Victor Honorio, the ultra heavyweight black belt representing GF Team, is known for his extraordinary strength and explosiveness. Ask his opponents, who he demolishes with non-stop blitz passing and incredible top pressure. 

The life-long grappler, who wrestled for Brazil as a cadet, also dabbled in powerlifting to compliment his jiu-jitsu. As such, he's incredibly strong and athletic for a man his size. 

Honorio's workouts are something to behold. At 22 years of age and 110kg (242lb), he's very possibly one of the most athletic heavyweights in the sport. 

Videos and reporting done by Carlos Arthur Junior

About Victor Honorio's Strength and Conditioning  

Honorio began training jiu-jitsu at four years of age and has spent his life on the mat. Though he's known now for his strength and explosiveness, he likes to stress that his strength did not come overnight. 

The tipping point was in mid-2010 when Honorio, still a juvenile blue belt, won a place to fight among the adults at the Abu Dhabi World Pro. Despite being part of the Brazilian national wrestling team as a cadet, he felt the strength of his opponents in the adult division was too much to handle. Thus came the impetus to start training and improve his power.

The beginning was with powerlifting; bench press, squat and deadlift. He followed this simple routine as a brown belt when he decided to put more emphasis on strength training. Later came Crossfit and Olympic lifting. 

"Everybody is strong, the difference is to maintain this same force from start to finish during the match. I don't have to worry during the beginning about saving my strength for the final sprint. The training gives me fuel to stay strong from beginning to end, without getting tired."– Honorio

The training routine is tough. Two daily jiu-jitsu sessions of sparring, drilling and takedowns, and strength training. On Saturdays the training is usually lighter compared to the intensity during the week, but that's only if his body isn't too beat up. If he's still 100% on Saturday, then the rhythm is the same. Only Sunday does he get a day off.

The Workout

We accompanied Honorio to the Flash Fit gym in Rio de Janeiro where he works with his trainer, Pedro Borges dos Santos, aka 'Cem'. Honorio's workout consists of exercises designed to develop maximum power.

To give an idea of Honorio's strength, he lifts the following: 

• Deadlift: 224kg (493lb)
• Power Clean: 120kg (265lb) 
• Snatch: 90kg (198lb) 

Pedro 'Cem' explains about Victor's training. "We do two types of training, explosion and mobility," says Pedro. "A circuit divided into three parts. Warm-up, strength training and a Crossfit-style met-con (metabolic conditioning) finisher. We don't just focus on a specific part of the body."

Warm-Up

In the warm-up the rowing, kettlebell exercises and supermen prepare the core muscles for the most demanding part of the workout. 

• 200m row
• 10x alternating kettlebell swing
• 10x superman with bar
• 200m row
• 10x alternating kettlebell swing
• 10x superman with bar

Strength-Power Training

For the strength and power part of the workout, the lift is paired with a gymnastic movement, an atypical combo for Honorio's body type. Even though he weighs in at 110kg (242lb) his power enables him to fly through the muscle-up though. 

Clean & Press // Muscle Up: 

• 4 x 60kg // 1
• 3 x 90kg // 2 
• 2 x 90kg // 3
• 1 x 100kg // 4

Met-Con Finisher 

The finisher is to challenge the mind and body, according to his trainer. The weightlifting is the fun part for Honorio, but a met-con finisher challenges the gas tank. 

• 1x PVC jump + 1x ballover + 1x slamball
• 2x PVC jump + 2x ballover + 2x slamball
• 3x PVC jump + 3x ballover + 3x slamball
• Continue as above, adding reps... 

(Repeat through for 6 minutes)