Mma

Constructing a proper MMA workout can be a quite complex task. If you don’t know what you are doing, it is quite easy to either train incorrectly such as building strength and conditioning that won’t transfer over well to the sport of MMA or to improperly harmonize your skills training in conjunction along with your strength and conditioning and run the risk of over-training or injury.

When most people think of “working out” or strength and conditioning, they think of lifting a bunch of heavy weights for multiple sets until you get a good “pump” and being able to run around your block a bunch of times without tiring, all while making the mistake of judging their results on how they “look.”

A MMA workout, however, can only be judged in its effectiveness based on how well it enhances your ability to continuously exert maximum strength and power along along with your technique in a fight without slowing down. So if you are training for a fight that is scheduled for say, three 5 minute rounds along with 1 minute rests in between rounds, then your end goal along with your MMA workout is to train your strength and conditioning in a way that mimic these time frames.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you have actually been building your maximum strength and power for a while and have actually been developing both an aerobic and anaerobic base along with a mix of long distance jogging and interval training, such as sprints. Now your fight is a month or two away, and you really want to gear your MMA workout so that it transfers your brand-new strength and power into endurance and you want your conditioning to mimic the rounds of a fight.

A great way to complete off the last month of your MMA workout is to do power complexes or circuit training. An example of a power complex is to do a set of heavy clean and presses for 5 reps immediately followed by 10 burpees. An example of a “circuit” is to do several exercises back to back without rest, usually along with lighter weight for more reps.

With power complexes, you can work your power endurance since you will be doing one set of your maximum weight for reduced reps followed by a light resistance exercise (usually bodyweight) that should be performed quickly and explosively.

With circuit training, you can train your strength endurance since you will be using lighter weight but performing more reps and for a longer period of time.

There are literally an infinite amount of variations you can do of power complexes and circuit training in your MMA workout, though you should always remember to keep the time and intensity as close to mimicking the rounds in your fight as possible. So if you are training for a fight scheduled for three 5 minute rounds along with 1 minute rests in-between, you should work towards performing as lots of power complexes as you can in a five minute period while taking minimal breaks, rest one minute, then do it again.

With circuit training, you can design a circuit that includes exercises that will train all the major muscles you will be using in a fight and either perform as lots of circuits as you can in a five minute period or design one circuit that takes about five minutes to complete.

I think by now you get the idea. Power complexes and circuit training should be regularly implemented into your MMA workout, mainly as the “peak” phase when you have actually an upcoming fight.