Why Are Kettlebells Good For MMA?

Kettlebells are arguably one of the best pieces of equipment to strengthen your MMA skills, making sure you bring your ‘A’ game during groundwork and sparring. Other than improving your skills, kettlebells bring many other great benefits that include:

• Improved endurance

• Better grip strength

• Lower and upper body explosiveness

• Full body mobility

• Core strength training

• Full body workout in a short time

With such a wide plethora of benefits and advantages to offer over other equipment, it is hard to pass on this absolute bargain of a deal. It should remind you that you can have a great full-body workout with minimal rest using just one kettlebell.

The Best Kettlebell Exercises For MMA Fights and Martial Artists

There are many different effective exercises with kettlebells that cater to your MMA fitness goals, below is a full-body workout with just kettlebells.

Squat Jumps (10-20 reps)

Kettlebell squat jumps are a quite a way to gain some serious explosive power in your lower body, especially your glutes and quads. Make sure you choose the right weight and practice this exercise with good form and you will surely be gassed out within minutes.

No MMA kettlebell workout would be complete without this movement as it provides both strength and cardiovascular benefits which is what combat athletes need most.

Kettlebell Swings (10-20 swings)

Another staple in kettlebell training is the kettlebell swing. The kettlebell swing is one of the best kettlebell training exercises because it trains your entire body, however, it lays its main emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings from the hinge and thrust part of the movement.

This exercise is an excellent choice for building explosive strength, muscle, mobility, and, a strong core if done with proper technique.

Kettlebell Halo (5-10 reps on each side)

The kettlebell halo is also a very popular exercise because it helps fighters prepare and warm up their upper body, mainly the shoulders and core. This kettlebell movement is great for strengthening your shoulder mobility and helps keep your core engaged because of the circling movement.

The kettlebell halo also trains your grip strength as you have to switch the kettlebell to your other hand while in movement, giving weighted resistance in movement can contribute to bettering your punching power in the long run.

Clean and Press

The clean and press is an exceptional exercise that is beneficial without regard to the type of equipment you use, be it dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells.

If done with proper form, i.e., keeping your lower back from bending, and keeping your core and glutes engaged, this exercise is one of the best for creating explosive power and overall strength throughout your body.

This is also a compound exercise as it works nearly the entire body from the clean which brings into play, the hamstrings, lower back, biceps, and also your glutes. The press trains your shoulders, upper chest, triceps, core, and also lower back which keep your torso stable during the entire movement.

Double Kettlebell Swings

Double kettlebell swings are by far one of the most demanding exercises you can do with kettlebells. Aside from being slightly more advanced, they have a harder technique that is a bit difficult to master. However, difficulty aside, this movement gives much more than your ordinary single kettlebell swings.

The muscles activated with this movement are the same as normal swings but are targeted to a higher intensity because of the added weight and reduced grip. Usually, both hands would be used for one kettlebell, however, for this variation you use one hand for each kettlebell which makes it much harder.

This movement is great for balancing out imbalances in your muscles and increases grip strength and overall conditioning as it allows for more weight to be held. Higher weight with good form is always beneficial in the long run, especially for explosive power and increased punching power.

Kettlebell Turkish Get-up

The Turkish get-up is another kettlebell movement that is on the slightly harder side. However, this is one best exercise to get your core engaged and be burning fat in no time. The lack of stability during the entire movement from the starting position when flat on the ground with the weight pressed only on one side, till the top of the movement when standing up straight with the weight overhead pressed.

The entire movement targets your whole body and will surely have you humbled within a short period of time, that too with low weight. Other than your core, this movement exercises your legs, back, chest, shoulders, and also your arms, making it an excellent choice if you are short on time and only have one kettlebell.

Single-leg kettlebell deadlift

Deadlifts are a great exercise for pulling some serious weight regardless of what equipment you use, and with the number of variations available, any goal you have can be catered to with this exercise.

The single-leg deadlift is an excellent variation to build power in your hamstrings and stability in your entire body. It also works other muscles in the posterior chain like the lower back and also the hamstrings. Moreover, this movement is also good for grip strength and flexibility.

Kettlebell floor press

When it comes to building strength and explosive power in the upper front body. Training your chest, arms, and shoulders is necessary to be able to throw a deadly punch when needed. This is where the floor press comes in.

Although this can be done with dumbbells and barbells, the kettlebell variation is safer and better for wrist strength. This simple movement creates muscle activation in the chest, front delts, and also triceps making it a compound exercise that helps save time by working out multiple muscles at a time.

If you want to increase the intensity, you can perform this exercise unilaterally with one arm, or you can add a fly range of motion in between each press.

Train Like a Fighter

To train like a fighter one should understand very soon in their fitness journey, that every goal has a different route to achieving that goal. Bodybuilding requires training with hypertrophy in mind,  and powerlifting requires strength training with low reps and heavy weights. 

Similarly for every sport where you have to throw or dodge a punch, you must also train to be enduring and explosive. For endurance, you must be able to efficiently move quickly for extended periods of time.

An average boxing match with 12 rounds lasts nearly an hour while MMA matchups can last up to 25 minutes. For this, it is recommended to train with lighter weights with higher reps and short rest periods between rounds and sets to push your endurance and cardiovascular strength.

For explosive power, you must be able to generate a significant amount of force through your body weight during fights. As for training, you should practice exercises with large ranges of motion and moderate to heavy weight. Exercises like the kettlebell swing and double kettlebell swing are great for strength and generating some dangerous explosive power.

Keep these in mind when deciding on a program and without a doubt, you’ll be a menace in no time.