Fitness and Nutrition for Martial Arts - Firas Zahabi 

For those of us who tend to like coming back to listen to Firas or new viewers.. here's a time stamp of the session: 00:48 how to build a strong lower back…(philosophy/info on weights) 11:54 can you give us your view on ketogenic diet 20:30 I’m a lightweight at 155lbs, I want to move up to170Lbs…How many… 23:47 alleviating soreness from working out, running.... 28:21 can you effectively gain muscle on the kengenic diet… 29:11 which will improve my cardio more, grappling, striking or sparring… 30:32 what food do you give to your children and why… 32:05 any suggestions on mixing weight training and boxing… 33:25 do you have any of your fighters lift weights, and if not, what do you get someone to do when they’re trying to build functional strength for MMA.… 35:00 what type of food do you think is best in the early day or mid-evening… 37:35 Do you think that two days of conditioning sessions are plenty, and if so do you think it’s better if one of them is strength or cardio?... 39:17 I’m gonna kick your ass…(concept) 42:13 in this strategically evolving sport, did you hold any misconceptions on training, fighting that you change recently in the last 5-10 years?... 44:54 do you do yoga and any mobility drills?... 48:37 thoughts on fasting for losing weight and training while fasting… 50:24 is it possible for your body to sustain itself by going on a no carb diet, or do you need carbs to survives?... 52:30 how much weightlifting can MMA training get along with, or would you recommend body weight exercises instead?... 54:22 training and over training…. 57:15 how much are you involved in your athletes nutrition and fitness routine? Do you design strength and conditioning programs or do you have a team you delegate that to? And should MMA coach monitor those programs or should they have separate individual teams to handle nutrition and strength conditioning… 1:02:39 how do you feel about vegan diets in general for athletic performance

It's such a gift that you're willing to share all of this knowledge for free. Thank you, Firas.

So my notes and Summary: Exercise: Bodyweight/Gymnastics; Diet: The end of diets; What's your opinion on Intermittent Fasting? Both the 5/2 and 18hours fasting / 6-hour eating window or even the classic 16/8. Bulking Bulk Nutrition: Increase your calories gradually. Bulk Exercise: starts at 21:20 Compound lifts. 60% of max weight (like the push up challenge), lots of sets (from 3 to 5 to 10 sets) of 5 reps, as long as it is comfortable. Never go to failure. Test (not train to) your max from time to time. Eccentric exercises are the best to increase strength and general hypertrophy. Squat for example Bulk book: Power to the people - Pavel Tatsouline Interesting note: Squats trigger a bunch of processes and hormones that promote grow (ref: The New Power Program book) Soreness post lifting weights what to do: 1) NEVER BE SORE/ don't train to the max (report to the Bulk notes) - do 60% of what you can for various sets. 2) "search: How to stay fit for life" for more on this. Irrelevant question after (keto and muscle max, keto is bad for you, so I don't care starts at around 28:30) Cardio talk: S.A.I.D. Principle. Need more cardio for boxing, boxe more, need more cardio for wrestling, wrestle more. MMA + weight lifting: Keep it to a minimum, probably follow the Bulk tips, use more Gymnastics/Calisthenics/Bodyweight and on lifting focus more on Eccentric exercises. Bodyweight exercises doesn't attack your Central Nervous System. Book Recommendation: Building the Gymnastic Body: The Science of Gymnastics Strength Training Christopher Sommers Stability Ball. Exercises: ru-vid.com?search_query=jeff+glover+stability+ball Do mobility work/exercises - be more mobile than you are (hyper)flexible (example in the beginning Firas quoted a study that both yoga practitioners (very flexible lower back) and Bodybuilders (very strong lower back) reported a lot of back pain, mostly because of the state of their lower backs. Book recommendation on Mobility work: "Becoming a Supple Leopard" by Kelly Starrett

Firas, I bought "The End of Dieting" by Joel Fuhrman per your recommendation in this video. Amazing book. I love how Joel Fuhrman really analyzed the importance for human beings to be emotionally healthy, and have healthy relationships with other people as well, so that emotional stress won't trigger bad eating habits. Some really deep concepts.

Firas is a Jedi.

A Must read article By Dr. Joel Fuhrman in regards to various Ketogenic diets www.drfuhrman.com/library/article3.aspx

Wish he was my coach. Period. People who have Zahabi are so blessed.

You're the man firas, you're helping people in more ways than I think they know with the nutritional advice in this video alone, thank you.

I train after Taraweeh prayers every Ramadan, that's when I reach my peak strength - I become physically a lot stronger in that month than in any other month in the whole year . Some workouts like one handed pushups, I became 4 X stronger in just two weeks, I can lift a LOT heavier weights , etc. I've being doing this last 4 years and every year I experience the same, I become a lot lot stronger Alhamdullilah. I normally train about 20-30 mins and train different muscle groups per night and I don't over do it. Almost all the major battles Muslims fought and triumphed were in the month of Ramadan. There is a lot we can learn from this point.

This man is really helping me change my life and approach towards fitness and martial arts, I’m so appreciative of Firas sharing his knowledge and philosophies

Firas I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

You are a legend, may god protect you ! Thank you, your wisdom and knowledge is unbelievable!!

Excellent & well informed video buddy, you're explaining to us more than one school of thought and telling us what works best in your opinion. Great job!

Firas Zahabi, can't thank you enough for sharing all that you've learned in life with the world. Appreciate a lot.

i also want to say: coach firas has about the most respectful and appreciative community in the comments section of his videos that i have seen anywhere - not just on youtube - anywhere. and i really admire that.

This video is a Gem! Firas sharing so much knowledge and wisdom. Thank you 🙏

Will watch this again asap. Taking more notes I missed. Excellent video! This will stay with me for years! Thank you Firas!

PURE GOLD. Thank you Firas!

Just found this channel, think it's great that a pro in the game is taking time out of his day to give free content, keep up the great work!!!

Haven't even watched the video yet, I just wanted to say thank you for your world class content, Firas. We are A LOT of people that appreciate you sharing your impressive amount of knowledge!

Firas ,your segments are such an incredible resource thanks so much !

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge Firas! You are the best. Have a great day and keep up the great work you're doing.

Eating a huge salad with quinoa cooked in turmeric, beetroot, spinach, kidney beans, chia seeds, almonds, with balsamic vinegar, some olive oil and lemon juice. Recently started eating some fish (was a vegan for three years) because I was deficient in vitamin D and B12. Feel really good now, great video, I refer my friends to it all the time.

Truly a philosopher of our time in martial arts thank you for sharing man seriously

Firas you are my favourite youtuber. Excellent content. Keep up the regular videos man!

Firas, please make a booklist of your favorite books.

Phenomenal, Firas. Good for all athletes. Across the board!

phenomenal! fascinating! thank you very much Mr. Firas!

Firas you're truly underappreciated. Thanks again!!

In my opinion "Fit in one year" by Yuriy Oliynyk presents the best strength and conditioning program

Brilliant video Firas! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise!

i believe bruce lee touched base on this in his book. he talks about not working out to exaustion and he breaks down how you should be lifting for reps and cardo, if you want to survive for self defence.

I've been doing so many things wrong 0_0. Ty so freaking much Firas, you rock !

Thank you so much for the details am effort you put in those vids!!!! Love it!

Thank You Firas, this was such an informative, concise video. Much appreciated.

I wish i had seen this video years ago, thanks for this channel!!!

firas this was an amazing episode thank you so much.enlighten me so much

i cant wait to read coach firas's books when he gets a little bit older and has a more free time to write down all his wisdom. thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Thank you for doing these videos, really helpful and interesting! Greetings from Serbia!

I have been following your advice, I'm getting stronger and I'm never sore anymore, thank you.

Thank you Firas. We are so lucky for your videos.

Thank you so much firas, priceless information!

Thanks coach for changing so many lives and enlightening our reality

Thank you for dropping so much wisdom!

Thanks for the videos, it's an amazing thing you're doing sharing this world class content. I started compound lifting recently and felt totally burnt out. I completely agree gymnastics is far better.

Love everything in this video! speaking the truth!... shout out to "how not to diet" & "how not to die" by Dr. Michael Greger. Very similar ideas to the high carb, plant based diet.

Thanks Firas for sharing your views on training and diet.I just received my copy of the New Power Program.Years ago I read Supertraining and Periodization and I need a fresh look at these ideas.Upon listening to your training philosophy I would like to recommend the book Easy Strength.This book is geared more towards athletes and Pavel is one of the coauthors.Within the book is described an even easier strength program that involves uses resistance of 50 percent of 1 rep max for athletic training.Emphasis is on acceleration which does not drain CNS like you talk about in this video.

Amazing thanks Firas, hope you do another 1 of these soon! I love the way you wrapped it up too. I wish you more sustained good health. :)

Thanks Tristar gym, I really enjoyed this video and getting a different approach to training. This has been a eye opener. So again thank you and keep up the great work.

thank you so much for the book recommendations and being so generous with your knowledge. I've bought them all and its reshaping my foundational understanding of training. your doing a great service my friend

Hey Firas, would you ever do a pad holding/ striking training tutorial for us. You make a lot of videos featuring pads and striking. I would be curious to see your philosophy around that. Merci pour tout ce que tu nous apprends!

This is very nice of you Firas to give us all this knowledge. Merci beaucoup 👍🙂

I am never ceased to be amazed by Firas' knowledge and wisdom. Dr. Stuart Mcgill is the premier back specialist. A lot of people like to allege this or that doctor is an authority, but in Mcgill's case, this is the truth. As an ex-wrestler who took up powerlifting, and suddenly became afflicted with debilitating back pain until I stopped lifting so heavy, I have to agree with Firas based on my own personal experience and what I've seen of others. An extremely well read individual and an excellent channel!

Thank you so much for putting out these videos! they are really helpful

Loved it! thanks again Firas!

This honestly makes so much sense. The gymnastics idea blows my mind. I think my MMA/jiu jitsu is going to dramatically benefit from this info. Even GSP said he only lifts weights for aesthetics (because he said champions should look good!) Firas is a true genius, I think. He knows how to sift through lots of information and understand what's important and discard the rest.

Vegan for a year, training everyday. Love the channel Firas, thank you for the knowledge you share.

Thanks for the video Firas, great stuff 😃 For those of you fasting, I'd suggest studying the martial arts from a historical or philosophical aspect. The martial arts are much more than a collection of fighting techniques, and fasting is the best way to explore these facets 😉

You made some great points on Keto vs Joel Furman's diet. I have been following a very similar diet for years, never having heard of Joel Furman until a couple of years ago. I agree with his and your diet and the reasons behind eating such a diet. Great advice, coach!

Great video, thank you so much Firas.

this is so informative...I listen to this while working out... thank u for the Knowledge

Amazing video and knowledge Firas..Thank you very much.

You are a very wise man Mr Zahabi. Learned alot from this video, thank you so much for doing this.

Though I disagree with alot of what you said, I appreciate you making this video Firas! Its cool to see the insight you bring to the topic and your thoughts behind different training modalities and nutrition plans! And even that which I disagreed with, you provided your reasoning behind it and gave recommendations for further reading. So thank you. Seriously the best Martial Arts channel on RU-vid!

Thank you for sharing this coach , you da man ! Great stuff

Wow Firas dropping straight knowledge

Amazing video so much useful and well explained information !

Thank you for the video! You're doing a great job!

Thank you for your knowledge!

that was a super vid, watched it very carefully. thanks.

thanks for all the info & book recommendations ... Motivating

Man your channel is AMAZING!!

Thanks Firas another awesome video !!! 👍😆

Great stuff, thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Great stuff here, Firas. Appreciate your time, pal

Really enjoy your video! I'm soon to be 60 and teaching martial arts 30 plus years . I've used stability ball for years ,it's great for the kids and drills.I've done Yoga on and off for yours and it helps my lower back.I have a break dance class and the kids do bjj,so you can imagine the synergy.Movement for Life.

psyched to see you promoting a whole food plant-based high carb diet! I have energy for days

4.5yrs 100% Plant-Based. All my inflammation disappeared and my recovery and cardio went thru roof. I eat as much as I want and naturally dropped from Feather to Light Feather and feel strong as hell for the division. Fruits, Starches, Legumes, and greens all day w a bit of Chia or Flax and Avocado👍🏻. I teach people how to eat this way on my channel.

I have cut back on my red meats and started eating more vegetables and fruit and I feel so much better! I still eat meat but not as much anymore...Thanks for sharing so much your wisdom - I would love train at your gym!

God bless you we luv you Firas

Firas, you should put all of your teaching in a podcast for us to learn while we are driving. You're such a wizard. Thanks for spending your knowledge

Thank you for the videos, Firas :) A stability ball routine or 2 on video would be great. Have an awesome day.

Love the content you are putting out Firas!! Keep it up!

You are Amazing.Thank you Coach

This video changed my life! Thank you 🙏🙏

LOVE THESE VIDS!

Wow so much great info thank you

Thanks for this. One of the mind sets I'm trying to get off on is being too goal oriented when it comes to exercising and just enjoy learning which is actually tough to do.

exercise ball tips video sounds awesome Firas. this video was eeeexcellent!

TOP advices like always!🥳👌💪Thank you coach!!!

Very informative, thanks firas!

Thank u for this amazing video!!!

thank you so much, very good video, awesome information!

crasy video! thank you very much

I don’t know nearly as much as Firas but I DO know Side planks and the ab wheel helped my grappling strength tremendously

Thanks for the great content Firas. I was in Paleo before, but you´re totally right with the ratio of those Paleo-Foods. Ordered the book "End of Dieting" to get some further information :-)

As always, wise words from the master.

Amazing vid..

You’re sick man. You gave me a lot of insight 🔥

Hi Firas, I took your advice 3 months ago..dropped the weights and increased jiu jitsu. My jiu jitsu has improved at the expense of my biceps.