Here is a sample MMA workout plan for anyone who wants to become a better fighter or look like one.
Fighting has advanced more in the past thirty years than in the previous three hundred. Much of that is due to the UFC. Mixed martial arts changed the game. As the sport of MMA has matured, there is no longer a debate about the most effective fighting strategies. They are proven every weekend. We know what works.
While strength and conditioning methods have also advanced a lot in the past few decades, there are still many unanswered questions about programming for MMA. MMA is a challenging sport to train for. It requires a unique mix of abilities. Plus, unlike fighting, the results of a successful strength and conditioning program are less black and white. The ambiguity leads to a lot of conflicting advice.
The good news is that it doesn’t need to be that complicated. Hard work and consistency will take you pretty far. That said, success is much easier when you have a plan.
In today’s article, I outline an MMA workout program covering all your bases to become a lean, mean fighting machine. Let’s dig in.
Needs Analysis: Physical Attributes of an MMA Fighter
The first step in creating a MMA workout plan is performing a needs analysis. A needs analysis is a two-step process that involves evaluating the sport’s requirements and an individual assessment of the athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. For our purposes, we will focus on MMA’s requirements.
So, what does it take to perform optimally in a fight? Quite a lot. Power, absolute strength, relative strength, muscular endurance, agility, aerobic endurance, and flexibility are all important. On top of that, you also need the ability to change levels, have exceptional balance, resilience to injury, mental toughness, and more.
Not all of these things need to be trained in the weight room. The majority of adaptation occurs in skill work. It might be controversial, but sports-specific training is overrated. Anything we do in the weight room is supplemental. It fills in the gaps sports practice leaves behind. In MMA, strength and conditioning always play second fiddle to the actual fight training.
Out-of-Season MMA Workout Plan
MMA training occurs over three time periods.
- Out of Season/Offseason: More than 8 weeks from a fight
- Fight Camp/In-season: 8-week fight camp
- Post-season: 1-4 weeks after a fight when the goal is physical and mental recovery
The program outlined here is for the off-season when a fight is over eight weeks away. Although skill work always takes priority, strength and conditioning can shine in the out-of-season period. When a fight is not imminent, focus on strengthening weaknesses and making progress in the weight room.
Monday: Full Body
After a good warm-up, start with a trap bar deadlift and broad jump as a contrast training superset. Contrast training is a strategy that pairs a heavy strength exercise, like a deadlift, with a fast, explosive movement, like a jump. The heavy lift potentiates your nervous system, making the explosive movement feel easier and more powerful. All three strength workouts include contrast training.
Rest for 15-30 seconds after the deadlifts before performing the jumps to maintain explosiveness, focusing on maximal horizontal distance and soft landings. Take 2-3 minutes between each contrast set to ensure full recovery and optimal power output.
The rest of the workout is pretty straightforward. Do all of the exercises paired together as supersets or a triset.
The Workout
- Trap Bar Deadlift: 4 sets x 5 reps @75-80% 1RM
- Broad Jump: 4 sets x 3 jumps
- Weighted Pull-up: 3 sets x 5-8 reps @7-9 rpe
- One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps @7-9 rpe
- Wrist Roller: 2 sets x 10 reps @7-9 rpe
- Kneeling Landmine Press: 2 sets x 12-15 reps @7-9 rpe
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl: 2 sets x 12-15 reps @7-9 rpe
- Band Triceps Pressdown: 2 sets x 20-25 reps
- Hanging Leg Raise: 2 sets x 10-20 reps @7-9 rpe
Tuesday: Conditioning
Tuesday is a cardio-only day for strength and conditioning. It’s a good day for hard MMA training.
The workout involves doing a steady, moderate-intensity cardio activity like running, biking, or rowing for 45-60 minutes. Your goal is to maintain a sustainable pace and keep your effort level at around 75% of your maximum oxygen capacity (VO2 max), typically a pace where you can still hold a conversation.
The Workout
- 45-60 Minutes of Long Slow Distance (Run, Bike, or Row) @ ~75% VO2
Wednesday: Full Body
Similarly to Monday’s workout, this one starts with contrast training. Begin with a close-grip bench press and immediately follow with medicine ball plyo pushups. On the med ball pushups, maintain a tight core and push hard enough to get your hands onto the ball. These should be explosive.
Next, move to a superset targeting the lower body and upper back. First is goblet-hold Bulgarian split squats. That means holding the dumbbell out in front of you like a goblet squat. Most people do better with this setup than holding the dumbbells at their sides. Pair this with one-arm dumbbell rows. You can do the dumbbell rows however you like.
The next superset is an overhead barbell press with a rope climb. Rope climbs are money for wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and MMA. If your gym lacks a climbing rope, substitute towel pull-ups for max reps.
Finish with a tri-set of plate pinches to build hand strength, EZ bar reverse curls to target forearms and biceps, and ab wheel rollouts to strengthen your core. For rollouts, focus on keeping your hips tucked to avoid arching your lower back, which ensures proper core engagement.
The Workout
- Close Grip Bench Press: 4 sets x 5 reps @75-80% 1RM
- Medicine Ball Plyo Pushups: 4 sets x 5 reps on each side
- Goblet Hold Bulgarian Split Squat: 3 sets x 10-12 reps @7-9 rpe
- Dumbbell Row: 3 sets x 10-12 reps @7-9 rpe
- Standing Overhead Barbell Press: 3 sets x 5 reps @76%
- Rope Climb: 3-5 climbs
- Plate Pinch: 2 x 30 seconds @7-9 rpe
- EZ Bar Reverse Curl: 2 sets x 8-10 reps @7-9 rpe
- Ab Wheel: 2 x 10-20 reps
Thursday: Agility and Conditioning
Thursday’s workout includes a series of agility drills focusing on improving footwork, speed, and the ability to change directions quickly.
Rest for about 60 seconds between the agility exercises. Repeat 2-3 rounds before moving on to hill sprints or endurance work.
The Workout:
- Ladder Work: 2-3 rounds
- Z-Drill: 2-3 rounds
- Lateral Cone Hops: 2-3 sets of 30 seconds
- Reaction Shuffle Drill: 2-3 rounds of 30 seconds
- Forward-Backward Sprints: 2-3 rounds of 30 seconds
- Sprawl-to-Sprint Drill: 2-3 rounds of 30 seconds
- Figure-8 Cone Drill: 3 rounds of 30 seconds
Pick one
- Hill Sprints: 5-10 sprints @ whatever hill you have available
- 30 Minutes of Long Slow Distance (Run, Bike, or Row) @ ~75% VO2
Friday: Full Body
Friday begins with more contrast training. The pairing includes front squats and seated box jumps. A seated box jump is an exercise in which you start sitting on a bench or box and explosively jump from a static position onto a higher box or platform in front of you.
The next group focuses on back strength and neck stability, using barbell rows to build pulling power and weighted neck extensions to strengthen and protect the neck—essential for fighting. Then, you’ll target rotational power and hamstring strength with landmine chops paired with dumbbell Romanian deadlifts.
The final tri-set combines suitcase carries, which train core stability and grip strength, dips to build upper body pushing strength, and weighted decline sit-ups for a strong core.
The Workout
- Front Squat: 4 sets x 5 reps @75-80%
- Seated Box Jump: 4 sets x 3 jumps @24-30 inches
- Barbell Row: 3 sets x 8-10 reps @7-9 rpe
- Weighted Neck Extensions: 2 sets x 8-10 reps @7-9 rpe
- Landmine Chop: 2 sets x 6-8 reps (on each side)
- Dumbbell RDL: 2 sets x 10-12 reps @7-9 rpe
- Suitcase Carries: 2 sets x 10-12 steps @7-9 rpe
- Dips: 2 sets x failure @bodyweight
- Weighted Decline Sit-Ups: 2 sets x 10-20 reps
Saturday: Conditioning
The last workout of the week is a 20-30 minute tempo run at your lactate threshold pace, the fastest you can maintain while staying just below the point where your muscles start to burn from lactic acid buildup. It’s a challenging but sustainable effort that helps improve your endurance and speed by teaching your body to clear lactic acid more efficiently.
The Workout
- 20-30 Minute Tempo Run @ Lactate Threshold
How to Progress The Program
Having a great plan is a solid first step. However, to make big improvements, you need a way to progress the program.
I recommend programming the primary exercises (squat, bench press, and deadlift variations) using percentages. Start with four sets of 5 reps at 75-80% and work up to sets of 1-3 reps at 90% or more. You can work toward this throughout the off-season. The main exercises aim to improve absolute strength, and using percentages to build in progression is a great way to get stronger on them.
Here is an example of a 12-week progression you can use on the main lifts.
- Week 1: 4 x 5 @75%
- Week 2: 4 x 5 @77.5%
- Week 3: 4 x 5 @80%
- Week 4: 2 x 5 @75% Deload
- Week 5: 4 x 4 @80%
- Week 6: 4 x 4 @82%
- Week 7: 4 x 4 @84%
- Week 8: 2 x 4. @80% Deload
- Week 9: 4 x 3 @86%
- Week 10: 3 x 2 @88%
- Week 11: 2 x 1 @90%
- Week 12: 1 x 1-3 Rep Max
On the assistance lifts, focus on double progression. Double progression is a simple way to increase the effectiveness of your training. For example, let’s say the rep range is 8–10. Start with a weight you can lift for eight reps. Over time, increase your reps until you can perform ten reps for all sets. Once you hit ten, increase the weight slightly and repeat the process, starting at eight reps.
Recovery Strategies
Recovery is always important, but it’s even more so with the amount of training and practice required to excel at MMA. However, here’s the thing. Most people focus on the wrong stuff.
Ice baths, cryotherapy, infrared saunas, cupping, float tanks, and herbal supplements have limited applicability. Sure, they can help a little, and if you enjoy them, go for it.
However, sleep, intelligent programming, and quality nutrition are the foundations of recovery. Focus on these three things before worrying about anything else.
- Sleep: Sleep is the number one recovery technique. Only worry about adding other recovery methods after you consistently sleep 7-9 hours a night. Sleep is when your body repairs itself and adapts. It also improves your immune system and energy levels, keeping you healthy and ready for the next workout.
- Intelligent Programming: Intelligent programming balances workout intensity, volume, and rest to prevent doing too much. Giving your body time to recover between hard sessions allows muscles to repair, adapt, and get stronger while reducing the risk of injury. Although some are tempted to do more, three lifting sessions per week is plenty on top of all the MMA training. I also recommend having at least one full rest day a week.
- Nutrition: In the offseason, eating enough calories to maintain your weight is essential for recovery because your body needs energy to repair and rebuild. Leave calorie restriction to weight cutting before the fight. In addition to consuming enough calories, eat at least 1g of protein per pound of body weight and at least five servings of fruits and veggies daily.
The Final Piece – Putting it All Together
It’s no secret that a well-rounded MMA workout plan can take your fighting game to the next level. But what does that even mean? If you ask ten people, you will probably get ten unique answers.
It’s hard to beat the basics. Remember, training doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective. By focusing on strength, power, endurance, and agility, you’ll step into the cage prepared for anything.
However, the final piece is a sustained effort. Consistency is key, no matter how good your plan looks on paper. Winning comes down to a series of choices that champions answer correctly nearly every time. Stick to the program, listen to your body, and watch your progress unfold. Good luck!
Read More: Wrestling Workouts: A Full Year of Training
Author: Kyle Hunt
Email: KyleHuntFitness@gmail.com
Hire Kyle as your coach: http://www.kylehuntfitness.com/services/
If you want a complete, done-for-you program, I have it. Check out my 28-week off-season wrestling program at the link below.
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