Are you a Muay Thai enthusiast/fighter looking to take your skills to the next level? If so, you might want to consider adding weightlifting to your training routine.
While improving your technique is undoubtedly essential, focusing only on Muay Thai training may not be enough to compete at the highest level. Physical attributes like strength and cardiovascular fitness play a critical role as well.
Adding weightlifting to your regimen can help enhance your striking power, balance, and overall endurance. Even the most skilled fighter can lose to a less skilled opponent with better physical attributes, so weightlifting is a long-term investment that can accelerate your growth as a Muay Thai fighter.
If you're new to weightlifting or looking to expand your routine, we've got you covered. We've put together a list of six weightlifting exercises specifically tailored to improving your Muay Thai skills. But before we dive in, let's talk about why these exercises are so important for Muay Thai fighters.
Why Should Muay Thai Fighters Do Weight-Lifting?
To be a successful Muay Thai fighter, you must prioritize improving your technique. It's the most significant advantage you can have in the ring. However, relying only on Muay Thai training won't be enough to compete at the highest level. Physical attributes such as cardiovascular fitness and strength play an important role as well.
To address this, adding strength training to your routine is essential. Doing so can enhance your striking power, balance, movement inside the ring, and overall endurance. Think of your body as a race car, and weightlifting as the modifications that enable it to perform better.
Remember, even the most skilled fighter can lose to a less skilled opponent with better physical attributes. That's why weightlifting is a long-term investment that can benefit all aspects of your life and accelerate your growth as a Muay Thai fighter.
Weight Exercise to Improve Your Muay Thai Skills
1. Deadlifts
These exercises engage several muscle groups, including your calves, hamstrings, traps, glutes, and abs, which can help increase overall muscle strength in your body. Deadlifts also strengthen your core, which is essential for maintaining stability and balance during combat.
However, it's crucial to keep in mind that proper form is essential when performing deadlifts. If you don't perform them correctly, you could end up putting a lot of strain on your lower back, which could lead to injury.
So, before you try to perform explosive reps, make sure you master the correct form. By incorporating deadlifts into your training regimen and focusing on proper form, you can develop strength, power, and stability that will ultimately help improve your performance in the ring.
2. Squats
By increasing explosive and reactive strength in your legs, you can transfer more power into your strikes and kicks. Additionally, there are several versions of squats that you can try to target different muscles in your lower body.
So, don't hesitate to experiment with different variations and find the one that works best for you. Incorporating squats into your training routine can help you build a solid foundation of strength and power, which can ultimately improve your performance as a Muay Thai fighter.
3. Lunges
Unlike squats, lunges require you to perform each rep with only one leg, making it a more challenging exercise. It's recommended to keep your feet a little more than shoulder-width apart with a straight-back posture when performing lunges. For an additional challenge, you can hold dumbbells or kettlebells in your hands.
Moreover, lunges are an excellent unilateral exercise that requires both sides of your body to perform the same amount of work, which helps to address muscle imbalances. This way, your weaker side can catch up with your stronger side, which can be beneficial for you in the ring.
4. Bench Press
If you don't have access to bench-pressing equipment, push-ups are an excellent substitute. But, keep in mind that you won't get the full benefits of the exercise if you can do more than eight reps with each set. That's because you need to stay in the sweet spot for power and explosiveness.
To keep things challenging, try different variations of push-ups, like one-handed push-ups.
5. Pull-ups
Since pull-ups are a bodyweight exercise, they challenge your muscles by requiring you to lift your entire body weight using your arms and back muscles. The exercise becomes even more challenging if you perform your reps explosively.
If you are finding pull-ups too easy, try adding weights to a weight belt to increase the difficulty and get more out of the exercise.
6. Rows
To get the most out of your back workout, include dumbbell rows in your routine as well. This exercise forces each side of your body to work independently, helping to correct any muscle imbalances you may have.
Proper Weight Traning Program for Muay Thai
To maximize the benefits of weightlifting, Muay Thai fighters need to follow a proper program that's tailored to their individual needs. Factors like their competitive level, training frequency, strengths, and weaknesses are all important to consider. If you're an amateur fighter or just a casual Muay Thai enthusiast who trains a few days a week, lifting weights three times per week is recommended.
For more competitive fighters, it's best to aim for two to three weightlifting sessions per week, depending on their specific requirements. However, as a fight approaches, the frequency should be reduced to one to two times per week.
It's important to keep the program simple and straightforward, without any fancy routines. One day should be dedicated to working the upper body, while another day is dedicated to the lower body.
If you are serious about your Muay Thai training and want to improve your skills, look no further than Ubud Muay Thai!
Our strength training classes are specifically tailored for Muay Thai fighters and will help you build the explosive power, endurance, and strength needed to excel in the ring. Don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your training and take your fighting to the next level!