Keeping Fit With Your Dog As Your Training Partner
Having a training partner for MMA is great external motivation that can help to keep you going through tough training sessions. They can help to keep you consistent and give you a goal to work towards. Your MMA training partner doesn’t need to be of the human variety in order to be good at motivating – your dog can also help you keep fit and lose weight, especially as they need a walk at least twice a day. Here are three training exercises that you can do with your dog to boost your strength and stamina, so that you’re ready to fight.
Running
The ideal running partner should have plenty or energy and endurance, as well as being obedient and low-maintenance. If your dog is well-behaved when they are walking on the lead, it is likely that they will also be quite happy running, without pulling, or stopping suddenly. Start them off with short jogs of ten minutes, and build up to longer distances over a few weeks. For MMA you will need to build up your fitness levels over time, to avoid injury.
If you want to go for a run with your dog, you need to bear in mind the dog’s breed, level of fitness and their age. A young collie or Labrador will happily jog along for a few miles if the weather isn’t too hot. An elderly Westie will certainly not thank you for it. Looking after your dog is the most important thing to consider.
Power walking
Power walking is excellent for general fitness levels – even a ten minute walk every day can be really effective at getting you in shape and helping to burn calories. Walking promotes good blood pressure, helps with heart function and also helps to keep cholesterol low. It will also use 200 muscles, just to take a single step. Building up muscle is essential for MMA and walking can be surprisingly effective.
Use your dog’s walkies as the perfect excuse to practice your power walking. Focus on your posture and breathing. Try and keep your body symmetrical when you are walking – this will help you with your MMA training too, boosting your endurance levels. Concentrating on the balance of your movement can help to eliminate any issues that you have with your gait, which could potentially cause injury if it’s not corrected.
Squat and throw
Most dogs love to have a ball or other toy thrown for them. You can combine many of your repetitive training exercises with throwing a ball for your dog outside. For instance, do a set of ten squats every time you throw the ball. While you wait for the ball to be returned, alternate with a reverse lunge and torso twist. Burpees, bounds, and Russian Twists also work well. You can also reward your dog with a small treat or dog biscuit after every ten repetitions. Make sure that you warm up properly before you start, a study found that 16% of MMA injuries are through strain and many of these can be prevented simply by warming up.
Your dog can be the perfect training partner – they are happy, non-judgmental and always up for a walk. This external motivation will help to keep you focused, when you are training for your MMA fights.
