When it comes to working out and fitness, Mixed Martial Arts is easily one of the most awesome ways to get in shape. Finding the time or money to spend with a personal trainer in Vancouver can be especially tricky, but you need only a quick look at MMA fighters today to see that they are some of the fittest people on the planet. They are, for the most part, incredibly fit and possess amazing cardio, discipline, movement, strength, and flexibility.
Seeing how demanding the sport of MMA can be, it only makes sense that they are able to perform at this level. While there are plenty of gyms in Vancouver to study specific martial arts, nothing quite comes close to the versatility of MMA. However, MMA has a multitude of different benefits other than fitness, and in this guide, we will go over all of the benefits for practicing MMA and the martial arts used in MMA.
The Martial Arts Used In MMA
Before we can get to the benefits of MMA, let us break down the martial arts present in it. The short explanation is, well, they all are.
MMA’s popularity came from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, more commonly known as the UFC. The UFC has become the ultimate testing grounds for various combat sports and martial arts. Over the years, different martial artists of different styles and techniques have entered the octagon. While many martial arts proved ineffective, a few of them managed to stick and become standard to the sport — mainly Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Wrestling.
Before a platform like the UFC, people could only speculate how effective a given fighting style would be in a real fight. Thanks to the UFC, many ineffective fighting styles had their flaws exposed, and the most effective fighting styles came under the spotlight.
Although fighters in the octagon can use any fighting style they see fit, most fighters stick to a specific set of martial arts. Boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, and Jiu-Jitsu, are among the most common martial arts that professional fighters practice. Boxing and Muay Thai teach fighters standing hand-to-hand combat whereas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teaches them grappling maneuvers and submissions.
One of the best current day UFC fighters is Khabib Nurmagomedov, and he, for the most part, depends on wrestling and grappling to win his fights. Still, he mixes in strikes as he works, a style known as “ground and pound” where an opponent is controlled on the ground while being battered with punches and elbows.
DCS instructor Jonathan Hutchinson demonstrates how to do a single leg takedown
With so many routes to victory available, training MMA can seem daunting — luckily, each of these fighting styles has great benefits on the body.
The Benefits of Training MMA
MMA can transform a person both inside and out. Here are some ways that you might change after finding the perfect gym in Vancouver to train MMA.
It Reduces Fat And Keeps The Body In Shape
Let’s acknowledge the most obvious benefit first: MMA is able to keep you fit and in top shape with a wide range of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) exercises. These exercises involve short bursts of intense exertion that keep burning fat for multiple hours even after you exercise. This helps you lose excess fat much faster, and the cathartic nature of the movement helps your body take out frustration.
Speaking of frustration, nothing helps cope with a bad day at work like donning a pair of boxing gloves hitting a punching bag or some pads with a partner. This can be a very healthy way of dealing with your frustration, and the added workout is a bonus.
It Improves Confidence
Learning MMA can make you much more confident and comfortable around people. Certainly, social anxiety is a serious and complex issue that many people deal with, but knowing how to defend yourself in a bad situation is one way of helping to ease that anxiety. Furthermore, it takes a lot of courage to stand up to someone in a physical confrontation, even in a sparring match. Therefore, the controlled confrontations in MMA build confidence so that people can be more comfortable around others.
You Will Become More Flexible
Another benefit that MMA provides is improving the flexibility of your body. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and wrestling make the body turn in various unusual ways, making you use your body’s entire weight to shift and control the opponent from both top and bottom positions. This gives your whole body a workout and allows you to stretch those legs and arms out a lot more. Stretching is also an integral part of the time before and after a workout, and practicing your kicks is sure to improve leg flexibility.
It Helps You Stay Active
It goes without saying that MMA is one of the most physically intensive sports out there. However, more importantly, it is one of the few sports that manage to work out every part of your body. This helps keep you in top shape and active throughout your day. MMA can improve your metabolism as well as your overall stamina, making you a lot more active and helping you get out of bed.
More Than Just Cardio
People will often compare MMA training to other types of cardio workouts. However, the truth is that most MMA classes, in Vancouver or anywhere else, offer much more than just that. Even if you are new to the world of working out, you may have heard that there are three major types of workouts: metabolic conditioning, cardio training, and strength training.
MMA Legend Roger Huerta does pad work
Metabolic conditioning consists of exercises that teach your body to properly utilize the fuel that your body produces. Cardio training is where you train your heart and lungs to circulate more blood and perform better. Finally, strength training is where you grow and regrow your muscles to endure more stress. MMA has very intense training exercises that give your body the benefits of all three types of workouts.
Learn Self-Defence
Finally, perhaps the most practical benefit of training MMA is that it equips you with the tools necessary to defend yourself from attack. An untrained combatant will find themselves completely at a loss when attempting to defeat a trained MMA fighter, and proper training will even help you overcome large discrepancies of size or strength. In addition, the best part of studying MMA specifically is the diversity of skills covered by the training. It covers striking while standing, ground fighting, and even takedowns. Therefore, with the help of MMA, you can go from boxing or Muay Thai into wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with relative ease.
Final Thoughts
Training MMA has a plethora of benefits, made so effective by its combination of multiple martial arts. MMA training includes some of the best exercises to help you cut fat, get stronger, and help you stay active long-term. Your flexibility will grow, as will your confidence — just knowing that you have a sound body and the skills required to defend it will change how you carry yourself for the better. You owe it to yourself to check out an MMA gym in Vancouver — or wherever you may be — and witness the positive changes to your life yourself.
