Design Your Own Muay Thai Workout

Why Design Your Own Muay Thai Workout?

The best way to learn and train muay thai of course is in a group setting with knowledgeable and qualified Kru’s or muay thai instructors who teach based on experience.

A lot of the knowledge that is imparted by well respected muay thai trainers has been passed down from previous generations of fighters as well as what the instructor has experienced in the ring or from coaching in the corners.

However when there are no established gyms in your area or country for that matter, or on days when you just can’t make it to the gym to join group training, you really need to be able to put in the work to keep the consistency in your training.

This could mean training by yourself at home is your only option.

Also this type of workout when coupled with learning from instructors online through the internet and travelling intermittently to gain knowledge, can help you actually grow and improve your muay thai.

So let’s take a look at the main aspects of a typical muay thai workout or training session and see what we can take away so that you can train yourself at home.

Main Components of a Muay Thai Workout

A typical muay thai workout can be broken down to:

  1. Warm Up (running, skipping, tire bouncing, dynamic stretching/mobility)
  2. Technique and Skills/Strategy (shadow boxing, thai pads, heavy bag, sparring and clinching)
  3. Strength & Conditioning (pushups, situps, heavy bag burnout drills, partner drills)
  4. Cool Down (stretching, deep breathing)

Often times the strength and conditioning aspect can be integrated into the technique and skills training.

In a lot of muay thai camps pushups and situps and performed at the end of every round of thai pads or heavy bag work. And then again at the end of the workout pushups, pullups and situps are performed again at greater numbers and for a longer more focused strength and conditioning session.

So the breakdown of the four components above are not so clear cut. Also because thai fighters train so much (6 days a week, twice a day) the workouts can also differ in intensity.

Some sessions may be more technical and strategy focused for an upcoming fight. Then, when cutting weight (say 3 weeks out from a fight) a lot of focus will be on conditioning but with lighter sparring to ensure that fighters do not get injured.

Integrating these Components into your own muay thai workout

As discussed there are four main overall components that make up a typical muay thai workout.

In order to take these components and integrate them into your own muay thai workout some adjustments need to be made. For example training solo you won’t be able to include Thai pads, sparring and clinching.

A full breakdown of the proposed muay thai workout for solo and home based training is shown in the Table below.

MUAY THAI WORKOUT COMPONENTS AND DETAILS

Now let’s look at each of the components and provide more details on each and just how they can be integrated to make your own workout.

1. Warm Up

i) Running/Jogging

The major warm up as part of muay thai sessions usually is running. For muay thai fighters its common to run before each session which can be twice a day.

The running time and distance varies by gym but running is so important to muay thai camps as a part of not only conditioning and weight cutting but also as a means of instilling discipline especially in young nak muay.

Each gym has their own set running route and they can vary from 3-10km and one hour of running before morning training is not uncommon.

Usually afternoon sessions have a shorter run but still include the run as part of the warm up and to get the body hot and the blood circulating before training starts.

I would say 15 to 30min is a good amount of running and slow pace jogging before your muay thai session. You can perform this on a treadmill also. Try to aim for about 3-5km and a relaxed pace just to get your body warmed up.

ii) Skipping

The next part of your warmup should be skipping. I would recommend if you can to get the thai style skipping ropes which are thicker PVC style.

Great for building wrist and shoulder strength and endurance as well as your cardio and your calves and shins.

2-3 rounds of 5 minutes per round of skipping makes up a typical warm up for muay thai.

I would suggest you do the same.

But if you are short on time, especially after a 15 minute run then at least get in one round of 3-5 minutes of skipping.

iii) Tire Bouncing

If you are able to get one of those larger truck tires then using them to bounce on is a great warm up and similar to skipping rope but with more focus on the legs and calves.

1-3 rounds of tire bouncing of 3-5 minute rounds are a good warm up for your muay thai workout.

You should be able to get old large truck tires at tire repair shops. Even in Fiji they are pretty easy to get hold off.

iv) Dynamic warmup/Mobility

Remember stretching is always best done after your body is warm and you have a little bit of a sweat going.

Generally stretching, especially static stretching, is better done after your training but a little bit of stretching and mobility is also good before your hard training.

For muay thai it would be good to spend time on your hip mobility.

Some dynamic stretching and mobility work before training or in separate sessions would help your muay thai overall.

Typical stretches or more mobility type work for before training would be as follows:

  • Ankle circles
  • Knee circles
  • Hip circles
  • Shoulder swings
  • Leg swings (to the side and to the front)
  • Butt kicks
  • Slow and careful neck stretches and neck rolls
  • Wrist rolls
  • Elbow circles

2. Technique, Skills and Power

Following a good warmup you should have a decent sweat going. The next part of your workout could be considered also as part of the warmup but when training alone and also in a group setting you can use this time to really work on the technical aspects of your muay thai.

This is the importance of shadowboxing. Not only as a good way to get loose and warmup the body, but also to work on technical aspects of your game.

i) Shadowboxing

Shadowboxing in and of itself is a great muay thai workout overall. However in the context of a larger muay thai workout session I would suggest using this time to loosen up even more and prepare your body for the harder work to come.

Stay loose, don’t worry too much about power and remember your foundation and important technical aspects such as the following:

  • Keeping a solid stance
  • Using the correct technical footwork when you move in all directions
  • Keeping your punches sharp and remembering to defend with your non-striking hand
  • Turning your hip over on kicks and keeping your defensive hand up for protection when kicking (round kicks and teeps)
  • Visualize an opponent attacking so you can practice your defense against punches, kicks, knees and elbows
Have a look at how relaxed yet technical this type of shadow boxing is by a muay thai pro Kongsak Sitmonbee

For a home based workout 2-3 rounds of 3-5 minutes is a good amount of shadowboxing to integrate into every muay thai workout you do. Use a mirror so you can keep an eye out on your technique especially when you don’t have a trainer watching you and giving you technical tips and pointers.

In your shadow boxing you can also work on strategy and with good visualization of an active opponent you can get a lot out of your shadow boxing that will improve your muay thai without any equipment at all.

ii) Technique, Power and Conditioning on the Heavy Bag

Unlike a normal group session, when training on your own you wont have a trainer or partner to work with to drill, clinch and spar with.

For someone who is training alone the heavy bag is the most important part of your muay thai workout. This is where you put everything together. Your technique together with power and your favorite combos.

The heavy bag is also a great conditioning tool and using the format I suggest below you can get the most of your heavy bag training.

This is where the heavy bag is of utmost importance for the solo practitioner.

Suggested format of heavy bag training for the solo trainer:

  • 1 round – boxing only (all punches)
  • 1 rounds – freestyle working on combos you have learnt
  • 1 rounds – defensive focus, working on blocking and countering, slipping, long guard and defensive footwork
  • 1 round – speed and continuous attacks with good technique (think of a Floyd Mayweather type pad workout)
  • 1 round – clinch type training (clinch hand positioning, knees, elbows, sweeps, dumps and trips)
  • 1 round – full power – don’t worry too much about speed and continuous motion but use full power on all techniques
  • 1 round – conditioning – 100 knees, 100 kicks, speed punches in 30 sec bursts

For a comprehensive heavy bag training plan that is great for those training solo I would highly recommend Sean ‘Muay Thai Guy’ Fagan’s program, The Heavy Bag Blueprint. This is a program I have purchased myself and make good use of.

With a program like this you don’t have to think too much about what to do.

Often times as a beginner or someone training solo you may get a little bored with your heavy bag work but with a structured program everything is laid out for you.

I highly recommend you check it out.

You will also get access to great bonuses such as the Clinch King Course, Boxing for Muay Thai Course, nutrition plans, muay thai mindset course and finisher ab workouts to get you in ever better shape!

Among other elements you get a 24 week done for you workout plan that you can follow without having to think too much about what workouts you should be doing on the heavy bag.

3. Strength & Conditioning

By this point of the workout you most likely will be sweating heavily and feeling quite spent physically and mentally. But this is the time to push through and to reap the benefits of extra work put in when nobody is around watching.

If you have been doing the standard 10 pushups/situps between rounds throughout your workout, then you can cut down the end of training strength and conditioning a bit but still its good to put in some work here too.

Pushups are good to include in a.muay thai workout

Here’s a very simple strength and conditioning routine for the last part of your muay thai workout. Note you will have to be in pretty good shape already to do all the of the workout below. So just take your time with it and build it up slowly.

  • Pushups 5 sets of anywhere between 5-20
  • Situps 5 sets of between 10-30
  • Mountain climbers 2 sets of 50
  • Burpees 2 sets of 20

Take your time to develop your strength and conditioning. The workout above is something you can aim for and don’t try to do it all when first starting out.

In fact for the strength and conditioning you can take out or add in what you like. But I would recommend doing 15-20 mins at the end of your muay thai workout.

4. Cool Down & Stretching

This is another important aspect of your training. In order to reduce some of the soreness and stiffness so you can train again the next day or in a couple of days its important to spend another 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes flushing out the lactic acid from your system, bringing your breathing and heart rate down and working on your flexibility.

There are any number of stretches you can do. I would recommend after your strength and conditioning work to just walk around and breathe in and out deeply taking your time and focusing on your breathe.

I would recommend doing a lot of stretches for your hips, hamstrings and lower back as well as your neck and shoulders. Take a look at the Sean Fagan’s post workout stretching routine below as a great place to start.

Important Considerations and Useful Tips When Doing Solo Muay Thai Workouts

1.Always remember that to really improve your muay thai having a partner to drill, spar and clinch with is so crucial. But then again you work with what you have and if you can only train solo, make the most of it and put in your best effort each session.

2.Having a trainer watch you and point out your mistakes is also very important. I would recommend filming your shadow boxing and heavy bag work and watching back to see where you may be making technical errors and correcting these for your next session. A simple mobile phone camera will suffice and will help a lot.

3.You will not be able to clinch training solo. Clinching is a huge aspect of muay thai and you will not be able to train this aspect of muay thai by yourself. The best you can do is some neck strengthening exercises and doing your best to practice your hand positioning and sweeps, throws, knees and elbows from the clinch using the heavy bag.

In this case I think the Thai bag or banana bag would be the best for your home solo training.

4.Seek out proper instruction but practice on your own to perfect it. There are several online learning resources for muay thai that will go a long way to helping you learn and improve your muay thai. Check out my previous post here about some of the better online programs for muay thai taught by high level instructors.