Category Archives: Mixed Martial Arts

Training for MMA

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Unlike a sport such as powerlifting where maximal strength is king, MMA fighters must develop a vast number of strength qualities.

One of the most important strength qualities for an MMA fighter is explosive endurance strength. This is the ability to repetitively execute explosive efforts.

*Endurance*
MMA fighters must be able to perform at a high intensity for a prolonged period of time. Most MMA competitions are organized with durations that range from 15 minutes. So the 15 minute endurance range must be developed to the highest level. Of course, some fights end in significantly less time, but you must train to perform at a high level for the entire fight.

Jogging for 60 minutes won’t help since it’s challenging aerobic metabolism (the long duration energy system). In fact, long-duration cardio will hurt your efforts since you’ll likely lose maximal strength and muscle mass while causing a muscle fiber type shift away from high-force power toward low-force endurance. Therefore, the intermediate energy system, anaerobic glycolysis, must be developed to build endurance strength.

Four qualities should be possessed by MMA fighters: extraordinary strength, endurance, mobility, and fighting skills.

You must develop super-strong muscles that run from the base of your skull down to your Achilles tendons. Some of the most important muscles in this range are your hip extensors and back extensors. These muscles, along with a handful of others, collectively form the posterior chain (PC).

The PC assists explosive movements involved in locomotion. If you’ve ever seen a guy shoot forward to drive his shoulder into his opponent’s abdomen for a takedown, that’s the PC at work. Furthermore, a strong PC will help you lift and throw a fighter, and it’ll help you resist being pulled down to the ground.

There are many effective exercises that improve the strength of your PC. Good mornings, back extensions, reverse hypers – they all help.

But one exercise remains at the top of my list for PC development for MMA fighters: the deadlift.

By holding the load in front of you, the carryover to fighting is much greater compared to having the load across your upper back. After all, fighting is about controlling the guy in front of you.

The majority of the time your opponent will be in front of you, you’ll have your hands on him, and he’ll be trying to resist you. The fact that the deadlift strengthens your PC, your grip, and your shoulder girdle, makes it one of best exercises to build fighting-specific muscle groups.

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BJJ Training Tip for Success

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Developing your Muscular Endurance through Weight Training

Muscle strength and muscular endurance represent different physiological processes. Muscle strength involves fast-twitch (type II) muscle fibers, while muscular endurance primarily recruits the slow-twitch (type I) fibers that you also use in aerobic activities such as running. A typical way to measure muscular endurance is to count the number of repetitions you can do of a particular exercise in 90 seconds, working with 50 to 60 percent of your maximal resistance. If the maximum weight you can lift once on the bench press is 300 lbs., you would measure your muscular endurance by lifting 150 to 175 lbs. as many times as possible in 90 seconds.

Building muscular endurance through weight training helps you avoid fatigue when performing a rigorous physical activity over an extended period. In that regard, muscular endurance is crucial in many sports and something athletes should address in their training. Even if a runner or cyclist has great cardiovascular endurance, he will struggle if his leg muscles cannot sustain the punishing exertion. The same applies in soccer, hockey, basketball and BJJ.

A comprehensive approach to weight training is necessary for achieving peak muscular endurance. You should begin by training for strength — low repetitions of heavy weights — for a period of two to three months. You should then shift to training for muscular endurance for another two to three months leading up to the time you want to peak. This approach works because the greater your muscle strength, the higher you push your capacity for muscular endurance. In other words, you will be able to apply heavier force over an extended period of time.

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MMA Standup Conditioning Using Resistance Bands

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Resistance bands serve a wide variety of purposes and allow athletes to work on flexibility, strength and sport specific movements. In boxing or martial arts, the bands allow you to work on your specific punches, but instead of punching against air, the bands provide resistance, which leads to increased strength and power. You can easily reap the benefits of faster and more powerful punches by incorporating band training into your workout.

What you need to do:
Attach the resistance band or bands to a fence or sturdy post. The band should be in line with the direction of your punch. That means that it should be about shoulder-height and you should have room in front of you to punch straight ahead or to the side.

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