Martial Arts Strength & Conditioning at Home

Here are some workout routines that martial artists use for strength & conditioning at home. There are many times when martial artists are trapped at home (i.e. due to a blizzard, torrential rainstorm, etc.). Therefore, to maintain their martial arts strength, they must perform strength and conditioning exercises at home. Many martial artists will use either bodyweight exercises (because they do not have access to gym equipment), basic strength training equipment (i.e. dumbbells and medicine balls) and/or basic martial arts gear (such as a heavy bag hung in the basement).

An example of a simple home workout might include stretching (to loosen up prior to & after the workout), upper body exercises (i.e. push-up variations and dumbbell exercises), core exercises (i.e. planks and crunches), lower body exercises (i.e. step-ups, lunges and squats) and conditioning exercises (i.e. jumping jacks, burpees, jumping rope and running in place). Below are various workout videos where you can find additional ideas for many different home workout routines. Pick & choose exercises that are best for you based on your physical & medical condition and style of martial arts.

During home workouts, many martial artists also work on their kata & forms (i.e. Shotokan kata or Taekwondo forms). Kata & forms help with strength & conditioning as well as maintain basic martial arts skills. Moreover, if they have martial arts gear, martial artists will often include a heavy bag or Wavemaster workout that includes practicing their kicks and punches.

For additional ideas, please visit Black Belt Wiki’s section on Solo Training for Martial Artists. Or visit our sections on Strength Training or Martial Arts Conditioning.

WikiStrength & Conditioning Books

All stretches and exercises should be supervised by a trained martial arts instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized. If you have an existing medical condition, suffered an injury or are in pain, please see a doctor before starting any stretching or exercise program.

Bodyweight Workout Ideas

Heavy Bag Workout Ideas

Leg Workout Ideas

Dumbbell Workout Ideas

Isometric Workout Ideas

Reference Sources

  1. Wikipedia, Body Weight Exercise, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodyweight_exercise
  2. Wikipedia, Isometric Exercise, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_exercise