trust me, I know what you’re going through, as I’ve had to deal with some low back issues because of this:
Here’s what happened…
Thanks to everyone who posted a comment / question on Part 1 – I appreciate the feedback and as promised, here are #2 and #3.
Doctor Wong’s Supplement Secret #2 – Cheap and Easy Fat Burning ‘Supplement’
This one is super easy – all you’ve gotta do is drink a cup of coffee (250-300 ml) about an hour before your workout.
If it’s drip coffee, a cup has about 150-200 mg of caffeine, which is right around the amount that you want to increase fat burning.
Caffeine helps to burn fat by triggering your body to release more fat from cells for energy use, and it also ramps your nervous system up a bit, which can help you train harder.
Unfortunately, if you’re a coffee addict, you’re going to be desensitized to the caffeine, so it’s a good reason for you to get your habit under control.
Seriously – lots of guys are addicted to coffee and miss out on its fat burning properties because of it.
So if you’re drinking more than a cup in the morning, try to cut it down, and learn how to drink it black, as the sugar and cream aren’t doing you any good.
One thing to note is that if you’re training in the evening at 5pm or after, you may want to avoid this tip, as the caffeine might keep you up, which will hamper your recovery if you can’t sleep.
But if you know you can sleep no prob, then go for it.
Compare the price of a cup of home-brewed coffee to a fat burning supplement like Hydroxycut and you’ll quickly save mucho dineros.
On to #3…
If you’ve ever read through an MMA mag like Tapout, FIGHT!, Ultimate MMA, or any of the big ones on the racks at your local Chapters (or Borders, for you south of the border), you may have noticed that every other ad is for some new supplement that basically promises…
Unfortunately, tons and tons of guys fall for the hype and misinformation…
If that’s you, don’t worry, it’s not your fault.
MMA is a crazy sport and it takes a ton of time, dedication, and hard work, so these shortcuts promised by the supplement mafia seem like they’re worth giving a shot.
But they don’t work. Sorry to burst your bubble, but most supplements are garbage, and some might even get you to piss positive, hurting your career and embarrassing you in the process.
However, there are some supplements that are tried and tested and will help improve your results, assuming that your training and nutrition are there first.
Remember, they’re called SUPPLEMENTS for a reason – to supplement a solid diet and effective training program. (You’ll get both in my Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Program)
Anyway – I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that will help you get the best supplements you can on a shoestring budget.
Doctor Wong’s Supplement Secret #1 – Pre/Post Workout Shakes on a Budget (That Actually Taste Good!)
OK so pre and post-workout nutrition is often a heated topic, with people getting into fiery debates about the exact amounts and ratios of nutrients to get the maximum effect.
But to get so into depth on such a small topic is a big waste of your time and energy, and ultimately, your money.
So here’s what you can do to get a solid pre (during) and post workout shake in without breaking the bank:
PRE (DURING) WORKOUT: I’ll mix up 1 cup of juice, which gives me about 30 grams of carbs coming from sugar, and about 1/2 scoop of whey, which gives me about 15 grams of protein. A perfect 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein to fuel my workout and make sure my muscles have some nutrients for energy and rebuilding
POST WORKOUT: I’ll mix up 1.5 cups of juice and a full scoop of protein. This gives me about 45 grams of carbs and 27 grams of protein, again, about a perfect ratio of what I want post-workout to maintain muscle and replenish energy stores.
If you’re working to build muscle, you can toss some creatine in both drinks. Just buy the regular, German creatine and you’re good to go.
Why is this so good?
Because it’s cheap and you don’t have to feel like an idiot after you spend $100 on a bottle of hype and end up exactly the same as you were before.
And it tastes like your favourite juice, just a little bit creamier. So there’s no worrying if you’ll like the Double Mocha Java Chocolate or Banana Berry Blaster flavours – you know what juice you like so you’ll never be surprised (or disappointed).
I’ve got a couple more great supplement tricks up my sleeve, but I want to hear your comments, any of your tricks, or just anything before I post them. I want to beat the most commented post on my blog (48), so…
… give me 49 or more comments and I’ll hit you up with the #2 (killer fat loss supplement trick) and #3 (fat loss, cancer prevention, brain health, and more!)
Don’t miss these tips – comment now:
I don’t just write programs, just like you, I’ve bought a ton of workout programs over the years.
Some programs have been quite good, and some aren’t worth the digital ink they’re printed with. I’ve been really upset after some purchases, especially when I couldn’t get in touch with the author to get my problems addressed.
That’s why I want to show you an example of what a QUALITY workout program is like, so that you know what you’re looking for. Yes, it’s my program, and I am biased, because I fully stand behind what I put out.
I know that my reputation is the most important thing, which is why I put a lot of time and effort into making sure my programs accomplish what I promise and are EASY TO FOLLOW.
I’ve been told that I’m very picky… I just like to think of it as attention to detail. 
I also make sure I’m available to help you out if you come across any problems, and if I can’t help you, I’ll give you your money back. No hassles.
So check out this 1 workout from my Advanced MMA Power Training System – it’s from the first phase which is the Maximal Explosive Strength phase, where you take your maximal strength and make it EXPLOSIVE.
I’m also giving you the Table of Contents so you can see exactly what’s in the manual. And this is just the table of contents for the Training Guide, not the Master Manual, which has a ton more info that will have you saying to yourself, "Yes, this is exactly what I need!"
Download it here (right click and choose ‘Save As’):
=> Excerpt from the Advanced MMA Power Training Guide
Notice how each and every workout is laid out in detail. It’s not just, "OK here’s the program, just go and do it."
With this program, it’s like, "OK, today, you’re going to do 3 sets of this, rest 60 seconds, then move on to 5 sets of the next exercise, rest for 2 minutes…"
No detail is left behind.
And I don’t want you to be left behind, so make sure you go grab the program before it’s GONE:
=> Click Here to Grab the Advanced MMA Power Training System before it’s Gone
If you’re not sure if it’s right for you, just get it, read through it, and if it’s not right for you, email me and I’ll give you your money back, period.
UFC 103 was another great event, the level of fighters is just improving so much that most cards have great fights. Vitor proved that he was back with another quick win, and Crocop proved that he’s become pretty much irrelevant to the heavyweight division with his loss to a very scary Junior Dos Santos.
But the highlight for me, being a fitness guy, was watching Steve Lopez’s arm come right out of the shoulder socket.
So why exactly did his arm come out of the socket – and how can you prevent it?
Just posted this up at YouTube… for those of you who haven’t seen it, check out my channel at http://www.youtube.com/ericwongmma/
Looks like the latest incarnation of the Ultimate Fighter will be an interesting one, and not for Kimbo. Kimbo just seems like a regular dude who wants to fight and make it to the UFC, not the street-thug who knocked out other street-thugs on YouTube all those years ago.
It seems like the most entertainment will come from Rampage and Rashad mouthing each other off. And maybe Quinton’s great choice of matchups – what was he thinking on that one? A guy with no wrestling vs. the best wrestler on the opposing team?
I guess that’s how that gash happened. Man that was disgusting – I think I saw Abe’s brain.
Both guys showed less than stellar cardio – not totally unexpected for heavyweights, but still disappointing to see nonetheless.
Anyway – I’m looking forward to following this one, hope we can get some quality fights out of it and not just a bunch of big brawlers going at each other.
Every Late August and into September, I ditch all core training.
It’s not because I’ve trained the core super hard in June and July to look good on the beach and now need a break.
It’s because of this:
No, this isn’t a marijuana plant that I harvest and get baked on and do nothing, that’s not why I stop training the core.
It’s because I’m really allergic to ragweed and I can’t stop sneezing. I always sneeze at least 3 times, sometimes up to 5 times, and if my allergies get really bad, I’ll repeat this vicious cycle of maximal abdominal contractions every couple of minutes.
This last Friday was particularly terrible, so bad that I felt mentally foggy, my body was tired, and I was all stuffy and puffy-eyed. And I missed my scheduled workout.
But here’s what I did instead, and what you can do the next time you feel like crap but you’ve got a training session scheduled:
There’s a new skill in town, and it’s not a hidden form of karate or a secret indigenous-tribal martial art – it’s mental training. Actually, it’s not that new, it’s been around forever, especially for some of the more mainstream individual sports like golf and tennis.
But now in MMA, some of the top guys are touting the benefits of keeping your mind in peak shape, guys like:
So, to keep you guys on the CUTTING-EDGE, I did an interview with Bill Gladwell and Stephen Ladd, 2 guys who have a different approach to mental training than the traditional sports psychologists and have helped many MMA fighters be more confident, stay relaxed, and truly unleash their skills in a fight.
Check out this interview and get some KILLER tips to improve your mental game:
So this is an interview that I did with Rocci Williams, a UK mixed-martial artist who recently made his comeback fight on September 5, 2009 (he’s the bloke on the left with the ripped abs).
He’s been following the Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Program for a few months now, using it for his last boxing match, and this latest MMA bout.
He shot me an email after this fight telling me the circumstances of the fight and I thought it’d be really helpful for those of you who are less experienced or about to have your first fight to hear exactly what goes through your head before a match and how to deal with it.
He shares everything he’s gone through in finding the right coaches, to being put into fights he wasn’t prepared for, to learning to be in control of what fights you take and don’t take. He’s also from the UK – so to me, the shit he says sounds pretty funny, plus he’s got a pretty good sense of humour.
Rocci also tells you how he started out doing strength and conditioning, doing all the ‘hardcore’ stuff, but it not really leading to gains where it counts – in the cage.
I’ve seen this all too often with fighters, which is one of the reasons why I put the Ultimate MMA program out there.
OK so enough background, enjoy the interview.
– Eric