MMA Conditioning Workout

Author: Derek Manuel

One of the most intense pieces of training equipment you can use in your mma workouts is the heavy sandbag. Just the other day I decided to defer from my regular leg training day and just do circuits with the heavy sandbag.



As I mentioned before, one of the greatest parts about mma workouts is that you can vary your training often enough to never get bored with your workouts - and there are all kinds of ways to train with the sandbag.



One of the best overall mma conditioning workouts you can do with the heavy sandbag is to perform circuits with it in the same amount of time as the rounds in a fight. Here is an example of 1 circuit in the mma workout I performed the other day. Take note that each circuit requires that you don't put the sandbag down the whole five minutes



MMA Workout w/ Heavy Sandbag Circuit (Round 1): 5 Minutes



1) Bear hug sandbag and walk for 1 minute



2) Shoulder sandbag and do 10 squats



3) Place sandbag across right shoulder and do 10 squats



4) Place sandbag across left shoulder and do 10 squats



5) Cradle sandbag in front of you and do 10 squats



6) Hold sandbag at arms length in front of you and walk for 30 seconds



7) Keeping same grip from previous exercise, do 20 stiff-legged deadlifts



8) Shoulder sandbag and walk for remainder of the time



Performing this circuit or one like it is a VERY good mma workout that carries over to the type of conditioning needed in a mixed martial arts fight, especially for grappling.



The reason being is that a heavy sandbag simulates an opponent because it is a heavy, awkward, unbalanced, and constantly shifting weight. Doing quick and explosive squats with the weight in different positions simulates the different positions and resistance when attempting to pick up your opponent and/or take him down.



By never putting the sandbag down, you train your stabilizer muscles as well as tax your isometric strength, strength endurance, and grip strength endurance (the fatigue you feel after a heavy sandbag workout is very similar to the fatigue you feel after an intense grappling match).



In terms of aerobic/anaerobic conditioning, heavy sandbag workouts can train both forms of endurance that transfers over very well to mma. If you wanted strictly an anaerobic workout, you can do interval training with the sandbags, such as quick sprints or as many squats as you can in a 30 second period followed by short rests periods. By doing circuits like the example I gave above - doing several circuits in 5 minute rounds with a 1 minute rest in-between them - your aerobic conditioning will come into play as you get into the fourth, fifth, and later circuits.



So if you want to change up your mma workout routine and get an intense full body strength and conditioning workout, incorporate some heavy sandbag training in your mma workouts.

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MMA Workout Tips for the Average Guy to Get Ripped

If you're an average dude who's trying to transform into a
ripped MMA fighter - or at least have the appearance of a
lean and athletic MMA fighter, I've got some workouts tips to help speed up your
transformation.

Start out by making a workout program that enhances your
athletic ability, explosiveness, cardiovascular endurance, power
and mobility.

The MMA fighter look is one that requires a lot more than they
typical workout plan most people follow. Because these
exceptional athletes are training to perform at their absolute
best inside the cage, a more dynamic workout plan is required.

In the end, their MMA workouts provide them with the abilities
to excel in their sport, but a sweet side benefit is the killer
lean and ripped body they tend to have.

If you think about it, the majority of people are not following
workouts that are anywhere near as well-rounded, intense,
demanding or functional, as compared to the standard MMA fighter.

You may think this isn't a huge deal since the average guy has
no desire to be an MMA fighter, but rather just wants to look
like one. The problem is that you have to train like an MMA
fighter if you seek to gain the body they have.

Now does it make sense? You need to learn from these MMA stars
and pick up strategies that will help you reach the fitness
goals you have.

To get a standout body like an MMA fighter that's ripped up and
has sculpted abs, be sure to follow these tips...

MMA Workout Tip #1:

Start training in intervals, regardless of whether you're doing
cardio, weights, circuit training, plyometrics, etc. Interval
work allows you to reach an effort level that is basically
beyond your means and this forces your body to work extra hard
post-workout to bring your body back to it's normal state.

The result is major fat-burning and more lean muscle gains while
you're at rest. Start out with attainable intervals, such as
1-minute at 90% effort, followed by 2-minutes at a 50% recovery
pace. Then work your way up as the weeks progress.

MMA Workout Tip #2:

Make the weak strong. In essence, you need to examine the muscle
groups or areas of fitness where you're furthest behind.
Everyone has underdeveloped muscle groups, muscle imbalances,
posture troubles or some other aspect that is lagging behind
other areas.

Focus your MMA workouts around these "weak links" and you'll
really start to notice some body composition changes
immediately. The same thing goes for exercises or types of
workouts that you generally avoid - suck it up and do everything
necessary to get a ripped body, even the exercises that hurt the
most.

MMA Workout Tip #3:

Work on improving the most important muscle that's never seen or
discussed - your heart. MMA fighters have a lot of heart and
there's no substitute for a burning desire to excel, no matter
how bad it hurts, how many excuses you have or steep the uphill
climb.

Without a lot of heart and desire, even the best MMA workout in
the world would not produce dramatic results. However, with the
proper mindset and the heart of a champion, nearly any goal can
be achieved.

As an international fat loss coach and lean body specialist,
I've helped thousands of clients from across the globe to
incorporate these same MMA-inspired tips into their workouts and
lifestyle.

The results speak for themselves - rapid shedding of formerly
stubborn body blubber, sculpting and shaping of lean muscle mass
and newly transformed, totally ripped physiques that emulate
total confidence - that's what the proper mindset and ideal
workout regimen will give to you.

If you want to get ripped like Cam Gigandet or build your own Brad
Pitt Body, just visit my popular lean body blog by clicking
any of the links.

Get started today with one of my advanced lean body workouts.

About the author:
Get Ripped With My: ---> Mark Wahlberg Workout

Build Lean Muscle With My: ---> Hugh Jackman Workout

Primal Attraction: Why MMA Fighters Get Hot Women

Ever notice the insane amount of hot women at an MMA event? If not, you should really check out one of these fighting events, even if you don’t like MMA. I noticed this at several local fights that I have attended; the women are gorgeous, in a slutty kinda way. My friend calls them “Testosterone Whores”. Despite his crude description of them, he was right, even the banged up fighters with gnarly cauliflower ear got hot chicks. I couldn’t help asking myself - Why are women attractive to these caveman like males? Since caveman days, the only part of the brain which has continuously evolved is the logical part. Yes, that means the same primal and emotional brain we have today are the same brains we had 10,000 years ago. Living in modern times one can argue that humans are out of date machines since the emotional and primal brains still respond to the same things they did 10,000 years ago.

The reason we advance as a society is because of the continual development of our logical brain which solves problems and initiates new ideas; however we still have the emotional and primal up there too. Civilized/controlled people tend to rely on their logical brain and control their emotions, but not everyone can do that. Look at the prison population – a lot of those people have poorly developed logical brains and tend to act first then think later (primal and emotional response).

are probably wondering how this all ties into attraction. For men and women we have build in 10,000 year old circuitry hard wired into us. In short it all comes down to survival and replication value. Women evaluate a mans survival value as a man evaluates a woman’s replication value. Women intuitively know if a man has high survival value or not. And who in society has a higher survival value than elite or even moderately advanced MMA fighter. These signs are made apparent by the way a man carries himself (body language), vocal tone, and status. For example, just look at Brock Lesner, what a Neanderthal, but his wife is hot. Now, as looks are always a bonus, but they are not the deal maker, as a man with what I just mentioned will often be perceived to have higher value then a man with just looks alone. Look at Tony Soprano – do you have any idea how many women think he is sexy? Think about it. This is also partly why in some relationships women will put up with men cheating etc. These guys have high survival value and have tripped the woman’s evolutionary attraction switches! When a woman feels attraction it’s not like she can just shut it off. Attraction is not a choice.

Increase you survival value and get MMA type hotties here: MMA Supplements

About the Author:

Dr. Kevin Moseley has been involved with health and nutrition for over 20 years. He has written many articles on such topics as Nutritional Supplements, Bodybuilding supplements, weightlifting supplements, vitamins and minerals to name a few. He is also an onsite doctor for many sanctioned MMA and boxing events in United State. Dr. Moseley is a contributor in Sport Supplements, American Cage Fighter, and VitaHealth magazines to name a few.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Primal Attraction: Why MMA Fighters Get Hot Women

Author: Brawl Nutrition

Home MMA Workout - MMA training from your house

MMA gym membership is expensive and will usually run you about 100 bucks a month, although it can be more or less. Most MMA gyms don't contain freeweights, so you'll have to shell out another 40-80 dollars a month to join a conventional gym that contains freeweights. This adds up, but don't fret - it is impossible to do your MMA workouts from home. There are a lot of good bodyweight exercises that'll increase your strength and conditioning, especially when applied to MMA.

Before you decide to jump into this exercise plan, you'll need a few items. The most important item that you can have in any home gym is a pull up bar. You can get a pull up bar that you can mount in your door frame, which is what I recommend. Pull ups are a fantastic exercise for MMA and one of the best home workouts ever. You'll also want some short wooden boxes, like the type you see people use when doing plyometrics, since you'll be doing a lot of those too. Dumbbells are also pretty cheap and are worth investing in, since they'll allow you to do a lot of lifts that you wouldn't be able to otherwise. A nice alternative to dumbbells are kettle balls, but it's very difficult to do snatches with them.

Now that you know what equipment you need, here are some of my favorite home MMA workout techniques.

For anaerobic endurance, I prefer to do a large number of pull ups or power straights. Both of these exercises require a ton of energy to do, although power straights are significantly harder. If you want to build good core strength for MMA from home, this is the way to do it. You can also do leg raises from the pull up bar, which'll further increase your core strength. I can't stress how important your hip and abdominal muscles are for MMA.

You'll also want to do plenty of depth and lateral jumps. I recommend at least 100 jumps a day when training for MMA at home. You can mix it up, but make sure you use proper form especially in the lateral jumps. It's pretty easy to hurt your knees when doing these. Depth push-ups are another great exercise you can do with plyometrics boxes.

If you managed to obtain some dumbbells or kettle balls, you can do dumbbell squats, deadlifts, and snatches. All of these exercises will build fantastic core strength and will increase your anaerobic capacity. Remember that most of an MMA fight uses anaerobic metabolism, so you'll need plenty of it! Another great home exercise that you can use is the shoulder press. This is particularly useful when grappling because you'll be able to more effectively control your opponent's limbs with your strong shoulders.

For aerobic exercise, you should run two to three miles every day and spend at least 30 minutes each day on the heavy bad at a moderate intensity. This'll ensure that you can recover quickly while in the corner and pace yourself in the stand up. The best thing is that these MMA exercises are relatively easy to do from home.

About the Author:

Check out Eric Wong's Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Guide for more ways to increase your conditioning for MMA. This guide is great for anyone that is serious about their MMA workouts.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Home MMA Workout - MMA training from your house

Author: James

MMA Conditioning Vs Cardio

MMA Conditioning Vs Cardio: "One of the biggest misnomers when it comes to MMA conditioning is the difference between 'conditioning' and 'cardio.' When MMA fighters new to this subject first decide to add a strength and conditioning program to their training, often times they take what they know already from general fitness and bodybuilding and think that increasing their bench press, doing a bunch of curls and running several miles every day will pretty much get them in shape for a fight.

Obviously there is a lot more to it then this. A WHOLE lot more to it. I can go on and on about the types of strength and conditioning MMA fighters need to optimize their performance in the ring or cage, but I want the focus of this article to clear up the difference between MMA conditioning and cardio.

Cardiovascular fitness, or cardio for short, is basically the capacity of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to your working muscles. The general types of cardio you can develop are aerobic endurance and anaerobic endurance. Aerobic, which literally means 'with oxygen,' refers to slower but longer paced exercises, such as jogging; whereas anaerobic, or 'without oxygen,' refers to high intensity training where your muscle don't rely on oxygen to contract your muscles.

In MMA, both aerobic and anaerobic endurance are equally important. The better your aerobic endurance, the faster your heart will be able to supply your muscles with oxygen, which means the faster you can recover your wind, or 'catch your breath.' The better your anaerobic endurance, the longer you will be able to perform high intensity exercise without gassing out.

However, this is where most people think MMA conditioning stops. But if you were to get to the point where you can jog 5 miles plus non-stop no problem AND you can do dozens of wind sprints in a short amount of time, and that's ALL the 'conditioning' you did, I guarantee you will still gas out in a high intensity MMA fight. Why? Because although your cardio may be in great shape, your conditioning will still be lacking.

'So what the hell is the difference, Derek!?'

I thought you'd never ask. Conditioning for MMA, unlike conditioning for non or low contact sports such as soccer or basketball, requires that you not only have excellent cardio or wind, but that you have muscle/strength/power endurance as well. Let me explain the difference. In basketball, players are constantly running and jogging back and forth, hence aerobic and anaerobic endurance is vital so that they can continue to do this throughout the whole game without slowing down or hindering there performance.

In a mixed martial arts bout, often times fighters will engage in the clinch, shoot in and fight for a take-down (or fight against one) and continue to exert their muscles both explosively and for prolonged times (such as trying to secure a submission). Not only does a fighter require great cardio, but he also needs to condition his muscles (arms, legs, shoulders, etc.) to be able to contract for a relatively long period of time as well. If you've ever got caught struggling for a take-down for several seconds after when you are already tired, you'll know what I mean. This is a type of conditioning that you won't get from just running on a flat surface several times a week.

This type of conditioning requires a certain type of resistance training, whether it's with weights, sleds, sandbags, or what have you. It is important to note that conditioning your muscles is different then just lifting weights like the general fitness or bodybuilding industry suggests. You may be able to bench press 400 lbs, but if you have poor MMA conditioning, the ability to exert maximum strength, power, and endurance for an extended amount of time, then after 30 - 60 seconds of battling in the cage or ring then you probably won't have enough strength left to bench press 100 lbs.

MMA conditioning is a complex subject, primarily because MMA, unlike any other sport, requires virtually EVERY type of physical attribute we have, AND each attribute must be maximized for optimal performance. But at least now you know that running around your neighborhood everyday is great for your cardio, but only one piece of the puzzle in terms of MMA conditioning.

Derek Manuel has been involved in MMA and physical fitness for over 12 years. He is in the process of becoming certified as NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) to train professional fighters and athletes. When he is not training he is discovering the fastest way to both efficiently and effectively improve physical strength, conditioning and overall performance as a MMA fighter. To see Derek's reviews of the top MMA strength and conditioning programs on the market, visit: BestMMATrainingWorkouts.com

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