Learn how true MMA champions train and how to get in shape. Strength training is essential in almost every sport. Today we will tell you about how the training of MMA fighters is organized. Of course, their weight training has its own characteristics and is significantly different from the training of builders or powerlifters. MMA fighters need to develop, first of all, explosive strength, and this is what the classes of representatives of this type of martial arts are aimed at.
MMA fighter training: basic principles
Today the Internet provides ample opportunities for information retrieval. If you wish, you can find ready-made training programs for MMA fighters on the network. However, it must be remembered that they all have a certain level of training and for you these training programs will most likely not be effective. To know how the training of MMA fighters is structured, you should remember a few basic principles.
Work all the muscles in your body
The task of any MMA fighter is to defeat the opponent. To achieve this, you must actively work on all muscle groups. For example, Tom Watson is sure that for this it is worth giving preference not to work with a barbell, but to training on gymnastic rings. We can agree with this statement, because having excellent achievements, say, in the bench press, you probably will not be able to perform any gymnastic movement on the rings.
This sports equipment uses so many muscles in its work that it is difficult to imagine. Gymnastic rings for training will not be available to you in every gym, but there is a way out of this situation - TRX loops. Do push-ups on them, which is very similar to working with rings.
Visit the pool after training
When you work with a sparring partner in training, no matter how hard you try, you still miss a few strokes. When your body hurts after training, there is no point in lying on the couch and thinking that everything will go away by itself. It is much better to visit the pool.
Famous MMA fighters recommend swimming at least 20 meters after each lesson, and then performing four sets of stretching exercises. This will not only relieve the load on the spinal column and muscles, but also accelerate the processes of excretion of metabolites from the body.
Don't use complex nutrition programs
Today, a lot has been said about proper nutrition for athletes. If you search the net, you will find a ton of articles on this subject. At the same time, most MMA professionals do not adhere to strict dietary nutrition programs. Of course, this does not mean that you can eat a lot of fast food every day.
Nutrition should be balanced, and all foods used should be healthy. Try to give preference to fresh vegetables, but do not forget about meat as well. You can also eat dairy products that have a normal fat content. Similarly, the situation has developed in relation to sports nutrition. You should not use complex additives that include a large number of different ingredients.
Monitor your body weight
It is your responsibility to monitor your weight and be in great shape at all times. Very often, before a fight, athletes have to lose weight and it is sometimes very difficult to do this. We can recommend two or three tablespoons of almond oil three times a day during this period. It is a plant-based product that will provide you with the amount of healthy fats you need.
Don't use complicated sports equipment
Today, scientists are inventing various suits for athletes and new types of sports equipment. At the same time, the training of MMA fighters is simple. The basic basic movements that are used during the training of weightlifters are enough for you. Of course, if you want to be successful in mixed martial arts, you need an experienced coach.
Learn to stay calm in all conditions
To become a professional MMA fighter, you need to work on your psyche. You must remain reasonable and calm in any situation. Very often, spontaneous decisions turn out to be wrong. This applies not only to sports, but also to everyday life.
MMA fighters training program
Without developing a strength parameter, you will never be successful in mixed martial arts. In the ring, you need to be in constant motion to get away from your opponent's punches. The basis of the training of MMA fighters should be exercises that are as similar as possible to the movements that they perform during the fight. First of all, this statement is true for exercising with your own body weight.
Use exercises such as push-ups, burpees, lunges, pull-ups, etc. Depending on the level of your readiness, you can draw up a circuit training program based on these movements, which can be performed without pauses or with a short rest between circles.
Very often, medball is used in the training of MMA fighters. Create a set of throws using this projectile, lasting two or three minutes. After that, perform several sets with a pause between them so that the body has time to recover.
When it comes to lifting weights, use a barbell. You should do deadlifts, chest raises, army presses, recline rows, and snatches. These movements must be performed in five or six sets, between which there will be pauses of 60 seconds duration. Weight needs to be increased gradually, but 50 kilos as a result will be quite enough. Your task is not to gain mass, but to increase the parameter of explosive strength.
One of the basic principles, according to which the training of MMA fighters is built, is cyclicality. You've probably already noticed that we have repeatedly mentioned circuit training. They are the ones that MMA fighters need, as well as representatives of other types of martial arts.
You should not spend a lot of time on strength training, you did not come to do bodybuilding. You will spend most of your time practicing strikes and fighting techniques. Before fights, experienced athletes practically do not leave the hall, trying to perfect their favorite strikes and master something new, which can surprise an opponent.
It should be noted that now there is an interesting trend among famous MMA fighters - more and more often they take lessons and outstanding masters of such types of martial arts as capoeira, karate, wushu and aikido. If you are interested in MMA, then you should be familiar with the names of John Johnson and Daniel Cormier. So before the fight between them, Daniel took aikido lessons from Steven Seagal for a long time. The skill of this popular film actor is highly regarded by all aikido specialists.
Unfortunately Daniel lost that fight, but we are not talking about that now. Similar actions are being taken by many well-known fighters more and more often. It is quite obvious that rivals study each other's strengths and weaknesses before the fight. If you practice under the supervision of an experienced traditional martial artist, you will be able to learn new fighting techniques and become even better at controlling your body.
Very often, training for MMA fighters involves working with a heavy bag. This will allow you not only to increase your strength, but also to increase the functionality of your muscles. We have already said that explosive power is of great importance for MMA fighters. However, you must exercise it more than once throughout the entire fight. This is what the sandbag is used for. This kind of sports equipment allows you to work not only the main muscles of the body, but also a large number of stabilizers. You can also increase your grip strength, which is essential for winning MMA fights. It is in this that many fighters have serious problems with indicators. To work effectively, you should use a sandbag that weighs 60 to 70 percent of your body weight. Here is an example of two complexes using a bag.
Set of exercises number 1
- Lifting the bag to the chest, followed by a press.
- Squat with a bag on the shoulders.
- Twisting.
- Bag pulls in an inclined position.
Set of exercises number 2
- Lifting the bag over the shoulder.
- Lifting the bag to the chest followed by squatting.
- Leaning forward using a bear grip.
- Bag pulls in an inclined position.
Check out the training program for an MMA fighter in this video:
