Conor Mcgregor’s strength & conditioning coach, Colin Byrne, shares his top tips on avoiding injury when you return to the gym after lockdown.

For many of us, whilst we may have been keeping up with our general fitness over lockdown, we’ve not been able to do the grappling, pads and sparring that we were doing before Covid-19. With us now seeing the start of MMA gyms opening back up, if you’re anything like me, you’re gagging to get back to your old training, but rushing back in can put you at risk of injuries.

We asked Colin Byrne, gym owner and Conor Mcgregor corner man to give us his top tips on keeping healthy when returning after a lay off. This is what he had to say;

1. Work on mobility – choose a form of mobility training that works for you and do some every day. This could be yoga, Olympic lifting or bouldering.
2. Choose your training partners wisely – It’s really important to pick training partners you trust and that are a physical match for you, don’t be afraid to decline training with people you think may injure you.
3. Back to basics – Take the beginner classes, regardless of your experience, it’s a great way to remind yourself of basics principals whilst learning some new tricks.
4. Ease back in – Don’t jump straight back in, train smart and take rest days to ensure your longevity.
5. Invest in yourself – Your training kit is an investment, if you get good quality kit you are less likely to get injured and your training will improve. Make sure to look after your kit too, so that it can look after you.

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