New trend in fighting: Is Hormone Replacement Therapy really needed?

Hey guys! There's a new trend out there!


......STACKED fighters are claiming they have low test levels requiring Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)...perhaps they should address the real issue behind their low levels?

Nate Marquadt now joins the ever increasing list of fighters not cleared to fight due to high levels of testosterone level in his blood sample. 
See Marquadt coming clean in this interview:


Marquadt comes clean...

I'm not contesting wether or not they have low testosterone levels, but the REAL reason for this should be explored before a fighter commences HRT!


This could be:
- Overtraining
- Poor diet
- Excessive use of P.E.D's (Performance Enhancing Drugs)
- Not resting enough- not enough sleep.
- Adrenal overload
- Excessive use of stimulants
- Excessive stress
- Poor supplementation strategy.


Question is....where the above examined and addressed before giving Marquardt HRT?


Nate now joins the ever increasing list of fighters getting busted for Testosterone use. Recently we had Thiago Silva and James Irvin in 2011, and the high profile Chael Sonnen last year!

This seems to be becoming more common place each year.....


Steroid busts by year: 
’02: 1
’03: 1
’04: 1
’05: 1
’06: 4
’07: 14 (!)
’08: 5
’09: 4
’10: 2
’11: 2


Steroid busts by commission:
NSAC: 10
CSAC: 22
UFC’s independent testing: 3


Personally I would like to see these fighters exploring other avenues to get their hormone level up naturally, by addressing the above issues and working with professionals such as Mike Mahler who specialises in natural Hormone optimisation.
I always monitor my fighter's diet, work:rest ratio according to how their feeling, and ensure they do not show signs of excessive fatigue or injury.


If you're a fighter and have any of the following signs, you may have hormone issues:

• Lethargy- constant fatigue
• Lack of sex drive
• Insomnia
• Poor performance in training and fights
• Weight gain
• High stress levels
• Constantly injured
• Rapid weight loss

If you're showing any of the above signs, you should have your diet dialled in by a professional, and re- assess your training.

Remember REST is important too- so plan that in to your training schedule. In my experience fighters are more likely to over-train, than under-train.

There's a lot you can do before you go down the route of the needle!


Christian Vila.

Oli Thompson retains title against Mark Potter!

Oli Thompson will wake up today, safe in the knowledge his is the top Heavyweight MMA fighter in the U.K!

Having beaten Mark Potter in the first round last night at UCMMA at the Troxy, London- Oli was buzzing, but calm as always! 

Game face.

Oli managed 2-3 double leg takedowns within the first two minutes, he was just too strong for 
Potter who actually came in 2kg heavier than Oli!

Oli in top position.

Interestingly Potter did not connect with any of his punches...he seemed slower than usual, or 
at least very wary of commiting himself.
In the end Oli secured the final takedown near the side of the cage, put his head against the 
cage and rained down a few punches, one which cut Potter.
As Potter tried to stand back up, Oli retained wrist control, whilst managing to stay busy on
Potter's face.


Finally with just over a minute left in the first round, Oli took his back and wrapped in the now 
notorious Rear Naked choke (which also submitted his last opponant Ben Smith). Potter 
quickly tapped out before Oli even had hooks in.

The winning combo.

Both fighters where very respectful of each other, with Potter showing great sportsmanship 
after the fight, even posing for photos together behind the scenes. 

Oli with Christian Vila and Kenny Moyston (Kenshiro)

Tonight! Oli Thompson defending UCMMA title!

After a perfect twelve week training camp, UCMMA Heavyweight Champion, Oli Thompson is ready to defend his title at the Troxy in London this evening against Mark Potter.

In preparation for this fight, Oli sandwiched his training with Christian Vila, with a filler of five weeks training in Huntington beach California, U.S.A.

Here he trained alongside sparring partner Cheik Congo, who is also fighting this weekend at UFC Live, against Pat Barry (http://uk.ufc.com/event/UFCLive4#/fight).

Supported by a great team including Dave Jackson and coach Dan Marino, Oli evolved his fighting skills further with hours of sparring with top level fighters at the Huntington Beach Ultimate Training Centre.

Oli with coach Dan Marino and Cheik Congo.

Having returned from his U.S.A training camp, sharper and fitter than ever, Oli then continued his training with Christian Vila who pushed his cardio further using Hurricanes and relentless combat circuits.

See how Oli prepared for this fight in the following video:

In short this has been the best training camp yet, with Oli fitter, stronger and more skilled than ever. 

Mark Potter will be facing the best Oli Thompson yet- who is evolving as a fighter with each training camp.

Be sure to Follow me on twitter (@christianvila) for up to the minute info on tonight's bout!

The bout will be televised on Sky Sports 3 this Wednesday evening.

yourMMA.tv interviews Christian Vila

Christian Vila from Combat Ready Training talks to yourMMA.tv regarding training UCMMA Heavyweight Champion, Oli Thompson.

http://www.yourmma.tv/training/details.asp/c/1/id/83/christian-vila-oli-thompson-strength-and-conditioning-q-and-a.htm

Check out the interview here:

http://www.yourmma.tv/training/details.asp/c/1/id/83/christian-vila-oli-thompson-strength-and-conditioning-q-and-a.htm

Watch last night's Strikeforce: Overeem vs Werdum!

Don't neglect your Strength training!

At the last UFC 130, Heavyweight Roy Nelson was dominated by a far stronger and fitter Frank Mir.
Roy Nelson said: "I gotta get bigger, stronger and faster"...showing he may have neglected these important aspects of his game.

There is nothing worse than coming up against an opponant who is stronger than you. It feels like you're fighting against someone of a higher weight category!

As my good friend and mentor JC Santana says:

"Strength can overcome skill"

In my experience fighters focus too much on cardiovascular endurance in fear of putting on unwanted muscle.

At Combat Ready Training, each athlete is put through at least four-weeks of Strength training. 

ZT Fighters Aftab Miah and Ryan Roe-Barnett deadlifting for superior pulling strength.

Read how we do this in our next blog post next week.

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