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STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING FOR THE MMA ATHLETE
Written by: Mike Campanella

PART I - Mastering the Body

Ask any successful Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter how they achieved their level of success and more often than not they will mention their strength and conditioning program as being an integral part of their preparation. Simply realizing this fact, however, may do more to hurt an aspiring fighter than help him/her in preparing for a future in the sport. With all of the training information that exists on the internet today, many amateur athletes find it difficult to sift through all the different theories, exercises, techniques, etc., and eventually give up, succumbing to the perils of procrastination or “paralysis by analysis.” Aside from these individuals, there exists another group of athletes who remain stuck in the mire of “old-school” training methods where roadwork, thousands of push-ups and sit-ups, and/or bodybuilding dominates their training schedules, directly leading to decreased performance and unfulfilled potential. In light of all this, it is my aim to point all of these aforementioned athletes in the right direction when it comes to strength and conditioning for improving performance in MMA.

The main goal of any legitimate strength and conditioning program for the combat athlete is sport specificity. In other words, all workouts and exercises done in the weight room or training facility should mimic the skills and movements that are needed to be successful on the mats or in the ring. As a result, every MMA athlete should focus on the following parameters when developing a practical strength and conditioning program: strength, explosiveness, muscular endurance, anaerobic conditioning, and aerobic conditioning. Furthermore, these five facets of strength and conditioning should be trained by using and moving the body. To accomplish this, the majority of workouts should be total body in nature, the majority of exercises should be total body compound movements, and all movements should involve moving the body. In terms of which equipment should be used, every combat athlete should first be able to master and control their own body through bodyweight exercises before any external apparatus is used. Once proficiency in moving the body has been established, equipment such as kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, bands, weighted vests, etc., can be used for more effective training and greater improvement in the combat arena.

To train strength, the athlete should choose bodyweight exercises that limit the individual to doing 3-6 reps per exercise. Anything above 6 repetitions and maximal strength work is not being performed. For explosiveness, the athlete should choose an exercise that can be done at maximum speed without much strain. Termination of such an exercise should come when speed and form diminish. In terms of muscular endurance, the athlete can train utilizing several different methods, the most effective being high repetitions (15-25 reps) or static holds (15-60″ holds).

As far as conditioning goes, the combat athlete’s main focus should be anaerobic conditioning. Any exercise that allows that athlete to exert a maximum effort at top speed (a sprint, for instance) for 10-15″ will suffice. Allow recovery in a 1:2 work to rest ratio. Finally, aerobic conditioning should not be neglected. A powerful car with a lot of horsepower is great, but the same car with a bigger gas tank is even better. Aerobic conditioning, done 1-2 times a week at most, should focus on sport specific movements and last anywhere from 10-30 minutes. Examples of exercises demonstrating the five facets of combat training are shown below.

Muscle Endurance
Negative chin-ups, chin up holds,  front tuck lever,  front lever

Strength Exercises
Lunges, split squat,  pistol off a bench, weighted pistol

Power Exercises
Plyo push-up, clap push up, double clap push up, triple clap push up

Anaerobic Exercise
Burpees

Aerobic Exercise
Jump rope

For more information regarding program set-up, design, training, or any other such inquiry, please visit the Train Boston website at www.trainboston.com or contact Mike Campanella via email: mcampanella@trainboston.com. For more information regarding MMA technique training (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing), please visit the Connors MMA Academy website: www.dedhamjj.com, or contact him via email: info@dedhamjj.com.