In the recently completed. season of TUF: Heavyweights, Roy Nelson used his

considerable bulk and the crucifix position to win two of his fights. Can you explain the crucifix position and the best way to defend against it?

A: Briefly, from top position / side control, I can achieve the crucifix position by under hooking my opponents far arm and trapping it against my head, while simultaneously trapping his other arm between my legs, thus leaving the bulk of my weight directly across his chest, keeping his shoulders pinned to the ground, while my free arm can slice away with elbows!The best way to escape the position is to be aware of the set-up and not to get in it. If you do, you gotta scramble like crazy because the fight is close to being stopped!!! Q: Sticking with grappling for a minute, what should I do if trapped under my opponent’s full-mount? Are there drills or exercises you train your fighters with to better escape from this bad position?

A: In the current era of mixed martial arts, being caught in the mount is not nearly as bad as it was 15 years ago when Royce was pummeling his opponents. The reason??? We've been training and drilling escapes from that position sinceUFC: 1!!!

In reading your question, I immediately thought of 10 different mount escapes I have trained thousands of times and I could probably come up with 10 more that I have seen. Find a solid school or team and put your time in on your back! Q: Training multiple days a week, my energy levels seem to lag. Can you recommend any supplements to get me going and keep me energized during a work-out?

PERFORMANCE &

TRAINING Mike Dolce: Real Fighter Q & A

A: The last few months we've spoken about post-workout nutrition which is why I am happy to discuss pre-workout nutrition. First and foremost your overall daily diet has to be on point and consistent. Otherwise, there are too many variables and your workouts are hit and miss.

Assuming that you are eating properly and sleeping well each night, then your workouts can come down to how you are fueling them. Me, personally, I use MHP's Dark Rage. It is jam-packed with Nitric Oxide, Creatine, BCAA's, Vitamins, Minerals, Carbohydrates and tons more of muscle bursting ingredients but what I like best is Dark Rage's special propriety blend to buffer your blood's ph content and off-set fatigue and shut down. This allows us to push much harder for much longer, thus getting much more efficient workouts. You gotta try it just once to feel it's effect. It's totally worth a shot!!!

Q:

By Steve Downs, C.S.C.S.