The Long, Hard Path Underground (Article Intro)
After interviewing me and then witnessing some Underground training first-hand, James Fuller compiled quite an article, and a direct message from our meeting. In the article he discusses what strength and conditioning should be, and how confused most aspiring fighter athletes are. The point he makes is a very important one, that although simple, the method for gaining strides in strength and/or power is through a foundation of perfect technique combined with extremely hard work and intensity. It was a pleasure to discuss philosophy with James, and share my knowledge and experience, fighting against, again the mainstream, the hype and myths that constantly consume reality and truth! Thank-you James!
According to Travis Conley, getting stronger, more powerful and more explosive for MMA is much simpler then you would think. In a typical training session with Travis you wont see many (if any) fancy circuits or kettlebell drills. You also won’t see people flipping tires or swinging sledgehammers while wearing gas masks either. This isn’t to say that people aren’t still working, sweating and suffering under his watchful eye, its just nothing crazy or outlandish. Travis Conley, you will quickly find out, is a coach and trainer who believes strongly in the basics, “(Athletes) need to center everything around the basics: the squat, deadlift, bench. Then, depending on where they are at we will move into more sport specific stuff like floor presses for Jiu Jitsu, medicine balls etc. but that’s always auxiliary stuff…its simple, just don’t overthink it!”
Don’t overthink it. Stick to the basics. Work hard. Its this mindset that causes Mr. Conley to eschew the thinking of many modern trainers or exercise “gurus” who routinely sprout such nonsense as “squats are bad for your knees” or “the deadlift is bad for your back.” It’s more of a question of poor technique and ego in his mind, “You have to crawl before you can walk. So many people’s egos get in the way and they want to do crazy training, or too heavy of training. Just like squats and your knees many people blame deadlifting for back problems when if you start with a reasonable amount of weight and proper technique it is, hands down, the best exercise you can do.” Time and again when asked for his advice for the aspiring fighter or grappling competitor he made certain to stress building a solid base of strength before moving on to more advance training, “so many people want to do all this crazy circuit training they see on the Ultimate Fighter but if you don’t have a base of strength, you’re just burning calories…(athletes) don’t realize the difference between strength and power. Power is the combination of speed and strength, so without a solid foundation of strength you will have a hard time building on your power.”
It’s all so obvious in his mind that the path to success is working hard on the simple things, of perfecting the bread and butter movements and lifts. And after a bit it quickly becomes so obvious to you as well. So much so that by the end of your time together you feel ready to tear phone books in half or Vulcan death grip your next opponent into unconsciousness, chomping at the bit to overhaul your training to something more resembling prehistoric barbarianism and “thunderdome" then cardio boxing. But there is always a catch with these kind of “too good to be true” offers and make no mistake this one comes with a big one; for Mr. Conley the path to functional strength is indeed simpler than most people believe…its just so much harder then those same people could ever imagine. No gimmicks, no wonder exercises or cures, just a lot of gut wrenching sessions, stretched out and divided over days, weeks, months, years spent in the weight room and on the mat. This stark and perhaps intimidating truth is reflected in his own development into a highly successful BJJ and submission grappling competitor and personal trainer. A journey he feels is defined more by hard work, attention to detail and an unswerving dedication then natural talent or athleticism.
Like many grappling and MMA competitors Travis got his start wrestling in middle school and high school, and credits this foundation for his future successes. He is self-effacing when describing his athletic talent and accomplishments often painting the picture of the determined and hardworking underdog as opposed to the naturally gifted athlete. There is much more Randy Couture then Jon Jones to his career and character. Following high school Mr. Conley went to Central Missouri State where, interestingly, he pursued a side career in professional wrestling, paying his bills working as a wrestler in the independent circuit while going to school. Later, when rehabbing a wrestling injury he was introduced to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and submission grappling. From the beginning he worked under the best, training with Jason Bircher and Ethan Day at KCBJJ, again bringing his workman mentality and strong wrestling base to build a string of success initially in No-Gi competition (due to his strong wrestling base) and later on in BJJ competitions as a purple belt.
It was during this time that Travis also began working as a personal trainer at Xtreme Fitness, a place he credits for introducing him to a wide assortment of good training partners, one of whom, Toby Schulze (an accomplished bodybuilder in his own right) worked out with him the morning of our interview. A truly mammoth, yet athletic looking individual, its easy to see why Mr. Schulze and Travis established such a rapport working together. Schulze, like Conley, is a wealth of practical advice and ideas without ever being condescending or dismissive. While differing in his specific goals, he was open minded and supportive to a fresh perspective as Mr. Conley carved his own niche out at Xtreme as a trainer of athletes. He (Travis) began by working with football and lacrosse players, wrestlers, and basketball teams, all the while staying true to the lessons learned in his own training; building on the fundamentals and expanding from there, “while every sport has its own challenges, in the end it all comes down to the basics” he says. Additionally this time was responsible for solidifying his vision for what Underground Gym, would eventually become. Sick of the “money grab” he saw at the commercial gyms he instead opened a place where people could come to get one on one attention and a private, professional atmosphere.
The resulting gym is impressive, and in many ways is like a functional strength version of a “ship in a bottle.” It’s a space that reminds you of a European gym, literally underground (in a clean, neatly taken care of space with high density rubber matting stretching from wall to wall and a supplement and appointment counter to boot). The overhead clearance is a bit low and the square footage might be sniffed at by the “Globo Gyms” of the world but due to diligent planning and many well thought out renovations and customizations (roll out BJJ mats for the win) it is chocked full of functional strength training tools without being cramped and it highlights his commitment to providing each and every client with every tool they need at their sole disposal. I urge the readers to check out the poorly narrated but vastly enlightening video tour I will be putting up shortly as it is a design that needs to be seen to be believed (and appreciated).
“I keep around 20 clients so I am able to give them more attention. Instead of trying to train two people every hour, playing the number game in a corporate gym…it’s (Underground Gym) a comfortable space but one where serious work is done.” And when pressed for some free advice for aspiring competitiors and fighters Travis offered this, “My advice to MMA fighters who are looking for success quicker would be to look at the different areas to see where you can get that edge. Maybe your opponent doesn’t pay attention to nutrition, so what if you do? Maybe he doesn’t train hard enough on his lifting days, so what if you do? Even if you’re just gaining a 5% advantage…isn’t it worth it?”
A philosophy that while unique in this day and age, has certainly served Mr. Conley, his clients and the Underground Gym well in the past and looks to continue producing results into the future. After seeing him in action and picking his brain for the better part of an hour, I would encourage any fighter interested in taking another step towards fame and fortune (or just good times) to check out his services and see where you could be with a lot less thinking and a ton more DOING. But until then, go lift something heavy!
Originally Posted by David Jackson KCMMA at 7/10/2011 9:31 PM | Add Comment
