To be fight-ready, you need to train in the art of Muay Thai in both defence and offence and learn the techniques and movements needed for the sport. However this is not all you need. Before a competition, a fighter takes part in an intense 6-8 week “Fight Camp” involving intense conditioning sessions to make sure their fitness is enough to last the five three-minute rounds.
This same ideology is incorporated in our six-week Fight Camp bootcamps for the everyday person in Glasgow. We incorporate the same techniques and workout programming used for our fighters
and scaled for our clients.
During these six-week camps we incorporate a mixture of Muay Thai pad sessions and conditioning workouts. Of all the conditioning workouts we deliver, none is more effective than tabata (high-intensity interval) training. Tabatas are short, four-minute rounds involving eight mini rounds of 20 seconds' maximal work and 10 seconds' recovery.
These can be completed using almost all aspects of training including purely cardiovascular intervals as well as muscular exercises and a combination of the two is even more effective.
Always seek a doctor's approval before starting any form of exercise. Below are some of our favourite combinations of tabata, which can be performed in the gym and in the home.
Cardiovascular tabata
On the treadmill or rowing machine, complete 8 x 20 secs max intervals with 10 secs rest. Aim to maintain or increase speed and output.
Bodyweight tabata
Bodyweight squat x 20 secs
10 secs rest
Pushup x 20 secs
10 secs rest
20 secs hillclimber
10 secs rest
20 secs lunges
10 secs rest
Complete the sequence above twice for a total of eight rounds.
Abdominal tabata
Two-touch sit-up x 20 secs
10 secs rest
V-sit ups x 20 secs
10 secs rest
Hanging leg raises x 20 secs
10 secs rest
Floor wipers x 20 secs
10 secs rest
Complete the sequence above twice for a total of 8 rounds
Full-body tabata
Fight Camp conditioning
Complete 8 x 20 secs work of burpees
Aim to increase reps or maintain number of reps completed in each 20-second burst.
Gym-based tabata
20 secs med ball slam
10 secs rest
20 secs renegade row
10 secs rest
20 secs goblet squat
10 secs rest
20 secs KB swing
10 secs rest
Complete the sequence above twice for a total of eight rounds
The above five tabatas hit the body from all angles and can be a great addition into your own home and gym-based training. Remember in each 20-second burst, your aim is maximal intensity and as many quality reps as you can.
Keep a record of the speed you work at on the cardiovascular tabata and the reps you manage to achieve on each of the bodyweight and weighted tabatas. That way, week to week you can aim to improve. Investing in a stopwatch and whiteboard will be invaluable in your training for tabatas.
Muay Thai skill by Tommy Young
Kicking technique
All Muay Thai techniques will begin and end in stance or guard, which was covered last weekend. To recap: start with your feet under your hips; take a step forward with your non-dominant side. Turn your rear foot so your feet form an L shape. Make two fists and bring your hands up. Your rear hand should just beside your eye/temple. Your lead hand is in the same position but a little more forward. Balance should be centred between both feet.
Lead switch kick
To kick from your lead leg you must perform the switch. From stance, reverse the position of your feet with a quick skip. At the same time, push off the ball of the foot from your kicking side, pull your opposite shoulder back and drive the leg round using your hips. The Muay Thai round kick should be executed using the leg like a bat, using the shin as our striking point, not the foot.
Rear leg Round Kick
From Stance take a short step forwards and slightly out, away from your centre. At the same time, push off the ball of the foot from your kicking side, pull your opposite shoulder back and drive the leg round using your hips. The Muay Thai round kick should be executed using the leg like a bat, using the shin as our striking point, not the foot.
Multiple speed kicks
Each time you perform one kick follow up with another as soon as the kicking leg returns to position and the foot touches the floor. This is done in a spring-like manner.
Here is a fun little kicking workout to try.
Fight Camp conditioning: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 repetitions of kicks, on both legs, and burpees. The kicks should be performed in speed fashion to a bag or to kick pads. Enjoy!
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