MMA Conditioning Program for a Mean Body

Author: Alexander Travis

Doing an MMA Conditioning program does not mean just running around the block or on a treadmill. A good MMA conditioning program is one where you push your body to limits of endurance in order to push through the barriers to get to the next level.

When people hear the word conditioning, they often think about a marathon runner or someone who has the physical capacity to go long distances. That is not the case when you are talking about MMA conditioning. For an MMA workout to be successful, the fighter needs to push not only the cardio portion of the workout, but the total exhaustion of the fighters muscles. Only then will he be able to increase his stamina and be ready to fight in the octagon.

So, what does an MMA conditioning program look like?

Well, it is about as unorthodox as a workout could be. Running or jogging is only good for warming up your muscles when it comes to one of these intense workouts. Short distance sprints are used to build not only the legs' muscle endurance, but also get the fighters lungs to full capacity. Sprints are an effective way to add explosive power and quickness to your legs. This will also give a fighter the ability to shoot for his opponent and take them down.

Of course, muscle endurance and MMA conditioning is about blending speed and stamina. When you mix in speed, you create that explosiveness with any type of movement that is done. For instance, boxers are known for punching the speed bag for both hand eye coordination and to increase the speed and rhythm of their jabs. For an MMA fighter, especially in a kickboxing discipline, the heavy bag is used to kick on. Not slowly and methodically, but quickly and powerful. Again, this delivers a powerful kick to the opponent, but also increased the muscle endurance of the fighter. Continuous, quick kicks to a heavy bag conditions the fighter to have the stamina to perform those kicks late in the fight.

All over You Tube, you can find videos of UFC fighters workout out by slamming a sledgehammer into a big tire. This is not to show how tough they are and how hard they can swing a hammer, it is to increase the muscular endurance of their back and shoulder muscles. Continuously chopping down on that tire with a heavy sledgehammer until the point of exhaustion, gives the fighter the edge he needs to continue to ground and pound his opponent.

So, MMA conditioning is not about just being able to run long distances without breathing heavy. It is more about the anaerobic conditioning of the muscle and building endurance that will keep the fighter strong and powerful into the late rounds of a fight. For they know, if they can't go the distance, they probably wont win.

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