Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a dynamic and intense contact sport that demands peak physical performance from its athletes. This sport combines boxing, wrestling, judo karate, and Muay Thai. For this, you have to maintain the perfect body while showcasing quick, agile, and powerful aspects.
To excel in this sport, you must maintain a perfect physique, achieved through rigorous cardio exercises, both manual and with specialized machines. If you are unsure about how to attain the ideal MMA body, fear not, as I’m here to guide you.
In this article, I will explore the five best cardio and must-have home exercise machines for MMA, highlighting their benefits and how they contribute to your overall performance.
So, let’s dive right in and prepare you for success in the exciting world of MMA.
Table of Contents
The Top 5 Cardio Exercises For MMA
MMA requires a perfect body with energy and strength, and you can build that body with the top 5 best cardio exercises easily. However, consistency is key. If you do these exercises regularly, you can be fit for MMA. Check them out:
1. Running And Sprints
Running is a traditional MMA exercise for many martial arts like boxing. Many coaches and fighters practice this; no one can succeed in MMA without this. But you can’t run if you don’t feel it benefits you. So, start running and see the changes based on the adaptations of your target. You can practice daily old far-off-road work.
On the other hand, sprints can be practiced on the road and stairs to burn calories in the shortest time. You don’t need any tools as you can do these anywhere. Hence, these are simple but efficient to burn calories.
2. Jump Rope Workouts
Skipping rope is an excellent method to burn calories and works great on the cardiovascular problem. This fantastic cardio exercise will boost your pulse. Therefore, slowly it will reduce the risk of heart infections as well.
In addition, cardio practice is the best option to develop your overall well-being, while jumping rope is the best for cardio workouts. MMA athletes usually practice rope jumping for around 5–10 mnt before exercising intensely. This is an extraordinary element for fat burns, particularly for waist gain people.
Besides, it works amazingly on your lungs, legs, arms, as well as the core. Hence, you need to jump rope as fast as possible to achieve optimal results. And you can add in multiple types of skipping systems such as crosses, side steps, double, and high knees. Also, it will work on your body and affect every muscle.
3. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) involves alternating short bursts of intense exercise with brief rest periods or lower intensity. It has proven highly effective in replicating the intensity of MMA fights due to its demanding nature and ability to push the body to its limits.
HIIT helps enhance a fighter’s stamina, endurance, and physical performance. By mimicking the fast-paced and explosive movements in MMA.
The benefits of HIIT for improving anaerobic capacity and recovery are noteworthy. It pushes the body to work at maximum effort during intense intervals, which helps increase anaerobic capacity.
Additionally, HIIT’s structured breaks and recovery periods help enhance the body’s ability to replenish energy stores and remove metabolic waste. This improves performance during MMA fights and enhances overall fitness levels.
4. Circuit Training
It is one of the best exercises to boost mobility, stamina, and strength. Also, circuit training is the most time-effective method to improve muscle endurance and cardiovascular fitness.
You will find that this training involves 6-7 high-intensity core, upper, lower, and full-body aerobic practice. Every training is finished for a particular number of recaps before turning on the next exercise.
Therefore, you can rest in the middle of the practice or completely finish it and then take a rest. However, you must constantly push yourself hard when doing workouts for cardio conditioning.
It will develop mental power and offer you the energy to move into the next minutes of exercising, and it also affects the competition.
5. Swimming
Another best cardio workout is swimming; you try a minimum of 30 minutes every day for better effects. Generally, you can swim distances between 30 to 50 meters by clenched fist freestyle. Remember, it needs you to start with the fist clenched. This way, you will need more energy compared to open hands.
Moreover, as a beginner, you can start with a clenched first freestyle for a 30m swim and a 15-second rest. For the next round, for 30m freestyle and rest at the same time. Therefore, as the best cardio exercise, you can do that for 16 reps without taking rest.
The Benefits Of Home Exercise Machines
Home exercise tools are very convenient. You can start exercising whenever you want. There is no pressure of time or people, which can bother you at the commercial gym. You will find more advantages of a home gym as you dive into the section below–
Convenience And Accessibility
When you have a gym machine in your home, then the sky’s the limit. You can start and do exercise anytime you want; you can make a schedule following the working period. Since these machines are available 24/7, you can’t make excuses about timing or whether.
In a commercial gym, you must follow opening and closing hours and travel to reach there daily. But when you have the equipment, you don’t need to bother with these things, which you will find so convenient and accessible.
Privacy And Comfort
You don’t need to worry about the privacy of the home gym at all. However, privacy is something unusual at a commercial gym. Some Reasons are:
- No distractions: You can get distracted easily in the public gym, but this will not be your problem in the home gym. It can happen by people talking to each other, being seen as a public strain, or getting your way while you practice. At a home gym, you can do exercise and entirely focus on it.
- Don’t worry about clothes: A home gym does not require any dress code, and you do not need to be worried about this. You can wear whatever you like and feel comfortable without thinking about style.
- Nobody can judge you: Some people are very shy and afraid of exercising in front of others. They think about what people will think if they can’t make it. Therefore, you can experience new equipment and exercise in a home gym without feeling conscious.
At the same time, comfort is another great thing with your home gym. You can start exercising without thinking of others, and also you can train the public. Therefore, you will never have to share your tools or wait for someone who still practices with something you will get when they finish.
Besides that, if you need to get a membership to your gym, as I explained before, you need to get suitable gym outfits first that are comfortable enough.
Versatility Of Workouts
With home gym equipment, you can get various exercises. You can start with target body parts like the chest, arms, back, and legs. Also, you can adjust your workout period to match your particular needs. Besides, you can try new exercises and challenge yourself.
Save money
The commercial gym membership prices are high, and you must pay it monthly. While at the home gym, you just need to buy the tools once. Also, it raises the driving bills you need to buy gas, and public transport is not free either.
Furthermore, you need to buy clothes, bags, food, and other essential items for a commercial gym. If you have kids, you must put them in childcare which also requires money. So, if you have gym tools in your home, you save money in the long run.
5 Must-Have Home Exercise Machines For MMA Training
As for MMA training, a fit body is mandatory. Therefore, you need to exercise daily, with a gym machine you can do that very efficiently at home. Though several pieces of equipment are available, I have included here 5 must-have home exercise machines for MMA training. Let’s take a look at them–
1. Treadmill
Though people are in a dilemma about using treadmills, this tool is effective and popular cardio equipment. You can walk and run on the treadmill without thinking about increasing incline and techniques. Plus, you speed up to test your ability or challenge yourself to improve, and it’s incredible for interval practice.
Therefore, this is best to burn calories and fat faster, specifically if you practice interval exercise on it. Also, these are great cardiovascular exercises, as when you work out, it boosts heart health.
If you feel interested in buying a treadmill, after completing a wide-range survey with a lot of research, we found the 5 best shock absorption treadmills you should look at!
2. Punching Bag
This is a great tool to improve lean muscles as well as you can develop boxing skills. Also, engaging in weighted sack exercises can help enhance various techniques, providing strength training benefits, improving balance and coordination, and even reducing stress levels. So punching bags are the best method to boost strength which is needed for MMA.
3. Dumbbells Or Kettlebells
These versatile weights allow you to perform various exercises, helping you build strength, power, and muscle endurance. Whether traditional dumbbell exercises like bicep curls and shoulder presses or dynamic kettlebell swings and snatches. And they engage multiple muscle groups, closely mimicking the demands of MMA movements. The varying weights cater to different fitness levels, and their compact size makes them perfect for home use.
4. Resistance Bands
You will find elastic bands offer a unique form of resistance, which challenges muscles throughout the entire range of motion. They’re excellent for developing functional strength, improving joint stability, and enhancing mobility. Also, resistance bands enable you to replicate MMA-specific movements, such as punches and kicks, while improving muscular endurance and control.
5. Yoga Mat
A comfortable and cushioned yoga mat is essential for ground-based exercises, core work, and stretching routines. In MMA, core strength and flexibility are crucial for generating power and preventing injuries. The yoga mat provides a stable surface for various bodyweight exercises, yoga poses, and post-workout stretching to enhance your overall performance and reduce the risk of strains or sprains.
Combining Cardio Exercises And Home Machines For Effective MMA Training
Cardio exercises aid in building endurance, stamina, and overall cardiovascular fitness. These exercises include running, jumping rope, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). They help improve your ability to last longer during intense MMA sessions and recover faster between rounds.
On the other hand, home machines can provide a versatile and convenient way to work on different aspects of your MMA training. For instance, a punching bag can be used for striking practice, improving your punching techniques.
You create a well-rounded training routine that targets your cardiovascular fitness and specific MMA skills by combining cardio exercises with home machines.
You can start exercising for MMA by incorporating different cardio exercises and using various home machines. This will allow you to target different muscle groups and challenge your body in multiple ways. And it helps prevent workout plateaus and keeps your training interesting and engaging.
In addition, MMA training involves a combination of aerobic and anaerobic demands. Aerobic exercises like running and swimming build endurance. While anaerobic exercises like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and circuit training improve your explosive power and strength.
With home machines, you can customize your training sessions to focus on specific aspects of MMA. As you can improve footwork, develop fast-twitch muscles, and enhance core stability. For example, a treadmill can be used for sprint intervals, simulating explosive movements common in MMA.
Remember, it’s crucial to complement your cardio exercises and home machine workouts with proper technique training in martial arts disciplines. Like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling, and boxing.
So, you need to warm up before starting your training and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts to avoid injuries. Also, take rest days when needed to allow your muscles to recover and grow stronger.
Therefore, mixing cardio exercises and home machines in your MMA training routine can improve your endurance, strength, and overall performance. And bring you closer to achieving your goals in mixed martial arts.
The Bottom Lines
So, there you go. Now you know the 5 best MMA cardio and home exercise machines with their effectiveness and benefits For MMA. If you want a successful MMA career, you can start with the best cardio exercise, like running and jumping rope. Also, you can use a home exercise machine, treadmill, and punching bag.
If you have further questions related to this article or need more ideas, feel free to leave comments. I will reply as soon as I see it.
