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Archive for the ‘MMA Workouts’ Category

How to Develop Punching Power (Part 1)

July 25th, 2010

Derek Manuel

It is said that, just like some people are born naturally stronger, or naturally more athletic, some people are born with more punching or knockout power then others.

However, just like strength and athleticism, punching power can be developed with the proper mma training workouts. The key is to take what talent you were or weren’t born with and focus on developing it from there – whining about “unfortunate genetics” won’t get you anywhere.

First and foremost, we must understand what constitutes punching power, then we can properly understand how to develop it.

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MMA Workouts with Odd Shaped Objects

July 12th, 2010

Derek Manuel

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Although mma workouts weren’t the first to include odd shaped objects with various strength and conditioning exercises, the sport is certainly helping it grow in popularity.

Outside of being an exciting way to add spice to your mma workouts rather then the same old push and pull exercises with barbells and dumbbells, their should be a method to the madness.

Just because your flipping tires and throwing medicine balls and carrying around a sandbag doesn’t necessarily mean your optimizing your mma workouts if there’s no formula for progression to it.

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Posted in MMA Conditioning, MMA Strength Training, MMA Workout Routine, MMA Workouts

Tags: MMA Conditioning Workouts, MMA Strength Training, mma training workouts, MMA Workout Routine, MMA Workouts

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MMA Strength Training for Muscle Endurance

July 1st, 2010

Derek Manuel

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When most people think of developing muscle endurance, they immediately think of body weight exercises and light resistance resistance training for higher volume of reps.

Although this is indeed a good way develop muscle endurance, if this was ALL you did, you would actually be limiting the development of your muscle endurance tremendously.

You’d be developing just the same if not better muscle endurance by doing the exact opposite: lift heavy weight.

“What the hell are you talking about Derek,” you might say, “you’re trying to tell me lifting heavy weight for low reps is a better way to build muscle endurance? You’re crazy.”

Although I indeed may be a little crazy, there is some truth to what I’m talking about; let me explain:

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Posted in MMA Conditioning, MMA Strength Training, MMA Workouts

Tags: MMA Strength Training, MMA Workout

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MMA Strength Training: Free-Weights or Machines?

June 3rd, 2010

Derek Manuel

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MMA Strength Training: Free-Weights or Machines?

MMA strength training is much more complex then what most other athletes require. Though there is no one best way to develop mma specific strength, I often time suggest free-weights over machines at least 75% of the time.

The main reason being is that mma fighters need to develop not only the major muscles of the body, but they equally need to develop their stabilizer muscles as well, and machines take a lot away from this.

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Posted in MMA Strength Training, MMA Workouts

Tags: MMA Strength and Conditioning, MMA Strength Training

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MMA Workout Program with the Sledgehammer

May 27th, 2010

Derek Manuel

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Sledgehammer MMA Workout

When you think of hardcore or old school training methods to develop raw strength and power, usually the picture of some bad-ass looking dude wielding a sledgehammer like it was Thor’s Mighty Hammer and slamming it on an old monster truck tire comes to mind.

Although this exercise goes back decades, to this day it is still a vital one to throw in your mma workout program. On top of the many physical benefits, it just feels damn good to swing a thick wooden stick with a big chunk of iron at the end with all your might.

It brings to the wielder a feeling a raw power and animalistic aggression that smith machines and sissy looking stability ball exercises simply can’t provide (nothing against these exercises, of course; they have their time and place).

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Posted in MMA Workout Routine, MMA Workouts

Tags: mma workout program, MMA Workout Routine

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MMA Conditioning Workouts: New Age of Circuit Training

May 25th, 2010

Derek Manuel

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Bear crawls is a great mma conditioning exercise

Circuit training has been around for a long time. It is a staple in exercise routines for developing cardiovascular endurance and muscular conditioning.

As the sport of mma becomes more and more popular and the standards for mma fighters strength and conditioning continues to increase, mma conditioning workouts need to be more refined and sport specific then ever.

Traditional circuit training had trainee’s doing typical “old school” exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups.

Although these will continue to be staple exercises for any athlete, fighters and combat athletes need more sport specific mma conditioning workouts and exercises.

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Posted in MMA Conditioning, MMA Workout Routine, MMA Workouts

Tags: MMA Conditioning, MMA Conditioning Workouts

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Why MMA Conditioning Workouts Need to be Done Right

May 18th, 2010

Derek Manuel

1 Comment »

Randy Couture has some of the best conditioning in MMA

Today I realized a very important lesson, and that is why it’s so important that your mma conditioning workouts need to be bad ass. I have been training in MMA for quite some time now, and tonight’s training was one of the most grueling workouts I’ve ever been through.

More importantly, I experienced the importance of the proper development of strength and conditioning if you are going to be able to last several rounds in a tough fight.

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Posted in MMA Conditioning, MMA Workouts

Tags: MMA Conditioning Workouts, MMA Workouts

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MMA Workout Routine for Strength AND Cardio

May 11th, 2010

Derek Manuel

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GSP is an example of a strength and cardio machine

Anyone who knows the type of conditioning that is required to survive several rounds in a mixed martial arts bout understand that a high level of strength, power and cardio is absolutely vital.

Traditionally, when an athlete wanted to develop their strength and cardiovascular conditioning, these would essentially be two separate workouts. The athlete would strength train at one part of the day, then go run several miles or some other similar cardio exercise at another time of the day.

Surprisingly few are aware that you can develop your cardio, strength, and power at the same time in one mma workout routine.

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Posted in MMA Workout Routine, MMA Workouts

Tags: mma training workouts, MMA Weight Training, MMA Workout Routine, MMA Workouts

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MMA Weight Training: Lifting with a Purpose

March 9th, 2010

Derek Manuel

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MMA weight training is a whole different ball game than most other sports. Virtually every physical attribute must be developed to the highest degree possible as well as work harmoniously together as one unit.

It has been proven time and time again that, much like having limited skill in various martial arts, having limited physical capacities can be a huge disadvantage as a fighter. MMA weight training and other forms of resistance training, if done properly, can greatly enhance a mma fighter’s strength and conditioning.

But the key phrase here is, IF DONE PROPERLY. There can be a lot of wasted effort in a mma weight training workout if the fighter doesn’t train with a specific purpose in mind. Standard bodybuilding or general fitness exercises performed the conventional way simply won’t cut it.

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Posted in MMA Power Training, MMA Strength Training, MMA Workouts

Tags: MMA Weight Training

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MMA Workout Routine for Increased Strength Endurance

February 10th, 2010

Derek Manuel

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When training for mma, it is not enough just to have strength. It is not enough to just have endurance. One of the most important attributes to develop in your mma workout routine is strength endurance.

Strength endurance is not the same thing as muscular endurance, though both should be developed in your mma workout routine. Muscular endurance is the ability to execute muscular contractions over and over again for a length of time, where strength endurance is the ability to execute MAXIMUM muscular contractions over and over again.

Think 100 push-ups as muscular endurance and bench pressing your 1-3 rep max for as many reps as you can in a 3 minute period as strength endurance.

Why Strength Endurance is Important in MMA

Put quite simply, if you don’t have strength endurance then being stronger then your opponent isn’t going to be an advantage for more then a few minutes into the fight or even after a few seconds.

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