Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training is very popular these days. Many people of all ages have discovered the sense of confidence and competence that comes with being able to defend oneself physically. MMA helps a person learn the art of self-defense, even if a long-term career fighting people in octagon rings on pay per view is never going to be in their cards. Many bodybuilders find themselves the target of negative attention due to their size, and having some self-defense skills can be an excellent thing. Mixing bodybuilding and MMA training is tricky, but it can be done.

Initially, when you begin MMA training, you will likely need to take a little bit of time away from the gym. The first time you spend an hour absorbing blows from another human being, you’re probably going to want to skip chest and triceps training immediately afterwards. As time passes, you’ll get used to the MMA training and be able to train again. Consolidation is a good technique for MMA bodybuilders to employ. With a typical bodybuilding routine, you would be training with the weight 5 times per week, devoting each training day to 1 to 2 body parts. When training MMA, you should lift 2 to 3 times a week instead, hitting 3 to 5 body parts per training session.

You’ll want to keep training with heavy weights as much as possible. Barring a decrease in body weight for weight class requirements, here’s no reason you should lose any strength. The added cardio will burn more calories, but you can increase your daily calories to make up for this. It’s still a good idea to conduct a few small cardio sessions each week as well. Keep your nutritional focus on good, solid bodybuilding foods, but feel free to add more complex carbohydrates to provide the energy your body will need for those long marathon training sessions.

Many styles of MMA training will involve physical repetition of movements such as jumps, squats, or other strenuous core exercises designed to develop endurance in the areas needed for satisfactory MMA performance. These movements have been known to interfere with recovery. After all, 100 straight repetitions of body weight squats and/or jumps will probably ruin anyone’s leg day the next morning. The important thing is that you make as many adjustments as possible to your weight training to work around it, and keep hitting the weights, even if on a limited basis.

You may discover, as many MMA bodybuilders have, that some lifts actually improve due to the strenuous repetition of MMA training. Many bodybuilders also notice a level of conditioning they haven’t achieved before. Two hours of striking, kicking, and working to avoid contact can be very effective cardio, and it certainly never gets boring! So don’t give up your bodybuilding training when you enter the MMA ring. The added strength will benefit your fighting career in the long run. Simply adapt and adjust your training to ensure you get the most out of your time in the gym, and in the ring.

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