Where do Mixed Martial Arts & CrossFit Training Meet?

For those feeling motivated to get in shape, there are many types of workouts available, and those workouts yield a wide variety of results – from the slimming effects of regular long distance running to the notorious “bulking up” that comes from grueling, slow hours of repetitively pumping iron at the gym. Genetics and diet certainly play a key role as well, but there's no denying that paying attention to which muscle groups you're working – as well as to the intensity of the workout – will also have an enormous effect on the end results. Not everyone can be a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, but wouldn't it be great if there were a workout that in some way mimicked the unbeatable (no pun intended) fitness results of MMA battling? Luckily, there is; this is where CrossFit training comes in.

Intensity

In fact, CrossFit's “FGB” (“Fight Gone Bad”) gets its origins from the world of MMA. The story goes that renowned UFC fighter B.J. Penn was in search of exactly such a conditioning workout and thus approached CrossFit founder Greg Glassman. The result was this series of three five-minute exercise rounds that work the same muscles that an MMA battle does (that is to say, all of them!) – and at the same level of intensity. According to Louisville, KY CrossFit coach Ryan Brown, CrossFit is exactly the type of “punishing” workout that combat sport athletes love, incorporating both the upper and lower body for a thorough challenge yielding body-wide results.

Not Heavier – Just Over and Over Again (and Again and Again...)

In addition to honing in on muscle conditioning of the entire body, another important aspect that CrossFit training and mixed martial arts share is the emphasis on movement as opposed to the use of heavy weights. An MMA battle involves fast and constant maneuvering, after all (not repeatedly lifting the opponent!) – and this is why it is important in CrossFit to take on high reps with weights that offer some resistance but not too much (as opposed to using the extremely heavy ones that a powerlifter might use).

Simplicity and Variety of Motion

During your CrossFit training class, you can expect a quick succession of many different exercises designed to replicate the simple pushing and pulling movements that come with martial arts training. This includes activities such as rowing, push presses, box jumps, and wall-ball shots – with short, one-minute rests between each five-minute round. Granted, these may in some ways feel like the longest five-minute time periods of your life – but hey, what would you do if your opponent kept getting up and coming back at you? The answer: try a few new moves – and, most importantly, keep going until you win the match! And that's exactly the point of CrossFit: this, too, is a battle – except, in this case, you're fighting the couch and the flab.

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