Have you ever wanted to get in shape like an MMA fighter?
These guys are ripped. They train hard. They don’t make excuses.
I decided to put together a mma workout routine that modeled the normal fight. This workout is designed to condition your body as if you were in the ring. In the routine, we mostly use body weight exercises however I have included a couple of exercises that require a light weight (I use 8lb dumbbells in the video).
Click the video at the top of the page to start the workout.
Warning! This workout is extremely difficult and is designed for advanced mma fighters only. It will bring amazing gains in physical strength and conditioning (if done regularly) but should only be tried by athletes.
MMA Conditioning Workout Outline:
Round 1: 5 Min Total
Push Up Jacks (1 min)
Half Gracies on Right Side (1 min)
Half Gracies on Left Side (1 min)
Falling Punches (1 min)
Half Burpees (1 min)
–1 min rest–
Round 2: 5 Min Total
Jumping Dolphins (1 min)
One Armed Half Burpees with Weight – Right Side (1 min)
One Armed Half Burpees with Weight – Left Side (1 min)
Rising Crabs (1 min)
Jumping Ducks (1 min)
–1 min rest–
Round 3: 5 Min Total
Jumping Uneven Pushups (1 min)
Reverse Hip Dips – Right Side (1 min)
Reverse Hip Dips – Left Side (1 min)
Single Leg Superman Squats – Right Side (1 min)
Single Leg Superman Squats – Left Side (1 min)
–1 min rest–
Round 4: 5 Min Total
Single Hand Hops w/ Weight – Right Side (1 min)
Single Hand Hops w/ Weight – Left Side (1 min)
Full Bridge (1 min)
Pistol Squat – Right Side (1 min)
Pistol Squat – Left Side (1 min)
–1 min rest–
Round 5: 5 Min Total
Jumping Jacks w/ Weight (1 min)
Plyometric Hip Dips (1 min)
Spider Push Ups (1 min)
Stretch Push Ups (1 min)
Wall Sits (1 min)
Done!
3 Tips For MMA Fighters To Improve Conditioning
1. Strengthen Your Type 1 Muscle Fibers
Have you ever been in a fight and reached the point of total exhaustion? Your muscles feel like rubber and you can barely keep your hands up to protect you. Your shoulders are tightening up and your legs are shot. The reason is because your type 1 muscles fibers (your endurance fibers) are blasted. When you are conditioning for a fight, it is important to train with this in mind. Doing higher rep body weight exercises will increase your bodies’ ability to carry oxygen to your muscles thereby making them last longer.
2. Strengthen Your Body As A Unit
One of the biggest mistakes mma fighters, or any martial artist for that matter, makes is to think that huge muscles will improve their ability to punch harder. Granted, the law a physics will tell you that getting hit by a heavier mass will hurt more than a lighter mass. However, mass is not the same thing as force. When you punch using your whole body you increase the amount of force behind it. If you rely too heavily on single muscles to increase your force than you are not maximizing the natural design of your body.
Training with “whole body exercises” and doing the above conditioning workout will teach you that your body is a unit. You’ll develop a “body synchronicity” that will give you an amazing feeling both inside and outside of the ring.
3. Improve Your V02 Max
V02 Max is generally considered the best measurement to test an athletes’ ability to withstand long, intense periods of aerobic activity. There is a great article on V02 Max here. It explains more about what it is and also talks about the difference between V02 Max and Lactate Threshold, which is the point during maximum conditioning when lactic acid builds up in the muscles.
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If you have any questions feel free to email me at todd@ashotofadrenaline.net. I am happy to help trouble shoot if you are experiencing any problems with this mma conditioning routine.
I want to stress again that this is an advanced workout so if you are already conditioned like an athlete, then feel free to try this workout. If you aren’t there are many other workouts that are less intense. You can find all of them here: Shot of Adrenaline Workouts
-Todd
King Shot Administer
16 Comments
how often should you do this each week
Hi Lennon,
I would say 3X a week will be enough. It’s really challenging. Let me know what you think.
Todd
is a monday, wed, fri schedule good. gives a day on off the weekend off. Do you have anything for diet tips, I need to gain a good amount of weight
Hi Lennon,
Yes that’s a great schedule. Some of the best foods for gaining weight are nuts and nut butter. Also, incorporate a lot of avocado into your diet. What does your diet look like now? How much are you looking to gain?
Todd
My diet is going to me changing a bit \i leave for school in september, making my own meals now, I love chicken and beef but im looking for different things to do with it so i dont get sick of it. My roomate is allergic to tree nuts (vine nuts like peanuts is okay) and fish so i can’t have those which i know is good in protein, been trying to look up meal plans for weight gain but i am also on a tight budget. I’m 6’2″ at 140 lbs, i would like to gain at least 20-30 pounds if possible. Is there a protein powder or something like it that you recommend or should i avoid them? any suggestions would help
Hi Lennon,
Great question. I am actually trying out SunWarriors Warrior Blend Protein powder so I’ll have to let you know how it goes.
Even though you can’t eat fish there are plenty of alternatives. I would incorporate more eggs into your diet. Great source of protein as well as almond butter (adds variety to the same old peanut butter, unless your rooommate is allergic to it). Though almond is a bit more expensive than pea nut butter. Also, look into hemp seed. Great source of protein and is a superfood!
There are a few to get you started. If the above aren’t fitting into you budget let me know and we’ll continue to brainstorm.
Todd
no reply buton so had to start new comment. Ive heard good things about whey, he’s allergic to almonds so ill probably stick with peanut butter. What kind of foods are good for snacks between my classes or something, I plan to eat more salad with my chicken is there any good veg, etc. that I can add to it that will help me out
Avocado is the king to add size and calories. Its great on salads. You can put a bit of coconut oil on your salads too. Tastes great and has tons of calories.
Also, as a snack I would recommend carrying around a big bag of nuts (peanuts or anything else that he is not allergic too since you want a bit of variety) and raisins. Very tasty and will help keep the calories flowing.
could you give me a hand with my diet please, i think its okay id just like a second opinion from somebody who knows what their talking about. Thanks
For sure bro. Post it here and I’ll give it some specific feedback.
Well I dont eat much, for breakfast I usually just have a some cereal or eggs you know something simple with a glass of orande juice or cup of coffee (usually something quick as I have to be in at work by 8:00 and I’m not exactly a morning person) At about 1:00 I have an apple and about a handfull of walnuts. Around 4:00 I normally have some sort of fruit bar. Then when I get home at about 6:00 I have my usual dinner that consists of a couple of potatoes, one or two servings of meat, and some vegetables. I dont really have anything else after that maybe a something like a rice cake later in the evening depending on if I’m hungry or not. I normally have a protein shake on the days I workout (about 3 days per week) and I drink about 2 litres of water each day. Thanks man.
And sorry dude I forgot to say, I’m hovering at around about 15% body fat. I’m 5’10 and 70kg . I know there is no “quick fix” but if I do the ’200 X 15′ workout in the mornings 5 times per week and do this mma workout in the evenings 3 times per week and stick to my current diet, will I see results soon? I’d really like to get down to about 10% body fat and I know its not going to happen over night, but by doing everything I said above do you think I could see significant results in a couple of weeks? If it were possible I’d like to have good results in 3 weeks as my cousin signed me up to do a swimming competition (without me knowing) in his college for some charity event and I’d really like not to be standing there with a pot belly. Thanks again.
sir i have gained a lot of weight nd muscle, i quickly wanna get ripped strong and cut which is the workout u recommend for me?
Hi Sidhanth,
My free complete bodyweight training program is a great start. Did you download that yet?
i have made a great diet plan as well please tell me which workout of yours shall i proceed for ?
Hi Sidhanth. What are your goals?