Do MMA fighter’s need conditioning?

Posted on | May 11, 2009 |

mma
With the surge of Mixed Martial arts and the popularity of UFC becoming internationally mainstream, it seems like everyone wants to start training in some sort of discipline. Kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu, and grappling, among other disciplines are all integrated and put into competition inside a cage or ring. It may seem like just fighting to the naked eye, but for those who are fans of the sport, they realize that these men and women are well conditioned, finely tuned machines, competing in hand to hand combat against another person. This is the oldest and purest form of combat, and if you’re not ready for battle, (as in being well conditioned and disciplined in your art) defeat is imminent.

Conditioning is a major part in training and can make the difference between winning and losing a fight. Whoever can push the pace the fastest, keep the fighting going the longest, and can withstand whatever damage their opponent throws at them is how a fighter wins. The problem is that it’s easier said than done. You can train and train, 2-3 times a day, but if you aren’t conditioning the proper way with the right exercises, you might not make it out of the 1st round.

All fighters, whether they’re Brock Lesnar, Rashad Evans, Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, or BJ Penn do some sort of fighter conditioning. UFC All Access is a show that highlights fighters training and preparation for a big bout. Much of the time they are shown in the gym, doing exercises that you would never see in a regular gym. They aren’t training for the fat burning or muscle building effects that every day people strive for, but for endurance, flexibility, strength, and explosiveness. They’re performing exercises you may or may not have ever heard of, seen performed, or likely have even tried.

If you have an interest in competing in MMA, or even just like to try their workouts, start changing and structuring your weight training and workouts to increase your endurance and strength. This may cause you to notice a major change in how your body responds, leaving you with a more defined physique along with better performances in sports and everyday activities.

These athletes perform timed workouts, using short bursts of activity which helps to elevate their heart rates, keeping it racing over a longer period of time than you would for a regular gym workout.

What are some exercises that I should do?
(These can be performed all back to back moving from one station to the next with no rest)

• Versa Climber sprints for 20 seconds at a time with 10 second rests

• Row Machine (same as versa climber)

• Burpees

• Clean and Press with barbell or kettlebells for 1 minute straight

• Pull ups superset with Push Ups

• Sprints (20 second sprints, 10 second rests)

• Box Jumps (1 minute)

By moving from one exercise to the next with no rest, you can greatly increase your agility, endurance, and cardio vascular capability.

Pick a few of these exercises and try performing them 2-3 times a week, adding them to your regular workout routine. To give you an idea of what to do, I’ll be making a video later this week with a 5 exercise circuit training workout to help teach you how to piece together different workouts.

Category: The World According to Me
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Comments

One Response to “Do MMA fighter’s need conditioning?”

  1. MarkFu
    May 11th, 2009 @ 6:39 pm

    I used to be a fiend on the Versa Climber, (I once did it non-stop for 3 hours).

    I bought one from a gym but didn’t utilize it in my training which had since changed considerably, so I sold it. I regret having done that. It was a great piece of equipment.

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