Multiple heavyweight world titles in Muay Thai and kickboxing, Four-time Kickboxing Heavyweight Champion of Africa (1998-2001), and IKA Super Heavyweight World Champion (2011)- that's Alain Ngalani for you, retired yet a force to be reckoned with.

In 2013, Ngalani transitioned to mixed martial arts with ONE Championship and achieved a 31-second knockout victory in his first MMA fight. What's the secret behind those muscles? What is Alain Ngalani's workout?

Starting the day

The 50-year-old starts his day at 8 in the morning and warms up his body with a light workout. What gets the high-kicking competitor going and also keeps him safe from injury is his stretching.

“I do my stretching routine every day – that is very important,” he says. But what about the most important meal of the day?

Ngalani eats a light breakfast, just enough to provide him with the energy to fuel his morning session. He would eat a banana and oatmeal, even skipping the latter when he is not hungry enough. All of this was just the beginning, though.

The intensive workout

When the clock hits 10 AM, Ngalani hits the gym for cardio, followed by high-intensity interval training. What does that contain?

Though Ngalani changes things up every day to keep his routine fresh and varied, he says this is a typical workout for him. A simple one that requires a treadmill and great lungs.

• Treadmill set to 15 incline: 30 seconds sprint at 12km/h, 30 seconds rest
• Treadmill set to 12 incline: 30 seconds sprint at 13km/h, 30 seconds rest
• Treadmill set to 9 incline: 30 seconds sprint at 14km/h, 30 seconds rest
• Treadmill set to 6 incline: 30 seconds sprint at 15km/h, 30 seconds rest

Repeat four times, and then follow with:

• 50 burpees, 10 medicine ball slams
• 40 burpees, 20 medicine ball slams
• 30 burpees, 30 medicine ball slams
• 20 burpees, 40 medicine ball slams
• 10 burpees, 50 medicine ball slams

“It’s quite intense, but that is a good cardio workout for me,” he says. The Panther then eats his second breakfast: 6-7 eggs, followed by a protein and carbs in Lunch about a couple of hours later.

"I will have a half chicken or a whole chicken, depending on how I feel, with sweet potato and some vegetables," he said. This fuels him up for the afternoon session, which is more focused on honing his skills for the Circle and lasts an hour and a half.

He would then have an apple and a power drink to coach one or two classes at the gym. After this, he does his final session of the day.

The final session

When the Bout comes closer, the Panther would then start training at 8:30 PM, a similar time to when he will compete. “In the middle of the fight camp, I will do sparring at night-time to get my body used to that, but that won’t be every day – three times a week,” he told.

Now that you're aware of Alain Ngalani's Complete Workout, let us know what impresses you the most.

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Joyita Das