Elite Trainer Reveals: Why Most UFC Fighters Fail Under Pressure | Phil Daru DSH #998

Summary

Digital Social Hour: Elite Trainer Reveals Why Most UFC Fighters Fail Under Pressure | Phil Daru DSH #998

Release Date: December 20, 2024
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Phil Daru, Renowned Trainer and Coach for Elite Athletes

---

Introduction

In episode #998 of the Digital Social Hour podcast, host Sean Kelly sits down with Phil Daru, one of the world's foremost trainers for elite athletes, particularly in combat sports like the UFC. The conversation delves deep into Phil's extensive experience, training philosophies, and the critical factors that differentiate successful fighters from those who crumble under pressure.

---

Phil Daru’s Journey to Elite Training

Phil Daru opens up about his lifelong dedication to athletics. Starting martial arts at age four and progressing through college football before transitioning to mixed martial arts (MMA), Phil's path to becoming a top-tier trainer spans over 15 years.

Phil Daru [01:42]: "I've always trained, you know, since I was say 12 years old. Started doing resistance training, but martial arts since I was 4 years old."

His decision to shift from being an athlete to coaching was driven by a desire to give back to the community and help others achieve their athletic potential.

Phil Daru [02:12]: "I wanted to give back and that was the biggest thing."

---

Training Across Different Sports

While Phil specializes in combat sports, his expertise extends to training NFL athletes, showcasing his versatility.

Phil Daru [02:23]: "I do have a football background, which was good for me to make that transition to work with other athletes too, as well."

He emphasizes that elite athletes, regardless of their sport, share common traits such as urgency, discipline, and coachability. Phil tailors his training programs to meet the specific needs of each sport, ensuring biomechanical efficiency, endurance, and mental resilience.

---

The Mental Edge: Why Fighters Fail Under Pressure

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the mental fortitude required to excel in high-stakes environments like the UFC. Phil explains that while physical prowess is essential, the ability to maintain focus and block out distractions is what often separates the elite from the rest.

Phil Daru [03:25]: "These guys that have that mental fortitude, that know how to take it to the next level and block out the noise, they become the elite."

He recounts his personal experience of losing fights due to a lack of mental presence, underscoring the importance of psychological preparedness.

Phil Daru [04:45]: "When I lost fights, it was that I wasn't mentally in there."

Phil advocates for a holistic approach to training that integrates mental health alongside physical conditioning.

Phil Daru [04:25]: "Let me focus on mental health too. It's important to have the confidence in your abilities in order to be the best that you can be."

---

Training Methods for Elite Fighters

Phil details his methodology in preparing fighters like Dustin Poirier, focusing on enhancing both physical and mental attributes.

Strength and Mobility: Phil emphasizes the importance of building structural integrity and functional strength, especially in positions that fighters frequently encounter in the cage.

Phil Daru [10:37]: "Getting him stronger, getting him to understand his body a little bit more, increasing mobility in each joint capsule."

Endurance and Recovery: He focuses on improving VO₂ max and recovery rates to ensure fighters can sustain their performance throughout all rounds.

Phil Daru [12:23]: "He can utilize oxygen and deliver it. He has the ability to recover in between rounds."

Breathwork: Phil introduces advanced breathwork techniques to enhance recovery and manage stress, crucial for maintaining performance under pressure.

Phil Daru [22:50]: "We do a form of box breathing, which is a parasympathetic breathing protocol that you can do."

---

Adaptability in Training

Training elite athletes involves constant adjustments to accommodate injuries and varying physical conditions. Phil discusses his approach to autoregulating training sessions based on the athletes' daily performance and health status.

Phil Daru [11:35]: "Being able to structure a training session around what could or could not happen, and then from there still progress them with whatever I could do that."

This adaptability ensures continuous progress without compromising the athlete's health, a balance critical in high-contact sports like MMA.

---

Phil’s Personal Challenges and Growth

Phil shares personal anecdotes about pushing his physical limits, including participating in ultra-endurance events and overcoming severe physical setbacks. His experience with rhabdomyolysis during an intense 150-mile ruck walk serves as a testament to his resilience and commitment to growth.

Phil Daru [28:44]: "I was in the process of getting to kidney failure... I was going to make up my mind... to go into coaching."

These experiences reinforce his belief in the mantra that "you can always get better," driving him to seek new challenges like deep diving and breath-holding to further enhance his mental and physical capabilities.

Phil Daru [32:22]: "There's always a way to improve. There's always a way to challenge yourself."

---

Influence and Legacy

Phil discusses his current projects, including coaching top fighters like Robisy Ramirez and working with NFL athletes. He also emphasizes his role in coaching other coaches, ensuring his training philosophies are widely disseminated and adopted.

Phil Daru [20:19]: "I'm looking to actually work with some judo Olympians too as well. Just got done with a couple of junior Olympic athletes."

His dedication to training and continuous improvement positions him as a pivotal figure in the world of elite sports coaching.

---

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Phil Daru reflecting on the importance of maintaining discipline and continuously pushing one's limits to achieve and sustain excellence. His insights offer invaluable lessons for aspiring athletes and coaches alike, highlighting that success under pressure is as much a mental game as it is a physical one.

Phil Daru [32:33]: "There's Always a way to improve. There's always a way to challenge yourself."

Sean Kelly wraps up the conversation by inviting listeners to connect with Phil through his social media platforms, encouraging them to further explore his training methodologies and philosophies.

---

Key Takeaways

1. Holistic Training Approach: Success in elite sports requires a balance of physical conditioning, mental resilience, and adaptability.
2. Mental Fortitude: The ability to maintain focus and manage stress is crucial for performing under pressure.
3. Adaptive Training: Adjusting training programs to accommodate injuries and varying athlete conditions is essential for continuous improvement.
4. Breathwork and Recovery: Advanced techniques like box breathing can significantly enhance an athlete's recovery and performance.
5. Continuous Growth: Even top-tier athletes and coaches like Phil Daru emphasize the importance of ongoing challenges to foster growth and excellence.

---

Notable Quotes

• Phil Daru [03:25]: "These guys that have that mental fortitude, that know how to take it to the next level and block out the noise, they become the elite."
• Phil Daru [04:25]: "Let me focus on mental health too. It's important to have the confidence in your abilities in order to be the best that you can be."
• Phil Daru [32:22]: "There's always a way to improve. There's always a way to challenge yourself."

---

Connect with Phil Daru

• Instagram & Twitter: @PhilDerStrong
• YouTube: Phil Der Strong
• Podcast & Show: Available on major streaming platforms

---

Listen to the full episode here to gain deeper insights into the world of elite sports training and the mental dynamics that dictate success in high-pressure environments.

Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. You know one of the perks about having four kids that you know about is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north. And this year he wants you to know the best gift that you can give someone is the gift of Mint Mobile's unlimited wireless for $15 a month. Now you don't even need to wrap it. Give it a [e-mail] switch.

[Unknown (Advertisement Voice)]

$45 upfront payment required. Equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only. Taxes and fees. Extra small speed slower above 40 gigabytes on unlimited. See mintmobile.com for details. This episode is brought to you by Dutch Bros. Big smiles, rocking tunes and epic drinks. Dutch Bros. Is all about you. Choose from a variety of customizable handcrafted beverages like our Rebel energy drinks, coffees, teas and more. Download the Dutch Bros app for a free medium drink. Plus find your nearest shop, order ahead and start earning rewards offer valid for new app users only. Free medium drink Reward upon registration. 14 day expiration terms apply.

[Phil Daru]

See Dutch Bros.com okay, are they biomechanically efficient for the actual sport? Do they have the proper endurance? Do they have the mental capacity to withstand these types of stressful situations? And when you have all that together, especially when you have an opponent right next to you, let's say it's a one on one with the ufc. These guys that have that mental fortitude that know how to take it to the next level and block out the noise, they become the elite.

[Unknown (Host)]

All right, guys, we're out here in West Palm. I got Phil Daro here today, one of the best trainers in the world. Thanks for coming on, man.

[Phil Daru]

Thank you, my brother. I appreciate it.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, your knowledge is immense. So I can't wait to get to learn how you got to this level, man. For real?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, man. It's been 15 years in the making.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah. Was it always a goal of yours to become a trainer?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, I mean, I've always trained, you know, trained since I was say 12 years old. Started doing resistance training, but martial arts since I was 4 years old. So I kind of merged myself into that. I was a college football player, then started to do mixed martial arts, ended up becoming a pro there. And then I just def. Like I could see myself doing this long term and I was like, okay, I'm going to be an athlete for the rest of my life. I can, I can be athletic. But I wanted to give back and that was the biggest thing. And when I made that decision to do that, you Know, hockey stick from there.

[Unknown (Host)]

Nice. And you train all sports, it's not just one sport, right?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. I mean, I made my niche in combat sports, but we just got it done with the NFL off season guys, so I'm looking forward to watching them on the gridiron, so.

[Unknown (Host)]

Cool.

[Phil Daru]

You know, I do have a football background, which was. Was good for me to make that transition to like, work with other athletes too, as well. It gives me more diversity in a lot of ways that I coach and communicate to as well.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right. How different is the training with NFL guys versus fighters?

[Phil Daru]

You know, at any elite level, these guys are in the NFL, and the guys that I work with in the ufc, they always have this sense of urgency and discipline. And the other thing that we want to look at also is how well they can take, let's say, what I give them and put it into practice.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

How can they put it into play and how coachable are they? So with that, I'm looking at how well they can understand the basics and then take it to the next level. Right. So with those individuals, they're disciplined, right. They have good understanding of where they want to go. They know what their weak points are and they want to make them better. And that's the biggest thing.

[Unknown (Host)]

Did you see that clip with Shannon Sharp and that receiver about training?

[Unknown (Co-host)]

No.

[Phil Daru]

What happened?

[Unknown (Host)]

He. He told this receiver, I forget who it was, but he said, if you trained as hard as me, you'd be the goat.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah.

[Unknown (Host)]

And the guy was like, no, I, I like my fast food. I like, you know, certain things.

[Phil Daru]

It's those small little details, man. It's that 1%. Honestly, when you get to that level, it go, okay, what is something that is holding you back from being the absolute elite that you can be? And a lot of times it comes down to, okay, maybe it's mobility, maybe, you know, it's your overall functionality and how you go about achieving what you need to on a daily basis. And a lot of times I look at athletes as a full spectrum, right? So if I'm looking at them and I'm assessing their. Their abilities, I want to see, okay, are they biomechanically efficient for the actual sport? Do they have the proper endurance? Do they have the mental capacity to withstand these types of stre situations? And when you have all that together, especially when you have an opponent right next to you, let's say it's a one on one with the ufc. These guys that have that mental fortitude, that know how to take it to the next level and block out the noise, they become the elite.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right. I love how you encompass everything because a lot of trainers just focus on physical. Right. And maybe diet, but you're like, no, let me focus on mental health too.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. I mean, with fighting, it's, it's important. But in all sports, it's important. Right. To have a mental edge. And you have to have the confidence in your abilities in order for you to. To be the best that you can be. And that's where you're going to see what separates the good from the great. See what I'm saying?

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah. Because a lot of people fold in those critical moments. They just shut down. Something mentally goes wrong, right?

[Phil Daru]

Absolutely. Absolutely. I think, you know, for me, when I was actually fighting, the times that I lost fights was that I wasn't mentally in there.

[Unknown (Host)]

Wow.

[Phil Daru]

Right. And you can tell when that cage door closes. It's either, okay, I'm ready to go or I'm not. And you can't call on anybody at that point. That's why fighting in general is. It's very. It's nerve wracking, you know, and I think it's primal in a lot of ways, too. And it becomes something of second nature if you know how to one, hone in the details, work the game plan and stay consistent with that. And then also from there, do not let those distractions take away from the game. And a lot of times we see that guys are great, you know, in the gym world beaters in the gym, they go into the fight and then, you know, something happens where they don't look the same. It's because they couldn't block out the noise and they couldn't stay the course.

[Unknown (Host)]

Absolutely. There's fights you probably had where you were more athletic, you were more talented that you lost.

[Phil Daru]

Absolutely. I lost fights that I should have won based off of focus, you know, and so when I started coaching, I wanted to make sure that I reiterated that to most of the guys. Now, guys like Dustin Poirier, they're already locked in. Right. But there's still times where you have to stay with them.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

You have to.

[Unknown (Host)]

This episode of Digital.

[Unknown (Advertisement Voice)]

If you're like me, you're looking for an edge for sports betting. So when I heard Masterclass had a new class on beating the odds, taught by the pros who have made millions, I had to check it out. With Masterclass, you can learn from the best to become your best. Masterclass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200 of the world's best for just $10 a month. An annual membership with Masterclass gets you unlimited access to every instructor and you can access Masterclass on your phone, computer, smart TV or even in audio mode. Novice bettors are at a huge disadvantage, with most losing early and fast. Before, the knowledge needed to level up was hard to come by. Now there's Masterclass and the classes really make a difference. 88% of members feel that Masterclass has made a positive impact on on their lives. I use it and you should too. Plus, every new membership comes with a 30 day money back guarantee, so don't wait another moment to start your learning journey with Masterclass. And Masterclass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to Masterclass.com Bluewire for their current offer. That's up to 50% [e-mail] Bluewire that's Masterclass. And remember, all sports betting involves risk and you're responsible for complying with all sports betting laws in your jurisdiction.

This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. The holidays mean more travel, more shopping, more time online and more personal info in places that could expose you to identity theft. That's why LifeLock monitors millions of data points every second. If your identity is stolen, their US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Get more holiday fun and less Holiday worry with LifeLock. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com podcast Terms Apply Flower is.

Brought to you by BetterHelp, making it easy and affordable to access online therapy. Give it a [e-mail] DSH and get on your way to being your best self. The holidays are a tricky time of the year for a lot of people and I like to stay cozy and warm at home with my favorite movies, babies and a warm blanket and also some BetterHelp. With a lot of time to reflect during the winter months, therapy is a great way to embrace what's on our mind and find comfort that doesn't leave us even as the holidays fade away. Even if you've never tried therapy or always wondered about its effects, BetterHelp's online therapy option can be a helpful tool to learn about positive coping mechanisms and set boundaries that will aid you in years and events to come. It doesn't just take trauma to make therapy worthwhile, as we want to empower everyone to be the best version of themselves. If you're thinking about therapy, give BetterHelp a try with its online platform designed to be convenient and suited to your schedule. All you have to do Is fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist with the freedom to switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. Find peace and comfort this December with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.comDSHTODAY to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp help.sdh be there and you.

[Phil Daru]

Have to give them goals to accomplish throughout that camp so that they become more confident in their abilities. Naturally, they already are skillful.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

They're talented. They wouldn't be at that level. But when you give them something that is not a part of. Let's say for instance for me with resistance training, for strength training, if I can get them maybe 1% stronger, if they increase their, their 1 rep max by 5%, it may not transfer over physically. It may, you know, also physically, but most importantly, it transfers over mentally.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right. So when did Dustin approach you and what was that journey like with him?

[Phil Daru]

The first time we talked, I got the job at American top team and we talked for about an hour or two just because I used to fight a lot in Louisiana. So like, you know, just shooting the shit, stuff like that and making sure that we started. Started to look at communication appropriately. And I wanted to make sure that he understood what I was about. I would say right after the Michael Johnson fight, he. He text me and he goes, man, I'm ready to go. And from there on, we had seven camps together.

[Unknown (Host)]

Wow.

[Phil Daru]

With five years of work, so it's been great, man. He's, he's one of those guys that helped me achieve coaching success and allowed me to be a better coach because of it.

[Unknown (Host)]

What was like, did you have any big problems that you were trying to solve? Any metrics?

[Phil Daru]

A lot of times. I mean, he's never lift weights a day in his life. Really before that, he may have done some things here and there, but he never really strength trained. So getting him stronger, getting him, you know, to understand his body a little bit more, Increasing mobility in each joint capsule, giving him the ability to do what he does inside the cage. And that's primarily what I wanted to focus on. I wanted to build a bigger base of structural integrity, of strength and his ability to correlate that over into the skills that he has. Yeah, that was my biggest thing. And a lot of times, you know, with these guys, they have, they have injuries, they have issues. Each and every day they come into the gym and I have to autoregulate, I have to call an audible because, you know, let's say they kicked an elbow or something along the lines of that. And now the training that I had laid out goes out the window because they can't do the things that I had planned.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

So being able to structure a training session around what could or could not happen, and then from there still progress them with whatever I could do that.

[Unknown (Host)]

Makes sense for the McGregor fight. Were you trying to increase his stamina.

[Phil Daru]

To try to outlast the thing with Dustin? And some of these guys, they naturally have great conditioning. Right. Their genetic predisposition is endurance. And so he has a high VO2 max. That means, you know, he has high oxygen utilization, so he can utilize oxygen and deliver it. He has the ability to recover in between rounds. My goal was to make sure that he was confident in his abilities from a power production standpoint and being able to have that power throughout all five rounds. Mobility, too, as well. On top of that, being able to not only get into positions, but be strong in those positions and be strong in those end ranges. If you do, you know, jiu jitsu and grappling, you understand that you have to be in these contorted, kind of weird positions most of the time, but if you're not strong in those positions, you're going to end up getting hurt. Interesting.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Wow.

[Unknown (Host)]

So you got to kind of train in those weird positions, right?

[Phil Daru]

The most of the time. Yeah. We want to make sure one, they have the joint prerequisites to get there, increase that range, and then get stronger in that range.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, there's been some nasty, like, areas in the UFC where like, you're like, stretched all over the place.

[Phil Daru]

And you can imagine if you get stretched out to that degree and you're not strong enough, you're going to tear something.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

And that's where we find most of the non contact injuries. Injuries occur too, as well. You know, with fighting future, you faces.

[Unknown (Advertisement Voice)]

Some big expectations, work out more, go to bed earlier, and most importantly, make smart money decisions. Thankfully, today you has bank of America one place with tools and guidance to help balance tasks from budgeting to saving. So you can just be you with big plans. Do more with the bank that asks, what would you like the power to do? Explore our tips and [e-mail] futureyou.

[Phil Daru]

You're gonna have lacerations, you're gonna get concussions, you're gonna get bruises, things like that. But the one thing that we can work on inside of a weight room or a physical preparation perspective is to increase their ability to get into these positions and be safe. Right. So reduce the risk of injury. Is the primary focus, especially in camp.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah. With all the new advancements and new knowledge, do you think fighters can fight into their 40s now?

[Phil Daru]

Yes. I don't recommend it. You see more and more of that now. You know, I have guys and girls that still fight in well into their 40s.

[Unknown (Host)]

Wow.

[Phil Daru]

Do I believe in it? If you feel like it's something that you need to do. I'm never going to tell a fighter not to continue fighting.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

Because it's in them. And most of the time that's all they know. So if that's the case, then I'm gonna get them well prepared to do so. The training does change. Right. The preparation will definitely alter based upon them being at that age. Recoverability is immensely important. And what we wanna do is we wanna make sure that they're able to maintain their ability to be strong and explosive. Because a lot of times when you get older, speed kind of deteriorates. Your strength and your ability to squeeze, from an MMA standpoint kind of stays. Conditioning to a degree will stay. But that speed, right, that, that explosiveness, that twitchiness kind of starts to dissipate. And that's why we want to make sure that we can continue on with that speed work. Continue on with that speed endurance work. And that's how I'll alter it. But again, like I said, it's making sure that they are ready to step in the cage or step in the ring when the time comes.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right. I wonder why the speed decreases so rapidly. Like in your late 20s, 30s. Right.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. I think that a lot of times, like just getting older, athletes stop wanting to do sprinting or speed work or anything like that. The goal for any athlete is to be faster and more explosive than your opponent.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

You play basketball.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

So being able to get down the court, being able to, you know, dunk and be explosive from that triple extension, you start to stop doing that getting older. And that's the problem with just people in general. They stop sprinting, they stop jumping, and then. Then they lose it.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

You don't use it, you lose it. So it's just kind of making sure that they have that ability to do it over and over again and keep putting it into the training process.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

So they don't lose it.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah. I'm just finding out how important sprinting is, man. Yeah, I think it's more important than running.

[Phil Daru]

I mean, sprinting in general, just because attending elasticity, especially for your sport too, is basketball. Running is a different. If you're talking about jogging or anything like that if that's for more cardiovascular endurance, it's obviously going to be good. It's going to be good for blood flow, it's going to be good for just overall longevity and health and wellness. Sprinting, however, from a performance standpoint and also a health standpoint.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

Increasing tendon stiffness and elasticity, increasing your ability to have neuromuscular efficiency, being able to explode and redirect and things of that nature, changing direction. A lot of people still don't do that when they get older. They stop working cut drills and having to absorb and redirect force. Right. That's important for everyday use, especially for athletes too.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, those cut drills. Yeah, I haven't done those in years. Man, I remember doing those.

[Phil Daru]

The 5, 10, 5. Yeah.

[Unknown (Host)]

What was that one called where you had to sprint, touch the ground and then.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, that's the 510 5.

[Unknown (Host)]

Oh, that's the 5.

[Phil Daru]

Or the agility, like the, the 575 agility shuttle test. Another one. The L drill is another one. Just being able to absorb force and then redirect it is very important.

[Unknown (Host)]

How much importance are you placing on the supplement side?

[Phil Daru]

I am. I mean, a lot of times now, athletes, you know, obviously I'm going to go with nutrition first, whole foods before anything. But nowadays it's very hard to find whole nutritious foods. Right, right. So if they don't have something that's, you know, that's organic, that's grass fed, that's, you know, locally raised in a lot of ways, especially out here. You're in Vegas.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

So it's tough out there. It's tough. It's tough for us. You know, if I can't get the nutrients from food, I'm going to supplement that. And that's all. That's why it's called supplements. So we need to make sure that we have that anything that's going to be supplemented is going to be something that's going to help them, not just from a performance standpoint, but from a health and longevity standpoint. So Omega 3s, a standard multivitamin, will always be good. I like creatine monohydrate too as well. It has been shown through recent studies and studies in the past that it does help with traumatic brain injury, so it can reduce that too as well. So we like to have them take 2 to 5 grams after every sparring session too as well.

[Unknown (Host)]

Smart. I need to start taking that. I had a TBI on the brain scan I just took.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Really?

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Phil Daru]

I've had eight Concussions, man. So you got. Yeah, we were loading up.

[Unknown (Host)]

Have you physically noticed, like, signs of brain damage from those?

[Phil Daru]

Well, I played football since I was 7, and I think that accumulation of all those, you know, obviously taking the proper precautions, making sure that I'm. I'm taking omega threes, right. I'm taking things that are going to bring down inflammation and then also creatine monohydrate, too, as well. Now I'm. I'm pretty solid. Oh, this was a point. This was probably around. I was 25, so this was somewhere around 2014, 2015. And I was trying to go back for my PhD, and I just. I wasn't grasping what the. You know, what. What they were saying. And so I was like, man, let me go check out what's going on. Went to a neurologist and they said, man, if you don't stop fighting, you're going to have, you know, Alzheimer's by the time you're.

[Unknown (Host)]

Holy crap.

[Phil Daru]

So I got, you know, I was like, damn. And this is. I was still a professional fighter. My son was about to be born, and I called Dean Thomas, and he was just like, listen, if you don't stop, it's not like it's your, you know, your knee or your. Even your back. It's your brain. You really don't want to mess with that. And since I was successful in coaching and I had a good business running, I was like, you know what? It took me two weeks to really, like, make up. Okay. Make up my mind.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

If I'm going to leave the sport, stop training or stop competing at least, and go about actually going full. Go into coaching. And I think that that was the best thing for me. I'm going to say, yes, it was the best thing for me because I was able to focus now on one particular aspect of my life, which at that point, from a professional standpoint, it was coaching as opposed to trying to be an athlete and coach at the same time.

[Unknown (Host)]

It's hard to do two things at.

[Phil Daru]

The same time, especially when you're trying to do it at the highest level.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

You see what I'm saying now? If, like, for me now, I still train, right? I still do jiu jitsu. I still, you know, kickboxing, Muay Thai, but I'm not competing for anything at that level. Right. I'm not competing as it is my profession.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

My focus is on my athletes, and it'll continue to do that, but I will still compete when it's necessary or when I feel the need to. But Obviously being safe along the way too as well.

[Unknown (Host)]

Absolutely. Who are your current athletes right now?

[Phil Daru]

I have Robisi Ramirez. We're about to start camp. He's a two time gold medalist and we're looking to get the WBO title.

[Unknown (Host)]

Nice.

[Phil Daru]

So that's one that's coming up as far as, like I said, I have NFL athletes that just got back into to many camps, so we're working, looking for some good news from them. You know, I'm looking to actually work with some judo Olympians too as well. Just got done with a couple of junior Olympic athletes too. Timberland is another one of my, my guys. And yeah, just I'm really selective now with my, with who I'm working with. And then on top of that, I coach coaches too now.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right. Because they need the mindset for you to take them on because you could tell them all the stuff and if they don't actually do it, you know.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, yeah, it's, it's. I've worked with well over 200 professional athletes and fighters in the UFC, NFL, MLB. But the thing is that they have to want it, you know, and I'm going to give them everything that I can, you know, so if they're not ready and tapped in, then it's just pointless for us to go further. Another thing now is I'm doing a lot more seminars and things of that nature, so that's kind of taken up a lot of my time as well.

[Unknown (Host)]

You got the pod too, right?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. Podcast, YouTube channel.

[Unknown (Host)]

Absolutely. You were talking about breath work earlier, which surprised me. You know, I don't see any coaches teaching breath work, man.

[Phil Daru]

For, for us it's important, you know, not only from a, you know, from a performance standpoint, but from a recoverability standpoint. You know, a lot of these guys are training multiple times throughout the day, so it's not what you can do, it's what you can recover from. So what I want to do is I want to enhance their ability to recover as fast as possible and bringing down that stressful environment by utilizing the breath. We do a form of box breathing, which is a parasympathetic breathing protocol that you can do. This is something that I will do in between sessions so that they can bring down their stress levels, increase readiness and perform at their best. The biggest thing for me is that once they get into camp or once they, like, let's say close to the season, the goal is to make sure that they're able to do their sport. So I have to be able to get them recovered. Enough from the training session to do that. Yeah. So we'll utilize breathwork protocols. We'll utilize parasympathetic breathing, you know, material and stuff like that. I'll have them lay 90, 90. You can see it, some of my videos. But they'll lay on the ground, feet up, elevated, so that they get 360 degrees of expansion through the rib cage, through the lumbar spine, creating that diaphragmatic breathing mechanism so that it can bring down their stress levels in a lot of ways. And that usually helps to bring down heart rate, increases their recovery. Their recovery rate. And then when, let's say, for instance, in between rounds in a fight, the goal is to bring down the heart rate as fast as possible. Yeah. Because that allows them to be ready to go again when the bell rings.

[Unknown (Host)]

I didn't even think about that.

[Phil Daru]

So that's a big indicator for me to see how ready they are. So my goal is, once we get closer to the fight, I want to see if they can bring down their heart rate at least 30% from where they were at. Usually it's around. Usually it's around 172, 175 beats per minute, if you're really pushing it. And then the goal is to get them down to about 130 if we can.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Wow.

[Unknown (Host)]

And in what time frame? Just in between the round. Holy crap. That's a quick decrease.

[Phil Daru]

Yoani and Jczek and Dustin Poirier had the fastest recoverability time.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Really?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, yeah. It would drop down like, just like a countdown.

[Unknown (Host)]

So they had really good mental resilience.

[Phil Daru]

Resilience and aerobic capacity, I would say, you know, primarily because they're able to take in that oxygen and bring down their heart rate, and they're efficient with their breathing and they're efficient with their movement. So, you know, Dustin can go off camp and pretty much just maintain throughout his off camp.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

And what I mean by that is, if he's back home, he may be able to do some type of grappling or something like that, but he's not in camp. He's not really pushing it. But because he's so efficient, he can get, you know, primarily get off the couch and spar 12 rounds, because when he goes in there, he knows how to manage his output. And you see that with a lot of elite guys. Now, if you can double that up with a great aerobic base.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

Increasing their ability to take in oxygen and utilize it, and then from there have the efficiency, from a technical standpoint, you become unstoppable.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

So all young fighters out there look to gain the skill set necessary for you to have, you know, the ability to be second nature in there.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

To make it almost to be routine. Like, if somebody's going to shoot on you, you know, how to get your hips in, dig for underhooks, get out, create distance or separation, and then rain your shots. But on top of that, be able to calm your body down in between rounds. And you have to have a great aerobic base. You need to increase your aerobic capacity, and then you also need to buffer out lactate. So you need to get into these zones where you. You're pushing very hard, and your ability to recover in between those rounds are super efficient.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

You know, that's where you see those guys that, like a Colby Covington or a Dustin Poirier that have that ability to go for five rounds easily, but.

[Unknown (Host)]

At the same time, you don't want to overtrain. Right?

[Phil Daru]

No. That's why periodization and programming appropriately is important. Right. So like having the understanding of the athlete, having a proper assessment protocol, knowing where their limiters are from a bioenergetics demand standpoint, and then also looking at what the demands are going to be called upon inside the fight. Are they fighting three by three, three by threes, or they fighting three by fives? Five by fives, whatever.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

And then the opponent, what is the opponent going to give you? Right. Is the opponent a grappler? Are they a striker? What are some of the things that you're going to have to combat when you get in there? And so that goes along the lines with the preparation, along with the skills and technical training. And they have to be cohesive, things have to mold together, and that's why you have to have proper communication with all coaches, especially in mma.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, there's a ton of coaches, right?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. But in any sport, right, you got your. Your physical prep coach, you got your athletic trainer, you got your skills coach, and you got the head coach.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

And if all these guys aren't communicating appropriately, then everybody's going to do their own thing. And then you're throwing the. The athlete in so many different directions, and they don't get better at all. They end up hurting themselves, actually.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right. Have you had any of your clients fight against Sean Strickland?

[Phil Daru]

No. No, but Sean is. Is a. Okay, perfect example of being efficient.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right?

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

He doesn't get tired because he just stays his, you know, in his. In his structure. He doesn't deviate from this game plan. And it may be boring to some people. But he's obviously being efficient and successful in what he does, right?

[Unknown (Host)]

Well, he spars non stop, too.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown (Host)]

And people say he doesn't hold back.

[Phil Daru]

Sparring, so he doesn't. I've seen videos. I've seen videos.

[Unknown (Host)]

Dude, did you see that drama with him and Goggins?

[Phil Daru]

I did, man.

[Unknown (Host)]

That probably hurt you because you like both of them.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, I mean, it's fun. He said he apologized.

[Unknown (Host)]

Who?

[Phil Daru]

Did Strickland apologize?

[Unknown (Host)]

Oh, he apologized?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, he said. All right.

[Unknown (Host)]

Wow. I never would have expected that.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, this was recent. So he said. He said he apologized, which is like, you kind of have to, man. It's Goggins.

[Unknown (Host)]

It's Goggins.

[Phil Daru]

You know what I mean?

[Unknown (Host)]

That's the goat of.

[Phil Daru]

And he's not a fighter. Goggins is not a fighter. He's. He's, he's a fighter mentality for sure. But he's not a cage fighter. He's not a UFC fighter. You can't challenge that, you know, and the thing that you cannot say that he's soft, that he's an individual that doesn't look to go through some difficult situations. But at the end of the day, he's also in his. I think he's in his 50s now, right, guys? He's up there. So I mean, that too. That plays a role. And he's never fought before in his life.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, these ultra marathons, man. I'm recently learning that running too much is not good for you, though.

[Phil Daru]

I mean, in anything in any excess can be bad, it can be detrimental. Right. I just did a 51 mile ruck walk.

[Unknown (Host)]

Geez.

[Phil Daru]

I got put in the hospital for it.

[Unknown (Host)]

Oh, my God.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, I was supposed to do 150 miles, dude. So I had 60 pounds on my back. And my goal, I was raising money for the military. My goal was to finish 150 miles. And it got to a point where mentally I was still there. Like I not going to stop. But physically I had holes in my feet. I had, you know, toenails were gone and I developed rhabdo.

[Unknown (Host)]

What's up?

[Phil Daru]

Rhabdomyolysis, basically, it's proteins and enzymes that go into the blood after too much muscle. Let's say, you know how you work out, right? And you damage the muscle, right? You split the muscle apart, right? And it allows it to grow. But if you do it too much, it become detrimental and you can actually have kidney failure.

[Unknown (Host)]

Holy crap.

[Phil Daru]

So I was in the process of getting. Of getting to kidney failure, dude. Yeah, that's Nuts. So that breakdown was so severe and so drawn out for a long duration of time that at that point, I was. They. They ran some tests, and they said, listen, you know, your. Your creatine kinase levels are way above where they normally need to be, let's say. Okay, so mine was at 10,000.

[Unknown (Host)]

Your creatine.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, creatine kinase.

[Unknown (Host)]

Got it.

[Phil Daru]

And there normally should be around a hundred. Holy crap.

[Unknown (Host)]

So you were. What is that, 10 times?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah.

[Unknown (Host)]

Or 100 times higher?

[Phil Daru]

Pretty much. And so I go, okay, well, they had to admit me. And at that point, I could have said, okay, listen, I'm gonna keep going and potentially make it worse, obviously. That would be stupid of me. Right. I start thinking about long term, about, okay, if I go deeper into rhabdo, then I cannot do the things that I need to do after this for a long time. Years. So I started thinking long term, and that's when I decided, okay, we're gonna cut it now, but we'll learn from this and we'll do it again. I'll probably do it again in December.

[Unknown (Host)]

Wow. So you were physically ready, but something just happened.

[Phil Daru]

Physically ready. I stepped in a big, like, a gigantic puddle, which was like, ankle, like, shin deep? Pretty much, yeah. That caused a bunch of blisters to occur.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Right.

[Phil Daru]

We didn't have a checkpoint, and we were doing this all our own. This wasn't, like, mapped out or anything.

[Unknown (Host)]

Oh, got it.

[Phil Daru]

It was mapped out on our own, but we didn't have, like, anybody. You were solo? Yeah, I had, like, three guys with me, basically four guys total. But. But yeah, it wasn't, like, organized. It was us just doing it. And my checkpoint wasn't until probably the next 20 miles, so I ended up getting all these blisters on my feet, hot spots on the bottom of my sole of my feet. And what ended up happening was my feet started to split apart.

[Unknown (Host)]

Jeez.

[Phil Daru]

So it felt like I was walking on broken glass.

[Unknown (Host)]

Holy crap.

[Phil Daru]

For. This happened in mile 10. So by mile 25, my feet were completely wrecked.

[Unknown (Host)]

So it was 60 pounds in your bag too?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, yeah. That was the biggest issue. So, I mean, now we know, okay, we're gonna have several different shoes. You know, I'm gonna have boots. I'm gonna have, you know, 10 pairs of socks. I had six pairs of socks, and I sweated out of those because we're in the. You know how it is. Miami heat.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

We're in the humidity, so it didn't matter. And you learn from that process, though. You learn from the pain.

[Unknown (Host)]

Wow.

[Phil Daru]

And so I'll adapt and. And go from there.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Nice.

[Phil Daru]

Dude.

[Unknown (Host)]

Have you done, like, a marathon or, like an Ironman or anything?

[Phil Daru]

So the next thing I want to do is. It's just a marathon. I run pretty consistently, so I'll do 1012 miles.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

But I'll run consistently, and then I want to do a marathon, and then I want to do an ultra after that.

[Unknown (Host)]

That's 52 miles or it's.

[Phil Daru]

It's anywhere above 50 miles. Yeah. Yeah. So I do want to do the 100 and the 150, and then eventually do the Cocodona 250.

[Unknown (Host)]

And what's compelling you to take it to this level?

[Phil Daru]

Because I need to push myself mentally, physically, as well, but more so I don't have a void that I could feel like how I did when I was fighting, other than what I do here with the ultras. Putting yourself in the position to grow and evolve, and some may say that's stupid, whatever. But if you're an athlete and you've been an athlete all your life, and you stop, you know, and even though, like, I'm coaching and it fulfills me from that perspective as a professional, I still have this void that needs to be filled when it comes down to going after something that I think is bigger than me and pushing myself beyond what I feel that I can do. And every time you get closer to that edge, you gain more strength. So improving that through pain is important.

[Unknown (Host)]

I love that, man. Because you're already top 1% athlete, and you're still finding levels to reach.

[Phil Daru]

There's every. You can always get better. There's always a way to improve. There's always a way to challenge yourself.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

Whether I'm rock climbing or, you know, doing, you know, these. These deep dives, doing underwater training now.

[Unknown (Host)]

You're doing deep dives?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah.

[Unknown (Host)]

How deep we talking?

[Phil Daru]

I'm trying to get. I'm trying to get down there, man. Trying to get this tough. It's tough.

[Unknown (Host)]

Submarine thing didn't scare you?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. So the free diving thing is something my wife hates this, man. But it's something that I feel like, because I do not like not being in control.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

You know, and so claustrophobia and, like, the dive reflex and all that, that pushes my mind beyond anything other than a, you know, a training in the weight room. You know, this is. This is way difficult. Way more difficult than anything that I could ever imagine. And that's why I want to do it. See what I'm saying? So it's important for me to get to that position and always try to push the pace because of the fact that I'll feel alive when I do that. That's, you know, awesome.

[Unknown (Host)]

Are those dives with an oxygen tank or is it without the.

[Phil Daru]

Nope, Just off. Breath hold.

[Unknown (Host)]

Whoa.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah, so that's the biggest thing. And on top of that, it helps me to increase my lung capacity.

[Unknown (Host)]

Right, right.

[Phil Daru]

From a. From a health perspective. Now, don't get me wrong, when you're pushing that intense, it isn't healthy, but it's a performance thing at that point. And from a health perspective. You want to talk about mental health? Definitely. Physiologically, maybe not.

[Unknown (Host)]

How long can you hold your breath right now?

[Phil Daru]

I've been able to hold for five minutes.

[Unknown (Host)]

Damn.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. For five.

[Unknown (Host)]

That's impressive.

[Phil Daru]

One breath hold.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah. I'm up to three because of Wim Hof, but I heard there's some, like, deep meditations you could get into with it.

[Phil Daru]

And you just gotta calm the body down.

[Unknown (Host)]

You could hold it for like, seven, eight minutes if you do it right.

[Phil Daru]

I. I did a two and a half with air out, so on the exhale.

[Unknown (Host)]

Holy crap.

[Phil Daru]

Two and a half. But that was laying down, you know, on my back.

[Unknown (Host)]

Dude, that's insane, man. There's some. Some deep stuff you could do with breath work, for sure.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah.

[Unknown (Host)]

I've heard of people hallucinating.

[Phil Daru]

Oh, man, it's crazy. You can. You can get into that full euphoric state, you know, but it's. It's. I mean, it's. For me, I've never done it. I don't know if you have done it, like ayahuasca or anything like that.

[Unknown (Host)]

I'm a little scared, to be honest.

[Phil Daru]

For sure. I mean, but you can get into a very deep meditative state through the breath, through those breath holds. Like you've done Wim Hof before, you know, so these are the things that are gonna make you just a better person and better human being, you know? And on top of that, it allows you to really push the envelope, because, let's face it, it's not so much that you don't have oxygen, it's how bad can you cope with air hunger? And how much can you cope with that CO2 buildup? And from there, you become again a stronger, more adapted individual. Wow.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah. When you put it that way, it's almost like a mental test.

[Phil Daru]

Oh, yeah, definitely.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

I think that for me, I'm claustrophobic to a degree. And I think, like, that stuff right there, if you find a weakness, and that's Your limiter. Go after it, you know?

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Really?

[Unknown (Host)]

We were just in an elevator with, like, seven people. I didn't notice.

[Phil Daru]

I was, all right, it's the tunnels. I was always. I was like, you know, I trained a couple of firefighters, and they have to go through this. These. These crawling tests. They go through the tunnel. It's pitch black, and they got to go all the way through.

[Unknown (Host)]

Jeez.

[Phil Daru]

And I'm like, damn, that's tough, man, because you can barely move in there.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Phil Daru]

Inch worming through.

[Unknown (Host)]

You ever watch those cave crawling videos?

[Phil Daru]

Yeah.

[Unknown (Host)]

You watch that to get over your fear.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. I'm like, that's funny.

[Unknown (Host)]

Those make me itch. Dude.

[Phil Daru]

Dude, it's so bad. Like, I'm just like. I'm feeling for him. And you know what? At that point, when they're, like, doing those, you know, in those caves and they're doing all that stuff in the mines and stuff, and I'm like, these guys have no problem with that shit.

[Unknown (Host)]

They like it.

[Phil Daru]

It's. It's no problem because they get stimulated enough to where it's. It's just second nature.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

So maybe it was a fear before. It's not anymore. You know, it's like. It's like fighting in a cage. You get to a point where it's like, okay, you're definitely nervous about winning and losing, but it's not. It's. It's just another day in the park. It's like another day at work.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah. Second nature. Yeah. No, I was scared of podcasting at first.

[Phil Daru]

You know, public speaking. Same thing. You know, you just get accustomed to it, and you're always going to have some nerves. It's always going to be, okay, am I going to do good, am I going to do bad, whatever. But it becomes lessened.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

Than the first time.

[Unknown (Host)]

And that's where the growth is, too. Like, look at this shit. Like, I was a huge introvert nerd growing up, and now this is like a huge thing.

[Phil Daru]

Exactly. I can see it. I can see it. And that's something that allowed you to grow as an individual, and now you're stronger from it. You see what I'm saying? And that's why you gotta keep doing it. You can't stop. And I think that people get soft when they stop doing things that are challenging.

[Unknown (Co-host)]

Yeah.

[Unknown (Host)]

When athletes retire when.

[Phil Daru]

Yeah. And you start to see that, you know, you start to get comfortable. It's like that Rocky quote where they started to get like, okay, you got civilized rock. Stop wanting to train, and you start getting the Money. And then, you know, and the same thing with Conor McGregor. You look at him now, you know, he's partying it up. He's by far one of the most successful fighters ever.

[Unknown (Host)]

Financially.

[Phil Daru]

Financially, absolutely. Yeah. From that perspective, like, he's put the UFC on the map. He's done a lot for the sport, but you could tell he's not all in it the way he was when he was coming up. Obviously, you can't be at that point, you know, so, you know, it's. It's hard. It's hard to. To get up and train when you're that successful.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, it's a fine balance. That's why guys like Jon Jones are so impressive, because they're still undefeated, even with all the money and stuff.

[Phil Daru]

Just genetically gifted in one way. And then also he puts in the work, you know, and then that's where you. You. You see true greatness at its best. For that, it's. It's how long you can sustain that greatness is really what, like, kind of solidifies who you are, you know, and how well you can keep pushing the pace. And even with the guys that are highly skillful and talented, like, look at Michael Jordan, look at Kobe Bryant. Look at all these guys that, like, kind of still wanted to get better no matter how. How much success they've had. And they were the first in the weight room, they were the first in the gym. You know what I mean?

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah.

[Phil Daru]

The last to leave cussing out their teammates. That's because they're the best and they were the greatest, and they're going to be the greatest.

[Unknown (Host)]

Absolutely. Phil, it's been awesome, man. Where could people find your gym, find your show, and find out what you're up to?

[Phil Daru]

All the social media stuff is De Strong. Instagram, Twitter, all of that stuff, I guess X Now, and then YouTube, too, as well. Phil Der Strong.

[Unknown (Host)]

Boom. We'll link below. Thanks for coming on, man.

[Phil Daru]

My brother.

[Unknown (Host)]

Yeah, thanks for watching, guys. See you next time.