What's the secret behind Alexander Volkanovski's insane strength and cardio? Let's take a deep dive into the unique training methods that Volk has shared on his KZfaq channel over the years - many of which you can implement into your own fight preparations!
0:00 Volk's S&C Secrets
0:12 Hill Sprints
1:44 Stair Sprints
2:33 HIIT Circuit
2:54 Meat Grinder
3:28 The Spyda
4:00 Weight Training
4:46 Periodisation
Volk's a big fan of High-Intensity Interval Training. Off-camp, we see him perform a hill sprint protocol with five one-minute sprints, pushing him towards his maximum heart rate. A maximal effort is the highest level of intensity that a person can sustain over a certain period of time without significant fatigue. Volk completes supramaximal efforts exceeding his maximal aerobic capacity. We can see him slowing down significantly as he approaches the top of the hill.
He recovers on the way down and at the bottom of the hill for what's likely 3-5 minutes. The key is to allow enough rest to be able to perform the next high-intensity effort at a similar level.
This type of training improves cardiovascular metrics such as stroke volume and cardiac output. It also increases the number of capillaries surrounding the muscles and the concentration of mitochondria within muscle cells - or in other words, your muscles have more highways to deliver fuel and more power plants to produce energy.
This results in improvements in anaerobic fitness, peak power, VO2max, maximum heart rate and oxygen delivery. HIIT sessions like this one improve Volk's ability to repeat high-intensity efforts as well as his mental resilience. Going into his fight camp, Volk's conditioning sessions get more sport-specific.
S&C coach Chris Jaffrey says that Volk doesn't do much running overall. However, there is one more running protocol that we can see in his KZfaq videos: repeated stairs sprints.
Volk follows a set route up and down the stadium stairs. He completes eleven stairs sprints of about 4 to 8 seconds. In between sprints he has 5 to 10 seconds of "active recovery" which he also runs at a dangerously high pace. Coming down from the last set of stairs, he finishes with a 10-second sprint on level ground.
His overall effort is just under two minutes. According to Volk, he does this once a week with the goal to beat his previous time which obviously becomes harder and riskier each week. After three weeks, he changes to a different set of stairs and protocol.
This type of training is a lot more time-efficient compared to the previous sprint protocol which probably took him about 20-30 minutes to complete.
In addition to his sprinting routine, Volk also performs high-intensity workouts at his MMA gym.
7 weeks out from the Ortega fight, Volkanovski completes a HIIT circuit with the assault bike, heavy bag, kneeling ball slams, Squat Jumps, Push-ups and Inverted Rows. It's important to point out that these are all rather simple bodyweight movements. There is no heavy lifting involved which reduces the risk of injury under fatigue.
Three weeks out from the Ortega fight, Volk completes a shark tank session which he calls "The Meat Grinder". He does five five-minute rounds of pads, sparring, wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu with four alternating partners. The idea is to make these sessions harder than his actual fights. This helps him prepare not just physically but also mentally. Apparently, Volk does this once a week on Wednesdays.
One week out from the Ortega fight, Volk shifts from live rounds to high reps of sport-specific drills and exercises. Part of the reason is likely the reduced injury risk. He calls this session "The Spyda". Again, it's five five-minute rounds of maximal intensity. Volk does this session exactly seven days before the fight.
With his recent decision to fight for the Lightweight title, Volkanovski had to add some strength and muscle to his frame. He performed classic strength and hypertrophy training in a calorie surplus, especially earlier in the camp. Volk tapers off the volume of his strength work closer to a fight. The focus then shifts more towards power development, for example through plyometrics or heavy sled work. Both improves neuromuscular coordination and motor unit recruitment, allowing him to be more powerful and explosive in the fight.