A SWIM WITH THE MUSCLE SHARK - Features

M&F dives into the training and diet of the UFC's fiercest lightweight, Sean Sherk, as he prepares for his fight with BJ Penn at UFC 84: Ill Will

Interview by Eric Velazquez | Photos courtesy UFC/Zuffa LLC

"You've got to beat the champ to be the champ." — Sean Sherk

The main event between BJ Penn and Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk at this weekend's (May 24) "UFC 84: Ill Will" event is about much more than the UFC lightweight (155-pound) title. It's about Sherk's quest to regain the trust of his fans and the respect of his peers. Having been stripped of the belt he won in 2006 on a unanimous decision over Kenny Florian in UFC 64 for a failed drug test—a result he still vehemently refutes—Sherk is training harder than ever to reclaim what he feels is rightfully his.

To do that, he'll have to walk through BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, who won the lightweight belt with a win over Joe Stevenson last January in a bout that was originally slated as an interim championship bout.

But Sherk isn't walking into the Octagon this weekend with an air of entitlement about him. He's busting his ass everyday at the Athletic Performance, Inc., in Minnesota, writing his ticket back to the top of the UFC lightweight food chain in sweat. His training regimen, known as Caveman Training, is perfect for the guy looking to shoot, punch, kick and ground-and-pound for five, five-minute rounds in the cage. M&F Senior Science Editor Jim Stoppani says that this type of specificity of training is fantastic for a mixed martial artist.

"With this type of workout, he has a heart rate zone to shoot for," he says. "He is aiming to keep his heart rate during the rounds at about 90-95% of his max heart rate. It basically tries to mimic what he's doing in the fight, so it builds strength, power and endurance, which are the three things he'll rely on during the fight.

"It not only targets the specific muscles he'll use when punching, kicking, shooting, throwing and grappling, but it also conditions the muscles specifically to do what he'll need them to do during a fight which is to be strong, explosive, and have endurance. And to top it off, it's specific to the time component of his actual fight—five minutes with one minute of active recovery. After several months of training this specifically he should be able to maintain good strength and power for all five minutes of all five rounds. I hope BJ Penn has a good plan, because he won't tire Sherk out, or out strength him."

Strength, power, impeccable conditioning and the crazy drive to get his belt back—is Sean Sherk ready for the bright lights of UFC 84? Unfortunately for BJ Penn, it appears so.

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