I am going to introduce a workout that will simulate a mixed martial arts fight. In order to do this exercise correctly you will require a basic understanding of the terms that will be used and called out during each round of exercise.
This workout will consist of:
-Burpees
-Push Ups
-Crunches
-Sprawls
-Punch Combos (More on this below)
-Kicks (High Kicks, and Leg Kicks)
For the purpose of this workout we will use the following numbers to correspond with our punches:
1 - Jab (weak hand)
2 - Straight Punch (strong hand)
3 - Hook (weak hand)
4 - Hook (strong hand)
5 - Upper Cut (weak hand)
(Your weak hand is whatever hand is out front while you are in your fighting stance.)
Every time a number is called you must throw punches counting in order up to the called number. If your training partner yells "THREE!!" you will Jab (1) - Straight (2) - Hook (3).... "FIVE!!" you Jab (1) - Straight (2) - Hook (3) - Hook (4) - Upper Cut (5).... and so on.
The only required equipment for this workout is a training partner and some form of time keeper (simple watch works great). However I recommend that you also have a surface to strike against such as a heavy bag, standing heavy bag (Wavemaster), or your partner holding either thai pads or a punch shield.
We will be aiming to complete five, five minute rounds of exercise for this workout, with one minute of rest in between each round. This workout is designed to push muscular endurance and cardio to the limit. Don't worry if you are unable to complete the full five rounds without short interruptions, take breaks if needed but try and stay working to get the greatest benefit.
In between rounds have a towel and some water or sports drink ready, you will be sweating heavily and will want to dry off and rehydrate on your rest periods.
During the five minutes of each round have your partner call out different numbers between one and five, with you throwing the corresponding combo. As well as punches have your partner throw in kicks, and timed bouts of burpees, push ups and crunches.
Quick example:
"TWO!!" - Left Jab - Right Straight. "THREE!!" - Left Jab - Right Straight - Left Hook. "SPRAWL!!" - You shoot your feet back and legs apart falling with your hands meeting the floor. "TWO LEG KICKS!!". "FOUR!!" - Left Jab - Right Straight - Left Hook - Right Hook. "BURPEES!!" - You start doing burpees until your partner says to get up. "UP... AND ONE!!" - Left Jab...... etc etc etc
The key to achieving the greatest success doing this workout, is to stay busy. Have your partner call out decent amounts of combos, mixing things up randomly between all the elements. Don't be upset and discouraged if you find yourself getting worn out very quick, this workout is designed to do just that.
Copyright (c) 2008 Derek Dreger
