Often bodybuilders or MMA are also interested in the same goals. Both like to be fit, strong, and active. Many have asked if you are into MMA seriously, will bodybuilding routines help or hurt them in MMA?

One dilemma is that size is important in MMA, but too much size is a limiting factor to those in MMA. In bodybuilding the usual goal is, the more muscle mass the better. There is also the common belief of being “muscle bound” where large muscles will not give you the ability to fight effectively.

In actuality, resistance training will only improve your speed. It is a fact, that the bigger you are the stronger you will be. The stronger you are, the faster you can do quick movements against your opponent. Sure you might lose a little flexibility, but the gains of strength and quickness should far outweigh that.

One might be tempted to change to a powerlifting routine, to improve strength and speed instead of worrying about size. Keep in mind that building up more muscle with bodybuilding instead, will give you more leverage in your fights, since you will weigh more. The downside of course, is you won’t be as strong as if you focused on more strength as a powerlifter.

In conclusion, building up size and strength through bodybuilding or powerlifting, are both beneficial in different ways, for improving your MMA performance. Powerlifting and bodybuilding both increase muscle and strength, just with different focus, so it is more of a preference of what you enjoy most.