Why is weight training important for fighters? Isn't cardio enough?
Back in the early days of Mixed Martial Arts, fighters didn’t really do much conditioning for their fights. They would train in their different arts and maybe do some jogging as a supplement. Running has been a staple in the conditioning of combat sports forever. It's something that my father constantly preached while he was training me to box. But, he would also tell me to sprint to mimic the patterns of a fight. But nowadays MMA has evolved into a different sport. The way fighters train has evolved as well. Fights sometimes can be won based on a fighters conditioning alone. This is why conditioning is so important to an athlete. Going for long runs just is not enough anymore.
Back in the day, people thought that if you lifted weights, that you would get bulky and lose your speed, agility and flexibility. There for, lifting was thought to be impractical to combat athletes. How you use the weights is what is important. Doing full body movements, with various different types of weights, such as barbells and kettlebells, is much more practical. These weights can be used to mimic the feel of an actual fight. Creating circuits with these devices is a popular method amongst mma trainers So, doing set after set of bench presses, has minimal effect on a fighters conditioning. Doing an explosive exercise like barbell cleans for intervals would be more practical. Weights such as kettlebells can be used for exercises that are sports specific to mixed martial arts. For example, something as simple as a 2 hand kettlebell contains almost identical mechanics to someone sprawling in an mma fight.
Another reason why conditioning with weights is important, is that MMA sparring is extremely rough and can often lead to injury. So sparring every day is not in their best interested. A fighters training must be supplemented with resistance training to compensate. When in the hands of the right trainer, kettlebells can be used to increase a fighters speed, power, endurance, timing and focus. Attributes such as this are essential to a combat athlete.
So, to conclude, cardiovascular exercises such as running is not enough to insure a fighter is combat ready. Combat athletes must utilize weighted, training devices, such as kettlebells, barbells and dumbbells to increase their overall conditioning. When two fighter’s technique are equal, the outcome may be decided on the fighters conditioning.
Contributor Information:
Joey Alvarado is the owner and head trainer of Socal MMA Fitness based in East Los Angeles, California. Joey Alvarado is a former professional MMA fighter and competitive grappler, and the developer of the Shadow-Jitsu Bodyweight Training DVD and the Combat Kettlebell Systems DVD, a unique blend of Jiu Jitsu bodyweight exercises and newly developed kettlebell exercises. Find out more.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
