Conditioning for Muay Thai- What you need to know

As a Muay Thai practitioner, strength and conditioning for Muay Thai are at the very heart of the sport. Without the appropriate strength and stability in your body, your technical skills won’t be pushed to their best. Pad work, sparring and Muay Thai techniques are probably regular features of your training routine, but these need to be complemented with other supporting exercises to ensure you remain healthy, avoid injury, and are able to strike even harder.

It’s safe to say the enjoyment of Muay Thai training can only be fully achieved when regular strength and conditioning is incorporated into your routine as well. With that being said, here are a handful of strength and conditioning exercises you should weave into your training regime right away.

How to Get Conditioned for Muay Thai

Conditioning for Muay Thai training involves gaining as much strength as possible as a Muay Thai practitioner. This is a huge advantage when it comes to honing in on your skills and reaching your goals. Ensuring your body is as strong and healthy as possible will help you to strike harder and stay injury free. Consider the following six additional strength and conditioning exercises to help you improve your fitness from all angles.

1. Skipping

Skipping is an excellent way to add in extra cardio to your Muay Thai training sessions. It can also help you to refine your footwork, improve balance and overall coordination. With the Twins SR2 skipping rope or the Thai Style Tube Skipping Rope you can add skipping into your workout routine seamlessly. You can also opt for a heavy skipping rope to help you build shoulder endurance and grip strength. Start with one minute of skipping if you’re just starting out and gradually build up to a five minute lung busting cardio workout!

2. Burpees

Burpees are such a powerful full body exercise which consist of explosive movements benefitting your entire body. As a Muay Thai practitioner they’re an excellent source of conditioning and you can switch them up according to your goals. From traditional, to push-up burpees you can use these to improve your speed, agility and strength.

3. Running

If you want to focus on getting your conditioning to a high level, then running is the ideal exercise to add to your regime. When it comes to running you can adapt your style each time, going on long, slow, short sprints or a combination of walking and running will help to improve your fitness levels. 

4. Pull ups

Pull ups will not only help to strengthen your shoulders, but they’ll also give your back an epic conditioning workout too. You can work your way up to a pull up by starting with dead hands on the bar. One minute of hanging when you’re just starting out is a great goal to begin with! With this bright Fairtex full print t-shirt, you can be sure that you’re a stand-out in the gym when doing your pull ups.

5. Push ups

Push ups are beneficial for your entire upper body which will serve you well in all of your Muay Thai moves. It is a classic and easy movement that is a well-known way to improve your strength and conditioning. Start off with push ups against a wall until you build up the strength to do multiple sets in a row; you’ll start to see improvements quickly if you’re consistent with push-up exercises. 

6. Plyometric Movements

Plyometric movements help you to develop your speed in Muay Thai and they’re an incredible conditioning workout too. Plyometric moves include jumping, alternate lunges, jump squats and box jumps.

How long does it take to condition your body for Muay Thai?

By creating a structured weekly plan, you can stick to a consistent exercise regime and see results quickly. Aim to do a combination of these exercises around 3-4 times a week and don’t forget to mix up your workouts for variation.

Incorporate strength and conditioning into your Muay Thai training

Building strength, stamina and speed as a Muay Thai athlete will help you to hit with more accuracy and power. A strong and well-rounded athlete will also be much less prone to injury, which is a huge benefit if you truly love what you do. It’s a no-brainer to add some of these simple exercises into your everyday regime, so that you can start to see noticeable improvements in your conditioning and strength as a Muay Thai athlete!