No More Boring Workouts: Why MMA Fitness Is For Everyone, NOT Just For Fighters

A major misconception of Mixed Martial Arts is that you have to fight in a cage to benefit from MMA style training. Many think: "Well, I'm a peaceful person, I would never want to fight in a cage, and I certainly don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want to get hurt, and I definitely don't want cauliflower ears: MMA fitness just isn't for me."

To be honest, I used to be the same way. Sure, MMA is entertaining as a sport and the competition is exciting and invigorating, but I had absolutely no intentions of ever hurting anyone or having my face bashed in by a violent brute if I didn't have to. Like most of us, I just wanted to get into shape!

So naturally, I took to the gym and the fitness magazines. I did my bench presses and my curls day in and day out. I ran on the treadmill like a hamster to get in my cardio training. And yes, I did get results. I put on some muscle and shed some fat, but here's the thing...something was missing.

Getting in shape began to be a chore, something that I thought I "should" be doing, not something that I WANTED to do. Although I started off working out 6 days a week, slowly but surely that narrowed down to just 2 days. My results came to a halt and I desperately went to the gym just to "maintain" what I already had. This was not what I had in mind when I started my quest to get in the best shape of my life. Can you relate to this?

During this time, I casually followed the UFC just as a hobby and as a sport. I'd always noticed these athletes had near perfect physiques: muscular and strong, yet not too bulky like a bodybuilder. They also had tremendous stamina, flexibility, speed. In other words, they weren't just for show. Finally I decided that I just had to find out how they do it.

I began to study these fighters: how they trained, what they ate, and how they behaved outside of the cage. Surprisingly, I learned that much of the groundbreaking MMA training principles and techniques could in fact, be learned by anyone, and should you choose not to, you need never step into the cage to achieve amazing results! I learned that the diet and nutrition principles of fighters is simple and profound. Most importantly I learned about who these men and women are as human beings outside of their violent profession.