The name BJ Penn is popular in the MMA world as is his success in the sport. It has been nothing short of legendary.
So how does he get the solid skills needed to succeed in MMA?
While many different training factors come together to develop his
training program, his involvement in regular CrossFit is part of his
base level fitness.
CrossFit is growing immensely in popularity among MMA fighters and with good reason:
MMA CrossFit Delivers Results
Many MMA fighters are taking up Crossfit. Crossfit has swept the nation.
This
should not come as much of a surprise since the need for a high level
of strength, conditioning, and endurance is a must for competitors
interested in achieving peak performance when they enter into a mixed
martial arts event.
A Base Program
MMA Crossfit is the base. You'll need to work on your skills and techniques, but for your fitness, MMA Crossfit is great.
Crossfit is a good fitness base because it is short and intense.
By
doing a 20 minute workouts that makes you want to puke, you'll gain
fitness and then you'll be able to train in your techniques.
So one of the #1 benefits is decreasing your strength and conditioning time so you can work on your MMA skills.
So the question becomes: Does cutting down training time hurt my fitness base.
No!
MMA Crossfit is very intense and works on functional fitness. To check
out all the particulars and all the benefits of Crossfit just go to Crossfit.
Probably
the best benefit to a CrossFit workout is that it delivers a complete
and total body workout in a short amount of time. This means it hits the
lower body muscles, the core muscles, and the upper body muscles.
Does it really deliver?
CrossFit remains one of the very best exercise programs you could take part in.
I've been Crossfitting for 2 years and it never gets old!
If
you want to get into fantastic shape, increase your strength, and
develop and overall sense of full body fitness, this is for you!
For
MMA fighters looking to get an edge on the competition and expand their
performance, CrossFit is a brilliant workout strategy to utilize.
Will I Suffer From A Shorter Workout?
You want all your muscles groups to function at peak performance and CrossFit helps contribute to this process.
In
addition to building functional strength, CrossFit also helps
practitioners develop muscular endurance, plymetric explosion, and
cardiovascular conditioning.
Needless to say, all of these
attributes can contribute to becoming a top-notch MMA fighter. Every one
of these attributes is a must to succeed in competition. CrossFit aids
in developing these attributes to a very high degree.
A 20-minute high intensity CrossFit interval
workout will deliver results. The key, however, is to make sure you do
not undermine these results with lifestyle activities that run contrary
to the goals you are seeking.
For example, if you have a poor
diet high in processed foods, you will not get as much out of the
workout program as someone who watches his/her diet.
Again, you
want to be sure you complement your workout sessions with an overall
healthy lifestyle that aids in providing you with the most benefit.
Weekly Duration
In terms of weekly duration, it would be helpful to perform a CrossFit Program 3-5 times a week.
In reality, MMA athletes that takes part in a CrossFit workout will get a
great deal of benefit out of it. You just need to be motivated and
consistent. Your body will take care of the rest.
Crossfit is booming
The
popularity of CrossFit training extends far beyond the MMA realm.
Competitors of all manner of sports employ CrossFit training as a
reliable means of getting into better shape.
They even have the Crossfit games now, where people from all over the world compete.
Equipment
As
for equipment, you can do Crossfit with much makeshift equipment,
basically improvise, but a few key pieces of equipment will make life
easier.
Each of the links below takes you to a page about the equipment and tells you how to purchase it at a low price.
A pull up bar is a must unless you have a good tree branch, but that is easy. I found that for
around $20 and free shipping.
A weighted vest is really nice, but a backpack with weights or beans in it works well too. This is what I choose to do.
10 lb XL Hyper Vest PRO
40 lb Vest from Fighterwarehouse
The medicine ball is not that expensive so I'd pony up for that, but you
can also fill a basketball with sand or use a weight plate for some of
the exercises.
I like the medicine ball so I do have one of those for my training.
Kettle-bells are great to work with. Those are one of my favorite workouts. I'd invest in a kettle-bell just because I like it.
But, you can use a dumbbell to accomplish almost all of the exercises.
Something new is sand bells. They fit in nicely too.
For MMA specific kettlbell training, you can go here. This is just kettlebells. I use kettlebells weekly and have had good results with my fitness and strength.
To get the workout of the day just head on over to crossfit. You can workouts free everyday!
But if you want MMA specific techniques try
these guys.
CrossFit is growing immensely in popularity among MMA fighters and with good reason: 
MMA Crossfit is the base. You'll need to work on your skills and techniques, but for your fitness, MMA Crossfit is great.
CrossFit remains one of the very best exercise programs you could take part in. 
In reality, MMA athletes that takes part in a CrossFit workout will get a
great deal of benefit out of it. You just need to be motivated and
consistent. Your body will take care of the rest.
40 lb Vest from Fighterwarehouse
