Kettlebell

Training 
for MMA 

  

  

  

 

 

 

By: Mike Mahler

Mike Mahler is a strength coach and a certified kettlebell instructor 

based in Santa Monica, California. For more information go to 

www.mikemahler.com

.  

First Mike presents two exercises that will build explosive strength 

and increased muscular endurance with sports specific application 
for MMA athletes. 

Background & Beginner Info.  

One of the biggest mistakes that many MMA fighters make is with regards to strength 

training. Many MMA strength-training regimens consist primarily of bodybuilding 
exercises such as: barbell curls, bench presses, or even worse Nautilus machine 

exercises. At best, these exercises make your muscles stronger and bigger. However, 

most likely they will make your body tight and teach you how to isolate muscles 
instead of using your body as one unit. This is disastrous in an MMA fight.  

While standard bodybuilding exercises are great for increasing muscle mass in order 

to move up to a heavier weight class, they do not have a significant sport specific 
transfer to MMA fights. In this article, I am going to go over two exercises that will 

build explosive strength and increased muscular endurance. You will have no doubt 

that there is a sports specific application for MMA athletes. 

How I Got Into MMA...

I have been a big fan of the martial arts ever since I can remember. I used to love 

watching Bruce Lee movies and other Kung fu movies. I was amazed at the body 

mastery that these martial artists had and I have been hooked ever since. When the 
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) came out several years ago I was fascinated. 

You never knew what was going to happen and the athleticism and mental toughness 

that the UFC athletes brought to the ring was incredible.  

When I became a strength coach, I knew that I wanted to focus on making fighters 

more explosive and stronger. I wanted to develop exercises that would have a sport 
specific transfer. I started watching MMA fights from the perspective of a strength 

coach and tactician. I watched how fighters took their opponents down, got out of the 

guard, defended being taken to the ground, and how they threw punches. The more I 

watched the more excited I got. I started coming up with moves that I knew would be 
tremendously beneficial to professional MMA fighters.  

I showed a few of these moves to some of my martial arts friends and these guys 
were blown away. They saw the application immediately and got excited about 

incorporating the moves into their regimens. The feedback was so positive that I 

decided to work on a video and manual that would show all of the exercises that I 
came up with as well as several other exercises that I think are great for MMA 

fighters. Here are some of my favorites that are not for the faint of heart:  

Mike's Two Favorite MMA Exercises...

A - Full Body Attack 

This is an incredible exercise that will teach you how to use your body as one unit and 

build explosive power from the ground up. Often in a fight you have to get from the 

floor to your feet explosively against the resistance of an opponent. That is exactly 
what you are doing with the "Full Body Attack." In addition to having sport specific 

application, the "Full Body Attack" will get you in incredible shape. Try using two 53lb 

kettlebells or 50lb dumbbells for ten reps and you will have no doubt that the "Full 
Body Attack" is effective.  

 

 

Place two kettlebells or dumbbells shoulder width apart on the ground (Caution: If 
you are using dumbbells, make sure that you use the ones that will not roll around on 

the ground). Get into the top position of the pushup with both hands on the 
kettlebells. Do a pushup on the kettlebells. The second that you complete the rep, hop

forward explosively while holding onto the kettlebells. Now you are in the starting 

position of the clean. Clean both kettlebells and drive through with the hip flexors 
rapidly.  

 

 

Your elbows should be tucked in and in line with your stomach at the top of the 
movement. Now reverse the motion and do another rep. Start off with three sets of 

five, two to three times a week until you get the hang of it. After you have the 
technique down, work up to three sets of ten. If you are under 200lbs, have a goal of 

doing twenty-five reps straight with two 53lb kettlebells. If you are over 200lbs, have 

a goal of dong twenty-five reps straight with two 70lb kettlebells.  

B - Full Body Defense 

In addition to learning how to go from the ground to your feet explosively, an MMA 
fighter needs to be able to go from the feet to the ground rapidly as well to avoid 

takedowns. That is precisely what the "Full Body Defense" will assist you with. Similar 

to the "Full Body Attack", the "Full Body Defense" will get you in shape and build 
incredible muscular endurance when done for high reps. Start the exercise by cleaning

two kettlebells to your shoulders. Push your pelvis at the top of the clean so that that 

you can press your elbows against your stomach and keep the kettlebells tucked in. 
Take the kettlebells to the floor in the clean position.  

 

 

back into the clean position, clean the kettlebells, and then proceed with another rep. 

Again, work on doing three sets of five, two to three times a week. After you have the 

technique down, work up to three sets of ten. If you are under 200lbs, have a goal of 
doing twenty-five reps straight with two 53lb kettlebells. If you are over 200lbs, have 

a goal of dong twenty-five reps straight with two 70lb kettlebells.  

 

 

 

There you have it, two exercises that will get you in great shape and build sport 

specific strength that will carry over to the ring in no time. Next time, I will go over 
some other great exercises that will develop ballistic shock and wrist strength.  

Building A Powerful Takedown!

One of the most important components of being a successful 

Mixed Martial Arts fighter is having powerful takedown abilities. In 
this article, I am going to go over three exercises to enhance your 

takedown strength. 

One of the most important components of being a successful Mixed Martial Arts 
fighter is having powerful takedown abilities. Top fighters such as UFC champ Matt 

Hughes and UFC light-heavy weight champ Randy Couture have exceptional takedown 
abilities that frustrate respective opponents to no end. These champions take their 

opponents down with pure confidence and you can tell that their opponents never 

knew what hit them.  

If you cannot take an opponent down you are at an extreme disadvantage. Of course, 

knowing what to do after you take an opponent down is critical as well. However, that 

is a topic for another article. In this article, I am going to go over three exercises to 
enhance your takedown strength.  

The Exercises

A - Kettlebell Duck Walk

The Kettlebell Duck Walk is modeled after the exact move that wrestlers use to take 

down opponents. Many MMA fighters and grapplers such as five time UFC champion 

Frank Shamrock already do bodyweight duck walks as part of their conditioning 
program. However, when you are in the ring you will be working against an opponent 

so why not add some resistance to the duck walk to develop more power and 

strength.  

 

a step forward with the leg that is on the same side as the kettlebell. Let the leading 

leg's knee drop down to the ground and slide the other leg forward. Now drop that 

leg's knee and repeat. A key point for the proper execution of the Kettlebell Duck 
Walk is to always look forward. Once you get in motion stay in motion. This is not a 

super slow exercise. It needs to be executed quickly and forcefully.  

Imagine that you are driving through an opponent and finish what you start. Take a 

breath before you start the Duck Walk and then breathe out forcefully as you drive 

forward. Also, to avoid scrapping your knees, make sure to practice Kettlebell Duck 
Walks on soft grass or preferably a wrestling mat. Work your way across the mat, 

switch arms, and work your way back to the starting position. Ten reps per side will 

get the job done.  

B - Kettlebell Split Snatch

Kettlebell Split Snatches will build tremendous explosive power for takedowns. Start 
with one kettlebell between your feet. Push your butt back as if you are trying to sit 

down in a chair to get into the proper starting position. Look straight ahead at all 

times. Explosively rip the kettlebell off of the ground as if you are trying to start a 
lawn mower. At the same time jump into a lunge position in order to get under the 

kettlebell. Once the kettlebell is locked out overhead, hold the position for a second 

and then stand up with the kettlebell locked out overhead at all times. The kettlebell 
should go from the ground to a locked out position in one uninterrupted move.  

 

After the move is completed, lower the kettlebell back to the starting position and 
repeat. Regarding breathing, breathe in as you rip the kettlebell off of the ground and 

out as you lower it back to the starting position. Imagine that you are trying to get 

under the kettlebell rather than drive it overhead. Due to the fact that technique is a 

tremendous factor with Kettlebell Split Snatches, a rep range of three to five will work 
well for Kettlebell Split Snatches. The key here is to develop tremendous explosive 

power rather than burning yourself out with high reps. Never let your form deteriorate

in a set of Kettlebell Split Snatches. Every rep of the Kettlebell Split Snatch should be 
executed with perfect form.  

C - Kettlebell Split Jerk

The Kettlebell Split Jerk is another excellent exercise for building explosive power for 

takedowns. Clean a kettlebell to your shoulder. Dip down a few inches, pop the 

kettlebell up and immediately jump into a lunge to get under the kettlebell and lock it 
out overhead. Stand up to complete the movement with the kettlebell locked out at all

times. From there, lower the kettlebell to your shoulder and repeat.  

Again, focus on getting under the weight rather than pressing it overhead. Many 

people make the mistake of pressing the weight overhead and then jumping into a 

lunge when the weight is locked out overhead. Just pop the kettlebell up to your 
forehead and explosively drive right under it. The point of this exercise is to develop 

strength for takedowns, not to fatigue the shoulders. Similar to the Kettlebell Split 

Snatch, the Kettlebell Split Jerk does not lend itself well to high repetitions.  

 

Nevertheless, it is not as technical as the Kettlebell Split Snatch and does not require 

as much effort. Thus, a rep range of three to six reps per set is a good range to use. 
Just make sure that each rep is completed with perfect form. The key here again is to 

develop explosive power. There are much better exercises to use for muscular 

endurance.  

There are several ways that you can incorporate the above exercises into your current 

regimen. I recommend that you do one of the takedown drills in each workout. For 
example, if you workout three times a week using a M-W-F schedule, do a few sets of 

Kettlebell Duck Walks on Monday, a few sets of Kettlebell Split Snatches on 

Wednesday, and several sets of Kettlebell Split Jerks On Friday. Do the takedown 

exercises towards the beginning of your workouts when you are fresh. Definitely avoid
doing them when fatigue reaches a peak in your workouts. Practice these takedown 

strength exercises for a month and you will be amazed at the difference it makes.  

About The Author: Mike Mahler is a strength coach and a certified kettlebell instructor 

based in Santa Monica, California. For more information on Mike's new DVD "Mahler's 

Aggressive Strength For The Mixed Martial Arts", go to 

http://www.mikemahler.com/store/

Site last updated on February 12th, 2005