How UFC Champions Build Explosive Power

Alexander Volkanovski is one of the most impressive athletes in the UFC when it comes to strength, conditioning and explosive power. Despite standing approximately 5'6" (168 cm), the former UFC featherweight champion has consistently demonstrated the physical ability to compete with some of the strongest and most well-conditioned fighters in mixed martial arts.

Whether he is pushing the pace against Max Holloway or battling Islam Makhachev in the grappling exchanges, Volkanovski has shown that elite MMA performance requires much more than technical skill. His physical preparation plays a major role in his ability to maintain a relentless pace, generate explosive movements, and compete at the highest level.

But what does Alexander Volkanovski’s strength and conditioning routine actually look like?

By examining available training footage, we can identify several exercises that help develop the qualities required for elite MMA performance, including explosive power, rotational strength, lower-body drive, and anaerobic conditioning.

In this article, we break down Volkanovski’s observed training exercises, explain their purpose, and explore what boxers, MMA fighters, and other combat athletes can learn from his approach.

1. Ballistic Bench Press for Explosive Upper-Body Power

One exercise seen in Volkanovski’s training is a variation of the bench press in which the weight is accelerated explosively rather than lowered under control and pressed at a conventional speed.

This is known as a ballistic bench press variation.

Traditional bench presses are primarily used to develop upper-body strength. Ballistic variations, on the other hand, emphasize the speed at which force is produced.

The objective is simple: move a manageable load as quickly and explosively as possible while maintaining proper technique and control.

For MMA fighters, this type of training can help develop the ability to generate force rapidly during pushing movements. This quality is relevant to striking, hand fighting, and creating space during grappling exchanges.

Key benefits:

• Develops explosive upper-body power.

• Trains rapid force production.

• Complements traditional strength training.

• Helps athletes practice producing force at high speeds.

The key is to use a load that allows fast movement. More weight is not necessarily better when the goal is maximum velocity.

Any ballistic bench press variation involving the release of a bar requires appropriate equipment, a qualified spotter, and proper coaching. It should not be attempted with a conventional barbell setup that could become unsafe.

2. Plyometric Hurdle Jumps for Explosive Leg Power

Volkanovski also performs plyometric exercises, including hurdle jumps.

Plyometrics involve explosive movements that train the muscles and nervous system to produce force quickly. They commonly use rapid transitions between landing and takeoff, helping athletes develop reactive strength and coordination.

For a fighter, lower-body explosiveness is important when entering for takedowns, changing levels, escaping difficult positions, and moving dynamically around an opponent.

Hurdle jumps are particularly useful because they challenge an athlete to produce repeated explosive efforts while maintaining body control.

The landing is just as important as the jump itself. Athletes should aim to land quietly, keep their knees aligned with their feet, and maintain balance before beginning the next repetition.

Key benefits:

• Improves lower-body explosiveness.

• Develops coordination and landing control.

• Trains rapid force production.

• Supports dynamic movement during combat sports.

Quality matters more than the number of jumps. Each repetition should be performed with maximum intent, provided the athlete can maintain sound technique.

3. Lateral Jumps for Multi-Directional Power

MMA fighters rarely move exclusively forward and backward. They must constantly adjust their positioning, circle away from attacks, change angles, and react to opponents.

That is why lateral jumps are a valuable addition to combat sports conditioning.

Unlike conventional vertical jumps, lateral jumps train the athlete to produce force sideways. This challenges different movement patterns and requires coordination between the hips, knees, ankles, and trunk.

Developing power in multiple directions can help athletes become more dynamic when moving around the cage.

Key benefits:

• Develops lateral explosiveness.

• Improves balance and coordination.

• Trains side-to-side force production.

• Complements forward and vertical power exercises.

For beginners, controlled lateral bounds with stable landings are a good starting point before progressing to more demanding variations.

4. Medicine Ball Exercises for Rotational Power

Medicine ball training is another important component of explosive strength and conditioning.

Depending on the exercise, medicine balls can be used for rotational throws, overhead slams, chest passes, and powerful hip-driven movements.

These exercises allow athletes to accelerate an external object through a broad range of motion. Unlike many conventional weightlifting exercises, medicine ball throws can also allow the athlete to release the ball, making them useful for developing ballistic power.

Rotational medicine ball throws are particularly relevant to striking sports because punches involve coordinated movement through the legs, hips, trunk, and upper body.

The goal is not simply to move the arms quickly. It is to coordinate the entire body to produce force efficiently.

Key benefits:

• Develops rotational power.

• Improves coordination between the hips and upper body.

• Trains explosive pushing and throwing movements.

• Provides a versatile tool for full-body power training.

For boxers, rotational throws against a suitable wall can complement technical work on the heavy bag, helping develop general explosive capacity without replacing actual punching practice.

5. Landmine Punches for Striking Power

Landmine training is a popular option in strength and conditioning programs for combat athletes.

A landmine setup anchors one end of a barbell, allowing the athlete to perform pushing, rotating, and pressing movements against resistance.

In a landmine punch variation, the athlete drives the bar forward in a movement that resembles a punch. The resistance creates a challenge while allowing the athlete to accelerate the load.

Other variations emphasize rotating the hips and torso, helping train the rotational component of striking.

This is particularly relevant to MMA, where fighters need to coordinate lower-body movement with upper-body force production.

However, landmine punches are not a direct substitute for punching technique. The resistance, movement path, and timing differ from a real punch, so the exercise is best treated as a supplementary power drill.

Key benefits:

• Develops explosive pushing strength.

• Trains coordinated hip and trunk rotation.

• Adds resistance to dynamic movement patterns.

• Complements technical striking practice.

As with other power exercises, the resistance should be light enough to allow fast, controlled movement.

6. Trap Bar Jumps for Triple-Extension Power

Trap bar jumps are another exercise featured in Volkanovski’s observed training.

A trap bar allows the athlete to stand inside the weight, with handles positioned on either side of the body. This setup can make jumping movements more accessible than some barbell-based alternatives.

The main objective is to develop explosive triple extension: the coordinated extension of the hips, knees, and ankles.

This movement pattern appears in many athletic actions, including jumping, accelerating, and driving forcefully through the legs.

In MMA, powerful lower-body extension can contribute to explosive level changes, takedown entries, and other dynamic movements.

Key benefits:

• Develops lower-body power.

• Trains coordinated hip, knee, and ankle extension.

• Provides a jumping alternative to more technically demanding Olympic lifts.

• Complements conventional lower-body strength exercises.

The load should remain manageable enough to preserve jump height and speed. Trap bar jumps are not meant to be performed like heavy deadlifts.

Because loaded jumping places additional demands on the joints and landing mechanics, athletes should learn the movement under qualified supervision before progressing.

7. Hip Thrusts for Hip Strength and Drive

Hip thrusts target the gluteal muscles and develop strength through hip extension.

Hip extension is important across a wide range of athletic movements. It contributes to sprinting, jumping, bridging, and generating force through the lower body.

In grappling, strong hips can help athletes maintain bridges, create space, and contribute to takedown mechanics. In striking, the hips also play a major role in transferring force from the lower body into the trunk and upper body.

Hip thrusts are therefore a useful exercise for developing general lower-body strength that supports combat sports performance.

Key benefits:

• Strengthens the glutes and hip extensors.

• Develops hip-extension strength.

• Supports explosive lower-body movements.

• Complements squats, jumps, and other compound exercises.

Heavy hip thrusts and explosive hip-extension exercises serve different purposes. A well-designed program can include both, with appropriate attention to fatigue and recovery.

8. Measuring Jump Performance and Training Readiness

One particularly interesting aspect of modern strength and conditioning is the use of force plates and jump-monitoring systems.

These devices can measure variables such as jump height, takeoff velocity, and force production. Depending on the equipment, they may also provide information about how an athlete produces force.

Tracking these metrics over time helps coaches evaluate performance and identify changes in an athlete's readiness.

For example, if an athlete's jump performance is noticeably below their usual baseline, the coach may decide to reduce the intensity or volume of that day's training.

This approach is often associated with velocity-based training and broader athlete-monitoring methods.

However, one poor jump does not automatically mean an athlete is fatigued. Sleep, motivation, warm-up quality, measurement error, and other factors can influence performance. The most useful approach is to interpret the numbers alongside how the athlete feels and performs.

The broader lesson is that elite strength and conditioning is not simply about working harder. It is also about measuring performance and adjusting training intelligently.

9. Pull-Ups, Rows, and Split Squats for Foundational Strength

Explosive training gets much of the attention, but foundational strength remains essential.

Volkanovski's observed training also includes conventional exercises such as pull-ups, rowing variations, and split squats.

Each addresses a different physical quality.

Pull-ups develop vertical pulling strength in the back and arms. This is useful for building general upper-body strength, although MMA grappling also requires many other pulling and gripping skills.

Rows develop horizontal pulling strength and train the muscles of the upper back. These exercises help balance a program that contains plenty of pressing movements.

Split squats train the legs one side at a time, challenging balance, coordination, and unilateral lower-body strength. They can help athletes identify and address differences between their left and right sides.

These exercises may not look as exciting as medicine ball throws or hurdle jumps, but they form an important foundation for more explosive work.

For combat athletes, a balanced strength program should address pushing, pulling, squatting, hinging, single-leg strength, and trunk stability rather than focusing exclusively on exercises that resemble fighting.

10. Air Bike Conditioning for Cardiovascular Fitness

Strength and power are only part of the equation. Fighters also need the conditioning to repeat explosive actions throughout a demanding contest.

The air bike is a useful tool for this purpose because it combines leg pedaling with upper-body pushing and pulling. It also allows coaches to prescribe and monitor intervals without the repeated impact associated with running.

Depending on the workout, an athlete might perform short, high-intensity intervals, longer sustained efforts, or repeated bursts separated by recovery periods.

The machine typically provides useful performance data, including power output, cadence, distance, and estimated calories.

This makes it easier to compare sessions and assess whether the athlete is maintaining output as fatigue accumulates.

Key benefits:

• Develops cardiovascular conditioning.

• Allows low-impact interval training.

• Trains both the upper and lower body.

• Makes it easy to monitor effort and performance.

The air bike is not automatically superior to running or other conditioning methods. Each has its own benefits, and the best choice depends on the athlete's training load, goals, injury history, and competitive demands.

11. Sport-Specific Conditioning for MMA

General conditioning helps fighters develop an aerobic and anaerobic fitness base. However, MMA also requires athletes to perform repeated efforts involving striking, wrestling, grappling, and transitions between these activities.

The footage includes resisted shots performed at a high tempo, which more closely resembles the movement demands of wrestling and MMA.

Sport-specific conditioning can involve repeated takedown entries, wrestling drills, pad rounds, bag intervals, and controlled grappling exchanges.

These sessions challenge athletes to execute relevant movements while managing fatigue.

For example, repeated takedown entries can train an athlete to produce force during level changes and explosive forward movement. However, the value of the exercise depends on how it is programmed and whether technique remains sound.

The goal is to prepare the fighter for the physical demands of competition without allowing conditioning work to undermine technical practice or recovery.

Why anaerobic conditioning matters

High-intensity exchanges rely heavily on anaerobic energy pathways, particularly when a fighter performs explosive actions over short periods. At the same time, aerobic fitness plays an important role in recovery between bursts and between rounds.

Rather than choosing exclusively between long-distance cardio and sprint intervals, a complete conditioning program should develop both systems.

A fighter may benefit from:

• Aerobic training to improve endurance and recovery.

• High-intensity intervals to develop repeated-effort capacity.

• Sport-specific drills to prepare for the demands of fighting.

• Technical sessions that build skill while creating realistic physical demands.

The precise balance depends on the athlete, the phase of training, and the demands of the upcoming competition.

12. What Makes Alexander Volkanovski’s Training So Effective?

One of the biggest lessons from Volkanovski’s training footage is the emphasis on intent.

When the objective is explosive power, the athlete must attempt to move quickly. Simply completing a set of repetitions is not enough.

This is particularly important for ballistic exercises, jumps, and medicine ball throws. The athlete should focus on producing high-quality, powerful repetitions while maintaining appropriate technique.

However, maximum intent does not mean ignoring fatigue or forcing every exercise to maximum effort. Explosive training requires adequate recovery between sets, sensible loading, and careful exercise selection.

The objective is to develop power, not accumulate as much exhaustion as possible.

Another important lesson is the variety of physical qualities being trained. Volkanovski's observed exercises cover several key areas:

• Maximum and foundational strength: building the capacity to produce force.

• Explosive power: producing force quickly.

• Rotational strength: coordinating the hips and torso.

• Unilateral strength: developing control and force on each side.

• Conditioning: sustaining performance across repeated efforts.

• Sport-specific endurance: performing relevant movements under fatigue.

It is this combination, rather than any single exercise, that makes a strength and conditioning program useful for combat sports.

It is also worth remembering that available training footage only provides a partial picture of Volkanovski's preparation. It does not reveal his complete weekly schedule, precise training loads, recovery protocols, or how his coaches adjust the program throughout a fight camp.

13. How to Apply Volkanovski’s Training Principles to Your Own Routine

You do not need to be a UFC champion to benefit from these training principles. Boxers, MMA beginners, and recreational athletes can apply the same concepts at an appropriate level.

The important thing is to choose exercises that match your experience, goals, and current training demands.

For example, a general combat-sports strength and conditioning session might include:

Training focus	Example exercise	Main objective
Explosive power	Box jumps	Lower-body explosiveness
Rotational power	Medicine ball rotational throws	Hip and trunk coordination
Upper-body strength	Pull-ups	Vertical pulling strength
Lower-body strength	Split squats	Unilateral leg strength
Hip strength	Hip thrusts	Hip-extension strength
Conditioning	Air bike intervals	Cardiovascular fitness

This is an example of exercise selection, not a complete program. Sets, repetitions, loads, and rest periods should be adjusted to the athlete's ability and overall training schedule.

If you are also doing boxing, BJJ, or MMA classes, remember that those sessions already create substantial physical demands. Adding more conditioning is not always the answer. Your strength and conditioning work should support your technical training rather than leave you too exhausted to improve.

Beginners should establish a foundation of strength, movement quality, and aerobic fitness before introducing large amounts of high-intensity plyometrics or loaded jumps.

Final Thoughts

Alexander Volkanovski's strength and conditioning training offers a useful look at the physical qualities required to compete at the highest level of MMA.

His observed exercises include ballistic pressing, plyometrics, lateral jumps, medicine ball throws, landmine movements, trap bar jumps, hip thrusts, conventional strength exercises, and conditioning drills.

Together, these movements illustrate how a combat athlete can train strength, explosiveness, coordination, and endurance rather than relying on technical practice alone.

The biggest takeaway is simple: train for the qualities your sport demands, prioritize quality over quantity, and make every exercise serve a purpose.

For fighters looking to improve their physical performance, that approach is far more valuable than blindly copying a UFC