Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) is now widely considered in martial arts circles as being the most effective stand-up striking art in the world, and not without good reason.
Two of the deciding factors when considering what exactly separates this devastating ‘8 limbs’ style of fighting from the vast array of other stand-up combat systems are:
- A strong emphasis on honed, precise technique
- Endless hours of physical conditioning, which for Thai fighters usually starts young.
Thai Boxing-style training is largely about developing lean muscle and explosive power. Working in rounds is the typical way to train, and impact (striking) is used when possible, with various tempos and directions of movement.
The benefits of this style of training include increased coordination and balance, mental fortitude, the strengthening of muscles, bones, and tendons, and overall conditioning to name but a few.
If you like to challenge yourself and the idea of training like a Thai fighter appeals, you might consider that this is an activity that can encompass multiple goals for personal development. These can be related to strength & fitness levels, body shape and weight, self-confidence, and the learning and honing of specific techniques.
So unless you are looking to compete at a high level in this sport, the logical thing to do might be to look at ways to incorporate elements of a Thai fighter’s rigorous training regime into your workouts. Let’s first consider a crucial point, though.
Lifestyle vs. Hobby
The key thing to remember about Muay Thai or any combat training is the different levels. If you want to incorporate some aspects of a professional Thai boxer’s routine into your fitness goals, you’ll experience increased strength, fitness, mobility, flexibility, and self-confidence.
And although anyone can indeed train like a Thai fighter to some level, it won’t likely be on the same level unless competing professionally. A match-fit professional ring fighter is a different animal altogether than your average gym-goer looking to get or stay in shape.
That’s not to say that the same degree of conditioning is unattainable—but to get to that kind of level, you’ll need to consider setting a good few years aside and getting to work on honing the self-discipline, motivation, and work ethic common to most fighters who want to succeed.
So What Core Elements Should I Get to Work on?
The crux of martial arts and boxing training is conditioning yourself to work in short, explosive ‘intervals’—sometimes known as the HIIT System (high-intensity interval training), followed by short rest periods. This can be exhausting—but it is also a great way to condition the body into higher performance levels for sports like boxing and other martial arts.
Building a Foundation
Cardio-type exercise like skipping or running as a part of the warm-up is a basic requirement for workout routines. You can determine how long this is according to various factors like current fitness levels and personal goals.
It won’t need to be too long for a short session of no more than an hour, though, typically 5-10 mins. For longer sessions, a complete cardiovascular warm-up should be considered—bearing in mind that boxers in Thailand do 10-20km runs BEFORE training!
How much or little time you are willing to dedicate to foundational training like skipping or running is a good indicator of your game’s level or intended level. Running will help improve your energy-management systems for activities like boxing or Thai boxing training by improving your general cardio.
Strength and Conditioning
You’ll also need some strength and conditioning aside from cardio and kicking a bag (or shadowboxing if you don’t have access to one). Bodyweight callisthenic exercises like push-ups, squats, crunches, pull-ups and burpees are ideal for this. They should be incorporated into a session as you see fit—one of the most common ways to do this is to complete them after each round.
If you fancy going the boxing gym route which will include partner work and sparring, keep in mind that this is not a team sport or a ‘soft’ hobby—basically high-intensity, interval, impact training (more often than not with a few hard knocks if partners are involved).
Thus it requires a certain amount of grit and gumption to develop, maintain and even increase the necessary levels of fitness and conditioning required for the activity.
What is Thai Fighting?
Thai fighting is formally known as Muay Thai in both martial arts and sports circles. Like many other fighting styles from other regions, it has a past and point of origin that make it difficult to pin down specifically.
Historic recollections of proud battles won off the back of elephants and Thai warriors defeating Burmese invaders with their style of hand-to-hand combat abound in Thailand’s learning systems. This is disputed, however, by both Cambodia and Myanmar (formerly Burma), who claim the style is theirs.
The fighting style– and the necessary conditioning and ‘heart’ required for its often bold execution– are at the heart of the sport. The endless repetition, conditioning, and strong technique make Thai fighters worthy adversaries in both body and will.
This is coupled with the fact that, for many of them, fighting is a necessity rather than a choice. For many 20-year-olds fighting in Thailand today, the sport has been their normal life since the age of seven or eight.
With the right approach, Thai fighting is a graceful but highly-effective stand-up striking art. However, at a competitive level, both conditioning and technique need to be of a high standard to avoid potential injury.
How Do Thai fighters Train outside the Ring?
The training is typically broken up into two daily sessions, which can add up to between 4 and 6 hours in total, and this is done six days a week from Monday to Saturday, with a rest on Sunday. You are expected, as a fighter, to run somewhere between 6 and 10 km before each session, depending on the gym and the area. This means early morning wake-ups at around 6:00 am.
While the training in the ring will focus on rounds of pad work, clinching, and sparring outside of the ring, it is endless hours of kicking a bag, running, and doing callisthenic strength exercises.
There is some slight variation in rounds and conditioning between morning and evening sessions, and the exact routines will vary in some way from gym to gym. Generally, though, training sessions in a Muay Thai gym in Thailand will likely look something not far off from this:
- 5-15km run (morning)
- Running/Skipping (afternoon)
- Shadow boxing
- 3-5 rounds heavy bag, 3-5 rounds pad work, 15-30 mins clinching, and rounds of sparring
- Conditioning (push-ups, crunches, pullups)
Developing your Routine
If you want to train like a Thai fighter, the bottom line is this: you’ll need a routine containing some of the core elements involved in a fighter’s repertoire, but you should also tailor this to suit your current levels of mobility, fitness, and of course Muay Thai technique.
(If you don’t have any, you’ll need to learn some first, starting with just a couple of basic moves like THIS using some forward, backward, and sideways movement.)
Ideally, you would also have a punching bag to hand that’s reasonably heavy and/or a partner able to hold striking pads. Aside from that, shadow boxing helps practice technique, movement, visualization, and attacking and defensive moves.
Even if you decide to go to a local gym or a club, you will still need some ‘home routine’ to continue. One of our aims here is to provide a workout routine for beginner-level Muay Thai training that can be done alone or with minimal equipment, such as a punching bag if one is available.
The main purpose will be to focus on the basic movements and conditioning involved in the sport. A workout with a target completion time of 30-60 mins could easily be tailored to include the elements involved in a Thai fighter’s regime.
The following elements can be used to build your routine according to current and intended levels. The timing, number of reps, etc., can be selected according to the lower (5 mins) or upper (10 mins) suggested ranges.
- Mobility (5-10 mins)
- Jumping Jacks/Skipping (5-10 mins)
- Shadow boxing and/or Bag work (3-5 x 3-minute rounds)
- Burpee/Squat/Ab bicycle (10-20 reps each, after each round of shadow boxing, followed by 2 mins rest)
- Cooldown/Mobility/Stretch (5-10 mins)
*Maximum required time approximately 1 hour, minimum 30 mins
The Bottom Line
Thai boxing in its purest form is a highly-effective, full-contact combat sport that can take years to comprehend and develop the necessary skill and conditioning fully. However, taking the core elements of a Thai fighter’s regime and incorporating them into your routine will have endless benefits.
On top of that, the training style can always be interesting and progressive, particularly as increased fitness levels and improvements in technique come into play. Try it and see if you are looking to challenge yourself in new ways—it could open up a whole new perspective regarding any fitness and self-improvement goals you may be chasing!
