Do Yoga & Pilates Have a Place in MMA Training?

Wait! Keep reading. Yoga and pilates may not sound like the type of gym rage, throwing weights around, blowing through whole stacks on machines or concrete block smashing workouts that you love so much and keep you pumped all day. However they still may offer that missing something you have been looking for to give you the edge and take you to the next level in your mixed martial arts training.

Firstly, unless you have actually tried yoga or pilates you shouldn't knock them. These forms of exercise are far from new fads and definitely have years of science and development behind them. You must avoid plateaus in your martial arts training and MMA workouts. Once you have been training for a while, there are really only so many combinations of routine you can perform in the gym and you must look elsewhere. Certainly picking up an extra class or two of a totally different kind is one of the best solutions and you may even be surprised to find your martial arts instructors or personal trainers there taking part as well. If you are hell bent on a serious workout then go for the harder forms of these exercises.

Power yoga is certainly not the weak. Power yoga sessions are performed in sweltering 80 degree heat and are practiced at a much more challenging pace than other forms. Expect to leave your first few sessions sore and sweaty, though you can definitely expect to be developing much stronger core, arm and leg muscles, develop a superior level of balance that is crucial in the octagon and be further on your way to getting ripped.

Pilates also offers a range of levels of difficulty when it comes to training and is used by many successful athletes and martial artists to build a stronger core and foundation for faster and bigger growth for the rest of the body. Women will love the sexier abs they can build and the guys will love the gains they see coming faster in the gym. Don't think it's hardcore enough? Try the 'killer' level workouts and once you can hold the plank position for 5 minutes and crank through a set of 25 upside down push ups then you can say it's easy.

Certainly you can pick up a couple classes for free, so try it out. You ought to find you are certainly adding more power and balance which will directly transfer to better performance in the octagon and any MMA competitions.

Todd Schankleighter is an independant content writer who specializes in the martial arts. Todd's passion is in the mixed martial arts as he is working for The MMA Zone as the online themmazone.net martial arts supplies store. Shop The MMA Zone for great prices on all your MMA gear!