MMA Strength Training Workouts

Strength training is important for MMA because many fighters don’t take it seriously.  If you have a strong core, you’ll go far in the world of mixed martial arts just by virtue of your superior power and ability control people.  Not only that, but a good strength training program will make you more explosive, meaning you’ll hit harder.  You’ll also have better recovery if you do get hit hard – this is something that is closely tied with strength and conditioning.

If you want to get great functional strength for MMA, you’ll first want to build up a strong core.  The best way to go about this is to do a ton of compound lifts that’ll stress your abdominals, obliques, glutes, and spinal erectors.  You’ll also want to hit your legs and upper back hard as well.  Believe it or not, your chest and arms aren’t that important in MMA, although strong shoulders are useful for grappling.

Once you’ve got a good routine set up to build up core strength and you’ve been doing it for a while, you can move on to explosive training and anaerobic conditioning.  To do this, you’ll want to shift to power lifts that help create strong neural pathways through which your muscles can coordinate more effectively.  These exercises will include things like cleans, power straights, and plyometrics.  Depth jumps, for example, are fantastic for building explosive strength in your legs and core.

When you’re training for strength, remember that it’s important to consume plenty of food and get a lot of rest.  While you’re trying to not gain weight, you’ll still need the food because your body needs to repair itself after each workout.  You should never be hungry, but you also shouldn’t forcefeed yourself.  Find out what your base metabolic rate is and then just try to consume enough food to satisfy that.

Remember to avoid over training and never exercise through an injury.  You should always allow pulled or torn muscles to heal before using them again because you’ll just hurt yourself further.  You’ll be able to tell if you’re over training because you’ll feel tired throughout the day and may have a hard time sleeping even if you are tired.  A decrease in strength is another sign of over training.