Love It or Hate It – Every MMA Athlete Needs To Be Running.
Whether you love it or hate it, it’s without argument that running is an essential part of any MMA athlete’s workout routine. Running’s numerous benefits like, improving cardiovascular endurance, leg muscle endurance, and overall health, can’t be ignored. Here are some of the key benefits that running will provide you as an MMA athlete. (Even if you’re not an athlete, running is going to help you get in shape.)
Cardiovascular Endurance
There is no doubt that MMA is a sport that requires an incredibly high level of cardiovascular endurance and running is an excellent way for you to build this endurance. Our cardiovascular system is responsible for delivering the oxygen and nutrients to the muscles in our body. When someone is running, the heart rate increases and the lungs work harder to provide the muscles with the oxygen and nutrients required to continue functioning. As you continue to run and increase the demands of that run, your cardiovascular system begins to adapt to this increased demand, over-time leading to an improvement in your cardiovascular endurance.
Leg Muscle Endurance
MMA is going to make your legs tired. It’s a tough sport in many ways and the amount of work we put our legs through is only a testament to that. Endurance here is key, and running is an excellent way to improve endurance in our leg muscles. As MMA athletes, we rely heavily on our legs for more than just kicking. Grappling and wrestling both require a fair bit of leg muscle endurance, especially during takedowns. Our leg muscles help to create explosive movement and control our opponent during a scramble. Running regularly strengthens these muscles and improves their endurance, allowing you as an athlete to perform these movements for longer periods of time, and against greater resistance, without getting fatigued.
Weight Management
Weight Management is an important part of our routines as athletes and at times, managing that weight can be difficult. Running is an excellent way to manage that weight. Running works to maintain a healthy weight for optimal performance by burning calories and stimulating metabolism.
Mental Health
Running is also beneficial for mental health. In some cases, running has been shown to help in reducing or relieving the feelings of stress, anxiety, and can curb depression. As MMA athletes, we often face a lot of pressure or stress. Running is just one way to help clear your mind and focus your intention all while providing a great workout!
Here are some tips to help you incorporate running into your workout routine.
- Start Slowly
It’s essential to start slowly when beginning. Believe it or not, if you’re new to this, running can be hard on your joints and muscles and overdoing it can lead to exhaustion and muscle fatigue pretty quickly. Hitting that wall will only slow your progress. Start with short distances and gradually increase the distance as your endurance improves.
2. Mix it Up
It’s also helpful to mix up your running routine. Incorporate hill sprints, interval sprints, as well as long, slow runs to keep your body challenged.
3. Proper Equipment
Having the proper footwear is crucial for MMA athletes who want to add running to their workout routine. Look for footwear that’s going to provide support to reduce your risk of injury or strain.
Get out there! Running is essential exercise and as an MMA athlete, it should definitely be a staple of your workout routine. It improves cardiovascular endurance, leg muscle endurance, aids in weight management, and has numerous mental health benefits. By incorporating running into your workout routine and following the tips given above, you will feel an improvement in your overall health and fitness and hell, you might actually start to enjoy running.
