Fighting Fit, Fit for Fighting.

Pat Dale

Many people are involved in martial arts: from boxing to judo to the newly popular sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Even people who have no intention of never stepping onto the mat or into the ring are training to give themselves the physiques of these super-tough athletes. By and large, fighters have good physiques – lean, muscular, good core strength, athletic and fit – but what is the best way to train for a sport of such complex demands? In this article we’ll be looking specifically at conditioning for fighting...

For just about forever, fighters’ fitness training has involved lots of road work. Early morning runs were (and still are) the mainstay of many peoples’ fight training but, before we go any further, what has running long distances relatively slowly got to do with the mostly anaerobic sports that encompass the fighting arts? LSD running is great if you are training to run a marathon but the fitness demands of combat sports is more akin to repeated 400 meter sprints than distance running. If LSD running is being done for weight management, I’d suggest the fighters’ diet needs addressing rather than wasting valuable training time and energy pounding the pavements. So, if LSD roadwork isn’t the best form of conditioning, then what is?

Most combat sports are fought in rounds – 3 minutes for boxing and longer for some MMA bouts. Fighters should focus on training like they are going to be fighting. There is no real benefit of going out and running slowly for 60 minutes if your sport consists of 3 minute rounds with 1 minute recoveries. That’s like training to throw the javelin by kicking a football. Fitness is SPECIFIC by which I mean that the training you do dictates the responses you get. Most fighting is anaerobic and so most training should be anaerobic too.

Let’s say you are a boxer and you are training for a fight of 6 x 3 minute rounds with 1 minute rests. That 3 on/1 off should be your main training template for most if not all of your conditioning training. Anything outside of those parameters is not specific to your fitness goals and therefore likely to be a waste of your time.

Try this boxing specific energy system workout...

1. Burpees

2. Barbell high pulls

3. Speed squats

4. Press ups

5. Lateral box jumps

6. Kettlebell swings

Perform each exercise as fast as you can for 30 seconds, moving from one exercise to the next with no rest to complete 3 minutes of work or 1 round. Rest 1 minute and repeat for 6 rounds. THAT is specific training for the demands of boxing!

In addition to being a superior training tool for fighters, this approach is also a supreme fat burner so is ideal for those who want to look the part but not get hit in the head too often. Muscular endurance and anaerobic conditioning are both worked within the same training session which leaves more time for skill and drill work, strength and power training.

If your sport requires 5 minute rounds try this workout...

1. Rowing machine

2. Burpees

3. Treadmill

4. Barbell/sandbag clean and press

5. Skipping (jump rope, not playground!)

Perform each exercise for 60 seconds at full speed before taking 60 seconds rest and repeating for the desired number of rounds.

For variety, you can also perform similarly intense and sports specific workouts but without the use of such constrictive timings. The key is to work as hard as possible using large muscle groups, take only short rests and repeat for a number of rounds – train harder to fight easier.

The burpee challenge

1. 5 burpees 2. 10 press ups 3. 15 squats 4. 20 jump rope double unders 5. Row or run 500 meters

Repeat for 5 rounds as fast as possible.

Whole body bodyweight blast

1. 5 chin ups

2. 10 dips

3. 15 squat jumps

4. 20 mountain climbers

Perform 1 round every 2nd minute – the faster you go, the longer you rest. As your fitness improves, try going every 105 seconds and then every 90 seconds for a really challenging workout.

400 meter sprints on the clock

Using either a treadmill, running track or a measured 400 meter distance on the road start your stopwatch and run 400 meters. When the timer reaches 3 minutes, run again. Continue running 400 meters on every 3rd minute until you have covered 2 miles.

These types of workouts will challenge your anaerobic energy system, your fast twitch muscle fibres and have you fit for fighting far quicker than any amount of LSD road work so make the change and you’ll never run out of gas in a fight again.

About the Author

Pat and this magazine were made for each other. Pat writes a blog - NoFrillsFitness trains his ass off and loves what we call ‘proper fitness’. He is a highly experienced fitness lecturer, running solar-fitness in Cyprus. What a place to go to qualify as a personal trainer! Pat will use this mag to let off a little steam – to talk fitness without the need to hold back or be polite. If you don’t like it….don’t use the squat rack for Bicep Curls! His site www.Solar-Fitness.com