What is a good MMA/Boxing workout when i can;t be in the gym or ring to practice much?

Question

I participate in boxing and am hoping to move into MMA. i live a long way from the gym and with school and work it is really hard to get in to practice technique. i workout at home with this routine:

Bench 10 reps x 3

curls 15 reps x 3

shruggs 15 reps x3

sit-ups over a pillates ball with 30 pounds on my chest 30 x 3

leg lifts 20 x 3

reverse pushups (on my back and pushin up to make a "bridge") 15 x 3

jumpa with a 25 pounds weight vest 50 x 3

also every night i do 50 pushups in a row.

i prolly do that routine 2 or 3 times a week. with school ending soon i will have more time to do it more, but heading to the gym will still be hard. how can i prep myself more? would getting a bag help? Thanks!

Answer 1

You can check out the "300 spartans" workout that is the rage all over the web. The guy has different routines, and a couple of them are completely done without gym equipment. But your current routine does look pretty thorough. Maybe add some running to it?

Anyway, apart from the workouts, you could spend at least 1-2 hours every day just for practising techniques (whatever martial arts you are familiar with). Also, proper form and technique go only upto a point. You need to customize the techniques for what suits your body and abilities best, while constantly trying to improve your base skill levels. And don't restrict yourself to any one martial art. You can always adopt techniques from other styles to cover for weaknesses and improve on strengths in your fighting repertoire.

One of the big problems facing martial artists in training is that they usually spar and practice with people who use the same style as they do - boxing vs boxing, taekwondo vs taekwondo, etc. So they don't get exposed to the weaknesses in their technique properly. It would be cool if you could find sparring partners from different styles - that would give you better exposure for MMA. But even if you can't find partners, try to visualize the effects of every attack/parry/grapple etc. that you practice. Study videos of previous fights in MMA and see what worked and didn't work for fighters in different situations. Whenever you see a difficult situation in a fight, try to think what you would do in that scenario. It is great if you can instantly come up with counters on the spot, but if you are already mentally and physically prepared beforehand, it is even better.

Another thing is that you should not only know how to hit, but how to react when YOU get hit. You may not always have the perfect defense, so toughness and quick recovery are a must. Maybe try some of the Shaolin iron body training techniques to toughen your body internally and externally. Or just get someone to keep hitting you!! :D

All the best.

Answer 2

Skipping rope to improve your agility (3 mins x 3-4 rounds), and yes, a bag would help in developing technique, speed, and power. Also add a few rounds of shadowboxing (with and without weights). Check out videos (youtube, etc) to get other ideas on technique and other sport-specific conditioning exercises.