Combat sports
A combat sports fitness program genuinely doesn't look like any other: power has to stay fully available after several minutes of intense effort, not just on a single maximal one.
Combat Sports specifically builds power and robustness over a full 9 weeks at three sessions a week, with specific cardio that mimics round intervals rather than plain continuous running. Neck and core strengthening fully rounds out the program, two key areas that take a heavy toll on impact and get neglected everywhere else.
This program always fully complements technical training at the club, it never replaces it: boxing, MMA or grappling are only ever properly learned on the mat, with a real partner or coach right in front of you.
Not sure yet?
Try the method first with the Starter Week: three full-body sessions written like our Combat sports programs, free, no credit card.
What strength and conditioning do combat sports need?
A program that builds force you can actually use in a fight, without ever crowding out technical training. Combat Sports preps boxers, judokas, wrestlers and grapplers over 9 weeks, at three sessions a week, in a gym or with a simple pair of dumbbells. The block moves through three 3-week phases, one intent per phase: first anchor the movement patterns, then build strength, then turn that strength into power. Inside each phase, the three weeks follow the same progression cycle: a first week to set your reference loads at the prescribed reps and RIR, then two weeks that build on those numbers.
Useful strength, not extra bulk
In the ring or on the mat, muscle that doesn't serve the movement costs you twice: at the weigh-in and in your gas tank. So the program doesn't chase mass: it develops rotational power, hip extension and the transfer from legs to torso, the qualities that strike, throw and control. If your season runs through a weight class, our athlete's nutrition guide lays out how to eat to match the training.
Grip and neck: what rarely gets trained elsewhere
Hands that never release a grip and a neck that absorbs impact matter as much as a heavy squat. The program sets aside time for grip strength and for neck and core reinforcement, areas under heavy stress at contact and neglected in most classic plans. Grip strength is even one of the signals reassessed at the end of each phase, alongside execution quality and how fresh you feel at the club.
How many sessions a week on top of club training?
Three, and no more: boxing, MMA and grappling are learned on the mat, and the gym only exists to serve that practice. The program's conditioning mimics the intervals of a round rather than plain continuous running, so power stays available after several minutes of hard effort. And if two recovery signals turn red at the end of a phase (sleep, freshness, execution), the instruction is simple: repeat the last week in a lighter version before moving on.
The PDF: a 9-week roadmap
The program is a PDF: exercises, sets, rest times, week-by-week progression and alternatives based on your equipment, full gym or dumbbells only. Download it once and it stays yours for good. Other disciplines are covered by our sports performance programs, and if you want a pure strength cycle outside fight season, our strength programs take over from there.