15 Minute KILLER Home Workout For Fighters (Body Weight, HIIT & Shadowboxing)

INTENSE MUAY THAI WORKOUT WITH ZERO EQUIPMENT NECESSARY

By Evan Lee

We’re all locked in quarantine right now. It sucks to not be able to get into the gym and train. But that doesn’t mean we can’t keep improving our Muay Thai skills! We won’t let this virus get us down and keep us from getting after it. No equipment needed for this workout. 

Before we get into it, let me break down the benefits of body weight training first. Body weight training is a fantastic form of training whether it’s for building strength, power, or endurance. Plus, it is also incredibly effective to build an aesthetic body. Just think about gymnasts. Gymnasts are insanely strong, insanely powerful, and look like they’re all carved out of marble, and all they use is their body weight. 

It is also difficult to get injured or overtrain when you’re using your body weight. You don’t have to worry about losing tightness only to have a heavy barbell drop on your chest. And if what you’re worried about is undertraining, just know that there are so many variations of exercises that you can do. Regular push-up too easy? Try clapping push-ups. Clapping push-ups too easy? Try a double clap. You can modify bodyweight exercises endlessly to suit your skill level. 

With those benefits presented, let’s get into the workout!

15 Minute KILLER Home Workout For Fighters (Body Weight, HIIT & Shadowboxing)

The Ideal Bodyweight Training For Muay Thai

A huge emphasis of this workout is your lower body and your core. Training these two pieces is arguably more important than training your upper body. After all, movement and power comes mostly from the core and lower body rather than the upper body. 

That’s why you should emphasize lower body and core work over that of upper body. It’s nice to have a good looking upper body, nice to have a big bench press and shoulder press, but that’s not nearly as nice as being able to hit with power and move well, which is enabled by a strong lower body and core. 

You don’t have to be a giant or a Yoel Romero or Brock Lesnar -looking fighter to be a champion. Just look at how the Thais train: most of their emphasis is on technique and with some body weight exercise as a supplement. 

However, if you want to add more to your strength and conditioning, here are some tips to help guide you. Remember that you can NEVER overdevelop (not overtrain) your core, glutes, or upper back. You will never make a mistake by putting more time into developing your core, glutes, or upper back. Can you ever imagine yourself saying, “oh, my core is too strong, I need to tone it down a little”? 

If you overdevelop your quads, you can create an imbalance in the body. The same cannot be said for the 3 muscle groups/muscles above. Furthermore, each muscle/muscle group can greatly improve a vital aspect of fighting. The stronger your core, the more balanced you are and the better you’ll move. The stronger your glutes, the more powerful your lower body is. If you have a strong upper back, you will be very strong in the clinch. (Take it from Dieselnoi.)

And just remember, these workouts are simply a supplement to your training. Make sure they do not instead subtract from training. Good luck!