Conor McGregor Inspired Workout Routine

October 27, 2015 by VAHVA Fitness

Conor McGregor is the current UFC Featherweight Champion and one of the most popular mixed martial artists of all time. 

Conor McGregor has been a huge advocate for movement based training. There are many clips of Conor McGregor training different movement drills such as lizard walks and muscle ups. 

In many interviews, Conor McGregor has revealed that movement is what he really is passionate about, and that fighting is merely an expression of his movement capability.

For the past 2 years, Conor McGregor has taken over the UFC. In 2 years he went from nothing to signing 10 million deals with the UFC.

conor mcgregor workout routine

Conor McGregor doing his thing.

Conor McGregor's loudmouth has allowed him to progress incredibly fast in the UFC, but McGregor also moves and fights like no one else does.

Conor McGregor is incredibly hard to figure out, because he utilizes many techniques and movement patterns not many has the knowledge of. 

Watch the video of our Conor McGregor workout routine demonstrating different movement drills and exercises we have seen Conor McGregor performing in his training clips.

Conor McGregor Exercises

Lizard Walks

Lizard walk is a superb exercise to improve the coordination, mobility and strength of your entire body. Lizard walks will build strength in the upper body like nothing else.

We have seen Conor McGregor doing forward, backwards and beginner lizard walks for many clips during the past 2 years.

Check our lizard walk article for detailed tips and progressions to develop your lizard walk.

Muscle Ups

conor mcgregor muscle up

Conor McGregor has been doing tons of muscle ups on rings. When McGregor was having his training camp in California, he would learn how to do muscle ups on a beach.

At first, Conor McGregor had great difficulties doing good repetitions, but according to McGregor himself, a local homeless guy gave him tips that helped McGregor to perform his first successful muscle up.

A properly done muscle up is an amazing exercise you can do both on rings and on a bar. The movement is extraordinary, because it trains both pulling and pushing muscles in one movement sequence. 

In addition to strengthening the back, biceps, triceps and chest, the muscle up will tremendously improve rotator cuff and wrist strength.

All of these will be beneficial in any sport, MMA included. It's no wonder both Conor McGregor and George St. Pierre utilize this exercise in their training. 

You can check our articles on muscle ups in case you want to learn the perfect muscle up. A muscle up with the right progressions is approachable by almost anyone.

If you need further assistance, you can get our free muscle up guide (which includes also the workouts and programming) from the sidebar or at the bottom of this post.

Movement Based Abs Work

Conor McGregor explores a lot of different ways to move and train his body. We have seen McGregor doing different abdominal exercises while holding a headstand or a shoulder stand. 

Shoulder Stand Leg Lift

Conor Mcgregor workout shoulderstand leg raise
shoulderstand leg raise

Shoulder stand leg lift is an impressive looking exercise, but also a very effective way to practice balance and build abdominal strength.

Try to keep your trunk as straight as possible, straighten your legs at the top and then lower the legs until they barely touch the floor. 

Headstand Leg Lift

Conor McGregor Headstand Leg Lift
Headstand leg raise

Headstand leg lift is a harder progression compared to the shoulder stand leg lift we have demonstrated above. Like with the shoulder stand, keep your body tight and straight.

Headstand leg lift is an interesting exercise, which will develop both abdominal and lower back muscles at the same time. The movement also requires a great deal of balance and strength. 

Next Level Headstand Leg Lift

Twisting headstand
Conor McGregor exercise Headstand twist

This is the next level of the normal headstand leg lift: you lower your legs and then start moving them sideways. 

The exercise keeps isometric tension on abs the entire duration of the exercise. The twisting motion will greatly improve the strength and size of your obliques.

Single Leg Exercises

kettlebell pistol squat for beast challenge
kettlebell pistol squat

When you are fighting, you rarely jump with both legs with an equally good footing. MMA requires balance and coordination - training different single leg exercises will build necessary strength and balance for this purpose.

When you kick, you hold your body in balance with just one leg on the floor. The single leg balance will certainly come helpful there.

We have seen Conor McGregor exploring his movement capacity with pistol squats. The key is to explore and to try different angles to further develop your body's movement capabilities. 

A properly done pistol squat will improve your lower body's mobility, strength and balance like no other single leg exercise. You can even add weight to make it harder.

Conor McGregor Workout Routine

Conor McGregor exercises demonstrated in this article will compile a great workout that actually works on its own.

Conor McGregor Workout Routine

Muscle Ups: 5 sets of 1 to 5 reps. 

Leg Lift Progression: 5 sets of 5 to 10 reps.

Single Leg Exercise: 5 sets of 5 reps.

Take 1-2 minutes of rest between sets. You can do this workout 2-5 times per week and see great results in strength and size.

Muscle ups will make sure you get heavy pulling and pushing work done, leg exercise will ensure you aren't neglecting your lower body, and training abs will make sure you develop those bulky abdominal muscles.

Train hard, stay safe.



samuli jyrkinen

About the author 

Samuli Jyrkinen

Samuli is the ninja behind the scenes (photography, videography, websites, program platforms and more). He has been training religiously for over a decade and has a firm grasp of physical and mental fitness. You will find our story here.

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  • Great post! Really enjoying your articles. They bring a fresh perspective into training. The animal walks are really bringing up my boxing and movement in general. Keep up the good work!

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