MMA Daily Routine

Medicinal Martial Arts

Daily Routine

  • Mountain Pose
    • Feet hip width apart, outsides of feet parallel (big toes might feel slightly pigeon-toed).
    • Activate adductors to bring the pelvis evenly between the feet.
    • Aim tailbone between heels to elongate the lumbar vertebrae.
    • Use the toes to gently grip the floor to establish the arch of the foot.
    • Sternum points straight ahead, don’t arch your back up or puff your chest up.
      • Cervical vertebrae extend upwards, they don’t lean backwards or forwards.
    • Activate abdominal muscles to bring the lower ribs slightly towards the pubic bone.
    • Gently tuck your chine to elongate your neck, the back of the head in line with the upper back.
      • Eyes gazing at a point just below eye level.
    • Abdominal  breathing (inhale: belly out; exhale: belly in) for 5-10 breaths. Elongate the spine.
  • Adductors Isometric Contraction
    • Set up Mountain Pose, as above.
    • Isometric contraction of adductors, squeeze as hard as you can.
      • Don’t move your knees or feet.
    • Aim your tailbone down between your heels
      • Elongate your lower back.
    • Activate abdominal muscles.
      • Don’t arch your back.
    • Gently tuck the chin to elongate the neck.
    • Do this for five medium-speed breaths.
      • Do not hold your breath, inhale becomes exhale becomes inhale, etc.
  • Arches Isometric Contraction
    • Stand with your feet hip width apart.
      • The sides of the feet are parallel.
    • Aim your tailbone between your heels.
      • This should lengthen your lower back.
    • Pull your big toes towards your heel and press the outsides of your feet into the floor.
      • The pads of your toes stay in contact with the ground, not the tips, and do not raise them off the ground.
    • Squeeze the muscles running from your big toes to your heels as hard as you can.
    • This should “create” the arch of your feet.
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Maintain isometric contraction for 5 moderate breaths.
      • Do not hold your breath, inhale becomes exhale becomes inhale, etc.
  • Calves Isometric Contraction
    • Shift weight to one side.
    • Aim your tailbone at the heel of the weighted foot
      • This should lengthen your lower back.
    • Raise the heel of the unweighted foot.
      • The ball of the foot is on the ground for balance only.
    • Contracted the calves of the unweighted foot.
    • Maintain contraction for five breaths.
      • Don’t hold your breath, sin waves of inhale & exhale.
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Shift your weight to the other foot and repeat.
  • Tibialis Isometric Contraction
    • Shift weight to one side.
    • Aim your tailbone at the heel of the weighted foot.
      • This should lengthen your lower back.
    • Raise the toes of the unweighted foot, move the foot slightly forward.
      • The heel of the unweighted foot is in contact with the ground.
    • Contract the tibialis muscles to bring the toes upwards towards your head.
      • There is a very slight inward rotation here.
        • Aim the big toe at your hairline above your nose.
      • The muscle right next to the shin bone is the anterior tibialis.
        • This will pop up when your contraction is active & correct.
    • Maintain contraction for five breaths.
      • Don’t hold your breath, sin waves of inhale & exhale.
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Shift your weight to the other foot and repeat.
  • Hamstrings isometric contraction
    • Shift weight to one leg.
    • Extend the other leg forward with a bent knee
      • Toes touching the ground, but not the heel
    • Contract the hamstrings (back thigh muscles) as firmly as you can
    • Maintain contraction for five breaths.
      • Don’t hold your breath, sin waves of inhale & exhale
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Shift your weight to the other foot and repeat.
  • Quadriceps isometric contraction
    • Shift weight to one leg. 
    • Aim your tailbone at the heel of the weighted foot.
      • This should lengthen your lower back.
    • Extend the other leg forward with a straight knee.
      • Toes touching the ground, but not the heel.
    • Move hip forward so shoulder, hip, knee and ankle are all in line. 
    • Contract the quadriceps (front thigh muscles) as firmly as you can.
      • This should pull the kneecap towards your hip.
        • If you feel strain/pain in the knee joint, you hip is not forward enough and you are hyper-extending your knee. Don’t do this! Move your hip forward.
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Maintain contraction for five breaths.
      • Don’t hold your breath, sin waves of inhale & exhale
    • Shift your weight to the other foot and repeat.
  • Gluteus isometric contraction
    • Heels touching, feet between 45 and 60 degrees.
    • Aim your tailbone between your heels.
    • Contract the gluteus muscles with maximum effort
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Maintain contraction ten breaths.
      • The glutes require more because they are so strong.
      • It is normal to lose the contraction when beginning MMA training. Just keep at it and you’ll achieve the desired ten breath duration.
  • Tai Chi Squats
    • Stand with your heels double hip-width apart.
      • Follow the principles of mountain pose with tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
      • Feet angled slightly out.
    • Squat down slowly, sticking your butt back behind you.
      • Activate your adductors and the arches of your feet so you can maintain balance.
    • Knees track the direction of the feet, they move away from your midline as you descend.
    • Let your butt down as low as it comfortably goes. It should be below your knees.
      • If you cannot descend all the way, go as far as you can. You’ll increase your depth slowly over time through daily practice.
    • Pause for a moment so you stretch your hips and lumbar, and eliminate any momentum from the squat.
    • Use your adductors and aim your tailbone forward to slowly adductor-squeeze your way back up.
      • The knees should not move forward.
      • There should be no pain in the knees here because you are squeezing with your adductors, not exploding/pressing with your quads.
    • Re-establish the principles of mountain pose.
    • Five to ten repetitions of the tai chi squats.
  • Lunge
    • Stand in mountain pose, then shift weight to one side by aiming the tailbone at that heel and activating that side’s adductor to 75%.
      • The other adductor maintains 25% activation.
    • Slide the unweighted foot back with the feet hip width apart.
    • Forward knee directly over ankle.
      • Shin bone perpendicular to the floor.
      • Inside ankle bone should be visible.
    • Back leg straight, heel slightly above the floor.
      • Rotate back heel away from the spine.
      • Ensure feet are still hip width apart.
    • Use adductor muscles to aim your tailbone directly underneath your pelvis.
      • This will increase the stretch of the iliacus.
    • Use abdominals to move the pelvis slightly forward.
    • Gently tuck your chin to elongate your neck to help the lumbar vertebrae into proper alignment.
    • Abdominal breathing for 5 moderate breaths.
      • Feel a stretch in the iliacus with gentle expansion (inhalation) and contraction (exhalation).
    • Switch leg position and repeat.
  • Abdominal muscles isometric contraction
    • Stand with your feet hip width apart.
      • The sides of the feet are parallel.
    • Aim your tailbone between your heels.
      • This should lengthen your lower back.
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Contract your abdominal muscles and maintain for 5 moderate breaths.
      • This is like the beginning of a crunch. Bring the bottom of your ribs into connection with your pubic bone and contract as much as you can.
        • Do NOT push your belly out. Contract it.
        • Do NOT suck your belly in. Contract it.
  • Latissimus isometric contraction
    • Arms to the sides with bent elbows.
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
      • Forearms parallel to the floor.
      • Like pulling down on two ropes/pressing your elbows into the arms of a large chair.
    • Contract the lats with maximum effort.
    • Maintain contraction for five moderate breaths.
  • Pectoralis Isometric Contraction
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Contract your pectoralis muscles with maximum effort.
      • The shoulders move forward very slightly.
    • Keep your head up with your chin very slightly tucked.
    • Maintain the contraction for five moderate breaths.
  • Rhomboid isometric contraction
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Contract the rhomboid muscles with maximum effort
      • Arms to the sides like a “T”
    • Your hands will move behind your shoulders.
      • Imagine you are trying to hold a pen between your shoulder blades.
    • Maintain contraction for moderate breaths.
  • Trapezius Isometric Contraction
    • Your shoulders will rise slightly like a shrug.
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Contract your traps with maximum effort.
    • Keep your head up with your chin very slightly tucked.
    • Maintain for five moderate breaths.
  • Deltoid Isometric Contraction
    • Follow the principles of mountain pose with the tailbone, abdominals, and chin.
    • Arms out to your sides, engage your deltoids with maximum effort.
    • Arms and head make the shape of an “A”.
      • Similar to pressing the backs of your hands into a doorframe.
    • Keep the rhomboid connection active so the shoulders don’t rotate forward.
  • Biceps Isometric Contraction
    • Stand in Mountain Pose
    • Bend one elbow to an angle slightly greater than 90 degrees.
      • The upper arm is parallel to your torso, the forearm is forward aimed slightly down.
      • Pull that shoulder blade down away from the ear and in towards the spine. This should pull the shoulder back.
    • Maximum biceps contraction for five moderate breaths.
    • Switch sides and repeat.
  • Triceps Isometric Contraction
    • Stand in Mountain Pose.
    • Straighten one arm in front of you, aimed slightly down.
      • Pull that shoulder blade down away from the ear and in towards the spine. This should pull the shoulder back.
    • Contract triceps with maximum effort for five moderate breaths.
      • This should just be felt in the triceps NOT in the elbow.
        • If you feel it in the elbow, pull that shoulder blade down away from the ear and in towards the spine. This should pull the shoulder back.
    • Switch sides and repeat.
  • Forearm Flexor Isometric Contraction
    • Stand in Mountain Pose.
    • Bend arms to 90 degrees with your hands in loose fists, palms up.
    • Gently pull the shoulders down and together.
    • Pull your fists towards your elbows to contract your forearm flexors with maximum effort.
    • Maintain the contraction for five moderate breaths.
  • Forearm Extensor Isometric Contraction
    • Stand in Mountain Pose.
    • Arms straight down at your sides.
    • Gently pull the shoulders down and together.
    • Lift the backs of your hands up so the palms are face down to contract the forearm extensors..
      • Fingers are extended.
    • Contract forearm extensor with maximum effort for five moderate breaths.
  • Pectoralis Minor Stretch
    • Stand facing the wall, a foot length away, with one palm against the wall with your arm extended and hand above your head.
      • The elbow is straight
    • Pull shoulder blade down away from your ear and in towards your spine
    • Slowly rotate away from your extended arm until you feel a stretch in the chest muscle next to the armpit.
      • Move your feet with small steps as you turn away, don’t just rotate the hips.
    • Make sure the shoulder blade is down and in.
    • Five slow breaths.
    • Switch arms and repeat.
  • Arm Circles
    • Stand with your feet hip width apart.
      • The sides of the feet are parallel.
    • Aim your tailbone between your heels.
      • This should lengthen your lower back.
    • Shoulder blades are flat against the back.
      • Down and together.
    • Rotate the arms from the shoulders so that the hands rise up from the sides.
      • Shoulders go down while the hands go up.
      • Palms facing forward, fingers active.
    • Palms face one another over the head, lower hands while keeping shoulders down and flat.
    • The rhomboids and lats pulling the shoulder blades together and down power the rotation of the ball of the upper arm bone in its socket of the shoulder blade.
      • Just Rotate.
    • Synchronize the rising and falling of the hands with inhalation and exhalation respectively.
      • Five breaths.
    • Reverse direction 
    • Open from the shoulders to move hands down.
      • Palms facing downwards.
  • Tiger Searching
    • Feet in a forward stance/forward lunge. Hands in tiger claw.
    • Back foot at 45°, heels in line. Back leg is straight, pressing into the heel and outer edge of the foot (little toe side).
    • Front foot forward, front shin must be 90° to the floor, perpendicular.
      • Front knee directly above front heel, not in front of it, not behind it. 
      • Make sure the knee is rotated slightly out, do not let it come to the inside of your ankle.
    • Inhale, belly in, hands come to the front of the belly, palms facing each other.
    • Exhale, belly out.
    • Inhale: hinge waist so lumbar is straight and torso is in line with the rear leg.
      • Think of a “pole” extending from your vertex to your back heel.
    • Exhale: Rotate the body to the back-foot side with the “pole” in the center of the rotation.
    • Use the back-leg adductor muscle to rotate to the back-leg side.
      • Front-foot-side hand moves forwards, palm down, level with shoulder.
        • Extend forward hand
      • Back-foot-side hand moves to your ribs, palm up, gently brushing the 8th/9th rib.
        • Squeeze rear lats
    • Look towards your back shoulder.
    • Inhale, belly in, hands come to the front of the belly, palms facing each other.
      • Maintain hinge of waist so lumbar is straight and torso is in line with rear leg
      • Use front-leg adductor muscles to rotate into forward facing position.
    • Exhale, belly out.
    • Rotate the body to the front-foot side, around the “pole”.
      • Front-leg adductor muscles power rotation.
      • Front-foot-side hand moves to your ribs, palm up, gently brushing the 8th/9th rib.
      • Back-foot-side hand moves forwards, palm down, level with shoulder.
    • Look towards your forward-foot shoulder.
    • Inhale, belly in, hands come to the front of the belly, palms facing each other.
      • Use back-leg adductor muscles to rotate into forward-facing position.
    • Exhale, belly out.
    • Repeat 5 to as many times as you want, just do the same amount on both sides.