You know the drill. Kettlebell complexes until your palms rip off, medicine ball slams with ten seconds of rest, push-up ladders until you collapse. You leave every Muay Thai strength training session wrecked, and your power hasn't improved in [...]
Most fighters who gas out by round three are doing exactly the conditioning their coaches told them would fix it. Your engine has three separate fuel pumps, and the one fighters over-train is the one that actively caps the [...]
Google "warm ups for workouts" and you'll get 15–20 minutes for sprints. Ask about HIIT and it drops to 5–10. Same athlete. Same training week. Three different answers, none of them right. After 25 years coaching fighters who train [...]
A strength and conditioning coach working with fighters isn’t there to add more work. The role is to engineer clarity when training variables start colliding. Muay Thai athletes don’t struggle because they lack effort. They struggle because performance testing [...]
You know what to do. You've studied the Muay Thai training system—the training cycles, the energy systems, the session structure. You understand the principles of effective Muay Thai strength and conditioning. So why aren't you making the progress you [...]
Traditional Thai training produces world champions. But here's what the research says it's doing to your body — and why most Muay Thai practitioners over 30 are losing strength and power while still thinking they're training hard. I've trained [...]
There’s a secret military strategy that can transform your fighting IQ. The OODA Loop is a tactical framework that can give you a serious edge in the ring. The OODA Loop was developed by a U.S. Air Force strategist, [...]
Ever felt supremely fit going into a fight, only to gas out way sooner than you should? I recently had a coaching call with a fighter who experienced exactly this. Despite being in the best shape of his life, [...]
In Muay Thai, fighters often treat resistance training "strength AND conditioning" as one thing. But these are two distinct components: "strength" OR "conditioning." Let’s break this down… STRENGTH Training includes: Weight room-based resistance training work Plyometric and med ball [...]
“How strong do I need to be for Muay Thai — and am I strong enough?” “Why do I still gas out in sparring, even though my cardio seems solid?” These were the exact questions an experienced fighter threw [...]
Ever feel like there’s too much conflicting advice on training? One coach tells you to run every day, another says it’s a waste of time. Some fighters swear by cutting hard and fast, while others say slow and steady [...]
In part 4, scientific skills training for fighters becomes PLAYFUL! We discuss a continuum from deliberate practice – where skill training is structured and effortful, to deliberate play – where skill training is creative and enjoyable. And how there's [...]
In part 3, scientific skills training for fighters becomes STRUCTURED! "In ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it." Structure is everything. We discuss placing skills training in a periodised progression (as you approach a fight), [...]
In this first episode, we begin looking at how scientific skills training for fighters can accelerate your Muay Thai skill development by answering two fundamental questions: What’s the quickest way to learn a new Muay Thai skill with the [...]
Should fighters watch teammates competing ahead of their own fight? Coach Bryan Popejoy discusses the potential energy cost of doing so and the consequence in your own fight. Your body is a holistic system, mobilising energy based on your [...]
Fighter performance testing – it’s cool to see how you measure up… But, if you don’t use the results to personalise your training, then don’t bother testing! Progressing beyond the previous two videos (links in further resources below), let’s [...]
Pacing matters. And pacing during a 12 minute Cooper Run for fighter fitness testing is crucial. And I've seen even the fittest fighters completely blow this test! Done well, the Cooper Run not only reveals your anaerobic threshold heart [...]
When it comes to heart rate training, your maximum heart rate is far less important than knowing your anaerobic threshold heart rate. Most of the time, I don't care what a fighter's max heart rate is. But it's vital I [...]
Talking about fighter training twice a day... If it's needed, how to organise S&C training around your Muay Thai training to best effect, and which sessions to drop when you're in a pinch! Also, check out my two-part video [...]
You asked about zone 2 cardio, sparring frequency, recovering quicker between rounds and more... Here are the answers! In this episode I answer your burning Muay Thai questions, covering topics like: The benefits of Zone 2 cardio training (aka [...]
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