Fitness: Circuit Training (Body Weight) for MMA

Circuit Training is a specific type of workout designed to promote fat loss and muscle endurance as well as overall fitness. The exercises are done in succession(with as little rest time as possible) in order to keep the heart rate high and create a cardiovascular workout that is very effective at burning fat, and at activating the muscles. Any one training in MMA can attest to the effectiveness of circuit training. It is perfect because it is a workout that emulates a type of workout similar to fighting. The following workout is a basic circuit workout, consisting entirely of body weight exercises, designed mostly for beginners. The exercises are as follows:

1. Jumping Jacks- the elementary school favorite, everyone knows this one. good for warming up and keeping the heart rate high. 20 repetitions.
   
2. Push ups- make sure to keep hands at chest level and to touch chest to the ground. activates the pushing muscles(chest and triceps.) 20 repetitions.
   
3. Sit ups- touch your head to your knees, and use a slow controlled movement. activates the abdominal muscles. 20 repetitions.
   
4. Squats- keep your back straight and your hands out in front of you. your legs should be at about shoulder width. squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. works the legs. 20 repetitions.
   
5. Pull ups-The only piece of equipment I recommend is a pull up bar.(can be found for fairly cheap at many stores, like walmart or cvs.) pull until your chin is above the bar. activates the pulling muscles(back and biceps). 5 repetitions.
6. Burpies- Start standing, squat down and place your hands on the floor. Kick your legs out straight behind you, and then bring your legs back to your hands. Next, explode off the floor, straightening up at the waist and jumping as high as you can. Land and bring your hands to the floor. this is one rep. 10 repetitions.

The idea is to do all 6 exercises for the listed repetitions with the minimal amount of rest between them. You do the entire workout four times so you will do each exercise for four sets. (You can add and subtract sets depending on your fitness level.) I recommend you do this workout three to four times a week or use it to supplement other types of training. A consistent routine, along with a good diet with clean foods, will help you build lean muscle mass and increase your overall fitness as well as shed fat.

Deren