Cones and pads:

This drill will help to test your reactions as well as your S.A.Q. To perform this drill place 4 different coloured cones or makers on the floor and get your partner to stand in the middle of them. You will then call out a colour and your client must move to that cone and touch it before moving to the next one. Shout the colours out rapidly to keep your partner moving. Perform this for 45 seconds and then get your partner to move immediately onto focus pad work. Work the pads for 30 seconds throwing different combinations and making sure they keep their guard up as you throw light strikes back. At the end of 30 seconds their move back onto the cones and start again. Keep these cycles going for a 5 minute round. This is a great drill as it gets your partner thinking even when fatigued which is very beneficial for MMA or any combat sport as the moment you switch off is often the moment you get knocked out or submitted!

To make the drill harder then try this, designate one cone as a sprawl cone and every time you shout that colour your partner must run to the cone and perform a sprawl before continuing.

Swiss ball get ups:

This drill helps you to practice getting from the ground back up to your feet while your opponent tries to hold you down. With your partner lying on the floor on their backs, the idea is to place a stability ball on their chest and from here they must try and scramble back to their feet while you put pressure on the ball and try and force them back down. Once they are back up they must immediately return to the ground and repeat. See if you can perform this for a 3-5 minute round.

Swiss ball defence:

This drill is similar to the one above except this time it helps you to practice creating space between you and your opponent when you are on the floor and they are standing, helping you to be able to get back onto your feet. As above your partner starts on the floor on their backs and you stand above them holding a stability ball. Your job is to try and pin them down by placing the ball on their chest while it is their job is to keep you at bay. To do this they can slide away from you by moving their hips or kick their legs up into the ball to try and push you back. You can also combine this with the above drill by having them try and stand up on your command.

Pressure test:

 This drill will test your anaerobic capabilities and get you used to throwing continues strikes for short bursts.  The aim is to hold a kick shield by your side and then try and use it to force your partner backwards by pushing them with it. They must try and keep you at bay by using footwork to create space as well as throwing punches, knees, kicks and shoulder tackles to keep the shield off them. Start off by performing this drill for 30 seconds with a 30 seconds rest in between and see if you can complete a 5 minute round. Once you can see if you can bring the rest down so that your work periods are longer than your rests.

Bib wrestle:

This drill is great for helping with your grappling skills and is fun too! The aim is that you and your partner both place a bib or towel down the back of your shorts with enough of it hanging out so that it can be grabbed. The idea is that you must try and grab your partners bib without losing your own. Each time a bib is taken the loser must perform a forfeit such as a sprawl or burpee etc.

Shuttle sprint challenge:

This drill will only improve your striking skills but also your speed and your ability to recover quickly. For this drill you will need a timer and a space of around 8 meters. Set the timer for 1 minute intervals. Start off by working the focus pads at one end of the room for a 1 minute period. As soon as the minute is up, sprint down to a cone placed 8 metres away and touch it and sprint back. Complete this twice and then rest for whatever time is left of that minute. Once that minute is over then restart the pad work. Every time add another 2 sprints on but always keep the time to 1 minute and see if you can make it up to 10 laps. If the minute runs out before the sprints are done then the challenge is over. This challenge is great since your rest will be getting shorter each time while you work rate will be going up. It will really help to improve your ability to recover quickly after working at a high intensity.

Round 1:

Barbell clean and press x10

Switch press ups x20

Combos on punch bag x1 minute

Round 2:

TRX Low row x12

TRX Bicep curls x12

Ground and pound x1 minute

Round 3:

Dumbbell lunge with bicep curl x12

Close hand press ups x12

Combos on punch bag x1 minute

Round 4:

2 Handed kettlebell swings x12

Kettlebell high pull x12

Ground and pound x1 minute

If you haven’t got punch bags to hand or fancy a different form of cardio training then try sprints on a rower, bike or treadmill etc. Or pick bodyweight exercises such as burpees, squat thrusts etc. As long it has the desired effect of getting your heart rate up to around 85% of your max for the minute of work.

Squat curl and press x10

Narrow press ups x15

Double leg squat thrusts x20

Dumbbell wide leg squats x25

Sprinter sit-ups x30

Walk outs from prone position x35 (Start in a press up position with your feet together. Walk your left leg out to the left followed by your right leg out to the right. Walk your legs back in and repeat).

Dumbbell reverse lunge x40

Bicycle oblique twists x45

Burpees x50

1: Squats

2: Press ups

3: Sprinter sit-ups

4: Jumping jacks

5: Alternating front lunges

6: Alternating squat thrusts

: Legs up hand to toe crunch

8: Burpees

Aims:

Anything around 300 reps or above is very good going.

Below is the first circuit we did for week 1. Again each exercise was performed for 40 seconds. Rest for around 60 seconds between circuits and aim to complete 2-3 rounds.

VIPR side shuffle

Kettlebell swings

Plank

Dumbbell squat curl and press

Medicine ball reverse lunge with overhead reach

Press up position hand to shoulder taps

1. : 

Powerbag and Barbell complex:

Here are the exercises used within the complex sequence. The idea is that you perform 1 rep of each exercise moving from one to the next without stopping. Completing 1 full sequence equals a set and the aim would be to complete up to 10 sets.

Bent over row

Upright row

Clean and press (With the Powerbag version you perform this exercise holding the sides of the bag rather than the handles to make it more challenging).

Squat (Powerbag version the squat is performed with the bag on the shoulder and you would complete 1 squat per side)

Front lunge (For the Powerbag lunge you do the same as with the squat. Which ever shoulder the bag is on step forward and lunge with the opposite leg).

By using a Powerbag or some other type of sandbag makes the complex set even more challenging , especially when transitioning from one exercise to the next as the weight inside will be moving continually making gripping the bag very tough.

Dumbbell complex:

 Front lunge with row

Reverse lunge with curl and press

Side lunge with reach

Complete all 3 movements on one side and then switch legs. Once both sides have been done, this will count as 1 complex set. Aim to perform 10 in total.  

Sample workout:

When starting out with the above exercises I would normally break the complex set down and perform each individual exercise on their own. Once the client had shown good technique on each one then I would look at putting them all together. The below workout gives you an idea on how to put these complex sets into a workout.

Barbell and dumbbell complex workout:

5-10 Minute warm up.

Barbell bent over row x12

Upright Row x12

Clean and press x12

Squat x12

Alternating front lunge x12

Complex set x8-10

1-2 minute rest

Dumbbell front lunge with row x12

Reverse lunge with curl and press x12

Side lunge with reach x12

Complex set x8-10

1-2 minute rest

Barbell complex x8-10

Dumbbell complex x8-10

Cool down

TIPS:

When performing these complex sets start with a light weight as you may be surprised how taxing they can be even with a small amount of resistance. Once you can complete 10 complex sets comfortably then look at increasing the load.

When you look at a normal 1 hour training session in a gym for most people the actual time spent doing exercise would only be around 30 minutes or in some cases less. The rest of the time is often spent moving from one exercise to the next, resting between sets or talking to fellow gym goers etc. With a CTS session there is none of this as the aim is to move from 1 exercise to the next without any breaks. To achieve this continuous type of training sessions are normally run using a single piece of equipment such as a VIPR, kettlebell, weight disc or even just bodyweight. This means there is no stopping to change the resistance or switch from one piece of kit to the next. This means that a CTS workout not only takes up a short amount of time but can be done almost anywhere since you only need limited space and equipment.

You may be wondering how you could get an effective workout using just one piece of equipment. Surely the resistance would need to change from one exercise to the next? Well with a CTS workout we are not looking at developing pure strength rather we are working for strength endurance as well as increased muscle tone, aerobic fitness and reduced body fat. Since the aim of the workout is not to stop and if possible not to put the weight down this means even a low level of resistance is going to become challenging very quickly. This means this type of workout can be effective for most people regardless of fitness level. To make a session harder rather than changing the resistance of the piece of kit we are using we can change other variables. So for example, if I was doing a CTS session with a weight disc I could go from doing exercises using both arms to using 1 arm such as a 2 handed press to a single arm press. Or a normal squat to a single leg squat. I could change the tempo of the exercise or use more dynamic movements. I could start linking exercises together such as going from a forward lunge straight into a reverse lunge. There are many ways the intensity can be progressed or regressed to cater for all levels. Obviously for a beginner the main regression would be for them to take short breaks throughout the 30 minutes and then over the forthcoming weeks see if they can reduce the number of rest periods until they are training continuously. Also the great thing about these workouts is that you can just adapt the workout as you go. For example if a client is starting to feel the pace then I may give them a lower intensity exercise to help them to recover without having to stop completely and us this as an active recovery. I can adapt the session depending on the feedback I am getting from my clients.

 Below are just a few reasons why a CTS workout can be beneficial to you.

: Only takes 30 minutes

: Varied (no 2 workouts are the same)

: Progressive

: Can help to reduce body fat (By working non stop this means your heart rate will be elevated into your fat burning zone. Also by using resistance exercise it means your body will be burning calories long after the session is over)

: Increased cardio fitness (Even though it is a resistance based session again the continuous nature over it is going to really test the heart and lungs. Using dynamic movements and exercises that target the body as a whole means a CTS workout will have plenty of aerobic benefits.  

: Can be done with limited equipment

: Suitable for all fitness levels

: Fun and effective

If you would like to try out a CTS workout then contact me through the site. Who says short workouts can’t be effective!

Barbell squat

Dumbbell row from press up position

Bench hops

Reverse lunge with dumbbell shoulder press

V-sits off bench

Barbell deadlift to bicep curl

Leg raises off bench

Straddle jumps onto bench

Tip:

You could use the above training principle with any circuit of exercises. For the best results in terms of a whole body workout pick large compound exercises that work big muscle groups alongside high intensity cardio.

Ultimate fighting fitness is based around the training done by professional MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters. The workout combines exercises that the fighters use in their strength and conditioning training alongside techniques that would be found inside the cage or ring. A typical UFF workout is performed over 5×5 minute rounds with each round being made up of 5 exercises. The exercises are either completed for 30 seconds each and done twice or for 1 minute and done just the once. In the below video of 1 sample round I am performing the below 5 exercises each for a minute.

Jump knee strikes

Armbar to triangle curl

Downward weighted punches

Sprinter sit-up with elbow

Bosu sprawls

The workout can be adapted to cater for all fitness levels and the aim of the programme is not to teach you how to fight but to get you fighting fit.

If you are fitness professional who would like information on how to attend a 1 day workshop to learn this programme (worth 8 cpds) or if you just want to get fit using UFF then please get in touch via the site.

Bosu squat with cable row and dumbbell swing x12 per arm

Lunge complex x10

Rip trainer hockey shot and axe chop combo x20 per side

Rip trainer step in punch x20 per side

Vipr kayak on Bosu x10 per side