The 9 Best Strength and Conditioning Exercises for Fighters
Strength and conditioning is essential for fighters, much like creating a strong foundation for a building. It isn't just about making a fighter stronger, but about enhancing explosive power, durability (bulletproofing), endurance, and overall movement efficiency inside the ring or cage. A well-structured strength and conditioning program can help fighters maximize their potential by improving critical attributes needed for combat.
So, what are some of the best strength and conditioning exercises for fighters?
At Fight by Design, we emphasize a few core exercises and their variations that we believe every fighter should incorporate into their training. These exercises are designed to build functional strength, improve endurance, and enhance overall performance.
1. Barbell squats
Why It's great for fighters: Well, the barbell squat is a fundamental movement that builds strength in the lower body, core, and stabilizer muscles. Squats develop powerful legs, necessary for quick footwork, explosive strikes, and solid defense. They also help improve posture and core stability, which translates into better movement mechanics in the ring. We see so many fighters wanting to do more complicated movements or variations yet the foundation and quality of their squat is poor. Becoming more efficient in a squat is a game changer and will carry over into so many areas of your performance.
How to program It: Barbell squats should be programmed as a primary strength movement. Use lower reps (4-6) with heavier weights for maximum strength gains or higher reps (8-12) with moderate weight for hypertrophy and endurance, once proficient it can be coupled as a contrast set.
How to perform barbell squats:
Set up the barbell at shoulder height in a squat rack.
Stand under the bar and place it across your upper traps.
Engage your core, lift the bar, and take a few steps back.
With feet shoulder-width apart, lower yourself by bending at the hips and knee while thinking about pulling the floor apart with your feet.
Keep the chest up and back neutral as you descend until thighs are parallel to the floor.
Drive through the heels and push back up to standing.
2. Trap bar deadlift
Why It's great for fighters: The trap bar deadlift is excellent for developing total body strength, particularly in the posterior chain, which includes the hamstrings, glutes, and back. (the body's go muscles) Strong posterior muscles improve your ability to generate power in strikes, stabilize during grappling, and recover quickly from intense exchanges.
How to program it: Like squats, trap bar deadlifts are a compound lift, best suited for low to moderate reps (3-8), depending on the goal. Heavy weights should be the focus for building strength, and can be used incredibly well in contrast sets with multiple variations.
How to perform trap bar deadlifts:
Step inside the trap bar, with feet hip-width apart.
Bend at the hips and knees, grab the handles, and engage the core (you should feel your hamstrings firing in the setup position)
Push through your feet and extend your hips and knees until you’re standing tall.
Lower the bar back down with control, first hinging at the hip and slightly bending the news as you descend, keeping the hamstrings engaged, repeating for desired reps.
3. Close grip bench press
Why It's great for fighters: The close grip bench press focuses on building tricep strength, which helps with extending punches faster and with more power. This exercise reduces strain on the shoulders, which is crucial for fighters who often experience shoulder tightness due to their sport's demands.
How to program it: Perform this movement early in a session, as it is a heavy compound exercise. Stick to 3-5 sets of 4-8 reps, emphasizing quality reps and progression over time.
How to perform close grip bench press:
Lie on a bench with the barbell racked above you.
Grip the barbell slightly closer than shoulder-width.
Arch your back slightly and get your scaps tucked in close together.
Lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your torso.
Press the barbell back up, locking out the arms at the top.
4. Med ball slams and throws
Why they're great for fighters: Med ball slams and throws are perfect for building explosive power through the entire kinetic chain. Whether you're slamming the ball down or throwing it against a wall, these exercises mimic the explosive nature of strikes and can directly improve rotational power for kicks and punches.
How to program it: Med ball slams should be used for explosive power development. Aim for 6-10 sets of 3-5 reps, focusing on maximum force for each throw or slam, it can be coupled well in contrast sets or even conditioning circuits as well.
How to perform med ball slams:
Grab a medicine ball and stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Raise the ball overhead, extending your hips and arms.
Slam the ball forcefully onto the ground, (ensuring a big forceful breath out at the same time) following through with your whole body.
Pick up the ball and repeat for desired reps.
5. Dumbbell or cable rows
Why they’re great for fighters: Fighters need a balanced upper body for both offensive and defensive purposes. Dumbbell or cable rows help build the muscles of the upper back, improving posture, shoulder health, and pulling strength. This contributes to better clinch control and helps maintain optimal joint alignment to prevent injury.
How to program it: Rows are great for hypertrophy and endurance. Use higher reps (8-12) for 3-4 sets, focusing on slow, controlled movements to target the back muscles effectively. Can also be coupled well in contrast sets or used for power training where an explosive pull would be executed with a slower return.
How to perform dumbbell rows:
Set up with a dumbbell in one hand, bending forward with the opposite knee on a bench.
Pull the dumbbell towards your hip, keeping your elbow close to your body. (think about trying to put the elbow in your back pocket)
Squeeze the shoulder blade at the top and slowly lower the weight back down.
Repeat on both sides for desired reps.
6. Box jumps
Why they're great for fighters: Box jumps are a high-velocity movement that builds lower body power and explosiveness, essential for improving footwork, kicking speed, and explosive movement transitions. It trains your ability to generate force quickly, which can be transferred into faster and more powerful strikes.
How to program it: Perform 6-8 sets of 1-3 reps of box jumps early in your workout, focusing on maximum explosiveness and full recovery between sets, really good for contrast sets or used in conditioning workouts.
How to perform box jumps:
Stand in front of a box or platform with feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend your knees and hips slightly, then explode upwards.
Land softly on the box, absorbing the impact through your legs.
Step down and reset for the next jump.
7. Landmine clean and jerk
Why It's great for fighters: The landmine clean and jerk combines rotational power, strength, and coordination, which are critical for fighters. This movement teaches fighters how to generate force from the hips, transfer it through the core, and deliver it through the upper body, mimicking the mechanics of throwing a punch or a kick. (Establishing a base in landmine presses, cleans, rotations etc would be advisable before going straight to the clean and jerk, also note that the landmine clean and jerk would also positively impact your coordination skills)
How to program it: Use 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with moderate to heavy weight, focusing on clean and explosive movement.
How to perform landmine clean and jerk:
Stand with feet in a split position, if the left leg is in front you would be using your right hand to start with the palm facing away from the leg.
Clean the bar to shoulder height as you change split, using a trust up from the hips, once it lands shoulder height, you thrust upward once again from the split, driving the bar forcefully overhead as you shoot the front leg backward into a solid split once again.
Lower the bar and repeat for the desired number of reps.
8. Sprint work
Why it's great for fighters: Sprint work builds anaerobic capacity, which improves the ability to sustain high-intensity efforts during a fight. It trains both speed and endurance, giving fighters the edge to perform explosive movements repeatedly without fatiguing quickly.
How to program it: Incorporate sprint intervals, such as 10-15 seconds of max effort followed by 45-60 seconds of rest, for 6-8 rounds. This can be done 1-2 times a week to improve conditioning, other than dedicated track / treadmill sprint days variations can be done using a rower, assault bike (tabata as an example) or even hiit conditioning pieces using just about any movements.
9. Power endurance training + Contrast sessions
Why it's great for fighters: Contrast sessions involve alternating between heavy resistance exercises and plyometric or explosive movements. This builds power endurance, which is critical for fighters who need to maintain explosiveness over an extended period.
How to program it: Contrast training should be programmed max twice a week, focusing on exercises like heavy squats followed by box jumps, or trap bar deadlifts paired with med ball slams or short distance sprints.
See article on contrast training for more information on how and why you can use these in your training.
