|
Below, you'll find extensive
information on leading mma workouts articles
and products to help you on your way to
success.
Are You Doing These Five Things In Your Mma Conditioning?
By Luke Schollmeyer
If you're fighting competitively (or just doing the occasional grappling tourney) you'll need more than the "usual" conditioning doled out. You need something which forms cardiovascular endurance which lets you go forever and the strength endurance that keeps you strong at the end of the last round.
You can do this by using loaded movements. And some of the best movements out there are incorporating sand bags and kettlebells into your workouts.
But why these two tools? Basically, you are mimicking what is found in your sport. Lifting and moving your opponent through force is exactly what you have to do with kettlebells and sandbags, and their "odd object" nature goes even more to creating those parallels. Next, by matching the time of your lifting with the amount of time you must perform (e.g. "rounds"), you further simulate conditions.
Sure, stairs, sprints and jumping rope are great conditioning and should be an integral part of your overall workout, but nothing matches what you get with loaded movements.
Here are a few different methods for intensifying your MMA conditioning:
Supersets - You can really push yourself by using antagonistic muscles opposing muscles, like chest and back or upper and lower body, to get a full
body workout. Take this sample superset with kettlebells and sand bags:
5 x 5 of double clean and press on KBs 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 - Fusing a kettlebell or sandbag with the mighty burpee pushes the your conditioning into the stratosphere. Perform the squat and thrust, push-up and when coming up (when you would normally perform a jump), clean and press your sandbag or kettlebells overhead. Killer!
Circuits - Circuits are stringing two or more exercises together. Training with your heavy sandbags and kettlebells helps you with your
strength endurance. For example:
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 with 1 minute rest between circuits.
Couplets - Combine a sandbag or kettlebell exercise with a bodyweight movement. An example of a couplet might be 2 arm swings and bodyweight squats for 3 x 20 reps each or maybe try 5 pull ups with 5 double clean and presses.
Rounds - Pick three or four exercises and perform as many sets as possible with a set 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. Record your time during these workouts and then try to better that mark the next time.
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 derivations you can surely kick your MMA conditioning up a notch!
Want to boost your chances in the ring, cage or mat? Want to ensure you have gas in the tank when you need it? Don't leave your conditioning to chance with questionable MMA workouts.
Turbo charge your conditioning with a blend of old school techniques put together with cutting edge science and battle-tested experience.
Check out our free MMA workouts for you to try at www.thefightgeek.com.
|
|
We strive to provide only quality
articles, so if there is a specific topic
related to fight that you would
like us to cover, please contact us at any
time.
And again, thank you to those
contributing daily to our mma workouts
website.
|
