Cage Fitness: A MMA-style workout without the blood

Randi Martin, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Zumba not intense enough for you? How about a workout modeled on ultimate fighting?

Cage Fitness is a workout that mimics the structure of a championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bout, but without the bloodshed and brutality.

Created by nine-time world welterweight champion Matt Hughes, Cage Fitness lasts only 30 minutes and consists of five, five minute “rounds” followed by a minute of rest.

It’s a high-intensity, highly-focused routine that uses familiar moves like squats with MMA specific techniques like Kimura crunches.

Your opponent is a weighted fitness dummy, not your workout buddy. That way nobody is injured during the the 30 seconds of the “ground and pound” segment where you punch, pummel and elbow the dummy .

Since its introduction almost two years ago, Cage fitness has expanded to over 280 martial arts schools, gyms, military bases and police academies. You can even bring it into your house with a DVD home kit that costs $350.

It’s quick, intense and a great stress reliever too, according to class members, who also report significant weight loss. So everyone leaves the match a winner.

Watch this video from Cage Fitness to see what the workout is like:

Find a gym that does this workout near you at the Cage Fitness website.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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