Unless you've been living under a rock, or possibly stuck on a deserted island, you have heard of the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Whether you are a fan of fighting or not, you should be a fan of the fitness required. MMA workouts are specifically designed for those that compete, but can be beneficial to anyone that wants to take their workout to a whole new level. Boxing and kickboxing are routinely used by personal trainers to increase cardio and strength in their clients. Even though their clients are not actual fighters. The goal of any workout, exercise, or activity is always the same "gain muscle, burn fat". This philosophy will never change because "gain fat, burn muscle" doesn't work, duh!
Sample MMA workout:
- Warm-ups/cardio: any non-weight exercise to raise your heart rate and get your red blood cells moving (sprints, press ups, pull ups, dips and jumping jacks, running, exercise bikes and of course skipping/jumping rope, etc.)
- Weight training: The key is not to gain bulk muscle but to gain lean, functioning muscle. Many reps of lower weights to get lean and tone. Unless you have a reason not to use weights in your training program, the ideal MMA workout is generally considered to be a combination of both bodyweight and weight training.
- Bagwork/sparring/grappling: even if you're not a fighter, it is beneficial to do punching bag exercises on heavy bag and speed bag. Another exercise is grappling. Grappling is on the ground training (wrestling, jiu-jitsu, judo). Why on the ground training? The average non-fighter trains very little if ever in grappling. That means their body has not experienced the muscle confusion of grappling. When a new muscle is worked, the body works overtime.
Regardless if you're a man, woman, or child, MMA style exercises can not only benefit you health and fitness wise, they can also save your life. Knowing basic mixed martial arts techniques can greatly improve your chances in an attack. It's not about being an actual MMA fighter. It's not about getting into a cage. It's about being fit for fighting.
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