by Chris Romulo
If you are still doing bicep curls, leg extensions, and triceps push downs you are still playing Atari in an X Box world.
The world of combat sports: Muay Thai, MMA, Boxing, Wrestling and/or BJJ are some of the most dynamic and progressive means of competition around today. The thought of testing your combat abilities against another willing and able opponent is one of the most rigorous things you can put your body through and you’re training should reflect that. Muay Thai, “The Art of 8 Limbs”, “The King Of The Ring”, or “The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting” requires a practitioner to have agility, balance, endurance, flexibility, power, speed, strength and stability. All of this can be achieved through the practice of the art. Learning kicks, punches, knees and elbows will enhance all of your athletic attributes but if you want to take your training to the next level, one crucial way is to improve or integrate a strength& conditioning routine, especially if you are a competitor/fighter.
Here in the U.S. and in some other regions of the world Muay Thai is a recreational sport. Even the most successful Professional Muay Thai fighters in the U.S. must look for other avenues of income. Many look for sponsorship, coach entry level Muay Thai students, perhaps run their own gym, or hold down a full time job to pay the bills, which eats up a lot of training time to prepare for ring combat. Very few, if any, can rely solely on a Muay Thai purse to support themselves or their family.
![]() |
| Photo by Huffington Post |
Conversely, in Thailand, most fighters start at an early age training like a professional. Young NakMuays train two times a day at the very least, six days a week, living at the training camps in hopes to make it to the big time. Keeping both lifestyles in mind, Thai fighterscan get away with their marathon skill training sessions and a rudimentary strength & conditioning routine.
Here in the states, we don’t have the luxury to train from when we can walk and watch our elders (who might have been fighters) ringside as they compete/fight to feed their families.
If you want to develop a competitive advantage, update your training software.
Muay Thai fighters are not body builders. Aesthetics have no function in the ring, so hitting off a set of bicep curls is a waste of time. Three sets of ten reps of bench pressing will not enhance one’s prowess in the ring. Strength & Conditioning for fighters should resemble how one engages in the ring. I call it “pressure for time” training and ring fight is exactly that.You are under pressure for a set amount of time (2-3 minute rounds depending) to be the faster, stronger and more dominate opposition.
Who wins in a fight?
Typically the busier, more active and conditioned athlete will prevail. Does your Strength & Conditioning routine address this kind of situation? Skills are useless if your heart and lungs tire out before you can really engage in the fight. The “pressure for time” principal is about pushing your body to its limit as a complete unit under regulated time periods, mirroring the pressure which occurs during each round of a fight. Whether you think in terms of 3-2 minute rounds, 5-3 minute rounds, or 3-5 minute rounds, structure your S&C efforts with full body dynamic movements to simulate what will happen during the course of your bout. For Muay Thai fighters, if you kick and punch properly, every muscle of your body, from toes to fingertips, are hitting your target: whether it’s your opponent, heavybag or Thai pads. Begin to use movements like kettlebell swings, dumbbell renegade rows, burpees and medicine ball slams to get your body moving right.
There are a multitude of exercises to get you moving more dynamically so keep your mind open to this thought: Skills and talent are important but lets add fuel to the fire by making sure your heart and lungs not only keep you in the fight but push you to finish the fight.
Warm-up: 5 Minutes on Rope followed by Dynamic Stretching Routine
A) Round 1
3 Minute AMRAP (As many reps as possible for 3 minutes)
- 4 Spiderman push ups
- 6 Medicine ball rainbow slams
- 8 KettlebellOverHead swings
***45-second rest
B) Round 2
3 Minute AMRAP
- 1 Burpee
- 3 Kettlebell Deadlift High Pull
- 5 Medicine Ball Thrusters
***45-second rest
C) Round 3
3 minute AMRAP
- 8 Hindu Pushups
- 8 Cossack Squats
- 8 Sit-throughs
***45-second rest
D) Round 4
3 minute AMRAP
- 2 alternating kettlebell snatches
- 4 kettlebell crossover lunge
- 6 goblet squats
***45-second rest
E). Round 5
3 minute AMRAP
CROMPLEX- Complete as many repetitions you can smoothly and efficiently as possible in the three-minute period.
Visit Shred by CROM on YouTube to receive a complete breakdown of each movement along with the full length work out to follow along with. Chris Romulo is a retired Muay Thai champion, Muay Thai & Strength & Conditioning Coach, owner of CROM Physical Culture and Creator of SHREDbyCROM™. After a total of 32 years of trial and error through fitness, conditioning, martial arts, sports, and “play” Chris has taken what works, sculpted away what doesn’t and painted a different way to engage in Physical Culture.
