Whether or not you’re keen on getting into the octagon yourself, you could train like a UFC fighter. If you’re actually considering a career in MMA or are simply a fan, you might want to train like the pros. Fortunately, a top-notch gym isn’t all that necessary and you could put a workout regimen together you carry out at home with little to no equipment.
If you’re able to get some boxing or MMA gloves, a heavy bag, and a jump rope, you’d have more than enough equipment to begin your training. If not, it’s still all good as you could put yourself through your paces and get a proper workout with just some space.
Let’s take a look at a few UFC exercises you could undertake in the comfort of your own home.
Heavy Bag Work
As mentioned above, getting a heavy bag would be great, even greater if you already have one. Punching and other arm strikes are pretty common occurrences in MMA bouts so you could simply go to work on your bag punching freestyle. Of course, it helps to learn how to punch effectively. The key, though, is to get that heart rate up and push yourself by getting your strikes in as quickly as you can.
You could also have a timer set, say 30 seconds of punching and striking as fast as you possibly can followed by 30 seconds of rest and then another 30 seconds of more upper-body strikes. You could add knees and kicks to the workout – feel free to mix it up and get creative.
Shadowboxing
Shadowboxing is one of the best exercises one can do where it pertains to MMA or boxing. It requires no equipment, just a bit of space. All you have to do is pretend to spar with a partner or fight an opponent. You will be striking the air so there’s no need for anything else. Shadowboxing is also great for improving footwork as you aren’t to stay in one position while throwing your strikes. Move about as much as possible, imagining you’re in a ring or octagon.
Most exercises geared towards MMA are supposed to mimic the varying heart rates experienced by fighters when they’re participating in a bout. Get those strikes right but also go at a reasonable pace in order to work up a good sweat and get that heart pumping. You want to feel as close to the action as possible so it would do well to imagine you’re going up against a formidable opponent. On another note, if you want to have a personal stake in a particular fight, you could place a punt on your favorite fighter as bookmakers do offer UFC odds for all of the big fights.
Jump Rope
It’s no secret that jumping rope is one of the most rewarding exercises athletes can do. A rope should be pretty easy to get and they’re not at all pricey but, if you don’t have a rope, you could simply pretend to be holding one.
Jumping rope is great for building stamina but also strengthens and tones the calf and thigh muscles. When it comes to strategy, that’s up to you. You could put a cap on the time, for e.g whatever number you can get to in 15 minutes. You could also go for a particular number of jumps – beginners could go for 250-300 while fitter persons could look to hit the 1000 mark.
While it’s a remarkable exercise, jumping rope is also one of the most fun as there are a number of variations one could learn. It doesn’t just have to be jumping up and down.
Core Exercises
Core Exercises are quite important, both for strengthening and preventing injury. You’d need a strong core to help you pack those punches and it would also help when it comes to taking a punch.
Sit-ups and crunches are the most common such exercises yet there is a lot more you could do. Twisting exercises are especially good as competitors do quite a lot of that during a match. To that end, a twist board wouldn’t go amiss as it really targets those obliques. If you don’t have a board, you could twist on your own; you could also perform oblique crunches, which are more challenging than regular crunches but are also quite beneficial.
For a more specific MMA core workout, you could wrap your legs around your heavy bag and use your core to pull you up to a position from which you could administer a punch or two before going back down. You would have to ensure your setup can support your weight, though.
