With the upcoming UFC Fight Night in London on March 8th, the UFC have decided that this is the right time to bring their customised program UFC Full-body Intensity Training(UFC FIT) to the UK. Already a huge success in the US, Canada and Australia, UFC FIT is a training programme designed around MMA techniques which promises to transform people’s fitness and physiques. As a fan of the sport, I wasn’t going to turn down an invite to meet Mike Dolce, a former Ultimate Fighter contestant, MMA competitor, trainer, and the founder of UFC Fit.
“UFC FIT isn’t intended to train you to fight inside the octagon,” Dolce explained to me, as we relaxed in a studio at the Bank branch of Gymbox. “It’s intended to get you in the same shape as the athletes that compete in the Octagon. That’s the important distinction.” Dolce himself is an impressive specimen – a confident speaker with a friendly demeanour that belies his MMA background. Not to mention he’s incredibly ripped.
“You don’t have to be in shape to start UFC FIT,” he stresses to me. “You could literally have spent the last two years on the couch, or be 60 lbs overweight. It’s based on the scientific principles that I use to train my athletes.” It’s worth mentioning that Dolce has trained a number of top MMA fighters, such as Jonny Hendricks, Micheal Bisping and the current UFC women’s champion, Ronda Rousey.
Dolce then breaks down the mechanics for me. UFC FIT consists of four 3 week training cycles. Each cycle helps to develop a variety of attributes required for MMA competitors – strength, speed, endurance, flexibility and so on. The first week will start with familiar exercises such as squats, push ups and sit ups – as the program moves on those moves become more complex and variations are added to turn them into more dynamic movements that build more muscle groups. The training is done at a high intensity, which builds stamina and burns more calories. Many of the moves are based on actual moves with are used in MMA – a famous example for the combat enthusiasts is the superman squat, derived from George St Pierre’s superman punch. Other moves include a forward knee to a back kick, and push ups to standing with punches.
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The UFC FIT program will be launching in all Gymbox branches from the 1st of March 2014. However if you can’t afford the membership don’t panic – there are plans to release the DVD package in the future, which includes the training videos, workout calendar, and nutrition plan. Indeed Dolce sounds enthusiastic when talking about the future of UFC FIT, with plans to expand to Brazil, Japan and China already in the pipeline. If you’re a fan of MMA but don’t want to deal with the pain and blood, this might just be the best way to get fit and learn more about the sport in the process.
For more information on UFC FIT go to www.ufcfit.com. To find a Gymbox near you, go to www.gymbox.com
