“It’s unfair to be sabotaged by lack of training facilities after you’ve been working so hard to move forward”
This is a dilemma I’ve been faced with many times in my 25-years experience in combat sports and strength and conditioning – both in my own competitive days, and with the fighters & athletes I’ve worked work with.
Fighters lose progress and momentum when they’re unable to keep up the adaptations they’ve made previously – especially when traveling or training abroad.
When fighters go on vacation or travel, they usually either try to maintain their fitness with some runs and light workouts… or just forget about it completely.
The dedicated ones do their best with push ups, sit ups, and running – but it’s never enough, and they inevitably lose the levels of athleticism & conditioning they’ve built up prior, especially when they’re gone for a month or more.
Even fighters training in Thailand tend to lose important athletic qualities, due to the imbalanced training regimes of Thai-style training (lots of long runs, bag work, and pad work but virtually no proper Strength & Conditioning).
After running into this problem countless times, both in my own fighting career and in training other fighters, I set out to create the solution myself – a complete S&C training programme using a minimal amount of equipment, adjustable for fighters and beginners, and suitable for travel or training abroad.
The “Minimum Equipment Program” – A Complete S&C Protocol built for the traveling fighter
This program builds all the athletic qualities necessary for high performance in Muay Thai, using only 3 main pieces of equipment:
- TRX (or similar) suspension straps
- Self-myofascial release (SMFR) massage ball or roller
- Training Cones (Field Markers)
These items are easily transportable and can be taken anywhere, making it easy and convenient for people who are traveling or constantly on-the-go to not just maintain their athleticism, but to significantly improve it using only a few pieces of equipment.
Who this is for
Fighters who want to improve (not just maintain) striking-specific strength, power, speed, and endurance while traveling or on vacation
Fighters training in Thailand – either short-term or long-term – and want to grow as much as possible during their time there, without sacrificing performance in their Muay Thai sessions
People whose job, career, or business involves traveling a lot
People without easy access to full gym facilities & equipment, or who simply like to keep their training minimal and portable as possible
People who are not yet training Muay Thai seriously or full-time, but want to build the base levels of athleticism & mobility to prepare for more serious training down the line
What’s Included
1. TRX Suspension Training Program
The TRX Suspension Training Program is designed to develop athletic performance & movement skills using only two pieces of equipment:
- a TRX Suspension Strap System (or any other similar)
- a massage (or lacrosse) ball
If I could only train with ONE piece of equipment, this would be it – as a single piece of equipment, Suspension Straps are the most valuable & versatile piece of equipment you can invest in. They weren’t lying when they called it an All-In-One training system.
This one piece of kit effectively replaces the adaptations allowed by an entire gym setup – barbells – if used PROPERLY, incorporating the right exercise variations, volume, and intensity.
A TRX Suspension Trainer allows you to progressively vary the amount of resistance your body weight effectively applies to any exercise movement – both to increase and decrease load.
It also provides you the ability to train your “pulling” pattern anywhere, something that’s impossible without either an external structure or piece of kit.
And the ability to vary the applied load (to suit your own strength and power levels), allows you to train varying velocities in your exercises. Velocities that match the various requirements of the strength, power, and speed that are necessary for Muay Thai.
The exercise versatility using a TRX allows you to not only progress the exercise intensity, but also the movement complexity – thus enabling progressive motor pattern skill development.
Not to mention if you’re travelling with it, a TRX packs up super small and weighs virtually nothing itself!
2. MAS Cardio Conditioning Program
The MAS protocol is a system used to create all of the endurance & conditioning adaptations to develop world-class cardio conditioning, without all the massive, expensive, hard-to-find pieces of equipment you see fighters using on Instagram.
Complete athletic conditioning involves the development of the body’s 3 main energy systems –
Aerobic, Anaerobic Lactic, and Anaerobic Alactic – which work in different ratios depending on length and intensity of activity:
Each energy system has two qualities: Capacity (total amount of energy) and Power (rate at which this energy can be used)
This gives us a total of 6 qualities to develop when it comes to energy systems.
To develop each energy system requires training with a certain amount of intensity for a certain amount of time.
It can get incredibly complicated, but it’s absolutely crucial if you want to win your fights.
This is why I created the Cardio Conditioning Program.
It’s a complete conditioning system designed to build ALL energy system qualities, in the right ratios and order for optimal fight performance – and requires no special equipment other than training cones (and an interval timer app).
It’s the best solution for those who need to stay on top of their conditioning, even if they don’t have access to equipment like indoor spinner bikes, rowing machines, or push/pull “prowler” sleds.
Every session gives you a precise training prescription based on your specific level of aerobic fitness, hitting exactly the right level of intensity and training volume to condition your energy systems for the demands of Muay Thai – and does so using the shortest training sessions possible.
This system is meant to “fill the gap” in your conditioning that your Muay Thai training doesn’t address – a gap that’s either left unfilled (in the case of fighters who don’t do S&C) or addressed through the use of bulky cardio machines.
Optimised For Long-Term Athletic Development Through Conjugate Periodisation
This program is divided into three 4-week training blocks. Each training block focuses on intensely building ONE athletic quality at a time (strength, power, or speed), while maintaining other qualities
This creates the optimal time frame for athletic adaptations & recovery, while maximising the amount of progress possible in any given month.
Functional Strength (4 Weeks)
Build the ability to generate maximal force using proper movement patterns
- Improve muscle fibre recruitment
- Strengthen full range of motion
- Increased strength to weight ratio
- Increase aerobic power levels
- Improve balance and stability
Explosive Power (4 Weeks)
Convert your Functional Strength into Explosive Power
- Increase ability to generate high forces more quickly
- Improve explosive timing and rate of relaxation for improved strike coordination
- Increase power to weight ratio
- Increase aerobic power levels at a higher intensity for quicker recovery between combos
Maximum Speed (4 Weeks)
Convert your Explosive Power into Maximum Speed
- Increase maximum speed, to move and strike faster than your opponent
- Build lactic power tolerance, push fight endurance to the limit
- Use exercises that convert strength, power and speed into fight specific performance
- Remove all fatigue and peak for fight night, not the day before or after
How it all stacks up over time:
“Don Heatrick is a special case because he has been in the trenches as an athlete and spent his life towards studying athletic development from the greats as well. I can assure you that his training principle and programs are well thought out and filled with both experience and research.”
Lawrence Kenshin
Combat Sports Analyst, Owner Striking Breakdowns
Complete Athletic Strength & Conditioning WITHOUT the fancy equipment
The overall goal of S&C is to improve sport performance by
Increasing Athletic Performance qualities: strength, power, speed, and endurance
Improving Movement qualities – flexibility, mobility, balance, stability and coordination
That’s a lot of qualities to build, and most S&C programs don’t build them to the level or ratios that a complex, dynamic sport like Muay Thai requires.
Programs that DO develop these (including mine) tend to use a lot of equipment. Consider the equipment elite athletes and fighters typically use for Strength & Conditioning:
For strength, power, and speed: Barbells, Trap Bars, Kettlebells, Dumbbells, Medicine balls, Plyo Boxes, Agility Ladders
For endurance & cardio: prowler sleds, row machines, stationary bikes, treadmills, aerodynes
These are all great – each piece has their place in a proper Strength & Conditioning program.
But there always comes a point when fighters need a way to do conditioning WITHOUT access to all of these… Especially if they’re traveling, training in a foreign country, or simply don’t have access to well-equipped training facilities.
And in S&C – just like any craft – it’s not about the tools, but how you use them. Exercises and equipment are only tools used to develop specific adaptations – so I created this programme to develop these same adaptations, without all the bulky equipment.
The combination of TRX and MAS develops ALL the athletic performance qualities, movement qualities, and energy systems needed for Muay Thai.
It’s a complete Strength & Conditioning programme that can be used to address a short-term lack of equipment, but also allows enough progressive overload for long-term athletic development.
“I think I told you this in our video meeting, I followed your suspension training system exclusively for about a year and it helped my performance tremendously.
Research also says that basically the least important factor in program design is which particular exercise you pick to train a movement or characteristic.
Your program satisfies all the movement pattern and force/velocity curve requirements, so the fact that it is “only” using a suspension system instead of weights is largely inconsequential. It’s a great program. Thanks.”
Sam Goldner, Pn1, CSCS
3 Training Models for Varying Levels of Volume & Intensity
I designed this program with efficiency in mind, to facilitate the greatest amount of progress in the least amount of time necessary.
I also kept in mind that there are different fighters with different kinds of needs. So I created 3 different training models for 3 different kinds of fighters:
Minimum Training Model:
For beginners or people who are simply busy with work, family, and other life commitments.
Maybe Muay Thai is just a hobby or way of keeping fit, or maybe they want to prepare until the day they can train more seriously and fight.
The Minimum training model consists of:
2x Suspension Resistance Training Sessions each week
1x Cardio Conditioning Training Session each week (optional)
2x suggested Muay Thai Training Sessions each week
Pro Training Model:
For more dedicated students and fighters who can commit to training with a higher amount of volume and intensity, and want to make as much progress as time allows.
The full (Pro Fighter) training model consists of:
2x Suspension Resistance Training Sessions each week
3x Cardio Conditioning Training Session each week (optional)
5x suggested Muay Thai Training Sessions each week
Thailand Training Model:
For fighters training in Thailand, with intense schedules (up to 2 sessions/day, 6-7 days/week)
When fighting in Thailand, you often can’t compromise or substitute MT sessions for S&C sessions. Thai trainers often believe supplemental training isn’t necessary, and if you’re fighting under them, you’ve got to respect their rules even if you disagree with them…
So I’ve worked out programming for fighters in Thailand that allows them to integrate proper S&C into their high-volume MT schedule, so they can build a complete & robust athletic profile without compromising performance in their MT sessions or risk overtraining.
2x Suspension Resistance Training Sessions each week
3x Cardio Conditioning Training Session each week (optional)
12x suggested Muay Thai Training Sessions each week including a mixture of technique drilling and sparring
No matter which suits you best now, you’ll get all 3 training programs when you enrol in the MEP.
So if you ever decide to start training harder & more often, take it easy when things get busy, or fly out to Thailand for a fight camp – you’ll have the program that’s exactly right for you.
Never Lose Training Momentum Again
The Minimal Equipment Program includes:
TRX Suspension Training Program (previously sold for £49.99)
MAS Cardio Conditioning Program (previously sold for £49.99)
3 Periodised training blocks
- Functional Strength
- Explosive Power
- Maximum Speed
Detailed training plans & PDF print-outs
Step-by-step exercise tutorial videos
3 types of weekly training models
- Minimum Training Model
- Full Training Model
- Thailand Training Model
Access to Heavy Hitters Forum, where I personally answer your questions & give exclusive recommendations
What makes this program different:
Allows fighters to maintain a structured training routine so they can travel & train abroad without losing hard-earned athletic progress
Develops athletic qualities that are left underdeveloped by Muay Thai, long runs, & basic strength training alone
Includes 3 different training schedules for varying levels of volume & intensity – optimised programming for everyone from beginners & busy people who can only train a few times per week, to fighters training full-time in Thailand (2x/day, 6 days/week)
Focuses on functional motor patterns that directly translate to improved techniques & movements used in Muay Thai (and similar striking sports)
Simultaneously improves Athletic Performance qualities (strength, power, speed, and endurance) and Movement qualities (balance, flexibility, stability, mobility and coordination) through a combination of functional training & conjugate periodisation
The Heavy Hitter Guarantee
I’ve spent the last 25 years developing this Strength & Conditioning system for Thai boxers and I have never seen any other program that consistently and reliably generates significant results like this does.
This system has been tested with over 200 athletes, ranging from total beginners to world-class fighters, and the system has produced significant results in every single athlete that followed the program.
And I have never even once been asked for a refund. Simply because this system works, as long as you do.
So here’s my promise:
Go through the 3 training blocks, stick to the program consistently for 3 months.
If, by the end of the first Dominant Speed block, your performance hasn’t significantly improved as a result…
Just shoot an email to support@heatrick.com to get a full refund.
Frequently Asked Questions
TRX Suspension Training:
TRX sessions run 60-90min per session, including setup and cleanup.
When figuring it out for the first time, it may take a minute or two to set up the straps for an exercise.
Once you’re familiar, it’ll take literally seconds!
MAS Cardio Conditioning:
Conditioning sessions are 20-60 min max, including setup and cleanup.
For setup: It’ll take less than a couple of minutes to measure out and place the three cones.
I recommend using a Measuring Wheel for speed & convenience if you can get your hands on one
You can also use a tape measure instead, it’s just less convenient if you have a short tape measure (that you have to keep marking the floor and shifting along)!
Alternatively, you can also “pace out” the distance, which first involves practicing consistently striding approximately 1-metre every stride as you walk. Then counting your strides as you walk away from your starting cone, to place your shuttle distance cone. This is probably the least precise method but it’ll get the job done without any equipment at all, once you’ve got a feel for how long 1-metre is.
Most likely you’ll be able to find pull-up bars at a local park, or go to your Muay Thai gym and set up your straps wherever heavy bags are hung from
If you plan on training at home, you can buy an anchor mount on sites like Amazon
MAS can be set up anywhere you can run, indoors or outdoors, with approx. (longest length) metres of space
Any straps will do, TRX is just the most popular and is what I personally use when demonstrating the exercises in the program.
Gym rings can be used for the vast majority of the exercises without any issues at all. There are some exercises that use the “foot cradle”, which depending on the size of your feet, may not prove practical (or comfortable)!
TRX training is my weapon of choice when there’s no access to other gym equipment, but Kettlebells are a very versatile tool if they’re available.
If I had to choose between the two and budget wasn’t a major factor, I’d go for a good range of kettlebells.
My reason would be that it’s easier to overload the strength and power training exercises to an even greater degree with kettlebells. This would give me even greater progression over the longer term.
However, this wouldn’t be a portable set up, and would cost significantly more to cover the range of weights needed for a complete training program.
It really depends on where you are starting from athletically… but I’d expect that after 12-months on the program (running through 3 complete training phases) you would need to switch things up, to avoid a performance plateau.
At the start of each block of training, you carry out a MAS test to find how far you can run in 5 mins. The program then calculates precise shuttle run distances just for you. A bit like a rep-max test for weight training exercises!
Each block then trains you at a percentage of your own maximal aerobic speed for the various interval protocols in each block, to get exactly what we need from your fitness at the right time.
You’ll not reach a plateau with this program, you’ll just either hit your genetic limit or psychological limit!
As you get fitter, you’ll score better in the MAS test. This sets the new level for all the shuttle training sessions in each block, which are designed to take your current level of fitness, and make it even better. This “rinse and repeat” chases your fitness ever higher… it never gets any easier, you just become capable of more and more!
But I’d say that after 12-months on the program you’d want to switch to some other training methods to avoid training monotony, before coming back to it again.
You can certainly figure it out on your own. I’ve even provided the scientific basis for this program in a video series – The Science of Building Champions – and have summarised the most important, practical elements in The Optimal 12-Week Fight Camp Blueprint.
But this is NOT just another program with sets / reps like you can find for free anywhere online.
And the exact programming of sessions throughout the week to optimize energy systems and recovery is not so easy to figure out, especially for the sport of Muay Thai where you have to balance cardio, resistance training, and technical training across the week.
This is what makes my program unique from any other Strength & Conditioning program:
- It is a complete S&C system that builds the 4 fundamental athletic qualities of a complete fighter – strength, speed, power, and endurance – using only the most efficient and effective exercises and training methods
- It’s designed precisely to meet the training and recovery demands of a Muay Thai fighter
- It develops the exact qualities needed to excel in a fight, in the right order, with exact ratios and timing needed to peak exactly on fight night
- It is designed so that you do NOT lose gains each time you move onto a new block of training… but systematically builds upon each quality, block by block, to ensure maximum strength, speed, power, and endurance by the end of each 12-week training camp
I’ve had many experienced fighters and athletes use this program to get faster, better results than anything they’ve tried before.
In fact, it’s the experienced ones who often get the fastest and best results, because they’ve already got the athletic foundation or skill needed to run the program properly.
They’re experienced in the weight room and don’t need to take as much time learning the movement patterns and exercises. And they’ve got the work ethic and discipline to do what needs to be done without excuses.
So the biggest game-changer in joining this program is learning how to learning how to structure their training – including cardio, skill work, strength training, and sparring – in a way that optimises for maximal gains, and manages both recovery and fatigue.
This allows them to break past those plateaus they’ve been struggling with for years, since they’ve already made significant progress toward their genetic potential.
The closer you get to your genetic potential, the more careful & strategic you have to be with your training to ensure you continue to grow rather than plateau.
A single session programmed incorrectly, with too much volume or in between other grueling technical/sparring sessions, can leave you too fatigued for your body to recover and kill your progress for the rest of the week.
The MEP is optimized to ensure maximum gains with minimal fatigue, and prevent compromise between different training sessions.
So for more experienced athletes and fighters, this program takes the work ethic and discipline they already have, and channels them toward the most efficient efforts and methods, to create growth and development faster than anything else they’ve tried before.
You will still follow the 12-week fight camp structure. This is the ideal format for developing your fundamental athletic qualities – strength, power, speed, and endurance – in the balanced ratios ideal for Muay Thai.
While fighters will want to prolong specific blocks for “more gains” in a certain area, there is a significant disadvantage.
For example, some may want to extend the Functional Strength block for as long as 8-12 weeks because they’re ecstatic about the progress they’re making. So they want to continue full-speed ahead and continue to make as much progress in this area as possible.
The problem with this is that it creates an imbalance of strength-to-speed that is counter-productive to performance in Muay Thai. The extended time period training slow-twitch contractions takes a toll on their explosiveness, agility, and speed.
So they inevitably become slower in padwork, bagwork, sparring, and fighting because their training created adaptations suited for slow-twitch functions.
And when they finally start to convert strength into power, the process loses efficiency – a lot of conditioning and movement patterns must be undone in order to re-optimise for Muay Thai, and some of the strength they built in the last block isn’t fully converted into power later on.
To put it simply… they satisfy their ego by getting stronger in the short-term, but gains are lost in the long-term.
The key is to train to create the right adaptations, in the right order, with the right ratios and timing.
Otherwise your body will optimise for other activities – e.g. olympic weightlifting or powerlifting – rather than for Muay Thai.
It’s a delicate balancing act that must be treated with respect and precision. This is where Functional Training and Periodisation come in – to ensure your body is optimised specifically for Muay Thai, rather than anything else that doesn’t matter come fight night.
Trust me when I say I’ve put a lot of thought and consideration into this, and I’ve tested with countless athletes and have fairly considered all options – until you’ve used this system for about 1 year to reach a certain level and balance of strength, power, speed, and endurance… it’s not worth it to play around with what’s laid out in the program.
Yes, absolutely – in fact, so many of my students are frequent fighters that I’ve included modules that explain exactly how to program your S&C to fit your frequent fighting schedule.
I completely understand. It’s tough to be a fighter. Muay Thai isn’t a money sport, and you’ve got other bills to cover, including your MT training, food, rent, and all your other life expenses.
I’ve been in this boat myself. Even pro fighters don’t make a huge amount of money in this sport.
So I’ve made this as cost-efficient as possible, to allow dedicated fighters to get all the benefits of a personal S&C coach, without the massive price tag that comes with working with someone in person.
And not only do you get full access to all the modules, instructional videos, training plans for life…
This system is also designed to prevent injury by strengthening your joints/tendons/ligaments, installing proper functional movement patterns, and increasing your balance, mobility, and range of motion.
By following this program you will significantly fortify your body, and are likely to spend much less money fixing injuries in the long run.
There investment you make in this program will more than pay you back, not only in your physical performance, but in maintaining an active life for lifetime!
You can get your place on the program now, and start whenever you are ready… you are buying lifetime access to this program (and all future upgrades to the content.
You can either modify your training (asking for advice in the Heavy Hitter community forum), or take time out for a while until you can safely resume your training again.
We’ll make sure you get back up to speed as quickly and efficiently as possible, so you can continue your progress from where you left off before your injury.
It’s made this way in order to ensure that you get the results you signed up for.
We live in an era where almost everything sold online is supposedly a “magic pill” or “instant success formula”.
This is not a magic solution that will make you a champion overnight.
This is a system based on principles and theory. It is meant to be molded to fit your specific goals and training situation.
This system works only if you put in the work. And it does NOT create “instant” results. It takes consistent effort in the right direction to achieve success and move toward your goals.
I’ve received many testimonials from clients and students telling me they’ve achieved significant results as early as the first couple of weeks. But after 3 months, there should be no doubt that your performance has significantly improved.
If this is not the case, just shoot me an email at support@heatrick.com to get a full refund.
“Hey mate, I have already done two TRX S&C sessions and I am truly amazed by this program.
I am so grateful that I found this program and I’m promoting this program to my friends and fighters and hoping more people can get access to this first class Muay Thai S&C program :) ”
Commit To The Program!
“Tailored strength and conditioning for Muay Thai from the very best.
“In around 4 months, my strength, power, speed, and fitness were at an all time peak.”
“Commit to the program and even the seasoned athlete will see improvement by way of the strategic and accumulative approach to training.”
Dave Yeomans, UKMeshes Really Well!
“Hey Don! I won my fight last weekend! Just wanted to thank you for all your help.
“I truly enjoy your S&C coaching and program, very happy with the results. The S&C program meshes really well with the MT training.”
Julian Nguyen, USAHuge Value!
“My engine is running the best it ever has and I am very grateful.
Your product has huge value and I hope it continues to serve the Muay Thai community as they start to come around.“
Gary Rowley, UKNever Lose Training Momentum Again
The Minimal Equipment Program includes:
TRX Suspension Training Program (previously sold for £49.99)
MAS Cardio Conditioning Program (previously sold for £49.99)
3 Periodised training blocks
- Functional Strength
- Explosive Power
- Maximum Speed
Detailed training plans & PDF print-outs
Step-by-step exercise tutorial videos
3 types of weekly training models
- Minimum Training Model
- Full Training Model
- Thailand Training Model
Access to Heavy Hitters Forum, where I personally answer your questions & give exclusive recommendations
