When you commit to exercise, it’s easy to get into the routine of doing the same things when you workout: You run a couple kilometres every day, you lift weights, you practice yoga or hop on a bike for a cycling session. While these exercises do work, they can get a little...repetitive.
Adding cross training, like MMA conditioning, to your exercise plan is a great way to help you reach your goal to drop a few pounds, get a little leaner, build muscle, or increase strength. Cross training can also help you in other ways, according to the American Council on Exercise: add MMA conditioning to your mix of workouts, and you’ll also reduce your risk for injury, lose more weight, improve your overall fitness level, and stay motivated.
So how do you incorporate MMA conditioning into your everyday fitness routine? You don’t have to give up running, lifting, cycling classes, yoga, or anything else you love to do. You also don’t have to worry about trading punches with an opponent in the ring. Instead, incorporate MMA conditioning exercises into your workout by following these steps:
You should always start every workout with a warm-up. Plan on 5 to 10 minutes of warm-up exercises before you workout, play a sport, lift heavy, or go for a run. To give your exercise some MMA flair, try warming up with conditioning exercises like cross hops, jump squats, shadowbox punching, bear crawls, knee strikes, or burpees. Use this MMA conditioning workout for your next warm-up.
Do you have a heart rate monitor on your watch, fitness tracking device, or smartphone? When you exercise, aiming to keep your heart rate within a specific range can help you build endurance, burn fat, improve aerobic fitness, or increase speed.
Not every workout is designed to track heart rate in this way, but you can incorporate conditioning moves to reap these benefit. For example, if you’re lifting weights, try doing one minute of MMA conditioning exercises between sets, which will elevate your heartrate. You can also finish off your next run with a circuit of MMA exercises. Try throwing strikes, doing inverted burpees, or jumping rope, to hit your target heart rate and keep it there for your entire workout.
You might be most comfortable with your favorite running routes, exercise class schedule, or lifting routine in the gym. But if you stick with the same training routine all the time, it could lead to injuries or a plateau that hinders your progress.
Adjust your training schedule to include Cross Training days. For example, instead of going with your usual workout plan, use MMA conditioning exercises to get your workout in for the day. Go for 30 minutes or an hour like you’re training to win a title belt. You’ll get an incredible workout that elevates your heart rate, works your core, and targets every major muscle group in your body. Elite athletes use cross training to improve performance, and so can you. Use MMA conditioning exercises to cross train on your own, or take a class and follow along.
MMA conditioning exercises are a great way to warm up before you workout, keep your heart rate elevated during a workout, and cross train to prevent injuries and improve performance. Want to get more out of every workout? Add MMA conditioning exercises to your training plan, and you’ll get results.
If you want to learn more about MMA conditioning exercises and functional fitness, ask our staff for more information.
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