Cruel And Unusual MMA Conditioning Ideas
If you're a competitive fighter (or just do it for the occasional grappling tourney) you need more than just "typical" conditioning. You need a program that will develop cardiovascular endurance that grinds your opponent into a sweat stain on the mat and strength endurance that keeps you strong at the end of the last round.
This is done by improving your overall conditioning by loaded movements. And some of the best ways are to perform these movements is by using sand bags and kettlebells.
But why these two tools? For one, you are mimicking the true nature of your sport. Lifting and moving your opponent through force is exactly what you have to do with kettlebells and sandbags. Next, you match the time of your lifting with the amount of time you must perform (e.g. "rounds").
Sure, sprints and jumping rope work for conditioning and should be an integral part of your overall workout, but nothing matches the conditioning you get with loaded movements.
Here are a few different methods for upping your MMA conditioning:
Supersets - Really push your body using antagonistic muscles (opposing muscles, like chest & back) or for upper and lower body to get a full body workout. A sample super set with kettlebells and sand bags would be 5 x 5 of double clean and press on KB?s and 5 x 5 of sand bag squats. Perform a five-rep set of the double clean, rest one minute and then do a five-rep set of sandbag squats. Repeat this superset five times.
Burpees - Incorporating a kettlebell or sandbag with the formidable burpee pushes the intensity factor into the stratosphere. Rather than performing the jump portion, clean and press your sandbag or kettlebells overhead. Killer!
Circuits - Circuits are nothing more than using a two or more exercises stringed together. Training with your heavy sandbags and kettlebells helps you with your strength endurance. Take this sample circuit:
1. Sandbag bent over row x 8
2. 1 arm clean and press with kettlebell x 5 (each arm)
3. Sandbag stiff-legged deadlift x 8 reps
Perform the above circuit for 5 rounds
Couplets (combining a sandbag or kettlebell exercise with a bodyweight movement) - An example of a couplet routine are 2 arm swings and bodyweight squats for 3 x 20 reps each or maybe try 5 pull ups with 5 double clean and press
Rounds - Pick three exercises and perform as many sets as possible with a prescribed number of reps. You might have to do reps in descending fashion such as 21 reps on the first set, 15 on the next set and 9 reps per exercise on the last set. You record your time during these workouts and then try to better that time the next time around.
A sample set of rounds:
Sandbag clean and press
2-hand kettlebell swings
Walking lunges with sandbag
So, your first round you'll do 21 reps of cleans, 21 reps of the swings and then 21 lunges, next round is repeated, but using 15 reps for each exercise. Then, 9 rounds.
With all the above variations you can surely kick your MMA conditioning into overdrive!
This is done by improving your overall conditioning by loaded movements. And some of the best ways are to perform these movements is by using sand bags and kettlebells.
But why these two tools? For one, you are mimicking the true nature of your sport. Lifting and moving your opponent through force is exactly what you have to do with kettlebells and sandbags. Next, you match the time of your lifting with the amount of time you must perform (e.g. "rounds").
Sure, sprints and jumping rope work for conditioning and should be an integral part of your overall workout, but nothing matches the conditioning you get with loaded movements.
Here are a few different methods for upping your MMA conditioning:
Supersets - Really push your body using antagonistic muscles (opposing muscles, like chest & back) or for upper and lower body to get a full body workout. A sample super set with kettlebells and sand bags would be 5 x 5 of double clean and press on KB?s and 5 x 5 of sand bag squats. Perform a five-rep set of the double clean, rest one minute and then do a five-rep set of sandbag squats. Repeat this superset five times.
Burpees - Incorporating a kettlebell or sandbag with the formidable burpee pushes the intensity factor into the stratosphere. Rather than performing the jump portion, clean and press your sandbag or kettlebells overhead. Killer!
Circuits - Circuits are nothing more than using a two or more exercises stringed together. Training with your heavy sandbags and kettlebells helps you with your strength endurance. Take this sample circuit:
1. Sandbag bent over row x 8
2. 1 arm clean and press with kettlebell x 5 (each arm)
3. Sandbag stiff-legged deadlift x 8 reps
Perform the above circuit for 5 rounds
Couplets (combining a sandbag or kettlebell exercise with a bodyweight movement) - An example of a couplet routine are 2 arm swings and bodyweight squats for 3 x 20 reps each or maybe try 5 pull ups with 5 double clean and press
Rounds - Pick three exercises and perform as many sets as possible with a prescribed number of reps. You might have to do reps in descending fashion such as 21 reps on the first set, 15 on the next set and 9 reps per exercise on the last set. You record your time during these workouts and then try to better that time the next time around.
A sample set of rounds:
Sandbag clean and press
2-hand kettlebell swings
Walking lunges with sandbag
So, your first round you'll do 21 reps of cleans, 21 reps of the swings and then 21 lunges, next round is repeated, but using 15 reps for each exercise. Then, 9 rounds.
With all the above variations you can surely kick your MMA conditioning into overdrive!
