Panicos Yusuf came to England from Cyprus on a one-way ticket, with just £60 in his pocket and a habit of working hard... He's since achieved an incredible amount in the sport of Muay Thai, owing everything to his family, his friends, his coaches [...]
In this episode of the Science of Building Champions podcast... Jonathan Haggerty, the 24 year old, 3x World champion, and former ONE Championship Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, after beating none other than the legendary Sam A! "The General" joins us from Singapore ahead of his ONE Championship main event [...]
In this episode of the Science of Building Champions podcast... Liam Harrison, 8x World champion, current UK number 1 (and has been for 18 years), renowned Muay Thai coach in his own right, both on the world-wide seminar circuit in-person and online, and more recently, host of the “Kickin’ It” [...]
My final fight, aged 40 years... Choosing the right competitive fight weight class, and then making that weight is the fight before the fight! I’m often asked questions like, “Is fighting at 127lbs ideal for someone who's 5 '8”?” Now, there’s obviously a lot that goes into deciding [...]
Fat loss is a huge issue for Muay Thai enthusiasts of all levels. Not just cutting weight temporarily for one fight, but a long-term change in body composition – losing all unnecessary fat, so the body has only what’s useful for the highest performance. And of course, looking great is [...]
Carbs for fighters... this podcast came about as a result of calls for a follow up after the last podcast discussing the keto diet for fighters. In it you'll learn how I manipulate carbs for individual fighters to ensure their body composition, training quality, general recovery, and competitive performance are reliable and progressing nicely! [...]
Recently I shared a post on our facebook page of Joe Rogan’s podcast with Dr Andy Galpin discussing the keto diet, and I commented, “As a combat athlete, your primary fuel source will always be carbs – nothing else releases energy fast enough!” Now there are a ton of opinions on this! And I [...]
I recently watched footage of my nephew, Matthew Butcher fighting at Bangla Boxing Stadium in Phuket… …it again seems the promoters abandoned the weighing scales in favour of “eyeing up”, and memory. Obviously not the most reliable method of matching fighters! It’s frustrating for fighters and coaches alike. And Sumalee Boxing Gym now refuse to [...]
I got the chance to talk Muay Thai nutrition with Sam Miller, founder of SBG Nutrition, and we certainly cover some ground in this Podcast interview. Sam candidly shares his experience working in person with Thai boxers at Sumalee Gym in Phuket, and online with fighters from around the word, along with regular 'health' clients. We [...]
As a Muay Thai and strength and conditioning coach, you may expect that I'm focused on body weight goals for my clients. But I'm not. I really don't care what you weigh. Apart from making weight for a fight, scales aren't a big player in my assessment of your progress. Too much is made [...]
I'm sure you've experienced this before – you're expecting to fight on a show at around 6pm, but the event organisation has gone awry. It's 9pm already, and you're STILL waiting for your slot in the fight schedule. You've planned and prepared your food and snacks to maintain energy levels, and that has now [...]
Do you want to increase strength and power, while torching body fat too? Here's a two-sessions per week programme (used on non-consecutive days) that not only improves body composition, but also builds athletic ability. Each session consists of two circuits; firstly a short plyometric power circuit (speed), and secondly a power (speed-strength) and strength-endurance metabolic [...]
Following on from Part 1 and Part 2, this time I'll share my approach to rehydrating and restocking energy after the weigh-in. I'll begin with my rationale and then break down simply what to eat and drink, and when. Rehydrating Temporary weight loss for a fight comes almost entirely through mild dehydration. [...]
When starting out on novice or C-class shows, you'll be expected to weigh-in and fight on the same day. This drastically changes things - what to cut and why.
For those that like a direct answer... YES. ;) Why as a Thai boxer should you be concerned with the carbohydrates you consume? Here's another direct answer: fat loss or gain energy crashes during training and fights fuelling for training sessions over an hour long refuelling for multiple training sessions in one day weight [...]
