Most of you reading this are probably not planning to beat the heck out of anyone (or we hope not, anyway). You probably don’t head off to the gym every day to develop more power in your punches, or perfect your roundhouse kick, or fine-tune your “ground and pound” submission tactics.
So the idea of borrowing an all-around ass-kicking workout from a mixed martial artist or UFC champion and dropping it smack dab in the middle of your usual training week might sound a little, well, odd. But hear us out.
“Training like a fighter can shock your body out of a rut and stimulate your muscles in a new way that gets them responding again when you go back to your regular routines,” says Dustin Kirchofner, a Colorado-based strength and conditioning coach and owner of Modern Warfare Fitness. “It’s pretty intense and incorporates strength, power and endurance into one workout. You could do this just one time a week in addition to your normal program and it would definitely kick-start your metabolism and shock the system.”
Kirchofner knows firsthand about the benefits of training change-ups. The active-duty U.S. Army Special Forces first sergeant has worked with numerous bodybuilding competitors and MMA athletes over the years, including Kelvin Gastelum, Chance Farrar, Tyler Bialecki, Joe Ochoa, Jose Carbajal and three-time national boxing champion Victor Arriola. He’s also an amateur bodybuilding competitor, recently placing second in the 2019 and 2020 Masters USA Championships as a light heavyweight and heavyweight, respectively.
“The secret is in the change of pacing,” he explains. “If you’re used to doing the standard bodybuilding-style workouts, where you do six to 12 reps slowly and under control with a heavy weight, then rest a minute or two, then repeat, your body can adapt to that over time and stop responding to the stimulus.”
To counter that style, Kirchofner has set up a series of circuits using an array of equipment you’d typically find at a well-stocked gym — dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, battle ropes and a 12-inch platform.
“Instead of counting reps, you’ll be doing exercises for a set amount of time,” he says. “The exercises are easy to master, with a mix of weighted and non-weighted movements. You may feel like you’re off-balance, not quite knowing what’s coming next, but that’s the idea — a fighter always has to be ready for the unknown, and this gets your body ready for anything. You’ll go back to your regular workouts feeling better conditioned to go longer and stronger.”
And hey, if one day you do have to level some creep on the street, you’ll be ready.
The Fighting Shape Full-Body Blast Workout
Start with the fighter’s warm-up, then perform each circuit listed below in full before moving on to the next circuit. Rest 60 to 75 seconds between circuits — enough time to catch your breath while also doing your setup for the coming round.
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