Combat Sports
Geoffrey Chiu
MMA Strength & Conditioning - Experts ...

With the pride, fame, and money that comes with prize-fighting, it's extremely important for strength and conditioning coaches to ensure the fighters are in top physical condition come fight night - the fighters' health depend on it.Strength and conditioning work must be balanced with martial arts skills training and psychological performance and therefore presents a complex problem for performance coaches to solve. Luckily there are professionals in the field to do just that - create strong and healthy athletes to elevate the sport of MMA.

MMA Strength & Conditioning - Experts ROUNDTABLE
Programming
Geoffrey Chiu
Periodization of Skill Acquisition & ...

Much of periodization has been focused around physical training, and how micro, meso, and macrocycles can be set up to aid in the improvement of strength, power and endurance. The periodization of skill acquisition and practice however, has yet to be examined to the same degree. In this article, I review a research paper by Farrow & Robertson (2016) and breakdown the "SPORT" framework of skill periodiation.

Periodization of Skill Acquisition & Performance
Programming
Geoffrey Chiu
Tapering & Peaking: How To Design A Taper ...

Part 2 will cover the details of a proper taper/peaking protocol. The manipulation of training variables will be discussed as well as the performance improvements that are expected from a taper.

Tapering & Peaking: How To Design A Taper and Peak For Sports Performance [Part 2 of Peaking Series]
Programming
Geoffrey Chiu
Overreaching and Overtraining [Part 1 of ...

Before we dive into the specifics of a deloading or tapering protocol, we must better understand why they're needed in the first place. Part 1 will go over the concept of overreaching, overtraining, and what type of stressors and symptoms an athlete might experience as a result of hard training.

Overreaching and Overtraining [Part 1 of Peaking Series]
Strength Training, Powerlifting
Geoffrey Chiu
The Building Blocks of Powerlifting Performance

First off, what is base building? It's a term I like to use to describe the rudimentary steps a beginner or intermediate strength athlete has to take in order to become successful 1, 3, or even 10 years down the road. 

The Building Blocks of Powerlifting Performance

Training Thoughts

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Training Session Structure, Single Leg Explosiveness and High/Low Training - Combat Sports S&C Q&A #1

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Training Session Structure, Single Leg Explosiveness and High/Low Training - Combat Sports S&C Q&A #1

This week’s questions and answers session covers topics such as training session structure, single leg training for power and explosiveness as well as high/low training categorization.

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Optimizing The Warm-Up Using RAMP & Mobility Flows

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Optimizing The Warm-Up Using RAMP & Mobility Flows

The warm-up is also a component I’ve never stopped trying to refine over the years of coaching. I continuously ask myself: how do I help my athletes reach physiological and psychological readiness in the fastest, most efficient way possible?

A few principles I utilise follows the “RAMP” acronym.

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Best Strength & Conditioning Books For The Thinking Coach

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Best Strength & Conditioning Books For The Thinking Coach

Almost monthly, I receive the question - “What books on strength & conditioning do you recommend?”. And every month I list out several books off the top of my head that I think ANY strength & conditioning coach can benefit from. But the reality is, the content you should be reading will be determined largely by your experience as a coach thus far in your career as well as the education you’ve received up until now.

8 Lessons Learned In The Field of Strength & Conditioning: A Coaching Reflection

8 Lessons Learned In The Field of Strength & Conditioning: A Coaching Reflection

What was originally planned as a journal for myself, I decided to edit and share with the world. As the title suggests, the list below consists of lessons I have learned throughout the years in the field of strength & conditioning and coaching. Many of them were unexpected and hard to bounce back from. But all of them made me a better coach at the end of the day.

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Hypertrophy vs. Strength Periodization: Thoughts on Linear vs. DUP Programming

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Hypertrophy vs. Strength Periodization: Thoughts on Linear vs. DUP Programming

Recently, there's been some discussion about the differences in periodization for hypertrophy/muscle gain vs. strength and I just wanted to clear the air and give my take on it.

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Periodization 202: Training Phases, Residual & Cumulative Training Effects

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Periodization 202: Training Phases, Residual & Cumulative Training Effects

Periodization, the systematic planning of exercise and athletic training. It is one of the cornerstones of high level sports and physical performance and without it, training has no context and no direction.

This series will cover the big picture as well as dive into the small nuances of what makes periodization such an important topic to learn for any aspiring strength & conditioning coach or high performance trainer. 

Benefits of Including Cardio Into A Strength Training Routine

Benefits of Including Cardio Into A Strength Training Routine

As a trainer and coach, there are many things I've gotten wrong in the past. This series will cover topics I've been wrong and misinformed about, how I changed my stance, as well as how my practical recommendations and advice have evolved over the past months and years in light of newer information.

about

My mission with GC Performance Training is to elevate the field of strength & conditioning for combat sports. Whether you’re an athlete or a coach, you’ll find content here to help you better understand the science and art of training.