There is one common thread amongst all MMA fights. If one fighter gases, he usually gets beat up pretty bad from that point on. My experience says there is no feeling worse than being man handled by a professional MMA fighter. As a strength coach, I like to actively train with the fighters I work with. Well I used to. As long as I live, I will never forget the feeling of working out and wrestling for the first time with Lew Polley, Jesse Taylor, Thierry Sokoudjou, Dan Henderson, and Tarec Saffiedine. My first time working at Quest as a strength coach had me learning a lot about wrestling. I took part in an "easy session" and at the end of the15 minute warm-up, I got teamed up with Hendo. I was tired, he was just starting. At 20 minutes I had been tossed more than 20 times, and had tapped to his clinch. There was more. Next stop was Sokoudjou. At 21 minutes into practice, my "friend" tossed me about three feet with the fastest hip toss Id ever seen. I laid on the mat in a pool of sweat, needed a minute to love life again. While I took some deep breaths Sokoudjou skipped. We got a new partner ever five minutes. I was everyones "break". It went on like this for 39 more minutes, one beating to another. Single leg takedown drills, wrestling for top position. I never once threatened anyone for position. I did however, threaten to throw up on Jesse. I think back to that practice every time I train in the gym. I realize that no matter how physically fit I get, its a whole different world to be on a mat and working with pros. The sport of MMA is unbelievably physically demanding. To this day, four years later, I have not been able to mirror the intensity. There is one solid trick to try to get as close as possible. Disrupt your breathing. If you have never played sports with a mouth guard then you have missed out on something special. However, the athletes I work with in MMA are using a brand new guard by SISU and its a game changer. The athletes can actually breath, talk, and drink while its in. Putting in a mouth guard while you run is the most basic way to change your breathing, and raise the intensity. If you jump to YouTube, you can see some of my videos where I train with the "Training Mask". The goal is not to create high altitude training, the goal is to make it tough to get a full deep breath. That forces your intercostal muscles, and diaphragm to work harder. Its the same situation as having a 200 + lbs MMA superstar on your chest, or with their arms digging into your ribs. When that happens, you cant get a full breath. When you do your sprint training, try putting in a mouth guard or incorporating a training mask device. That was the focus for me this week. Tuesday and Thursday I did my cardio sessions with a SISU mouth guard, and they went like this. 10 minutes to warm up on the treadmill, adjust to the mouth guard. - 8 x 20 second on 10 second rest sprints on the treadmill. 10 on incline, and fast as safely possible- 8 x 30 second on 30 seconds of rest bike sprints- Then back to the treadmill- 4 x 30 second of back peddling 15 seconds of rest. Incline at 6 and as fast as safely possible- Then a 5 minutes jog without a mouth guard, and then 5 minutes to cool down Takes roughly 30 minutes to get it all done. It feels terrible while its going on, but the recover and energy burst from finishing will be a huge boost to your entire day. I said it before in this article, you cant boo any athlete until you try the basics of the training. Most pros can do this type of cardio with their eyes closed. They gas out because there is nothing that can prepare them for the entire event, and the intensity of being in a real life fight. Try this in your training, and get just a small taste of what its like to be as fit as a fighter. Add a mouth guard, or a training mask. Next week, Im breaking out the weight vest. Its time to get to the next level. Devontae Booker Jersey . -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with safety Brock Vereen and QB David Fales on four-year contracts. Brandon McManus Jersey .com) - Oregon wasnt going to let Arizona ruin its national title dreams for a second straight season. http://www.officialdenverbroncosfootball...y-jersey-womens. Wiggins, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward who plays his first exhibition game on Wednesday against Pitt State, was the top prospect in the class of 2013. Chris Harris Jr Jersey . The agreement comes a little more than one week after the video game manufacturer agreed to a $40 million settlement in a similar but separate case, bringing the total payout planned for athletes to $60 million, said Steve Berman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, and the NCAA. Todd Davis Jersey . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T.CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames have competition in goal at training camp for the first time in years. The retirement of workhorse Miikka Kiprusoff left a void in net as the Flames prepare for the 2013-14 NHL season. Kiprusoff was Calgarys undisputed No. 1 after backstopping the Flames to the 2004 Stanley Cup final. The softspoken Finn played seven seasons of 70-plus games during his tenure in Calgary and was considered the backbone of the team. There isnt an obvious frontrunner to replace Kiprusoff. The battle to be the Flames starter is expected to be between Joey MacDonald of Pictou, N.S., Karri Ramo of Finland and Swiss native Reto Berra. Laurent Broissoit of Port Alberni, B.C., and another Finnish product, Joni Ortio, round out the five goalies at training camp, but lack the pro experience of the other three. Calgarys camp opened Wednesday with physical testing at the University of Calgary kinesiology lab. The first exhibition game is Saturday at the Saddledome against the Edmonton Oilers. Albertas NHL clubs will split their squads and host games in each city. The Flames open the regular season on the road Oct. 3 against the Washington Capitals. Their home opener is Oct. 6 versus the Vancouver Canucks. The Flames havent reached the playoffs in four seasons. The trading of longtime captain Jarome Iginla last season and the departure of Kiprusoff marks a new era for the hockey club. MacDonald was Kiprusoffs backup after the Flames plucked him off waivers in February. The 33-year-old is the most experienced goalie at camp with 122 NHL games split between Calgary, Detroit, Toronto, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. MacDonalds record in the lockout-shortened season was 8-9-1 with a goals-against average of 2.87 and a save percentage of .902. "Most years coming to camp, most teams have their clear-cut number one," MacDonald said. "Being in Detroit for so long, you always had an old guy there that you had to battle. This year, its going to be exciting. The opportunity is there and its going to be an exciting team." He started three of Calgarys last four games of the season and signed a one-year contract in April that will pay him $925,000 this season. Ramo, 27, played 48 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning between 2006 and 2009 and also has American Hockey League experience. Hes spent the last four years in Russia in the KHL. "Tampas testing was two days and now its one day so I guess the rules have changedd a little bit," Ramo observed.dddddddddddd "Now its about showing what you can do." The Flames picked up Ramos rights from the Montreal Canadiens in 2012 in the same deal that returned forward Mike Cammalleri to Calgary. Current Flames general manager Jay Feaster was the GM in Tampa Bay when the Lightning drafted Ramo in the sixth round in 2004. Feaster signed Ramo to a US$5.5-million, two-year contract in July. Kiprusoff is Ramos goaltending hero, although the Finns paths havent crossed much. Ramo has met him, but doesnt know if hell have a chance to ask Kiprusoffs advice about playing in Calgary. "I really looked up to him when I was younger," Ramo said. "He was one of the biggest idols for me. It would be really nice to play with him, but theres not that chance anymore." Berra, 26, fills the net at six foot four and 194 pounds. Calgary gained his rights in the deal that sent defenceman Jay Bouwmeester to St. Louis in April. The Flames then signed Berra to a one-year contract with a base salary of $765,000. All of Berras pro hockey experience has been in the Swiss leagues, so he travelled to the Flames summer development camp in July and returned to North America two weeks ago to learn the smaller ice. "For sure, its a big difference, the ice in Europe and the ice here, but now I think Im good to go," Berra said. "For a goalie its nice because you probably get more shots. "Everything is close to the net and maybe they try to shoot more than anything. I like to have a lot of shots." Berras 29-save shutout lifted Switzerland to a 3-0 win over the United States in the semifinal of this years world championship in Stockholm. "It was pretty big. It was really a good game for me," he recalled. Switzerland went with former NHL veteran Martin Gerber in the final against the host Swedes, who won the gold. Calgarys unsettled goaltending situation will make training camp feel different for the veteran Flames. "That will be an adjustment," Cammalleri admitted. "Thats the first thing that comes to my mind with Miikka. Not many goaltenders have backstopped a franchise that consistently for that long. "I guess it adds to the whole idea of turning the page and new opportunities for different guys. As a team we want to be great defensively and our goaltender is going to be part of that so itll be some healthy competition back there." 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