A Week in the Life of an MMA Fighter

 Ever wonder what it's like to train for the big fight? We all grew up watching Rocky—Sly Stallone rocking the evil Russian Ivan Drago! Well, maybe we didn't all grow up on Rocky, but a few of you probably remember Mike Tyson eating ears. But these days, mixed martial arts (MMA) is all the rage and, for many, it has replaced boxing as the sport of choice. We asked our resident ambassador professional MMA fighter, Phil Gonzalez, to take us through an average training week and how he uses water for optimum performance.  Take it away Phil …

On average I do about ten workouts a week, so staying hydrated is essential to maintaining my highest levels of performance. I can tell when I’m dehydrated because I feel tired, sore, and irritable. It’s not uncommon for me to drink upwards of two gallons of water per day to replenish what I lose from sweat during workouts. Staying hydrated is critical in a mixed martial arts gym to prevent injuries. As a fighter, when your body is dehydrated, it is not able to perform at its best, which could have dangerous results in a violent sport.

In other sporting activities, consequences of dehydration could be that you are penalized when you don't stay focused or that you get beat on a play because your muscles are cramping. However, in mixed martial arts, one bad choice mentally or being one step behind physically can result in anything from cuts and bruises to, unfortunately, sometimes being knocked unconscious.

When you’re not feeling  great, you are prone to mistakes—and, in a fight, that can result in major injuries. My body is my biggest asset so drinking plenty of water assures I can safely and effectively compete at a high level. Without my supply of water from Eldorado Natural Spring Water, performing well at the pro level simply wouldn’t be possible.

Below is a brief snippet of my workouts during a typical fight camp to help you envision how much water I have to consume to stay on top of my game:

Saturday

7:00 a.m.—8:00 a.m.
Strength and conditioning
 

9:30 a.m.—10:00 a.m.
Mitt session
One-on-one coaching to work on striking and technique

10:30 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Muay Thai

Sunday

Recovery day
3—7mile run

Monday

5:30 p.m.—7:00 p.m.
Fight team MMA practice

Tuesday

6:00 a.m.—7:00 a.m.
Strength and conditioning

5:30 p.m.—7:00 p.m.
Fight team MMA practice

7:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.
No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Wednesday

Active recovery

Thursday

6:00 a.m.—7:00 a.m.
Strength and conditioning

5:30 a.m.—7:00 p.m.
Fight team No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practice

Friday

5:30 p.m.—7:30 p.m.
Pro fight team sparring