'Getting stronger is important, but it’s difficult to do when you’re training for a fight,' says UFC lightweight Ross Pearson. 'That’s why I always focus on heavy lifts at the start of my training camp.
'I know that I’ll lose some of the strength that I’ve gained as I focus more on technique closer to the fight, so I try to get strong enough so that I can lose some and it won’t matter. That's why I’ll do squats and bench presses, or dips and pull-ups with extra weight – it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s heavy.
'I always write down my personal bests so I can try to beat them. After a few weeks of that I’ll have built a great base of strength for the rest of my training.'
For more workouts and tips from Ross Pearson, check his monthly column in Men's Fitness. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
