Muay Thai Fighter Training

One of the most intense physical fitness routines we know of is that of the traditional Muay Thai fighter. Considering the physical abuse these guys subject their bodies to in the ring (destroy the body and the mind will follow) it’s no surprise that they train so hard. Only those in the best possible shape can go the distance in five three-minute rounds.

In training with one Muay Thai world champ, we offer a fighter’s typical day:

• Wake up at 6:00 a.m. and stretch for approximately 30 minutes.
  
  
• Perform a five-mile run, partially up hill, at a moderate pace.
  
  
• Follow the run with at least 30 minutes of shadow-boxing with three or five pound weights in each hand, and another half-hour of drills including knee strikes, elbows, roundhouse and push kicks.
  
  
• At least one hour of pad work follows with an instructor. The colder and harder the Muay Thai pads the better. Combinations of punches, elbows, knees, and kicks are thrown with full force and intensity in 15-minute rotations per student. When a student is not performing pad work with the instructor, he is practicing on a banana bag, partially filled with shredded tires to ensure proper firmness.
  
  
• After the pad work is complete and each student has had three or four rotations with the instructor, sparring begins. Full force kicks and punches are the norm, but elbows and knees are "pulled" except for the most advanced fighters. The instructor takes pride in being able to withstand roundhouse kicks from his students without the use of shin pads. Anyone who understands a Muay Thai kick knows getting hit with a conditioned shinbone is the functional equivalent of being whacked with a baseball bat.
  
  
• Following the morning training a meal is enjoyed and students are free to rest and nap at will.
  
  
• At 5:00 p.m., the second session of the day is held.
  
  
• This training is usually six days a week, with Saturdays off.