RicksonFan

Ah... but no one has mentioned the final amino acid for athletes- arginine! Arginine helps with HGH production in the body, and is used in the production of creatine. It's a precursor for nitric oxide (look up the product NO2 for all that info). Apparently if you take in 4g a day in one big dose, your body can make more NO and so on. Then there's products like NO2. Now, I've tried NO2 and most of their claims didn't fly with me, but I did notice that my workouts went a LOT easier. But at the price, it's just not worth it to me. I take regular ol' arginine just to make sure. Hope I didn't get too off topic there.

Medici said it all, except he should have added that BCAA's are what muscles use for fuel. Without them the muscles break themselves down to get them, so the more you have the less muscle break down occurs. I don't remember why the EAA's need to be with them, but I have heard that they do. Do note that whey protein has a good amount of BCAA's usually. (I don't know about EAA's). As far as glutamine, take it with your protein shakes or food. The best food source for glutamine is turkey, second is eggs I think.

Just train your technique. Then do weights (not bodybuilding). Then technique some more. Study boxers, no one punches harder than them.

You will need endurance and explosive power in tournament type fighting. Train for that.

Study boxers and thai boxers.

I will tell you what's been working for me lately like none other. I refer to it as the KISS plan (keep it simple, stupid). I do three sets bench w/dumbells, three sets rows, three dips, three chinups (lats), and thats it. I wait until I'm nbot sore for a day or two, and do it again. Opposite days I do deads, squats, calves... you get the idea. I used to be so scientific about hitting a muscle group from different angles and timing myself between sets and blahblahblah. Now I do this easy stuff, go by feel, and I'm growing more than ever. Just keep it to the big weight movements, keep it simple, and remember that weight training is a suppliment to your martial arts training. Also, keep a log to make sure you're progressing. Just don't obsess over it.

Ummm, don't! Do what Sohan said.

I've found some of Bas Rutten's on limewire, and for me they serve mostly as reminders, but I've gotten a few nifty little things from him. They'd be worthless if I didn't train with an instructor though.

You've just been out of the gym, it's unavoidable. Muscles are weird in that their dynamic strength doesn't change as much as their gym strength. Pushing big weight is weird. You'll be back to normal in no time.

I'll go ahead and say it- I don't care! Maxing on benchpress is not important to martial artists. In fact, with the really high weights, you're much better off using dumbells than a barbell. And while I'm at it- benchpress is the least effective exercise for punching power. The back is more important, and the legs and core more still.

Oh yea? Well your eagle claw can't defeat my slithering snake!

https://www.fight2survive.com

Might I recommend BJJ so you can grapple with your lovely lady? How romantic....

Eh? What possible advantage could there be from chambering the fist? Additional power? That won't happen if you know how to punch. Getting punched in the face more? That will. Slightly slowing your punches? That will too.

I have to agree with the idea that if your head is away from your head or whatever it's blocking, in live combat, you're likely to get hit. Maybe not every time, but if I'm fighting you, most of the time. Circular vs. Linear is really one of those theoretical questions you find in traditional martial arts that doesn't have much place in real life. Oh, well I block punches circularly, wax on wax off. Well I like to do them linearly, painting the fence. Look to MMA where pucnhes are being thrown by those who know how to throw them- they are never blocked linearly or circularly. The're avoided or absorbed. Can ALL those professional fighters be wrong?