MMA workout routines, whether you are training in the various martial arts such as Brazilian Jujitsu, boxing, Muay Thai, Judo, wrestling, all of the above, developing your strength and power, or working on increasing your gas tank with intense cardiovascular training, one aspect that absolutely CANNOT be overlooked is the recovery phase.

Unlike many other sports where you have one session of skills training and then (maybe) a little strength and conditioning  on the side, mma fighters often times require more training then the average person even has time for.

Because of the training intensity and frequency of mma workout routines, mma fighters must also pay close attention to their post recovery or they won’t be physically ready for their next session.

Missing a training session, whether it’s grappling training, boxing, or hitting the weights means you may be falling behind your competition.

So what are the best post mma workout routine supplements for fighters and combat athletes?

1) Whey Protein: Almost everybody has heard of whey protein. As soon as your body is done burning up any carbs you’ve had prior to your training, it’ll start to use muscle tissue, which means a loss in strength. This is obviously not what you want, so it is important to follow up with a whey protein supplement immediately after an intense workout. The longer you wait after your workout, the more muscle tissue you’ll lose, so be sure to intake some immediately after your mma workout routine ends.

2) Glutamine: Glutamine not only assists in preventing breakdown of muscle tissue like whey protein, but will also help you recover much faster – meaning more training sessions. Since mma fighters often weight train and then follow up with a grappling, striking, and other skills training later on in the day, glutamine will help your muscles recover fast enough in between mma workout routines.

3) BCAA’s: These are three essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on it’s own, thus must be supplied through your food/supplement intake. These are especially needed when your mma workout routines consist of long cardiovascular workouts or if you are burning a lot more calories then you are consuming. It’s essentially for recovery in these two aspects but also helps replenish glutamine, so these two go hand in hand.

4) Creatine: Just like whey protien, most people have heard of creatine, and although it was questionable when it first became popular, it has been proven for over a decade now that it is a healthy and proven supplement. Creatine helps produce more “ATP”, the source of energy that is required for quick and explosive movements (such as strikes, shooting for a takedown, explosive weight training, etc). This means you will have faster recovery in between these explosive movements, which is key for more rapid development in all areas of mma.

Add these four supplements in your post mma workout routine recovery drinks and food intake and you’ll notice within weeks much faster recovery and improvement.

Combine this with a consistent, proper diet and at least 7 hours of sleep a night and your body will be a well oiled machine ready to take on the type of training the toughest sport in the world requires.

I hope this helps,

Derek Manuel
MMA Workout Routine