About

The Science Behind Your Fight Plan

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to piece together a training program for MMA, you’re not alone. When I started training and fighting in mixed martial arts, I was also beginning my PhD in Exercise Physiology. I figured the scientific literature would have clear answers about how to train for a sport this complex. It didn’t.

What I found instead was a gap. There was plenty of research on endurance athletes, plenty on pure strength sports, but almost nothing that addressed the unique physiological demands of MMA — a sport that requires you to develop aerobic endurance, anaerobic power, muscular endurance, strength, flexibility, and technical skill, all at once. The few training resources that existed were either generic programs repackaged for fighters, or bro-science with no evidence behind it.

So I built what I couldn’t find. I combined periodization theory with the available research on combat sports physiology to create a structured, evidence-based approach to MMA program design. That work became The MMA Training Bible.

Dr. Jason Gillis, exercise physiologist and MMA practitioner

Who I Am

I’m Dr. Jason Gillis — a Professor in the Department of Sport & Movement Science at Salem State University, where I run research in the Human Performance Laboratory and teach Research Methods, Human Performance in Extreme Environments, and The Evolution of Athleticism.

My academic training took me across four countries: a B.Sc. (Honours) in Kinesiology from Dalhousie University in Canada, a Masters split between KU Leuven (Belgium) and the Norwegian School of Sports Science (Norway), and a PhD from the University of Portsmouth in England — where I worked with UK Sport’s Research and Innovation Team leading into the Beijing and London Olympic Games.

Whether I’m in the lab, in the classroom, or writing for this site, I care about one thing: translating research into training methods that actually work. No hype, no gimmicks — just evidence applied to the demands of the cage.

What You’ll Find Here

The MMA Training Bible breaks down the science of combat sport performance into practical, actionable training guidance. Every article on this site is grounded in peer-reviewed research, filtered through my own experience as both a scientist and a martial artist. I cover topics like energy system development, periodization for fight camps, strength and power training, and recovery — all specific to the demands of MMA. If you want to learn more about how I make it, read this.

If you want a free starting point, grab the Energy Systems Cheat Sheet — it’s a quick-reference guide to how your body produces energy during a fight and how to train each system.

Selected Research

  • D’Amico, Silva, Rubero, Dion, Gillis, D.J., Gallo, (2022). The Influence of Phototherapy on Recovery from Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy;17(4):658-668. doi:10.26603/001c.34422
  • Silva Jr., Penteado, Kons, Gillis, D.J., Caputo, Detanico, (2022). Relationship between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Specific Test performance and physical capabilities in experienced athletes. Science & Sport. doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2021.03.009
  • Barwood, Gibson, Gillis, D.J., Jeffries, Morris, Pearce, Ross, Stevens, Rinaldi, Kounalakis, Riera, Mündel, Waldron, Best (2020). Menthol as an ergogenic aid for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: an expert led consensus statement using the modified Delphi method. Sports Medicine. 50(10):1709-1727. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01313-9
  • D’Amico, Gillis, D.J., McCarthy, Leftin, Molloy, Heim, Burke, (2020). Foam rolling and indices of autonomic recovery following recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 15(3):429-440. Full Text PDF
  • Gillis, D.J., Vellante, Gallo, D’Amico (2020). The influence of menthol on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 34(2):451-462. doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002833
  • Penteado, Gillis, D.J., Caputo (2020). Reliability of parameters from sport-specific method for evaluating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Performance. Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine & Treatment in Sports. 7(4):1-4. doi.org/10.19080/JPFMTS.2020.07.555719
  • D’Amico, Gillis, D.J. (2019). The influence of foam rolling on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 33(9):2443-2452. doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002240
  • Villar, Gillis, D.J., Santana, Pinheiro, Almeida (2018). Association between anaerobic metabolic demands during simulated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu combat and specific Jiu-Jitsu anaerobic performance test. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 32(2):432-440

For my full publication list, visit my Google Scholar, ResearchGate, or Salem State University profiles.