Cushing also does a lot of unconventional lifts like training with heavy barrels and focusing on grip strength. This really translates well on the football field and helps build some explosion and power to his game.

Brian Cushing turns to MMA for his off-season workout and conditioning program. Due to his discipline in the gym, Cushing is a beast on the field, always playing with controlled aggression.

Cushing focuses on a workout program that negates any form of weight lifting. Instead, his workout combines boxing, kickboxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, and judo, among other things. Conducted by MMAthletics co-founders Jay Glazer and Randy Couture, Cushing believes that this type of training translates well on the football field, giving players new foundations of strength and toughness. Cushing even gets in the ring with Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture and mimics their training styles to push himself one step further.

Besides Cushing, other top defensive players in the NFL, such as Clay Matthews, Jared Allen, Patrick Willis, and Keith Rivers have preferred this type of hardcore training to help them prepare for the brutal football season. There really is no better way to get you ready for the brutal nature of the NFL season like training with MMA fighters. This really helps instill additional toughness and will certainly add to his power and explosion on the football field.

Cushing is one of the most jacked football players. As you can see, his muscles are popping out of his jersey!

On Cushing’s personal blog, he said “They put us through some brutal workouts, submissions, cage work, leg workouts. I got pretty close to being choked out before I tapped out. I had never done this kind of thing before, I really got a new perspective on athletes when I was training with these guys. You think you’re tough, then you get in the ring with a 180-pound guy and he’s throwing you around. There’s no harder training than what they do, and I think it’s really helping me from a mental standpoint.” Maybe that’s just Cushing’s pedigree: to be mentally tougher than anyone. Cushing’s workout routine is definitely among the most badass in all of football.

Cushing also trains regularly with trainer Joe DeFranco, one of the country’s most highly sought after performance enhancement specialists. DeFranco preaches high intensity training, incorporating everything from conventional squats to “heavy ass sled drags”. Cushing has been training with DeFranco since Cushing’s high school days. Such a versatility in his workout regimen will work all the different muscles in his body and will add to a whole new repertoire of skills on the football field.

Source

http://briancushing56.com/blog.html