What Level Of Training Does It Take To Be A MMA Fighter?

What do you do when you go to the gym? Lift a few hand weights? Run a little bit on the treadmill?

If you want to train hardcore you'll need to come up with something a little better than that! I recently found out how MMA fighters spend their time in the gym. You have to check this out!

Standard Warm Up = Boring

Forget the treadmill, how about starting off your

gym session with an intense grappling session. MMA fighters warm up with an intense grappling session prior to their work out. This boosts their heart rate and frees up the joints. I bet it's way more fun than the treadmill too.

Next it's onto the abs. How about some sit-ups? No, sorry, way too boring. Elite fighters fine tune their core with swiss ball rolls. This increases abdominal strength and all the supporting muscle groups as well. Again, I think it's much more fun than boring old sit-ups too. While still, in warmup mode the fighters performs what they call medicine-ball skater hops. Basically, they hold a 10 to 15 pound ball and jump from side-to-side on one leg. When they land, they lower into a partial squat. Nasty.

From Warmup To Power UP

Now "warm" the fighters dive into a fully controlled snatch that incorporates almost every muscle in their body. Their legs generate power to help move the weight from lower body to upper body, while their shoulders, back, and arms help them finish the movement. MMA fighters believe that shoulder strength and mobility are important for more than just lifting weights. A favourite technique some of the fighters use is called "scapular wall slides". This activates and strengthens their lower trapezius, a muscle that helps control your shoulder blade.

Chin ups are a staple of most work outs, however, not an elite fighter. This exercise alone is too simple. To make it harder the pros use 60-pound weight between their legs. This both adds resistance and significantly increases the difficulty of the exercise.

No Slouching Give It Everything

Both physically and mentally these MMA guys are no slouch in the gym. They fight for every rep and ensure that every exercise is as perfect as possible. Finally, if you think your pushups are hard try plyometric pushups. After you lower your body, explode up and off the ground with both your hands and your feet. Powerful stuff.

Now that's how a champion trains in the gym.

If you want to copy the same style of intense training that the top MMA guys use check out RushFit [http://rushfitinfo.com] it's a training program created by Georges St-Pierre a champion MMA fighter.

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