Should you be Doing an MMA workout?
Quick tip: Is an MMA workout the right choice for you?
Ben Greenfield
UFC, Jiu Jitsu, MMA, oh my! There’s quite a craze these days with mixed martial arts workouts–whether it be a kickboxing class, punching bag workout, Crossfit routine, or a even a grappling or karate class. These type of routines have a singular defining characteristic: the combination of body-weight exercises and explosive cardio designed to simulate the conditions one might experience in a fight, wrestling match, or other competitive event.
So will you benefit from a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) style workout? Consider the following criteria:
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Are you in good shape? If you’re a fitness newbie, then the amount of hard breathing and muscle burning that will occur during MMA workouts could leave you over-trained, injured, or ill. So if you’re just getting off the couch, give yourself 8-12 weeks of general fitness preparation prior to jumping into this type of exercise.
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Are you competitive? Most MMA style workouts require you to finish hard tasks in a certain period of time, gradually progress to more difficult variations of exercises, and constantly improve upon your flexibility, movement, and coordination skills. If all you want is a mindless “get-in-and-out-of-the-gym” workout, this may not be for you.
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Are you trying to gain muscle? MMA style workouts are very good for getting lean, burning fat fast, and significantly improving cardiovascular fitness. If your goal is to purely “get bigger muscles”, you may want to try a power-lifting or heavy weight training routine instead. For more on that, read the article How to Build Muscle.
Finally, here’s a video of me performing a quick 5 minute core routine that will give you a taste of the type of moves you might experience in an MMA workout. Enjoy!
MMA image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.