Here are five heavy bag MMA workout routines suitable for improving your skill and conditioning in MMA. These workouts will help improve
your striking technique, power, endurance, and footwork.
I have put these down as 3 minute rounds but if you feel you can do more then you can increase them up to 5 minutes. I would recommed 60 seconds rest between rounds.
Workout 1. Striking Technique and Footwork Focus:
- Warm-up: Jump rope for 5 minutes to get your heart rate up.
- Round 1: 3 minutes – Focus on your jab and footwork. Move around the bag, throwing crisp jabs while maintaining good footwork and head movement.
- Round 2: 3 minutes – Work on your hooks and uppercuts. Mix in footwork and angles to set up your strikes.
- Round 3: 3 minutes – Combine all your strikes with footwork, incorporating punching combinations and kicking the heavy bag.
- Round 4: 3 minutes – Visualize an opponent’s attack and work on your defensive movements, such as slipping, ducking, and blocking while still keeping good footwork.
- Round 5: 3 minutes – Finish strong with an all-out striking assault on the bag, using your full repertoire of techniques.
Workout 2. Power and Conditioning:
- Warm-up: Shadow box for 5 minutes, throwing combinations with moderate intensity.
- Round 1: 3 minutes – Focus on explosive strikes, putting maximum power into each shot. Reset quickly and repeat.
- Round 2: 3 minutes – Perform push kicks and knee strikes on the heavy bag to work on your clinch techniques and improve overall power.
- Round 3: 3 minutes – Incorporate explosive takedowns and sprawls on the bag, simulating wrestling and grappling movements.
- Round 4: 3 minutes – Use Muay Thai-style elbows and kicks on the bag, ensuring you generate significant power in each strike.
- Round 5: 3 minutes – Finish with ground-and-pound strikes, alternating between heavy punches and hammer fists.
Workout 3. Cardio and Endurance:
- Warm-up: Shadow box for 5 minutes, maintaining a high pace and light footwork.
- Round 1: 3 minutes – Throw continuous jabs and front kicks on the bag, focusing on maintaining a steady rhythm and pace.
- Round 2: 3 minutes – Perform non-stop punch-kick combinations on the bag, pushing your endurance to the limit.
- Round 3: 3 minutes – Implement high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the bag. Alternate between 20 seconds of all-out striking and 10 seconds of rest.
- Round 4: 3 minutes – Practice fast footwork and lateral movement, circling the bag while striking intermittently.
- Round 5: 3 minutes – Finish with 3 minutes of non-stop freestyle striking, combining various punches, kicks, knees, and elbows.
Workout 4. Kickboxing and Knees Emphasis:
- Warm-up: Jump rope for 5 minutes, incorporating some quick double jumps to challenge yourself.
- Round 1: 3 minutes – Focus on powerful roundhouse kicks, alternating between left and right sides, aiming for accuracy and power.
- Round 2: 3 minutes – Throw high knees and teep kicks (push kicks) to maintain distance and control the pace of the fight.
- Round 3: 3 minutes – Work on your switch kicks and switch knees, adding variety to your striking game.
- Round 4: 3 minutes – Practice the clinch and deliver knee strikes from different angles on the bag.
- Round 5: 3 minutes – Combine all your kicks, knees, and punches in a freestyle format, simulating a real MMA fight.
Workout 5. MMA Wrestling and Grappling Drills:
- Warm-up: Shadow wrestle for 5 minutes, incorporating takedowns, sprawls, and guard passing movements.
- Round 1: 3 minutes – Focus on double-leg and single-leg takedowns, driving explosively into the bag.
- Round 2: 3 minutes – Perform takedown defense and sprawls, ensuring quick reactions and strong core engagement.
- Round 3: 3 minutes – Work on ground control and grappling movements, including mount, side control, and back control positions.
- Round 4: 3 minutes – Incorporate submission drills on the bag, practicing ground-and-pound and submission setups.
- Round 5: 3 minutes – Finish with 3 minutes of intense grappling and ground striking combinations.
Remember to always warm up properly before starting any heavy bag workout (or one of our other workouts)and cool down afterward. Stay focused, maintain proper form, and push yourself to improve your skills and conditioning. As with any workout routine, it’s essential to listen to your body and take breaks when needed.