The basics of physical fitness include flexibility, strength, power, speed, muscular endurance, balance and cardiovascular fitness. Each martial art has developed its own workout routines to cultivate the body type and mentality that’s best for the art form.
Following the aerobic-exercise fad of the 1980s, it became increasingly popular to integrate martial arts training into non-martial artist workout routines. The 1990s saw the advent of the oft-ridiculed Tae Bo. Tae Bo was not a self-defense system, yet many misled individuals thought the exercises could be applied to self-defense scenarios. However, this was an important development because mainstream America saw new value in learning martial arts. Today, more people practice martial arts in the United States than ever before.
More recently, elements of mixed martial arts training have been incorporated into workout videos. Champions like Chuck Liddell, Frank Shamrock and Mauricio Rua have released DVDs that demonstrate exercise routines with an emphasis on conditioning for fights.