CrossFit didn't invent hard workouts, it simply brought them to the average joe

The reason why the answers are vague, is because every CrossFit gym is dramatically different. Unlike Subway, McDonald's, 24-hour Fitness or any other franchise, you buy into a product, and then expect to be audited. CrossFit does not buy into this ideology. Instead, CrossFit instructors get certified, and are than asked to uphold these standards, but are not audited to keep them honest. CrossFit does this deliberately. 

Yes, there are CrossFit workouts out there, that are used in every CrossFit gym in the country, but the owner or manager of your local CrossFit box writes his/her own program. For instance, at our gym, we are also an MMA school that trains pro fighters. For this reason, we want our fighters to have strength for the first round, and stamina for the third. So, some days we do strength workouts and other days we focus on endurance/stamina. This leads to effective cross-training for our athletes. But some gyms focus on gymnastics while others, olympic lifts. You can see our daily Workouts (WOD for short) here:http://factumutah.com/crossfit-wod 

Remember, CrossFit doesn't do anything but give a college level weight room to the average joe. That is it. I own a CrossFit gym, and I was an NCAA wrestler, and the parallels between the two are shocking. 

In college we had a strength coach write us a program (CrossFit Certified instructor gives WOD), then as a team, we push each other (Same thing that happens in a CrossFit class). Our strength coach taught us proper form (all CrossFit classes should be doing this), and the workouts were grueling (you won't see results unless you mentally push yourself past barriers). 

CrossFit has simply taken an NCAA weight room, and given it to the average Joe.

Factum CrossFit and Mixed Martial Arts | CrossFit in Utah | FightPedia | Factum MMA Blog | www.factumutah.com | MMA in Utah

Will Running help me burn fat?

In a word, yes, but that answer is somewhat limited.

Typically the trick to burning fat, and increasing muscle tone, is to increase your Basal Metabolic Rate (the rate at which your body burns calories at rest), and my preferred method for this high volume functional weight training.

Running is great, and helps dramatically with your cardio (as does swimming), but these workouts are somewhat monostructural, and limited. When you burn calories by doing monostructural lifts, you only burn calories when you are in fact working out.

If you increase your muscle density (particularly through high volume weight training) you will increase your basal metabolic rate. You may have heard that your body is warm blooded, you may have also heard that muscles weighs more than fat, well, combine these two mindsets, and it equals that muscle burns more calories than fat by definition. Increase muscle density, and you will burn calories in your sleep.

Feel free to follow along with our WOD's here: http://factumutah.com/crossfit-wod

Factum CrossFit and Mixed Martial Arts | CrossFit in Utah | FightPedia | Factum MMA Blog | www.factumutah.com | MMA in Utah

Will Running help me burn fat?

In a word, yes, but that answer is somewhat limited.

Typically the trick to burning fat, and increasing muscle tone, is to increase your Basal Metabolic Rate (the rate at which your body burns calories at rest), and my preferred method for this high volume functional weight training.

Running is great, and helps dramatically with your cardio (as does swimming), but these workouts are somewhat monostructural, and limited. When you burn calories by doing monostructural lifts, you only burn calories when you are in fact working out.

If you increase your muscle density (particularly through high volume weight training) you will increase your basal metabolic rate. You may have heard that your body is warm blooded, you may have also heard that muscles weighs more than fat, well, combine these two mindsets, and it equals that muscle burns more calories than fat by definition. Increase muscle density, and you will burn calories in your sleep.

Feel free to follow along with our WOD's here: http://factumutah.com/crossfit-wod

Factum CrossFit and Mixed Martial Arts | CrossFit in Utah | FightPedia | Factum MMA Blog | www.factumutah.com | MMA in Utah

CrossFitting at home? Here's what you need

Easy question, short answer

Squat Rack

Pull up bar

Kettle bells (varying sizes)

Rowing Machine

At least 2 Olympic Bars

Bumper Plates

Hard rubber mats to drop Olympic bars on

Plyo Box (can be built at Home depot)

GHD

Measure 400m, 800m, 1600m from your front door.

Follow along to our gyms workouts at http://factumutah.com/crossfit-wod

Factum CrossFit and Mixed Martial Arts | CrossFit in Utah | FightPedia | Factum MMA Blog | www.factumutah.com | MMA in Utah

What is more dangerous? Boxing or MMA?

What is more dangerous?  Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts?  Well, it all depends on where and when! Are we talking about in a single boxing match or a lifetime of the sport?

This is like comparing, what is more dangerous, slamming your head into a table repeatedly, or getting into a car accident where you receive one massive blow to the head.

In a boxing match you get hit much more, and with a somewhat padded glove.  But because the glove is padded, it takes many more strikes to the head to knock someone out, therefore, the brain will get exceedingly more "concussed" as the match carries on, also in boxing matches, the boxer must endure a great amount of strikes before any referee will decide to stop the bought.  

In MMA, the 4-ounce fingerless gloves offer little in the way of protecting the brain from sustaining damage, and although the single strikes in boxing are much more often, the single strikes in MMA land with a much greater amount of force.  Studies have shown that consistent blows to the brain are bad for long term brain health.  But this is only to speak of the brain, what about the rest of the body?

So far in the discussion we have only spoken about the brain, however, in MMA, damage can be incurred through a multitude of ways.  Submissions, knees, shins, elbows, et cetera.  This makes broken bones FAR more likely.  

Finally, I have only discussed the damage in a match, but what about a lifetime in the sport, just hanging out in gyms.  Well, unfortunately, no one can answer this, as every MMA gym is different from one another, and every boxing gym is different from one another.  Some gyms encourage hardcore sparring.  Most gyms (even ones that train pro fighters), encourage light sparring, in essence, sparring that doesn't do a lot of damage to brain or body.  I would focus on those gyms first, both sports are about longevity and experience, and you can't have experience if you're concussed all the time.

Factum CrossFit and Mixed Martial Arts | CrossFit in Utah | FightPedia | Factum MMA Blog | www.factumutah.com | MMA in Utah

Where and how to train your kicks

I feel like a healthy mix of hanging bags, sparring lightly with partners, moving bag men and stand alone bags are your best bet.  

Hanging bags sway (similar to an opponent) and force you to move around to complete your strikes.  You learn timing on a hanging bag as well, being able to hit the bag just right to stop the momentum is extremely valuable.  

Stand-alone bags are also useful.  They don't sway, and for this reason you can work the bag with as much force as possible.  They are also normally soft, so beginners can wail away.  They allow for learning unconventional kicks, like double kicks, spinning kicks, side kicks, etc without having the target move around so you can really work the form, and develop your power.

Moving bag man are great, because you can work your power, and if the bag man is any good, he should be moving like a real opponent, thus you can develop your timing as if it's a real fight.

Sparring is great as well.  You can learn to place your kicks and more importantly, you allow yourself to get hit.  Everybody is a hero against a bag, but striking is awfully different when the bag hits back.  Many different ways to spar (open hand, light sparring, rough sparring), and all are useful.  Just don't break any bones, as that will put you back a few months!

Most cities have MMA gyms that train pro fighters, if you're ever in Salt Lake City, UT, I'd check out Factum CrossFit and MMA |  Factum MMA

What would MMA be like under zero-gravity?

I got a fantastic question during a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class the other day, and I truly did not know how to answer it. So, after a night worth of pondering, I think I have my answer. The question was “What would be different about MMA if the bout happened in zero-gravity"?

Fighting in zero gravity would have to be based on an entirely novel system. I think the focus would be almost entirely grappling based, specifically jiu-jitsu I believe would retain the most important martial art.  

Put us in a space craft, where we are floating about and we lose our footing, where , and have no floor to posture from, this makes conventional knockout strikes such as any punch or kick virtually useless.  That being said, if you were to pull an effective guard, you could still create torque on your strike by using your oppenents body against him.  

Let’s say you are an all-american wrestler, congrats here on terra-firma, but a takedown would be A) almost impossible B) Where would you take him down to, if it’s just as easy to float to the ceiling and C) how would you start your takedown?

Boxing and kickboxing would be deemed useless as well, because in both of these sports, almost all of your power is derived from the floor.  

On a similar note, most of the Muay Thai sport would be useless, except that the clinch-work, which uses your opponents body to create much of the torque of the strikes would still be useful.  

The optimal positioning would be to pull a full guard or mount and work for submissions.  While doing this you could set much of your submissions up off elbows to the face, which could still be effective, as again, much of the power of an elbow from guard is derived from your opponents body, or basic core strength.

All-in-all, I would be fascinated with this type of match-up.  I would like to see a tournament similar to the original UFC’s, where each competitor is not a mixed-martial-artist, but rather, which skill-set would prove most effective in such a scenario!

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