Minimalist strength training for MMA fighters
While there are literally tons of intricate routines specifically for “MMA fighters” these days, many of them trying to mimic the sport-specific movements and components of the actual event, few are written by people who surround real fights on a daily basis or who actually they have trained and fought. Strength training and conditioning are intended to increase an athlete’s OVERALL capabilities, and any training outside of that realm is just plain silly.
As an MMA fighter, your goals are to practice your sport and its components: boxing, muay thai, Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, judo, etc. and get really good at them. That alone will leave very little recovery time to do much more, therefore when doing our strength and conditioning work your number one goal is to MAXIMIZE your time. Get strong, train various energy systems, and watch it translate on the mat or in the ring. If you do this WHILE playing your sport at the same time, you will see huge improvements and be on your way to dominating your opponents.
But before doing anything, it’s important to understand what your needs really are as a fighter when it comes to strength and conditioning. Too many athletes focus on the WRONG things and wonder why they are always tired, exhausted, and generally don’t see their hard work in the weight room translate to the gym.
1) You need to be “generally” strong throughout your body. While improving your squat or deadlift can certainly help, all too often I see athletes focusing all their attention on getting bigger numbers in the weight room and that hurts their performance BIG.
2) You need to be able to handle your own body weight. I’m talking about several variations of pushups (from the standard pushup done RIGHTLY to more advanced variations, hand pushups, reclining rows, to being able to do a ton of PULL UPS!
3) You need to train the body as a unit and not as a group of separate body parts. The upper and lower divisions are fine, but most MMA athletes like to see them using full-body sessions.
4) Get in and out! If you are training by hitting and fighting for a total of 2-3 hours every day, then you don’t need to spend hours in the weight room! 30-40 minutes maximum, and in some cases as little as 15 minutes will be a LOT to have a great session.
For this program, you will only NEED 2 pieces of equipment, but if you have access to more, feel free to substitute any other. First, I recommend making a sandbag between 50 and 70% of your own body weight. If you already have a lot of experience in the weight room, lean towards 60-70%, if you are new to all of this, go with a bag around 40-50% of your weight. Next, all you will need is a pull-up bar. Just these 2 things, along with your own body weight, are enough to keep you improving for a long time. This is just a 2-day program, which leaves plenty of time to get better at hitting people and wrapping them like a python on the ground.
day 1:
heating: 3 series performed in circuit
push-ups x 10
squats x 15
stretches x 10
Reverse lunges x 10 (5 to each side)
mountain climbers x 10 (5 on each side
a1) clean the sandbag and press 4×3-5
*** Wipe the bag to the “rack” position on your shoulders and light it over your head. get down to the ground and repeat.
a2) Mixed grip pull-ups 4 x reps (stop 1-2 before failing)
*** use a different grip in each game (overhead, underhand, towel, wide, close, etc.)
b1) advanced push-up variation (dip push-ups, incline push-ups, etc.) 3 reps
*** Pick a HARD variation of pushups and stop 1-2 reps before failing
b2) leaning over rows of sandbags 3×6-10
*** Like a normal barbell row, keep your back flat and row explosively towards your abdomen.
c) Sandbag bear hug squats x 20 reps total (try to do as few sets as possible)
*** Hug your sandbag and sit like a normal squat. Make sure to squat deeply and keep your back flat. Don’t let that chest collapse!
Day 2:
heating: 3 series performed in circuit
robot push-ups (from plank position to push up position to plank) x 10
squats x 15
stretches x 10
side lunges x 10 (5 on each side)
groin (bringing the feet to the outside of the hands) x 10 (5 on each side)
a1) 4×4-8 shoulder sandbag (2-4 each side)
*** rip the sandbag off the ground to one shoulder. Lower it to the ground and repeat for the other side.
a2) push-ups 4x reps
*** Put your feet up against a wall and use your arms to lower yourself to the ground and back up. If you can’t do a full push-up to do a handstand, just hold the static position for a while.
a3) chin-ups with mixed grip 4 x reps
*** As on day 1, try using a different grip on each set. don’t get comfortable!
b1) punching bag bear hug 2×8-10 reverse lunges (4-5 each side)
*** The bear hugs the bag and performs reverse lunges alternately.
b2) sandbag bear hug good morning 2×8-10
*** Like a normal good day or Romanian deadlift, hug the bag and push your butt back keeping your knees slightly bent and weight on your heels.
c) Keep your distance.
*** Hug your sandbag and take that suction cup away. Try to cover at least 200 ‘.