What is strength training in MMA?

MMA Strength is not that easy to understand as it is very broad.  But, we would try to break it down to make things much simpler for you.  This article focuses on the strength training aspect of the MMA.  If you are into MMA, then you need the strength to be able to go head to head with your rival.  This article would try to focus on making you last for 3 to 5 five minute round scenario. 

 

Strength training in MMA is different to a regular strength training that most people does.

Before anything else, we need to know what kind of strength you would need in MMA.  To tell you the truth, there are many kind of strength and it would help if you can identify, what kind of strength you would need in a sport like MMA.  But, in MMA, the most important types are strength endurance and power endurance. Strength endurance is not the same as muscle endurance as it has something to do with how long you can imply the same force to your opponent, whereas muscle endurance is defined by how long you can exert your muscles regardless of how much force you have already produce.

Perhaps, you would have a deep understanding if we have some examples.  Let’s say that you can bench press for a 1 rep maximum (RM) of 225 lbs.  Now, we have a perfect example of your strength.  Strength endurance has something to do with s how many times you can continue to do single reps with short rest periods (10-30 seconds).  It would last till you cannot do anymore reps.  Muscle endurance in the other hand is more on the number of times you can do push ups.   To make things easier, muscle endurance doesn’t really translate to strength.

It is not enough to just have the strength since you would easily tire if you can’t keep it up for a longer time period.  Furthermore, strength endurance won’t help you much if you don’t have the power to move your opponent. The key here is balance, you would need to have the strength to move your opponent and have the strength to go on with it till it’s over.

Another factor that you need to consider is power endurance.  It is almost similar to strength, except that it also involves how fast you are able to deliver that power in a short amount of time. So if you can bench press 225 for a 1RM is your level of absolute strength, then that translates to how fast you can perform that rep.  Perhaps you can understand it easier it we put it on an example, say, you can bench press 2.5 seconds then later on it just took you 1.5 seconds to lift the same weight, which clearly illustrates an improvement in power.  However, if you increase the weight and it took you more than 2.5 seconds to lift it then that clearly demonstrates strength. 

Now, you can illustrate that power endurance is the ability to move the same weight over and over again throughout the whole fight.