"ring ready workout" - train like a muay thai fighter with this killer workout!

8/2/2019 "RING READY WORKOUT" - Train like a Muay Thai fighter with this killer workout!

1/4

WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM MAY 2012

By Morgan Tran

RING-READYWORKOUTTr n l ke Muay

Thai fg ter w t

t s k ller worko t!

Known as The Art o Eight Limbs, Muay Thai(translated Thai Boxing)is a brutal stand-up

combative martial art that combines punches, elbows, knees and kicks.It originates rom Southeast Asia,

particularly Thailand, and evolvedout o muay boran (ancient boxing),

an unarmed combat method usedby Siamese soldiers a ter they losttheir weapons in battle. MuayThai is an extremely e ectiveand practical martial art, and hasbecome increasingly popular withthe recent interest o MMA (MixedMartial Arts).

It is commonly said that fghtersare the fttest, and a ter competingin numerous sports since childhood,I will admit that I didnt hit my

peak as an athlete physically and

mentally until I stepped into thering to compete in Muay Thai.When I train to be ring ready, Iknow that its vital my cardio isabove my opponents, as cardio isking when you step in the ring. Ihave to be prepared to be quick,explosive and power ul the entireround or each round, which meansI train or endurance with bursts o speed and power.

Remember, you dont have to bea competitive fghter to train likeone!! Happy training!

COVERSTORY

Photography by James Patrick, JamesPatrick.com; Gym locatio

Muay Thai expert, Morgan Tran, with herhusband, Master Hung Tran, ownTran's Martial Arts & Fitness Center inLongmont, Colorado. Their favorite MaxMuscle store is Max Muscle Longmont.


2/4

23MAY 2012 WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM

THE WORKOUT

a c mp ons p fg t n MT cons sts o fve ro nds.T s R ng-Re d Worko tcons sts o fve t ree-m n te

ro nds, e c ro nd ollowedb one-m n te rest*.

WARM UP(5 m n tes)

Jump rope

ROUND 1(1 m n te e c )

Burpee into roundhouseKicKs

shadow Boxing with

hand weights aBs with elBow striKes

Rest or jump rope for 1 minute


squat into Front KicKuppercuts with resistanceBands

aBs into JaB-cross


ROUND 3

(1 m n te e c )lunge into Knee striKe (30seconds each side)pushup into elBow striKe

aBs with elBow striKe



Burpee into roundhouseKicKs

shadow Boxing withhand weights

aBs into JaB-cross



squat into Front KicKuppercuts with resistanceBands

aBs with elBow striKe

COOL DOWN(5 m n tes)

Jump rope

*Note About 1-Minute Rest Between Rounds: When you step into thering, its important to be able to stay calm. I always go all out when I train, butoccasionally during the rest period, I actually practice going back to my corner toget my heart rate back down and check myself to be sure Im calm. Other daysI do sprints or jump rope in between to keep my heart rate up. As a ghter, itsimportant to practice both.

**Muay Thai Fighting Stance: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. If youare right-handed step back with the right leg in a comfortable and solid positionand foot turned about 45 degrees outward. If you are left-handed, do the same,but with the left leg. Stand on the balls of your feet (light on your feet). Stance

is strong, stable and mobile.

THE EXERCISESJUMP ROPE(Warm up andcool down) Ialmost always

jump ropebefore I spar orfght because it

warms up mybody (withoutdepleting meof energy)and helps merelax, focus andprepare mentally.I often jumprope betweenrounds in trainingor in betweenexercises to keepmy heart rate up.For this workout,

you'll jump ropeat the end, too.

UPPERCUTS WITH RESISTANCE BAND (Rounds 2 and 5) Stand in MuayThai** stance with resistance band placed under the front foot. Perform uppercutsto the body and chin level, being sure to rotate the body. One hand performs the

uppercut while the other hand is up by the face.

A B

Note: the exercises are not listed in a specifc order as some are used in multiple rounds.


3/4

4 WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM MAY 2012

BURPEE INTO ROUNDHOUSE KICKS (Rounds 1 and 4) Start withfeet shoulder-width apart, bend down and place hands on the ground. Kick feetback so your body, from your head to your feet, is in alignment, abs tight. Avoidarching or overextending your back. Bring feet back to your hands and standup. Perform a right roundhouse kick followed by a left roundhouse kick. For aroundhouse kick, pivot the standing foot and stand tall on the ball of your foot,rotate hips until they are perpendicular to the ground. The arm that is on thesame side as the standing leg should be tight against your ribs with hand close

to your face, ready for defense. The arm on the side of the kicking leg is used tofollow through for power as your hips rotate.

SHADOW BOXINGWITH HAND

WEIGHTS (Rounds1 and 4) Recommended2- to 5-pound handweights. Avoid using aweight that will causeyou to compromise goodform. Shadow boxingmimics punching a targetor bag by punchingthe air. Continuous

jabs, cross, hooks anduppercuts (see "PunchIt" on next page for howto execute these moves).

Exhale on every punch.

ABS INTOJAB-CROSS (Rounds 2 and4) Start in thetraditional sit-upposition. Come up,twist to jab, thentwist the otherway to cross.Come down and

repeat.

ABS WITH ELBOW STRIKES (Rounds 1, 3 and 5)Start in the traditional sit-up position, bring the legs up to 90 degrees, lock

your ankles together and separate your knees. Crunch up and twist bringingyour elbow through the opening between your knees (this is called a spike

elbow). Come back down and do the same on the other side.

A

A

A

B

B

B

C

C


4/4

25MAY 2012 WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM

Punch It! Jab: Done with the lead arm. As you punch, handshould be in a fst, leading with the knuckles o yourpointer and middle fngers. Extend arm with slightbend (just less than 100 percent extension) to avoidover-extension that leads to elbow injury. Pretendthere is a rubber band rom your ribs to the pointo your elbow to enhance speed and sharpness,

extending and returning as quickly as possible.

While punching, be aware that power comes romyour entire body and rotation o the hips and notentirely rom arm strength. Abs are tight. Exhalesharply at the point o impact, even when onlypunching in the air. The hand that is not punchingshould be up by your ace, with fst just under eyelevel, and arm tight to the body.Cross: Per ormed with the back arm, this is yourpower punch, your knockout punch. It is vital to

pivot the back oot, hips and shoulders. Lead hand

is up by the ace, with fst just under eye-levearm tight to body.Hooks: Either to the body or head level or atarget. Be sure to pivot oot, hips and shouldercomes rom the body, not the arms alone. Otheis up by your ace. Avoid swinging the arm.Uppercuts: Target is chin level. Like the hookbe sure to pivot oot, hips and shoulder. Power

rom the body, not the arms alone. Other hand

by your ace. Avoid swinging the arm.

SQUAT INTO FRONT KICK (Rounds 2 and 5) With feet hip-width apart, squatdown as if youre sitting in a cha ir, being sure abs are tight, back is straight and knees dontpush out beyond your toes. Both hands are in ghting position, up by your face. Standup and extend your right leg into a front kick (called a teep in Muay Thai). Pretend as if youre pushing something away from you, following through with the ball of your foot. Abs

should be tight. Left hand is up by your face, right hand follows through next to your rightleg (for power). Repeat the squat, then follow the same technique with your left leg, keepingyour right hand by your face and left arm follows through next to your left leg.

LUNGE INTO KNEE STRIKE (Round 3) Step back into a lunge, being surethat at your lowest point, the front leg and back leg are bent at 90 degrees. Bring theback leg up into a knee strike, pushing the hips forward and extending with the pointof your knee. Hands follow through to the side you are performing the knee strike. Stepback into a lunge and repeat.

PUSHUP INTO ELBOW STRIKE (Round 3) Start in a strong pushupposition, being sure that abs are tight andthat you are in alignment from your headto your toes. Perform a pushup, bendingarms to about 90 degrees. At the top of yourpushup, bend your right arm straight up tothe ceiling, leading with your elbow and look to the ceiling. Immediately come back down

into a pushup and repeat on the left side.

A

A

B

C

A

B

B

"ring ready workout" - train like a muay thai fighter with this killer workout!

Documents