Sam Cripps Performance

Sam Cripps Performance Combat sport strength and conditioning and nutrition support

19/01/2026

Feels good to be back on regular front squats after a phase of paused fronties.

The pauses feel like they've done their job - helped build positional strength both deep in the hole and whilst coming back up.

But glad to see the back of them cos they're not much fun!

I'm using velocity to help regulate the load - which is helpful because I have lifted a whole lot more than this on my front squats but I want to build good habits as the weight goes back up.

I'm aiming to nudge the weight up over the weeks until I get to a point where all my reps are between 0.5 and 0.4 m/s

This is a good range for building strength but also keeps fatigue low so I have energy for my combat sports training



15/01/2026

is an absolute pleasure to coach and a testiment to hard work and consistently.

This lad has put in a ton of work over the last year with his S+C and it shows

He's strong, powerful and has a solid gas tank... and he's a right pain in the arse to spar and roll with 🤣

He's done himself, me and proud 💪

12/01/2026

Look, I get it, you're busy ⏳

You've got a full time job, a family to spend time with and you're skills coach wants you kicking pads, rolling, drilling and sparring 5-6 times a weeks 🤼🥊

AND then you've got to fit s+c on top of that?! 🏋️

Sometimes there's just not enough days in the week 📅

Ideally I recommend combat athletes hit 2-3 s+c sessions per week

But if that's not manageable right now here's the 1 session I'd do:

A) full body power - either an Olympic lift variant or a circuit of jumps and throws

B1) Squat variant (front/back/zercher/single leg)
B2) Upper pull (horizontal or vertical)

C1) Hinge variant (deadlift/RDL/Trapbar)
C2) Upper Press (horizontal or vertical)

D) accessory circuit to fill in the gaps - do some core work and any weak links that you feel need some extra attention

Finish with some high intensity conditioning.
60s of total work split into intervals of 6-30s with a 1 to 1-4 work to rest ratio. Go hard or go home ☠️

Is it perfect? No
Is it better then nothing? Absolutely 💯

06/01/2026

is a great example of what having a coach can do for someone even if they are already experienced in training as an athlete

Sam was already fit and strong when he came on board.

He already hit the gym, ran, played football and Thai boxed.

He had a number of other active hobbies alongside a demanding job,

But he suffered from some long term niggles that were holding him back and couldn’t figure out how to solve them

Once we got him on a structured plan that gave him accountability and direction his results flew

The injuries that took him away from his hobbies are no more and he now he feels like he is able to brush off niggles easily

He's recently gone off to Thailand for a Muay Thai camp and managed their large training demands with ease

If you’re a Combat Sports athlete looking for S&C coaching that helps you perform better, drop me a message

Even if you only do these 3 things, I promise you'll be a better athlete by this time next year
27/12/2025

Even if you only do these 3 things, I promise you'll be a better athlete by this time next year



Had great fun last night with a bunch of my clients at the annual Christmas lift off to raise money for This is the th...
17/12/2025

Had great fun last night with a bunch of my clients at the annual Christmas lift off to raise money for

This is the third time I've coached at this event and this was my biggest outing with 6 clients taking part.

Really proud of all of them, for most this was the first time lifting in front of an audience and I know some were very nervous coming into it.

However the nerves didn't show as everyone really got into the competition and community spirit of the event with PBs aplenty!

Well done to everyone who took part 💪








Thanks to the organisers and judges for a fun and well run comp as always


09/12/2025

It's been a pleasure to work with .w.chester over the years - helping with his S+C and weight cuts over multiple

Good luck to him on his next challenge - the Polish Muay Thai Open Cup this weekend. You've put the work in brother LET'S GOOOO 🔥🔥🔥

03/12/2025

Sprint interval training isn't just useful for fighters. Any sport - like strongman - that involves repeated bouts of high intensity can benefit from these training methods. The protocols won't look exactly the same as I might give to my fighters but the principles are the same. Improve mitochondrial function, improve power output, improve recovery




Hi, I'm Sam and I'm a coach and an athlete - I have competitive experience in Muay Thai, BJJ and Olympic weightlifting a...
02/12/2025

Hi,
I'm Sam and I'm a coach and an athlete - I have competitive experience in Muay Thai, BJJ and Olympic weightlifting and train for MMA.
I have level 4 qualifications in both S&C and nutrition

What do I do? 
I provide online and in person S+C and nutrition support for combat sport athletes - whether you're an active fighter looking to improve performance and win fights or a hobbyist who wants to get the better of their sparring partners!

How can I help you? 
I help my clients meet the demands of their sport by giving them tailored training plans that get them stronger, more powerful and resilient and use targeted conditioning to build relentless gas tanks.

I also help my clients to set up their nutrition to fuel and recover from their training effectively and make weight safely for competition

Interested in how I can help you? 
DM me on here or catch me in person at -



24/11/2025

Some think velocity based training is an advanced method that is only applicable to high level strength athletes.

However I've been enjoying using it with some of my clients who are newer to training as a way of helping them get their heads around autoregulation.

Here I'm using an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) set to show my client what average velocity we should be looking at when aiming for 2RIR (reps in reserve) and then following that up with some sets where we cut the set at that velocity so he can get a feel for when he should be ending his sets to comply with his program.
I've found that typically around 0.2m/s is a good cut of for bench press if aiming for 2RIR/RPE8



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