Body weight exercises are a staple of any fighter’s training regime.

Here our resident S&C guru shows you how to take them to the next level…

Sometimes people have a tendency to forget the best piece of fitness equipment out there is your own body. I have been around martial arts and strength training for over 28 years now and it’s great to have all this fancy equipment around. Believe me, I use to get all ‘jacked’ when I walked into a gym and all you could see were rows and rows of high-spec equipment. It would remind you of walking into an airplane hangar and seeing F-15s as far as the eye could see.

In the end however, using your own body weight is a time-tested and proven formula. It has been around since the dawn of man.

The military uses it and some of the best fighters in the world use body weight exercises. So why exactly? Here’s five simple reasons:

Portable – your body is always with you.

Reliable – it doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, just feed and water it regularly.

Functional – you make exercises that mimic your activity

Ease of use – no need to read a fancy manual

No rules – the possibility of exercises is endless. 

As Albert Einstein said, “with a little inspiration and a lot of perspiration” you can get a great workout just like a fighter.

Just remember we move in four basic ways: locomotion, level change, rotation and push/pull. If you want to work your muscles effectively and efficiently, remember to exercise with that in mind.

In this column I will show you my top-five body-weight exercises that I use for my pro-fighter clients, such as UFC featherweight Kenny Florian, Stephan Bonnar, Kurt Pellegrino, Marcus Davis, Nate Quarry, Daniel Gracie, Patrick Cote, Alberto Crane and Alex Karalexis. 

The Squat

The reason I start with a leg exercise is because it’s generally the first thing to go in a fight. They make up 50% of your body! 

Body weight squat, beginner

1: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

2: Keep the weight on the heels as you sit into your glutes.

3: Lower your body and keep your head up

4: Go as low as your flexibility allows and then return to start position. Rep range 20 to 100 if you want to be evil.

Body weight squat, intermediate

As above, yet as you come up out of the squat you are going step laterally and squat again. You will be moving sideways as you squat. Rep range 20 to 30.

Body weight squat, advanced

Now we are going to try a one-legged squat. 

1: Stand on one foot and elevate the other leg.

2: Place a chair, if needed, behind you and squat down until your butt hits the chair.

3: Return to top position.

Rep range five to 20.

The Push-up

Push-ups are as much about upper-body strength as they are about core strength.

Push-up, beginner

1: Place your hands under your shoulders and your knees off the ground.

2: Keep your head up as you lower your chest down to the ground keeping your back straight.

3: Push off the ground and return to top position.

Rep range 10 to100.

Push-up, intermediate

This time we are going to add a lateral component to it just like the squat. Same as above, but then you are going to move your hands and feet laterally as you push up again.

Rep range 10 to 20 left and 10 to 20 right.

Push-up, advanced 

Follow the same principles as beginner. The difference is as you push up you will lift one arm off the ground and rotate your body. The end motion is that arm will be facing the ceiling. Now repeat on the other side. Rep range 10 to 20.

The Chin-up

Chin-ups are one the most important exercises. You need to be able to pull your own body weight as well as push! If no chin-up bar is available then go to your local playground and use the monkey bars, or the top of a door frame will do – just test its durability first.

Chin-ups, beginner 

1: Place your hands about shoulder width on the bar.

2: Place a chair behind you if need to decrease body weight.

3: Raise your body up and chin above the bar.

Rep range five to10

Chin-ups, intermediate 

As above, except grip the bar with one hand over and one hand under. 

Chin-ups, advanced

1: Place a towel or gi top over the bar or bars.

2: Grasp the towel or gi. 

3: Pull yourself up to the bar. 

Rep range five to 10.