If you are serious about improving your Martial Arts skills, then you need to expand your training regime to outside the Dojo. Sure, going to a standard gym and using machines can be of benefit, but you won’t develop half as fast as you will if you incorporate Crossfit into your regime.

Here are some of the major benefits in terms of Martial Arts:

Stronger Kicks
There are so many exercises in Crossfit thaHt focus on legwork; Deadlifts, cleans, squats, thrusters, lunges and many more, with a high rep count and a not very generous time-limited. This means that not only are you building up impressive strength, but also speed.

Improved Stance
It makes sense that the stronger your legs, the stronger your stance and the less likely that you will be taken down by your opponent.

Agility, Agility & Agility
You can have all the strength in the world and it will be of little use to you if you cannot dodge as well as dish a blow. The pull-ups and press-ups will improve your upper body agility, especially in the shoulders and abdomen. As an added bonus, the increased strength in your arms will also make Locks much easier to sustain.

Rock Solid Blocks
Given that Crossfit works and builds your entire body, it will give you insanely effective and hard to penetrate blocks, so when you get it, there is less chance of you going down.

Bruce Lee-like endurance
Okay, this might be a bit of a stretch, as it will take more than a few Crossfit WODs to get to his level, but because of the relentless nature of a Crossfit workout and the dreaded timer. Because you are mixing weightlifting and cardio together and always aiming for a faster time each session, you will build up incredible endurance that no other workout would provide.

All of this having been said, not all crossfit gyms are equal. If you are looking to give crossfit a try, seek out places in your area that will let you take a class for free