Three months ago, I was trying to work out what I could write about for the launch of MMAUniverse.com. After a long conversation with MMA Universe's illustrious editor (ahem…) we came to the conclusion of writing a piece on me getting back into my tortu…I mean training!

With the help of Gaz Roriston, Alex Reid and my brother, I have just about now begun to get back to my fitness level I had before stopping nine months ago. This is not just some pointless diary of me getting back into shape. I’m sure that many of you reading this have either stopped training or have struggled to get back into training after a long lay-off. What I am hoping to do here is show you how you can push yourselves back onto the mat or into the ring.

How many times have you watched a UFC or Pride show on TV or gone to a live event in the last year? And how many of you have come away with the urge to get training as a result? The harsh reality is that the desire very quickly fades away. Why? The answer is not simple and I’m no physiologist, but from asking other people who have different sporting interests I hope to give you an idea.

So why stop training? Personally mine was a cross of injury and becoming too engrossed in my own work. But for others it can be things along the lines of moving house, change of job, not driving (it’s difficult to get EVERYWHERE by train), family commitments, relationships, newborn children or just generally losing interest. There were more reasons people gave me but these appeared to be the most common.

The decline, so to speak, starts at this point. It is very easy to say to yourself “Oh, not to worry, I’ll be back in a few weeks, just got to sort these things out first.”

Those things get sorted out and then what? You find other things. My problem was during my injury which came after the work commitments, I found myself getting bored sitting at home. So I started to head to the local pub for a few drinks with some mates. I still kept thinking about heading to a training session but would instead find myself with a pint in my hand! I’m not saying this is what everyone does, but the situations are similar. You find something else to do, find a programme on TV you want to watch, go out more, read a book, etc etc. Either way, you get lazy!

The main key to getting back to a routine was finding the motivation. Mine came very quickly from the fact that I was getting a beer gut! But I still had trouble getting myself to the gym.

So I decided one night not to train, but just go and watch. This is what began the turn around, I found myself wanting to get on the mat and go though the techniques that Gaz Roriston and Alex Reid were going through. But I couldn’t because I’d arrived with no kit and planning only to watch. At the end, Alex approached me and asked if I would be down next week, naturally I told him yes. Then on my journey home terror struck me, “I’m going to look like a beginner and make a fool of myself!” Oh yes, I was petrified of it. Fortunately at the time there was a magazine article written by a certain Geoff Thompson that I read in MAI (Martial Arts Illustrated) that focused on motivating yourself to improve and ditching the ego. After reading these articles, it put my mind at ease.

On the days leading up to my first session on a mat in nine months yet another doubt hit my mind, “Can I train for two hours with these guys?”

Gaz and Alex have a habit of running guys into the ground and at the time, that was the last thing I wanted. I was only starting new, my fitness was low, I’ll waste their time if I drop out and these were only a few things crossing my mind!

My brother helped, at the time he was in his final year of his Sports Science Degree. What he told me was straight to the point, do what you can. If you can’t do two hours then start with one and see how you feel with your recovery the days after. It was plain common sense really but these things don’t tend to cross your mind at the time!

And then I was there, Thursday night at 8pm. I by god I was stinking of fear (at least I think it was!) and shaking with nerves. By then I knew I was past the point of no return, “Can’t really put it off now can I?” I thought to myself.

I felt like I barely survived. At the end of the hour my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest in an “Alien” type way, my lungs were burning and a felt physically sick. But I also felt good because I had done what I came here to do, and that was finishing the hour session.
The motivation was back. For the few days after I would be sitting there thinking about my technique, where I could improve, should I have tapped my sparring partner and what my trainers would have next week. I felt I had won something, not a fight or a title, but a personal battle I had been enduring over the last two months with my most common enemy, laziness! And if you think about it, even if it is not in your nature, we are all guilty of it at some point in our lives.

So I had completed my first two goals, getting the desire to train again and getting through that first session. Where do I go from here? The answer was again simple, improve my fitness, technique and increase the amount of training I was doing.

I again approached my brother about how I should improve my fitness without over doing things. He set out a simple step by step plan working over a period of two weeks and would then increase on that. It would start on a Monday doing interval running but as oppose to doing it over a distance, he would give me a time limit of 25 minutes to go at my own pace. At first I wondered about why he was telling me to do it this way, the answer was again to keep my own self motivation going. After running for 25 minutes I would stop, think about where I got to and then work on improving on that mark next time out. Tuesday I would rest and then Wednesday would consist of an hour doing weight work on the gym. Again the programme was designed around my own pace but this time doing a pyramid system. This consisted of (for example) bench pressing a comfortable weight I knew I could reach 10 reps on using around 70% effort. The next set would be adding an extra notch onto the weights (approx 5kg) and doing 8 reps. This would continue with the target to finish on that single extremely heavy single rep that would seem impossible. Yet again I had another target set. Thursday would be the normal training session with Alex and Gaz, Friday rest and Saturday would consist of a stretching routine and various plyometric exercises.

After about a month of doing this my fitness improved quite dramatically and my technique in training was also on the up. As a result I would carry on going because the rewards were starting to show.

I begun to push myself harder and also asked for Gaz and Alex to push me more during their training sessions (which they did with pleasure) to keep the momentum going.

By then I had found a new point to reach, Gaz and Alex pointed out that they had a session on a Sunday consisting of 2 hours of various drills and routines to get people into fighting shape. At first I was put off after hearing some horror stories from some of my training partners. But I knew that I had to get to that point, once there I knew I would have hit my original goal.

Instead of jumping at the first Sunday that came up I ducked out, thinking I was not ready for it yet. This continued for a couple more weeks until it dawned on me that I was slipping back into the fear factor that stopped me from getting back into training originally. I knew this had to stop so one Sunday I took the plunge.

I suffered. But only in the same way I did on that first Thursday night. I had achieved what I wanted to and was happy with myself for doing that. There were a few times I thought of giving it a rest and taking a sideline seat but I kept telling myself that if I did then I would be giving up. Fortunately Alex and Gaz were also on hand to keep pushing me even when I felt like reaching for a bucket!

Now I’m no ultimate fitness freak, I drink, smoke 15-20 cigarettes a day and tend to burn the candles at both ends. I’m just an everyday person like all of you.

So getting back to the matter in hand, how do YOU go about it. It really is simple, start by writing a list. Begin with what you want as the ultimate goal at the top, as an example it could be competing again or even just getting rid of that beer belly. Next work out the different steps you need to get there. No one is going to be a professional MMA fighter in 2-3 months so be realistic. Get that list right the way down to the first goal, which should ultimately be attending that first session. If need be go along and just watch as I did, you’ll be surprised how you feel when you walk out of there.

Next, make sure that if your old trainer isn’t around you, find someone who you know can not only train you well but who will also push you past your own boundaries. And if possible, find someone you know or if you have the money go to a personal trainer who will help you out with a programme to get your fitness level up at a faster rate.

Then just get on with it! No more excuses and don’t make them! This has to be as important to you as anything else around you otherwise you may never get out of the front door. Think about things important to you, family occasions, friends birthdays, holidays abroad, your work, loved ones, you won’t neglect them so don’t do it with your own health and ambitions.

MMA Universe is currently compiling the world’s largest archive of MMA related articles to create an on-line library for every Mixed Martial Arts fan out there. If you would like to contribute your work or become an MMA Universe correspondent, then please use the 'Submit an Article' function, or contact editor@mmauniverse.com today.