The Ultimate MMA workout – How to get fighting fit without getting hurt

There's a lot more to MMA than preparing for fight night.

In terms of training, you'd be hard done by to find a sport better designed to bring you to your peak of physical fitness. Whether it's a six-pack you're after or an improvement to cardio, a mixed martial arts gym is the place to be.

Fuelling the fight in you

If you're a newcomer you're likely to be surprised at how strenuous MMA workouts can be so it's vital to get some clever calories into your body because they're sure as hell going to be burned up. That doesn't mean doubling your McDonald's order. It means tucking into the right mixture of carbs and proteins. Fruits such as bananas, blueberries and acai berries are also helpful, but if time is against you, a liquid form of protein or a protein shake is quick and easy and will leave you well set for a workout. The higher quality protein shakes on the market will include the necessary branched-chain amino acids (usually listed on the tub as BCAA). These delay muscle tiredness, as these AAs are the first of the amino acids to get used up when exercising). They also contain glutamine, which has an anti-catabolic effect on the muscles, as well as numerous multivitamins that aid protein absorption and synthesis.

Warm up right

Those who first step foot in an MMA gym often suffer from one of two issues. 1) They are so intimidated about the trained fighters warming up alongside them that they don't join in or 2) They are so hyped up that they want to get into the action without preparing their muscles properly. The warm up will vary depending on the gym and trainer but it will likely depend on some jogging around the mats, stretching, jump rope and shadow boxing. Take your time and go at your own pace to make sure you're at your best for the tough task ahead.

Get the sweat out

Here comes the big workout. You might not like all the disciplines of MMA but we're in no doubt that you're bound to fall in love with at least one of the following: Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai or boxing. For those of you who may fear enduring a punch or two, Jiu-Jitsu may be the discipline for you. The submission-based martial art involves no striking and is the perfect sport to work your flexibility, strength and even mental focus. Wrestling will work on similar skills but is more power-focused than Jiu-Jitsu so would be more conducive to muscle building. Muay Thai is probably the most fun discipline to get started in. It's a stand-up discipline based around kickboxing with knees and elbows permitted. It can improve your power and cardio because of the bigger muscle groups being worked. We all know boxing and it's the perfect sport to build endurance and speed with a mixture of hitting the heavy bag, padwork and speed bag exercises. All four can be exhausting in different ways and, in MMA classes, the mixture of all will have you burning more calories and strengthening more muscles than you could ever have imagined.

Some high quality H20

It's essential to keep hydrated throughout any workout that you're doing. Keep a large bottle of water with you at all times and if you're expecting a particularly tough workout, there's no harm in keeping a small bottle of coconut water by your side which will provide a much needed boost in potassium and electrolytes.

Stretching is everything

The only real pain that you'll experience when walking out the door of an MMA gym comes from a lack of stretching, rather than anything that you went through in the actual workout. Make sure that you ease your muscles out of the taxing training that you've just put them through. A five-minute cool down will make sure that you can walk the next day and be itching to get back on the mat for your next MMA workout.

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