MMA Ab Workout – 3 Simple Exercises that Don’t Require Any Equipment

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by Corey Beasley

The benefits of training your abs/core are widely accepted, especially when it comes to training mma fighters. In today's video, I'm going to showcase 3 body weight ab exercises that don't require any equipment. You can do these on the mat, at home, in a hotel or just about anywhere you need to sneak in an mma ab workout. These can be done as part of your warm up or after the primary lifts. If these are new for you, then start slowly, practice the exercises for a few weeks, pay close attention to the details and then progress over time.

3 Types of Ab Exercises

Anti-Rotation and Rotation
Anti Extension and Flexion
Lateral Anti-Extension and Lateral Flexion

MMA Ab Workout: 3 Bodyweight Ab Exercises for Fighters

Shoulder Touches

Start in the top plank position, hands together, feet apart. Without moving your legs, hips or spine, simply lift one hand and touch your opposite shoulder. Alternate shoulder touches for reps or time to meet your goals.

Key point: Do not let the body rotate or shift during the exercise.

Hand Walk Outs

Start in the top plank position, brace throughout the body and walk your hand slowly out in front of you. Go as far as you can, while maintaining tension in your trunk, then simply walk your hands back to the start position.

Key Point: Maintain tension throughout the movement and progress slowly over time. You should never have any discomfort in the low back during this drill.

Advanced Side Planks

Start in a side plank position, elbow under the shoulder, body straight from your head to your feet. Create tension throughout your body and then simply elevate the top leg, without rotating the toe or shifting your body to compensate.

Key Point: Make sure your body is straight from start to finish, while paying close attention to any shift or compensation that may occur during the exercise.

Corey Beasley has been a strength coach for over 20 years, working with a wide variety of people and opened 2 successful gyms in Southern California. He is the founder of fightcampconditioning.com, which showcases workouts and coaches that work with combat athletes. Today he splits his time between training, writing, podcasting and developing resources to help people move and perform at their best.