Best MMA Workout Plans: 5 Great Methods

Whether you are a novice MMA practitioner or a professional fighter preparing for your next big fight, one of the most important aspects of your training is going to be the workout.

In this workout guide, I’ll be going over workout plans for MMA fighters of every level as well as the focus and idea behind each workout plan to best suit your needs. All you need to do is read on to find out more!

Best MMA Workout Plans: 5 Great Methods

Before I explain the best workout plans for your level, I have to make a few things clear. MMA is a combat sport that places extreme emphasis on skill and techniques. The main focus of any MMA workout plan should be to develop agility, strength, and fitness levels since these things will supplement your MMA techniques. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you already have a workout regime, you can use the workout plans listed here as a guideline and add the relevant exercises to your routine. The plans here are made to give the best results to as many people as possible at a given skill level. 

However, the plan might be too easy or too difficult for you depending on your fitness level. In such a case, feel free to adjust the intensity in a way that best matches your capabilities. With all of that out of the way, let’s get into the five great methods. 

1. Best MMA Workout Plan for Beginners

If you’re a complete beginner to MMA or fitness in general, the best place for you to start your fitness journey is with calisthenic exercises. Calisthenics helps train all muscles in the body to work together to produce the most power and stability. It is also one of the best ways to develop your core strength that will enhance performance across the board. 

Here’s the routine:

Day 1: Upper body workouts:

·        Jogging/Running: 1 km or until you feel warmed up

·        Pushups: 3 or 5 sets of 5-20

·        Leg Raises: 3 or 5 sets of 10-25

·        Pull-ups: 3 or 5 sets of 3-5 

·        Plank: 30s-60s or until failure

·        Stretching

Day 2: Lower body workouts 

·        Jogging/Running: 1 km or until you feel warmed up

·        Jump Rope

·        Lunges: 3 or 5 sets of 10-30 (5-15 on each side) 

·        Squats: 3 or 5 sets of 10-30 

·        Sit-ups: 3 or 5 sets of 10-30 

·        Plank: 30s-60s or until failure

·        Stretching

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Upper body workouts

·        Jogging/Running: 1 km or until you feel warmed up

·        Pushups: 3 or 5 sets of 5-20

·        Leg Raises: 3 or 5 sets of 10-25

·        Burpees: 3 or 5 sets of 3-5 

·        Plank: 30s-60s or until failure

·        Stretching

Day 5: Lower body workouts

·        Jogging/Running: 1 km or until you feel warmed up

·        Jump Rope

·        Lunges: 3 or 5 sets of 10-30 (5-15 on each side) 

·        Squats: 3 or 5 sets of 10-30

·        Sit-ups: 3 or 5 sets of 10-30 

·        Plank: 30s-60s or until failure

·        Stretching

Day 6: Rest

Day 7: Full-body workout 

·        Jogging/Running: 2km 

·        Pushups: 3 or 5 sets of 15-25 

·        Burpees: 3 or 5 sets of 5 

·        Pull-ups: 3 or 5 sets of 3-10 or until failure

·        Lunges: 3 or 5 sets of 15-30

·        Squats: 3 or 5 sets of 15-25 

·        Sit-ups: 3 or 5 sets of 20

·        Leg Raises: 3 or 5 sets of 10-25

·        Plank: 60s or until failure

·        Stretching 

Day 8: Rest

2. Best MMA Workout Plan for Weight Training

If you prefer going to a gym or have access to weights, this is the training regime for you. The weight training workout plan focuses on isolated muscle training to build strength and resilience. One of the advantages of weight training over purely calisthenic training is that it helps build strength a lot quicker. 

The weight training workout plan is divided into muscle groups that you will target per workout. You should only train a single set of muscle groups per weight training workout and be sure to rest for 3-5 days minimum before retraining the same muscle group.

Ideally, you’d want to alternate rest and workout days with weight training since weight training is a lot harder on your body. 

Here’s how you can do weight training for mixed martial arts:

Workout 1: Arms and Back

·        Deadlifts: 3 sets of 5 

·        Rows: 3 sets of 5-10

·        Bench Press: 3 sets of 5-10

·        Pull-ups: 3 sets of 3-5 (If it’s too easy you can do weighted pull-ups)

·        Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 10 on each side

Workout 2: Lower body

·        Jump Rope: 3 sets of 60s each 

·        Squats: 3 sets of 15 

·        Goblet Squats: 3 sets of 5-10

·        Weighted Lunges: 3 sets of 10 

·        Box Jumps: 3 sets of 10

Workout 3: Core and lower back

·        Weighted Sit-ups: 3 sets of 10 

·        Leg Raises: 3 sets of 5-10 

·        Renegade Rows: 3 sets of 5-10

·        Dumbbell Crossover Punch: 3 sets of 10 on both sides

·        Plank: 3 sets of 60s or until failure

·        Cat Cow: 3 sets of 60s 

3. Best 8 Week MMA Training Program

For those looking to supercharge their physique for MMA quickly, here’s my 8-week plan for you, the plan includes 3 workouts per week with a minimum 1-day rest between each workout.  

Week 1-4:

Workout 1

·        Front Squats: 3 sets of 10 

·        Bench Press: 3 sets of 5 

·        Barbell Rows: 3 sets of 10 

·        Farmer Walk: 3 sets of 30 ft

·        Neck Harness: 3 sets of 20

Workout 2

·        Sandbag Carry: 3 sets of 50ft

·        Rear Delt Fly: 3 sets of 15

·        Rope Pull-ups: 4 sets of 10

·        Barbell 45 Degree Back Raises: 3 sets of 10

·        Fat Grip Rope Press Downs: 3 sets of 15

Workout 3 

·        Split Jumps: 3 sets of 5 

·        Deadlifts: 3 sets of 3

·        Overhead Med Ball Throw: 3 sets of 5

·        Inverted Rows: 3 sets of 15

·        Landmine Rotations: 3 sets of 14 (7 on each side)

·        Wrist Rollers: 3 sets of highest weight

Week 5-8:

Workout 1

·        Lateral Jumps: 3 sets of 10 (5 on each side)

·        Bench Press: 3 sets of 5 

·        Dumbbell Rows: 5 sets of 10 (5 on each side)

·        Farmer Walk: 3 sets of 50ft 

·        Kettlebell Swings: 3 sets of 10

Workout 2

·        Sandbag Over Shoulders: 5 on each side

·        Cable Face Pull: 3 sets of 10 

·        Pull-ups: 5 sets of 5 

·        Prone Superman: 3 sets of 15

·        Barbell Curls: 3 sets of 10

Workout 3

·        Deadlifts: 4 sets of 4

·        Double Kettlebell Snatch: 3 sets of 15

·        Meadows Row: 3 sets of 10

·        Landmine Rotations: 4 sets of 10 (5 on each side)

·        Wrist Roller: 3 sets of highest weight 

4. Best 3 Day MMA Weight Training

A warning before you begin the 3-day MMA workout. For most people, I would advise against taking up the 3-day MMA weight training program. This workout plan is extremely intensive and has a high risk of injury if you’re not a well-trained individual.

This combat athlete training program is suited for those looking to quickly move up or down a weight class or those who feel like they’ve reached a plateau in their training. Discuss the regime with your trainer before you try it out. With that said, here’s the plan. 

Day 1 workouts:

·        Rear Delt Fly: 4 sets of 20

·        Leg Raises: 4 sets of 15

·        Back Extensions: 3 sets of 20

·        Pushups: 4 sets of 25

·        Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 12 (6 on each side)

·        Lying Triceps Extension: 3 sets of 5

Day 2 workouts: 

·        Box Jump: 4 sets of 5 

·        Med Ball Rotational Throw: 3 sets of 4

·        Weighted Squats: 3 sets of 10

·        Bench Press: 3 sets of 5

·        Rows: 3 sets of 5

·        Swiss Ball Leg Curl: 3 sets of 5

Day 3 workouts: 

·        Overcoming Iso Split Squats: 3 sets of 5 seconds per side

·        Landmine Jerks: 3 sets of 3 on each side

·        Continuous Hurdle Hop: 3 sets of 10

·        Pendlay Row: 3 sets of 5

·        Landmine Rotation: 3 sets of 10 (5 on each side)

·        Wrist Rollers: 3 sets of maximum weight

5. Best MMA Workout Plan for Professional Athletes

It’s hard to recommend a generalized workout plan for professional athletes. This is because every athlete has a unique style, physique, and preferences. If you’re a professional athlete, I recommend you consult your trainer for the best workout plan for you. 

If you want to figure out the best MMA plan for yourself, you can mix and match the previous four MMA training programs in addition to MMA drills to maximize your results. 

FAQs

What workout do MMA fighters do?

Every fighter has a different MMA workout routine depending on what area they want to focus on. There’s no universal MMA workout but the key themes of any MMA workout are building core strength, grip strength, and stamina without bulking or gaining more mass. 

What type of workout is the best for MMA?

Calisthenics and endurance-building are the best things for an MMA fighter workout. Generally, any type of workout can be used for MMA but workouts that improve core strength and stamina are preferred by most MMA fighters. 

How many hours a week should I train MMA?

Professional MMA fighters train 14-15 times a week or about 16-18 hours every week. If you’re an MMA amateur, you should pace yourself to train for as many hours as you can without risk of injury or burnout. A good estimate would be 4-8 hours a week for beginners and 8-12 hours per week for advanced-level MMA practitioners.  

Can I learn MMA in 1 year?

You can learn the basics of MMA within one year as long as you’re doing it for recreation. The IMMAF also offers belt promotions after one year of MMA training. For professional MMA fights, however, you will need to train for several years before you stand a chance in the octagon.