Heatrick Heavy Hitters – Muay Thai Performance

This week, I received an interesting question from Orson in Thailand about using HRV as a fighter. After coaching fighters and analyzing performance data for over 15 years, I'll share something counterintuitive: Some of your best training sessions might happen on days when your HRV scores suggest otherwise.Here's what the research and practical experience shows: Recovery Scores Are Signals, Not Stop Signs * Low HRV indicates an increased stress load * High HRV suggests parasympathetic dominance * Neither absolutely dictates training intensity KEY MOMENTS Follow along using these quick timestamps: 00:00 HRV Monitoring For Fighters 00:12 Understanding Different HRV Systems 00:59 Low HRV Scores: Why You Can Still Train Hard 01:20 The Four-Week Training Cycle Explained 01:59 Balancing Data With How You Feel02:27 High-Intensity Weeks: Managing The Red Flags 02:53 Stop Micromanaging Your HRV Scores 03:19 The Bigger Picture: Beyond Daily Readings 04:02 When Multiple Red Flags Really Matter 04:21 Making Smart Training Adjustments Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2025/06/13/when-to-ignore-your-hrv-score-and-why/ [https://heatrick.com/2025/06/13/when-to-ignore-your-hrv-score-and-why/]

Plyometrics and weight training. Let's clear up this confusion! In Muay Thai, fighters often treat "strength AND conditioning" as one thing. But these are two distinct components: "strength" OR "conditioning." Let’s break this down... STRENGTH Training includes: • Weight room-based resistance work • Plyometric and med ball drills • Explosive power training • Traditional strength exercises CONDITIONING is different: • Cardio work • Energy system development • Stamina building • Recovery capacity They're separate beasts with different purposes. And here's where people get tripped up... KEY MOMENTS Follow along using these quick timestamps: 00:00 Weight Training Includes Plyometrics? 00:12 Strength AND Conditioning... 00:48 Train Plyometrics Separately? 02:06 Weight Training Twice a Week? 02:51 Training in Thailand? Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2025/06/06/muay-thai-plyometrics-and-resistance-training-confused/

You know what’s fascinating about asking world champions for their best advice for Muay Thai? They see through the noise and cut to the chase.You may expect a ONE Championship double champ like Regian Eersel to talk about secret training methods or advanced fighting tactics. Instead, he shared something simpler – and far more powerful. One of the most dangerous strikers on the planet, standing there telling me his biggest regret wasn't about training harder or learning more techniques... It was about being too damn stubborn to listen to his coaches.“I was really hard-headed, I didn't listen at all,” he told me. When his trainers told him to punch more in sparring, he'd think, “Nah, I don't like doing the punch now. I'm gonna kick more.” Sound familiar? KEY MOMENTS Follow along using these quick timestamps: 00:00 Regretting Not Listening More! 00:10 Young & Hard-Headed 00:28 Coaches Saw It Coming 00:49 Having Eyes On Your Sparring 01:21 Exploiting a 3rd Person Perspective Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2025/05/30/regian-eersel-didnt-listen-to-best-advice/ [https://heatrick.com/2025/05/30/regian-eersel-didnt-listen-to-best-advice/]

“How strong do I need to be for Muay Thai — and am I strong enough?”“Why do I still gas out in sparring, even though my cardio seems solid?”These were the exact questions an experienced fighter threw at me during a recent coaching call.Many fighters share these frustrations, and it’s puzzling.One size doesn’t fit all, and I don’t like guessing or offering vague solutions!But the good news? I didn’t have to guess.I pulled up his performance testing results and pinpointed exactly where his training should focus.I believe you’ll find these insights helpful as well.KEY MOMENTSFollow along using these quick timestamps:00:00 Introduction 00:40 How Strong Is Strong Enough for Muay Thai? 01:33 Turn That Strength Into Power You Can Use 02:04 If You’re Strong Enough—Stop Chasing Bigger Deadlifts 02:27 The Real Reason You’re Gassing Out in Sparring 02:46 If Your Foundation Is Solid—Now It’s Time to EvolveFurther notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2025/05/23/how-strong-is-strong-enough-for-muay-thai-and-why-youre-still-gassing-in-sparring/ [https://heatrick.com/2025/05/23/how-strong-is-strong-enough-for-muay-thai-and-why-youre-still-gassing-in-sparring/]

In Muay Thai, you must dig deep, but do you know when to push your limits, and when to ease off to level up? Are you the “More!” type… or the “Too Much!” type?Over the years—training myself and coaching fighters around the world—I’ve spotted a pattern. We all live on a sliding scale when it comes to challenge.And that scale moves. Push the edge regularly, and your capacity rises. But let it slide for too long? It drops. Fast. What challenged you six months ago might not touch the sides today. Or worse—what used to be easy now feels hard again, because you’ve unknowingly slid backward. You’re always moving on the scale. The question is: which direction?KEY MOMENTS Follow along using these quick timestamps: 00:00 Go Hard or Go Home? 00:38 The Challenge Level – Sliding Scale 01:04 Are You the “More!” Type… or the “Too Much!” Type? 01:16 Train Hard… But Redefine What “Hard” Actually Means 01:51 So… Where Are You On the Continuum? 02:13 Be Brutally Honest 02:28 Further Videos...Further notes and resources at https://heatrick.com/2025/05/16/dig-deep-but-know-your-edge-understand-the-moving-scale/ [https://heatrick.com/2025/05/16/dig-deep-but-know-your-edge-understand-the-moving-scale/] You'll find the "How Much Muay Thai Training Do You Really Need?" episode here: https://youtu.be/7a0s6qW5m6w [https://youtu.be/7a0s6qW5m6w]