Do you have the physical attributes of Ultimate Fighting Championship title-holder Conor McGregor?
UQ School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences and mixed martial arts (MMA) researcher Lachlan James could help you answer that question with 10 weeks of free training.
“For the final investigation of my PhD into mixed martial arts, I’m simply looking for people from the general population who would like to do 10 weeks of free supervised resistance training,” Mr James said.
“I recently published results from two studies I’ve completed which involved both professional and amateur MMA athletes.
“What we found that distinguished professional from amateur MMA competitors was their lower-body strength, speed and power qualities.
“Also, accuracy was more important than volume in achieving victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fights we observed.
“From a biomechanical perspective, these findings support each other because it is speed which dictates the accuracy of a technique.
“The faster you execute a punch, kick or takedown attempt in the intended direction, the more likely you are to hit the target before it moves.
“We believe because of the multitude of techniques and the spectra of physiological qualities that influence success in MMA, our detailed findings are of great value to strength and conditioning, and sports-specific coaches.”
Mr James is calling for participants willing to test their athletic ability and assist with his research by taking part in 10 weeks of free supervised resistance training.
“It will involve detailed coaching on various Olympic weightlifting and jumping exercises, as well as high-quality performance testing of your strength and power attributes,” Mr James said.
“Participants can expect improvements in their ability to generate power and their athletic performance.”
Participants must be male, aged 18-35 years, free of any major injuries that would limit participation, and be able to refrain from high volume lower-body training outside of the study.
Three one-hour sessions will be held each week over the 10-week instruction period, and people of all athletic abilities and backgrounds are welcomed.
Mr James’ recent findings have been published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance and the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
Media: Lachlan James, l.james1@uq.edu.au, +61 0424 411 682; UQ Communications Robert Burgin, r.burgin@uq.edu.au, +617 3346 3035, +61 0448 410 364.
