Have you been in boxing and mixed martial arts for a while and can’t seem to get on top of your strength and conditioning?
Finding the right structure and routine can be very hard to put together. Even finding the correct and right exercises to help increase things like punch power or speed is something that can be confusing.
I believe I have found just that program for you, this program is of course Phil Daru’s Fight Ready Program.
In this blog review, I’ll take a deeper look of what you will actually get, learn and who this program is best for.
Read on to find out more.
Who is Phil Daru
First up it’s important to go over the man himself who created this world class strength and conditioning – Phil Daru.
Phil is primarily an MMA trainer by trade, but has trained multiple boxing & MMA champions including, Dustin Poirier, Sullivan Barrera, Maureen Shea. He has also been voted as MMA Trainer of the year and is Head of Strength and Conditioning at American Top Team.
Coach Phil Daru has produced and optimized many performance programs for combat sports athletes and coaches including the Heavy Hitter Boxing Program, the MMA Body Armor and Brazilian Jijitsu Ground Control Program.
Here is what Phil has to say:
“I deeply understand not only the training aspects of fight preparation but also the mind set of what fighters are going through from my years being a fighter and training athletes myself.
I’ve devoted my life to performance training and making sure that I will always get an athlete the best results possible when training for a fight or any sport”
You can also check out Phil’s Instagram for more training hints and advice
Overview of Fight Ready program
The Fight Ready course is a 12 week strength and conditioning program for those in combat sports. This program is split into 3 phases, each month covering something different. It’s almost like 3 separate training courses in 1.
The course covers a whole range of different exercise techniques to maximise your strength, power, speed and endurance. So by the time you are training or fighting in a ring or cage, you will 100% feel more prepared and confident.
Here is an example of Phil doing some of the exercises with UFC star Dustin Poirier:
What do you get from Fight Ready program
You actually do get quite a lot with this program including:
- Lifetime ebook access to his 12 week plan of exercises to completely change and structure your S&C routine
- Daru Strong’s Membership Hub
- 14 Video specific videos that simply explains the course in-depth to you (very handy)
- Phil’s Private Facebook group with like minded individuals
- Discounts off future Phil Daru programs
- Access to an exercise database, if you need it.
- FREE additional program – Power Fighting Plyometrics
How does the program work
In order to make the most of the Fight Ready program, it’s really important that you follow the simple guide that Phil provides in the training plan document.
These include 5 Steps to each training session:
- Step 1: Dynamic Warm-up
- Step 2: Plyometric Movements Key Points – e.g. sets & reps, rest and more
- Step 3: Lifting Key Points – e.g. load, tempo
- Step 4: Joint Integrity Movements – act as warm down exercises
- Step 5: Performing Each Movement
It’s important to take this all in before you start the program, so you can understand what is required from you to get the best results possible. (Phil does give you access to videos to explain all this).
As mentioned earlier, the program is split into 3 phases which include different weekly exercises in the plan (4 days in total). Each month covers the following:
- Month 1 – Stability and Force Absorption
- Month 2 – Force Production Teaching
- Month 3 – Transferability Movements
Here is an example from Month 1 on what a workout session will look like.
| DYNAMIC WARM UP |
| Squat Jumps – 2 x 10 seconds |
| Power Skips – 4 x 10 [2 focus on height] [2 focus on distance] |
| STRENGTH |
| 1.A. Trap Bar Deadlift – 4 x 8 |
| 1.B. Single Leg Hip Bridge – 4 x 10 each leg |
| 2.A. Floor Press – 3 x 8 |
| 3.A. Weighted Pull Ups – 3 x 12 |
| 3.B. Corrective Exercise Reverse Hyper – 3 x 12 |
| 4. Suitcase Carry – 4 x 90 seconds |
| 5. Ab Wheel Roller 3 x 12 – 3 x 12 |
My experience and recommendations
At first I was quite overwhelmed by the information supplied and wasn’t sure where to start. But I highly recommend you watch the videos Phil gives you access to that explains each phase simply. I felt a lot more comfortable with the terminology after watching.
As the Fight Ready program comes in the form of an ebook you will need to prepare yourself for each training session by looking at the exercises beforehand so you can perform correctly.
However, if you have your phone / laptop near you you can have a quick check as you go through each exercise to make sure you are performing the correct technique.
Each phase of the program is varies in terms of exercises and you are constantly doing something different which is a nice change to your typical S&C workouts.
Another aspect I had to get my head around was splitting up S&C with skills training as Phil gives you 4 days in a week to do these. If I’m being honest, this is quite hard to do for the average person or beginner. But I feel as long as you fit in 3 of these a week you will see big gains. Phil Daru explains how you can split up skills training with S&C as part of the planning.
I also recommend you print out the ebook provided so you can track your progress.
Who is this program best for?
The Fight Ready Program is best for people who really want to improve and need a plan laid out for their strength and conditioning for mma, boxing or fitness. (This isn’t a program to improve your fighting skills).
If you feel like you have been lost on what exercises you should be doing, this program gives you a great structure to improve and see results quickly.
I also think this would be great for personal trainers or coaches who train fighters. It will really help to give you and your clients a structured process to make the most of their training with all the work done for you!
Lastly this is best for those that go and have access to a commercial gym. You will need to perform a lot of these exercises with different equipment, unless you have stacked out your home gym already!
Is the Fight Ready Program worth it?
Personally I think Phil Daru has done a fantastic job putting together this 12 week training program.
It really helps the fact Phil has laid everything out and all the exercises are aimed specifically for fighters which makes that even better.
It will massively improve your physical state (if followed) so that you’ll have the physical condition of an elite fighter, whether you’re competing in combat sports or just want to get in the best shape possible.
You also get a FREE additional course “Power Fighting Plyometrics” that works on power and explosiveness.
The other great thing is that if you are not happy with the program you have a 60 day money back guarantee – so you really have nothing to lose!
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Can be used by both beginners and high level professionals | (If you don’t have access) You will a ideally need to be at a gym to make the most of this |
| The schedule and plan is all mapped out for you to follow | You have to stick to schedule to see results |
| Access Darustrong’s Membership Hub which gives you more workout content | Lots of back and forth between videos and ebook |
| If followed correctly you will start to see results quickly | You have to be self motivated |
| You will also get FREE additional course – Power Fighting Plyometrics. | |
| 60 day money back guarantee if you’re not happy. |
Final Thoughts
Overall Phil Daru has done a brilliant job putting together a very robust and specific training for fighters.
You will need access to a gym to do many of the exercises provided, but if you are looking at this you probably already go to a gym.
The amount of exercises and terminology does seem quite overwhelming at first. It’s worth watching the exercises before each session and Phil’s videos explaining the course in baby steps once purchased.
To make the most of this program, I highly recommend printing out a copy of the ebook so you can tick off each exercise as you go along. This will make it much easier for you to follow and track your progress as you go through the training schedule.
If you don’t have access to a gym I would also recommend checking out the Body Armor program by Phil Daru instead. Why not read my review on this here.
*Phil Daru is currently offering a discount on this course for a limited time! So don’t miss out while still available.
Boxing Life’s Rating:
Hope you enjoyed this review, let me know in the comments if you have any questions or if you think you might try out this program.
If this course does not pick your fancy I recommend you check out my other top online boxing course option here or why not check out some more fitness related program reviews.
Look out for more boxing training advice by visiting the link here.
Thanks for reading!
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