weight training for martial artist

[aznkarateboi]

What do you recommend I do to get lots of functional strength without too much bulk (kind of like bruce lee... good physicque but not too big... and lots of strength and speed)? I heard that bodybuilding is very detrimental to martial arts because the muscles are usually more showy than functional. Thanks.

[WolverineGuy]

Plyometrics would be best:

 

http://fit4martialarts.com/plyometrics.htm

 

Check that out, but there are plenty of other sites and books. Great stuff, and it not only builds your strength, but your explosiveness, which is exactly what you need.

[SevenStar]

in addition to plyometrics, try neuromuscular type training - very heave weight, very low reps, very low sets - look up power to the people, by pavel tsatsouline.

 

another approach is the westside training regimen.

 

bodybuilding tends to be too isolative - it's not the size that hinders you, it's the isoloated lifts - for "functional" strength, you want to do compound exercises like the bench press, not isolative ones, like curls and cable flyes.

[WolverineGuy]

Whatever, Seven.

 

Yeah, what he said too. Most bodybuilders don't really advocate isolation movements either, except for lagging parts, but even then, when they're packin on mass, its all about the compound movements.

[aznkarateboi]

sd?

[WolverineGuy]

sd?? eh?

[Rich67]

The best way for you to achieve what you're looking for is to train with relatively light weights and use higher reps. Also, you want to do "bodyweight" only exercises such as pushups, pullups and dips. The reason for that is twofold:

 

1) Using only your bodyweight helps you develop good muscle tone without bulking up with excess muscle that can slow you down.

 

2) It also promotes better flexibility and range of motion than with weight training alone.

 

Don't get me wrong, you certainly do want to train with weights, but don't overdo it. When you see bodybuilders, real ones that are in the high-level competitions, those guys are drug-assisted. You CANNOT get that large with supplements and protein intake alone. So, to think you'll look like that if you lift like that is a grave misconception.

 

A lot of people who train with weights really overlook the benefits of stretching. You should stretch your muscles a minimum of 10 minutes before each workout, during each workout, and at least 5 minutes after each workout. This helps you retain your flexibility even when you exclusively weight train.

 

I lift 3 times a week, and I keep the weights light. I do 15-20 reps per exercise, and do 3 sets per bodypart. I also do 3 days of aerobics, and train 3-4 times a week. I'm pretty wasted after a week of that, so I can't overdo it all the time. I am 5'11" and weigh 180. I have about 8% bodyfat, and I am pretty flexible/functionally strong. By that I mean I can lift a lot more than people think I can just by looking at me. I have a buddy that is 6'2" and weighs about 245. He looks big, muscles and all, and he works out "the regular way" 4-5 times a week. He can bench and squat WAY more than me, but when I helped him move a bureau out of his house one day, he could hardly budge it. I was able to scoot it out all on my own. He couldn't believe it, and admitted I had more "functional" strength than he. He put it well and said his strength was more "aesthetic", meaning it was more for looks than anything else. I'd rather have the functionality.

[MichiganTKD]

I agree, a light-moderate lifting regimen 3x per week, along with cardio training is ideal. Your muscles need the resistance to keep toned without overdoing it. Additionally, cardio helps build stamina. I vary the cardio between treadmill and elliptical, about 30 minutes at a time. I also intersperse it with heavy bag training so that my muscles keep acclimated to exploding outward, otherwise they just get used to contracting to lift the weights. There has to be a balance.

 

One thing I do NOT recommend is training with wrist and ankle weights during bag training, forms, kicking practice etc. This is very hard on the joints and will cause long term damage down the road. The reason for this is because wrist and ankle weights increase the amount of time it takes for your limbs to stop after executing a technique. As a result, the kinetic energy produced by the kick, punch, or block is dissipated back into the limb instead of released instantaneously.in an explosive action. The result, over time, is slow breakdown of the joint.

[Bretty101]

The summer before last i was unemployed and managed to spend just over an hour in the gym every day lifting heavy weights (8-20rep, to failure). I managed to gain nearly 40lbs of muscle in a relatively short time.

 

I felt great, I could hit the bag incredible hard and the power I could generate was fantastic. I did lose a little flexibility in my back and felt restricted when twisting into my blocks and punches, however this was negligible and probably down to me growing out of my suit top . I didn't lose any flexibility in my legs and always maintained the splits, dispite doing very heavy deadlifts and squats.

 

I also found all my niggly (annoying little) injuries went away and my body felt nice and toned. My posture improved considerably and my knee and shoulder joints (which tend to dislocate very easily) tightened up.

 

I'd recommend heavy weights to anyone, the buzz, endorphines and work out all feel so good. I can't think of a single draw back other then the increased weight reducing your speed. (look at the size of Tyson he's massive and still so fast!!!)

 

Unfortunatle I got a desk job and have been unable to maintain my gains. I'm way down to a more manageble size now.

 

Get Massiiive!!!

 

Bretty