Does MMA Build Muscle?
Some individuals train MMA so that they can defend themselves, while others train MMA so that they can build up their confidence. Then there’s the group of people who practice MMA so that they can build muscle. But how practical is this goal? So, does MMA help build muscle in a significant and noticeable way? That’s what we’ll answer below.
MMA and Muscle Building – Do They Tie In Together?
In general, MMA isn’t a sport that was designed for helping fighters build muscle mass. It was designed to teach fighters how to integrate many different styles of fighting, which range from judo to boxing, and even jiu-jitsu. But this doesn’t mean that with the right approach, MMA can’t be used as a tool for gaining muscle.
Special Considerations for Building Muscle While Training MMA
MMA training usually involves vicious, cardio-based training that can go on for many hours. And this is normal, considering that fighters typically spend anywhere from five to ten minutes in the octagon per fight! Unfortunately, building up muscle mass can be difficult if you’re spending most of your time performing cardio activities. This is because your body generally requires the intake and consumption of many calories for this type of training.
The consumption of calories also means that you’re consuming protein, and protein is the essential building block for building muscle mass. This means that if perform solely cardio-based exercises during your MMA training, you’re going to find it very difficult to increase muscle mass in any significant way. So, the only logical thing that you can do as a fighter is to spend less time on cardio-based workouts and more time on strength-training ones.
Exercises for Building Muscle in MMA
Here is an example of an upper body muscle-building routine that you can perform in conjunction with your MMA training (for your upper body):
– Power Cleans 3 x 7 reps
– Dead Lifts 3 x 7 reps
– Bench Press 4 x 8 reps
– Barbell Bent Over Rows 3 x 7 reps
– Shrugs 3 x 8 reps
For your lower body, feel free to use the following strength-training routine:
– Squats 3 x 8 reps
– Leg Press 4 x 7 reps
– Stiff Leg Dead Lifts 4 x 7 reps
– Lying Leg Curls 4 x 7 reps
– Standing Calf Raises 3 x 25 reps
By integrating these muscle-building exercises into your MMA training regimen a few days per week, as well as cutting down on the amount of cardio that you perform, you’ll be able to build a considerable amount of muscle mass within a few months. If you’ve been wondering, Does MMA Build Muscle you can finally see that it actually does when you approach your training correctly.