CXB / Free week 1
Strength and conditioning for combat sports
Free Week 1 Workout
This is week 1 of CXB 01 — BASE, a 12-week strength and conditioning program for MMA, BJJ, Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling and every other combat sport. All three sessions are here in full: every set, every coaching cue and every equipment swap.
How to run it. Three sessions this week, never on back-to-back days — for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Start lighter than you think. Week 1 should feel like you left three or four reps in the tank on every set, because you did. The plan gets genuinely heavy in Block 2, and the people who struggle there are the ones who treated week 1 as a test.
Reading the sets. “4 × 6” means four sets of six reps. RPE is how hard a set feels out of 10: RPE 6 leaves about four reps in reserve, RPE 7 about three. “e/l” means each leg, “e/s” each side.
Week 1 — Learn the pattern
Day 1
Lower strength + alactic powerPush the floor away. End the set the moment bar speed drops.
SwapBarbell RDL · Kettlebell deadlift
Front shin vertical, back knee straight down. This is your sprawl leg.
SwapWalking lunge · Step-up
Four seconds down on every rep. Cheapest hamstring insurance you can buy.
SwapSlider leg curl · Glute-ham raise
Hand or wall resistance. Front, back, both sides. Breathe through it.
SwapTowel iso · Partner manual
Do not lean. The side not holding the weight is doing the work.
SwapFarmer carry · KB rack carry
Pick one and stick with it all block: 6s all-out on the bike, a 20 m sled sprint, or a 40 m uphill run. Then walk until the minute is up. If a rep is visibly slower than the first, stop the session there.
SwapRower sprint · Skipping sprint
Day 2
Upper strength + aerobic baseFull hang at the bottom. Same pull as breaking grips.
SwapBand-assisted chin-up · Lat pulldown
Elbows at 45 degrees, not flared. Control the lowering.
SwapLandmine press · Push-up variation
Pull to the bottom rib, pause one second. Posture for clinch work.
SwapSeal row · Single-arm DB row
Resist the rotation. This is how you stop being turned.
SwapHalf-kneeling landmine rotation · Side plank
Straight-arm hang from a bar. Stop 5 seconds before failure, every time.
SwapTowel hang · Gi sleeve hang
One continuous easy effort. Nasal breathing the whole way — if you cannot hold a conversation, slow down. Bike and row are kindest on the legs if you are running elsewhere in your week.
SwapIncline walk · Light shadow boxing
Day 3
Full body + aerobic powerElbows high, chest tall. If the rack position hurts, swap it — do not fight it.
SwapGoblet squat · Safety-bar squat
Chin tucked, ribs down, two-second squeeze at the top.
SwapBarbell glute bridge · Single-leg hip thrust
Squeeze the glutes so the ribs stay down. Builds the clinch frame.
SwapLandmine press · Half-kneeling press
Throw it through the floor. First taste of real power output.
SwapKB swing · Broad jump
Plate or harness, slow both directions. Build the base now, load it in Block 2.
SwapBand neck work · Neck iso holds
Three minutes hard but repeatable, then walk or spin easy for the rest. Bike and rower are easiest to pace; if you run, use flat road or a treadmill, not hills. The last interval should look like the first.
SwapSled drag · Skipping intervals
Weeks 2 to 12
Week 1 teaches the patterns. Weeks 2–4 add volume, then deload. Weeks 5–8 are where the numbers move — heavier sets, lactic efforts and threshold intervals. Weeks 9–12 turn that strength into speed with jumps, throws, fast lifts and round simulations, finishing with a taper week.
The full plan also logs every set you lift, on any device you sign in from, so you can compare week 12 with week 1.
Questions
Is week 1 really free?
Yes. All three sessions are on this page in full, with nothing held back. Read them, try them, and buy the full twelve weeks only if the programming suits how you train.
What does RPE mean?
Rate of perceived exertion: how hard a set feels on a scale of 1 to 10. RPE 10 is a set you could not add another rep to. RPE 7 means you could have done about three more reps.
Who is this workout for?
Combat sports athletes who already train on the mat or in the ring, from BJJ and wrestling to Muay Thai, boxing and MMA. It is written for people training four to six times a week.
Keep reading
General training information, not medical advice. Train within your limits, stop if something hurts, and clear any new program with a qualified physician — especially if you are returning from injury.