The Importance of Working Out for MMA

MMA fighting is a mixed martial arts combat sport that includes self-defense and fighting techniques such as striking, grappling and ground fighting. It is known as a full-contact sport that requires a huge amount of endurance, flexibility and muscle building in order to keep up with an opponent.

Working out plays a pivotal role in being able to partake in MMA fighting on a casual level or even professional level. Regardless of whether you’re training at your local gym or fighting in the MMA arena in Las Vegas, keeping fit is vital to the success of your journey in MMA fighting.

This article aims to identify ways in which you can get the most out of your workout schedule to suit the fitness level needed for fighting in MMA.

How Often Should You Workout in a Week?

A controversial start, as every fitness expert or professional MMA fighter has their own answer to this. This makes sense, as everyone has a different body structure, different areas in which they have previously been injured and different recovery times. There are organizations out there that spend years researching this exact question, so it’s a fair question to ask.

Essentially, it comes down to your current fitness level. It is advised that if you’re a beginner, you should aim at 150 minutes a week. If you’re an intermediary, 200 minutes a week are advised. If you’ve been training for a long time and fitness feels like something you’re advanced in, then try to hit 250 minutes a week.

Is a Variety of Exercise Types Important for MMA Fighting?

Absolutely. MMA fighting is a full-body workout that tests the body but also the mind.

As a full-combat sport that has elements of boxing, kicking and grappling, your body needs to be worked out 360. Only working your arms, for example, won’t get you very far if you don’t work your core to support your arm movements. Working out your legs will also only get you so far without training flexibility so that your legs are able to withstand the force put on them when stretching to hit an opponent 4 feet away.

One of the most famous MMA fighters to ever live, Conor McGregor, attributes his legendary success to his unique style of training, which he calls his ‘movement training’ and incorporates precision drills, timing and mindfulness. This training includes an array of physical and mental aspects, which combined, should create a fit MMA fighter. The diversity within ‘movement training’ is great as it aims to strengthen the body fully, from head to toe.

These movements include catching tennis balls thrown at you while balancing on a small beam. The idea is that your reaction time and balance will become so good that no opponent will be able to knock you off your feet. Or fighting without being allowed to make strong physical contact which looks almost like a dance it is so majestic. This is meant to give you almost a sixth sense of identifying how your opponent will move in the coming seconds, allowing you to know where to land your punch or kick.

How to Workout to Increase Your Fitness Levels

Knowing how to workout is very important to staying fit. You want to make sure that you aren’t stuck in one fitness routine, as this means that you’re just re-working the same muscles again. It’s important to come up with a full-body workout over the span of the week.

A helpful tool for this approach is to divide your body by areas. This would mean that, for example, on Mondays, you would work your chest and shoulders. On Tuesday, your triceps and biceps. Wednesday is leg day. Thursday it’s an aerobics class and some yoga. Friday it’s chest and back. On top of that, you add a 10-minute run at a moderate speed at the beginning of each workout session. Now, that’s a workout!

Final Thoughts

It’s clear to see that exercise is a personal journey and one that requires you to listen to your own body. However, this does not mean that you can’t take some new ideas on board. Try your hand at using new equipment at the gym and ask someone who works there how to use it safely. Alternatively, you can find videos online that are interesting for your fitness journey.

Many great fighters have lost matches simply because their opponent was fitter than them. Many casual MMA fighters stop fighting because they think they’re not talented at the sport but really they just need to get fitter. So go ahead and set working out as a priority in your weekly to-do list.