Do athletes really exercise 8 hours a day 6 days a week?

[Sinnerman1928]

I read an article saying UFC fighters exercise this amount on average. I can see this being realistic since the sport is their lively hood and if I work eight hours a day on my job then why couldn't they do it for theirs? On the other hand it'd be incredibly strenuous on their bodies and I'm not so sure it's possible to keep that up with so little rest. Then consider all the promotional work they do, times they're spotted at parties, or even having to live their lives. Maybe I'm looking too much into but I remember reading that Lesnar does an average of 8 hours five days a week, then later hearing he likes to go hunting a few times a week. There's only so many hours in a day so that must be some pretty speedy hunting.

Does anyone think promoters might have a habbit of exagerating the abilities of their athletes to make them seem (I don't know) more unstoppable. Sort of like how Anderson Silva went from being 5"9 to 6"2 in a one month period.

[jakobi]

yea, top athletics in the world train 2x a day.....

[BFJ]

really tough area to assess. i personally think many athletes overdo it and border on overtraining. i think there's somewhat of a myth about how much time needs to be put in vs. the quality of the time. that said though it is also very true that developing athletic skills is way different than training for bodybuilding or something. it takes hours and hours of practicing various sports movements for them to become second nature. the goal there would be so that the athlete is skilled enough to where all they then have to worry about is conditioning to be able to keep up that high performance. then again it's also true to say that you want athletes to be so well conditioned that all they have to worry about is perfecting their skills and they never have to give stamina or strength and what not a 2nd thought, i think the latter is probably actually more applicable, especially at a high level of competition. they certainly are a unique group.

that said i think the biggest underlying challenge is how to train people in team sports. obviously not everyone is going to respond the same to the same training and practice regimen, but unfortunately they are all on the same team and so they all must do it. with something like ufc there's a little more individuality i suppose. certainly not an easy answer to your question by any means.

[400Lb Gorilla]

really tough area to assess. i personally think many athletes overdo it and border on overtraining. i think there's somewhat of a myth about how much time needs to be put in vs. the quality of the time. that said though it is also very true that developing athletic skills is way different than training for bodybuilding or something. it takes hours and hours of practicing various sports movements for them to become second nature. the goal there would be so that the athlete is skilled enough to where all they then have to worry about is conditioning to be able to keep up that high performance. then again it's also true to say that you want athletes to be so well conditioned that all they have to worry about is perfecting their skills and they never have to give stamina or strength and what not a 2nd thought, i think the latter is probably actually more applicable, especially at a high level of competition. they certainly are a unique group.

that said i think the biggest underlying challenge is how to train people in team sports. obviously not everyone is going to respond the same to the same training and practice regimen, but unfortunately they are all on the same team and so they all must do it. with something like ufc there's a little more individuality i suppose. certainly not an easy answer to your question by any means.

i would have to agree with the right diet and everything they train for and the fact that their livelihood depends on it i would say training for 6-8 hours a day is more than possible. remember unlike BB or PL it is an endurance sport and it requires atleast 2 martial arts ability plus strength and speed

[nevergain]

It is possible to train for 8 hours a day depending on what is involved. They could start the day with 1-2 hours of weights. Do a couple hours of ju-juitsu skills, then have lunch. then a couple hours of striking and defense. Much of the skill training can be low intensity. Then finish with an hour of endurance.

I am not a pro fighter so can not say for sure but this is how I could see an 8 hour day of traing being possible. Im sure some days there would also be massages involved which could be included. and stretching should be included as well.

[TheAntar]

A typical NHLer or other pro hockey athlete (I bring it up because I know, not because I'm expounding the virtues of hockey players) on a non-game day spend 4-8 hours at the rink.

1-2 hours of dryland
1-2 hours on the ice
1-2 hours with the medical training staff
1-2 hours studying video or other material

On a game day, skip the dryland to conserve energy, play the game instead.

They get roughly 1 day off per 2 week period. Sometimes if lucky they'll get 2 days off in the same week. But it isn't 8 hours of physical activity, but its 8 hours 'training' -- there's a difference. Some of it is mental, some of it is stretching/ice-packs/isolation work for injuries or weak areas, etc, some of it is cardio/endurance and some of it is in-the-gym.

Hope thats helpful!

[JBarsoum]

They def train 8 hours a day.. they just eat like 10k calories a day also which alows them to do that...

I mean look at phelps besides hittin the pipe all day... he eats like a massive beast and trains for 8 hours

[anmol_khanna]

I read an article saying UFC fighters exercise this amount on average. I can see this being realistic since the sport is their lively hood and if I work eight hours a day on my job then why couldn't they do it for theirs? On the other hand it'd be incredibly strenuous on their bodies and I'm not so sure it's possible to keep that up with so little rest. Then consider all the promotional work they do, times they're spotted at parties, or even having to live their lives. Maybe I'm looking too much into but I remember reading that Lesnar does an average of 8 hours five days a week, then later hearing he likes to go hunting a few times a week. There's only so many hours in a day so that must be some pretty speedy hunting.

Does anyone think promoters might have a habbit of exagerating the abilities of their athletes to make them seem (I don't know) more unstoppable. Sort of like how Anderson Silva went from being 5"9 to 6"2 in a one month period.

From what I read - yes they do. This includes rehab work, session in ice pools etc.

Time also increases as we get more exp with weights and we age. Even with non pro gym exp - time i need to spend is increasing as I am getting more experienced I need to spend lot more time stretching, massaging, doing core work and injury prevention stuff.

[chazzy1864]

Do you think it is actually 8 hours of non stop work? Doubtful. It is their job. Remember, we have lunch breaks, bathroom breaks, smoke breaks, sit around and BS about Monday Night Football breaks.

They probably do too. Also most eat like horses. Calories are a big factor in recovery.

[SquatTilYouDrop]

Athletes are like anyone else. They train hard for specified periods of time and then rest, recuperate. They are built from the same biological stuff as all of us. They are simply more organized and scientific about it.

[VoxExMachina]

I'm not sure I see the point of debating whether they train 8 hours a day or 3 hours a day. There are hundreds of "athletes" out there so I'm sure somebody does.

But what difference does it make? It's not like you're asking whether a Bodybuilder or Powerlifter or Strongman should train that much. This Bodybuilding.com, after all.

[IGF-WON]

Athletes are like anyone else. They train hard for specified periods of time and then rest, recuperate. They are built from the same biological stuff as all of us. They are simply more organized and scientific about it.

and professional ones more or less have nothing else to bother/stress them. All they have to do is train and recover so they can probably train harder

[chazzy1864]

and professional ones more or less have nothing else to bother/stress them. All they have to do is train and recover so they can probably train harder

you know, aside from the occasional gun shot to the leg. Alleged rape case. Possible steroid accusations. DUI/Manslaughter court hearings. No stress at all.

[nsiegel5]

I can tell you that I trained with the likes of Phelps when I was in my prime and yes we did two a days and yes we did weight training in between but never ever did we train for 8 hours straight. I dont believe anyone does no UFC fighter trains 8 hours straight, maybe 2 hours strength and cardio and broken up sessions of skills training mixing in with sparring that takes the whole day to accomplish. But no way no how is anyone going through 8 hours of exhaustive strength and cardio type training the body just breaks down after a while and its not affective. Skills and techniques they may train all day but without intensity.

[mjlindne]

I'm not sure I see the point of debating whether they train 8 hours a day or 3 hours a day. There are hundreds of "athletes" out there so I'm sure somebody does.

But what difference does it make? It's not like you're asking whether a Bodybuilder or Powerlifter or Strongman should train that much. This Bodybuilding.com, after all.

and people are allowed to talk. if you not going to say something constructive, why do you even say anything?

[chazzy1864]

and people are allowed to talk. if you not going to say something constructive, why do you even say anything?

[VoxExMachina]

and people are allowed to talk. if you not going to say something constructive, why do you even say anything?

A) If people are allowed to "talk", then I'm exercising my right to "talk".

B) I did say something constructive. I asked what the point of debating the question was. What's the OP asking the question for in the first place, so they can adjust their routine accordingly or for general debate or what?

C) Thanks for your opinion. See my signature.

[skinnybastard28]

UFC fighters dont train 8 hours everyday. They train for 8 hours everyday 1-2 months leading up to their fight. They obviously get some rest days. After there fight is over they train lighlty until they have to fight again and set up another camp to train.