A Mixed Martial Arts Specific Conditioning Routine
The topic of MMA conditioning is often confusing because there is so much information to sift through. There are so many different exercises and drills. And so many different workout routines. How do you know where to start?
This article serves as an introduction on how to structure your mixed martial arts conditioning routines and why. You’ll learn how to implement a training routine that produces the sport specific results you are looking for.
A Proper Conditioning Routine for Fighters
When engaging in any workout program, a good question to ask yourself is “why am I doing this?” Asking this question will help you identify whether or not your current training routine is leading you down the right path. This is especially important when you are talking in terms of sport specific conditioning.
First off, you want the exercises and workouts you use to reflect the kind of conditioning you need in a fight. For example, mixed martial arts fights are very high intensity. You are constantly moving, changing positions, engaging in explosive movements, breaking your breathing pattern, using a wide variety of different movements and using your entire body at nearly full intensity for a given time period.
It is important to realize that MMA conditioning is different from every other sport you can think of. Take, for example, the differences between conditioning for basketball and conditioning for fighting…
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A professional basketball game lasts for 48 minutes of actual playing time, with an average player probably playing about 30 minutes. That 30 minutes of playing time is spread out over approximately a two to three hour period of time. This means there are a lot of breaks, time-outs, rest periods, etc. Not the mention that every time there is a foul or another rule violation, the action stops momentarily.
In comparison, an MMA fight is very short. The rounds only last for five minutes each. There are virtually no stops or breaks until the end of the round. Yes, occasionally there are breaks if a fighter get hit in the groin or something of that nature. But for the most part, an entire five minute round goes unineterrupted.
Even at the end of the round, there is only one minute to rest. There are no half time breaks, and no substitutions. Most fights are scheduled for only three rounds, with championship matches being a bit longer. The entire length of a fight, including breaks between rounds, may only last for 20 minutes.
The Evolution of Mixed Martial Arts and Its Effect on Conditioning
You can see that there is a huge difference between the physical conditioning needed for a sport like basketball and a sport like mixed martial arts.
And even the within the sport of mixed martial arts itself, conditioning has changed over time as the rules and time limits have changed.
It was only about 10 years ago, when the UFC first started, that the fights had no time limits. A fight could last 20 minutes or 20 seconds. As a fighter, you had to be prepared for a fight that could last any length of time.
On top of that, most fighting events were tournament based and had athletes fighting several times in one night.
The format of mainstream mixed martial arts has changed quite a bit and therefore the physical training, preparation and conditioning has changed. In fact, conditioning for mixed martial arts is still evolving today.
Not only is the sport still evolving, but there are still some differences in format from one mixed martial arts promotion to the next. For example, the former Pride organization had a ten minute opening round. It’s a lot different training for a ten minute round than it is training for a five minute one.
You need to take these differences into account when it comes to your conditioning. On a positive note, most events are becoming more and more similar in time limits and rules.
The most important thing to take away from all this talk of different rules, different formats, and different time limits, is to plan your MMA conditioning routine around the specifics of the event you are fighting in. In other words, if you’re fighting with five-minute rounds, your conditioning should be geared specifically for five-minute rounds. If you only get one minute of rest between rounds, your conditioning routine needs to reflect that as well.
It may seem obvious, but the same conditioning routine that works for a professional basketball player, while it may improve your overall conditioning as a human, it isn’t necessarily going to improve your MMA conditioning.
Likewise, the conditioning you use to train for a triathlon is not the same as the conditioning needed for an MMA fight.
A Proper Routine to Condition Your Body for MMA
So while your exercise selection is important, the first problem you need to address is how to organize your workouts. You can use the best exercises available, but if you don’t combine them in a way that makes sense as a mixed martial artist, you’re conditioning will never get to that higher level.
The simplest thing you can do is organize your workout in several circuits. Each circuit represents the round of a fight. During each circuit, you can use a variety of exercises, but the important thing is that each circuit lasts for at least five minutes without stopping at all. Then you simply stack three to five of these circuits on top of each other.
More Mixed Martial Arts Conditioning Pages
Ginastica Natural Conditioning for MMA,
MMA Conditioning and Strength Training,
MMA Conditioning Part Two,
Mario Sperry’s MMA Conditioning Routine
