Top 10 Body Weight Exercises For Fighters
There are benefits to all body weight exercises for fighters, yet some are more beneficial to others when it comes to developing the muscle strength, grips and conditioning attributes needed to be an all around great MMA athlete.
No matter if you are a hobbyist, beginner, amateur or seasoned professional.
I would like to share with you my top 10 body weight exercises that all athletes should implement into your training.
DO IT NOW! Before its too late...
Top 10 Body weight Exercises for Fighters
1. Pull Ups/Chin Ups (variations)
The pull up is the king of all body weight exercises and great for developing upper body strength and increasing Grip for BJJ. You hit several muscle groups including the shoulders, back, arms, delts and even abdominal muscles. You can use different grips to engage different stabilizing muscle and grip strength. These are Marine quality pull ups here no swinging (Kipping) just straight up and straight down. They are harder however we are not doing these for high numbers but to develop maximum strength. Try putting some kind of weight attached to your waist for an even more challenging weighted pull up. You can get a special type of belt that holds weight plates for use in the gym or at home. This is the # 1 best body weight exercise and the least utilized.
MMA Fighter Benefit: For the combat athlete you can control your opponent taking him or her to the ground, on the ground, in the clinch.
2. Hanging Leg Raises (variations)
This Abs and Core exercise is one of the best for full abdominal strength, while working your upper body.
MMA Fighter Benefit: Developing abs strength is essential for both body armour and as a power source for attacks. Bruce Lee called the core “The center of gravity and the source of real power”
3. Push Ups and Handstand Push Up (variations)
This strength and balance exercise is another staple body weight exercise that forces you to engage your entire body. With different push up variations you can develop power from plyo push-ups; strength from regular push ups; slow controlled negative push ups for isometric strength and shoulder stability performing handstand push-ups. Of course you can get your gym buddies to stack some weight plates on your back for some extra resistance.
Handstand push ups, especially when you do them through a more complete range of motion, can build serious arm and shoulder strength.
MMA Fighter Benefit: Improved shoulder endurance for punches, kicks, takedowns, muscular endurance for grappling and creating space between you and your opponent
4. Body weight Squats (variations)
The body weight squat if a valuable exercise to help build lower body strength, power and muscle. The regular movement may not be the greatest for strength and muscle mass, but when you use variations like the pistol squat or jump squats, now you are talking strength, power and conditioning
MMA Fighter Benefit: This movement will help you develop strength needed for takedown, takedown defense, holding an opponent in guard, passing guard along with striking and kicking power and stability.
5. Bulgarian Squat (lunge variations)
A lower body unilateral compound move performed with added resistance from dumbbells. Trains the glutes and legs of one leg at a time. This bilateral movement has more potential forstrength gains, as you are more balanced and can bring both legs to bear on moving the weight.
The Bulgarian Split Squat can help even out strength differences between the legs. You can only use one leg, while the other helps provide stability or balance. This is also a great exercise to prehab knee injuries.
MMA Fighter Benefits: This exercise works you quadriceps, glutes and solueus muscles are important in throwing kicks, striking, takedown and takedown defense, and all guards.
6. Parallel Dips
This strength exercise works the triceps, chest, upper back and shoulder stability strength. add some chains for added benefits. To hit more of the triceps keep your body upright, to hit more of the chest muscles lean forward as in this picture.
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| Andre Galvao displays some serious muscle |
MMA Fighter Benefit: Dips are great for grapplers and BJJ, especially controlling your opponent in the mount or posting during escapes.
New Bodyweight Beast
7. Animal Flow - Bear Crawls
Animal movements are based on a multi-planar aspect, which is the single move that uses a large range of motion. These are great for joint mobility and full body strength. These movements are great for upper body strength, core, legs and cardio.
MMA Fighter Benefit: Awesome for grapplers, endurance, mobility, agility and overall strength for all movement in MMA, Martial Arts and Combat Sport
8. Abs Hip Thrusts/Bridge Variations
This is a great hip flexion and extension movement that works your core, hips, glutes and hamstrings. You can perform this on your back, thrusting your legs to the air, or you can use a bench and perform more of a Glute bridge.
MMA Fighter Benefit: This is a classic movement in MMA, BJJ and wrestling when you are trying to push your opponent off from the mounted position.
9. Sprint Intervals
Sprints are must for MMA and other combat sport athletes. This helps to build both your anaerobic and aerobic systems, which you use in most fights. Because of the varying levels of high intensity followed by low intensity situations you must improve your anaerobic system to last through the fight. You also need to train your anaerobic system to help with recovery in between rounds.
MMA Fighter Skill: This will improve your overall conditioning for endurance in competition and during training.
10. Burpees/Sprawls
The burpee is the best full body exercise that works on your overall strength, explosiveness and cardio endurance. Sprawls are similar but more functional to combat sports where are again you are working the entire body and will improve your speed too.
To me these exercises are the best for getting into shape for all combat athletes. Theses exercises train your body to move as one using over 600 muscles in one movement.
MMA Fighter Benefit: Both exercises are beneficial to the fighter when sprawling to defend a takedown and also improving your explosiveness for overall performance in competition.
Go here To check out the
Body Weight BEAST at home Training program
complete with instructional videos and pdf instructions
Body Weight BEAST at home Training program
complete with instructional videos and pdf instructions
10 BEST Body Weight Exercises of All-Time (plus 5 Bonus moves)
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Chad Hilliard
Chad Hilliard
https://www.youtube.com/@Rockbody88
Certified Fitness Trainer
MMA Strength Coach
Muay Thai Fitness Instructor
US Army Verteran
Owner Operator
Certified Fitness Trainer
MMA Strength Coach
Muay Thai Fitness Instructor
US Army Verteran
Owner Operator
Maximus MMA Fitness
St George Utah
St George Utah
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