Weight Training for Muay Thai

[Muay_Thai_COBRA]

Does anyone know of a good weight training routine for Muay Thai, for example; what body parts to train and what kind of excersies.

 

Any help would be great.

 

[Jack]

You will want to work all of your muscles. The following exercises should roughly cover every muscle group, but let me know if I've missed any out...

 

Bench Press

 

Military Press

 

Barbell Row

 

Deadlift

 

Squat

 

Calf Raise

 

To gain strength and size, you want to be doing these exercises with a heavy weight so that you reach failure (cannot force out another rep) within 6-12 repititions. Start for a few weeks with light weights so you get the form correct before going onto heavy weights!

 

I lift weights 3 times a week - 3 sets of Military press and barbell rows... I havn't got a bench yet so I substitute bench press for pushups to failure. I can't do Squats due to my bad knees so I use isometric exercises instead.

 

Basically though - train all body parts, you'll want to train strength endurance and speed. Strength involves high weight with low reps to failure, endurance involves a lower weight with higher reps, and speed involves explosive movements.

 

To give you an idea on routine, this is mine...

 

Monday: Distance and Taekwondo

 

Tuesday: Strength and Tabata

 

Wednesday: Distance and Taekwondo

 

Thursday: Strength and Taekwondo

 

Friday: Taekwondo

 

Saturday: Strength, Tabata, and Taekwondo

 

Where you see Distance - that is basically going on the exercise bike at a low intensity for an hour. Tabata is a far more intense cardio exercise of sprinting for 20 seconds, and resting for 10... and repeating for 4-8 minutes.

 

Good luck, any more questions just ask!

 

 

 

_________________

 

Jack Waspe

 

5th Kyu Taekwondo

 

Karateforums.com Sensei

 

'What the mind can believe, the body can achieve.'

 

 

 

[ This Message was edited by: Jack on 2002-04-28 09:52 ]

[YODA]

Good advice Jack

 

 

[G95champ]

Anytime a martial artists lifts they must keep in mind the hamstrings. You must do leg curls and straight leg dead liff. That way you keep flexibility.

 

 

[YODA]

Leg curls yes - straight leg deads is a VERY easy way to screw up your lower back. They work but BE CAREFUL!

 

 

[Bon]

I lift weights 3 times a week - 3 sets of Military press and barbell rows... I havn't got a bench yet so I substitute bench press for pushups to failure. I can't do Squats due to my bad knees so I use isometric exercises instead.

 

Hey, Jack.

 

I don't have a bench either, try wrapping weights up in a towel and tucking the towel into your pants, then do pushups. I find I can add another 10 push ups to what I can normally do without weights when I do 3 sets of normal pushups, 3 sets of pushups with hands up a couple of stairs (inclined), 3 sets with feet up a couple of stairs (declined).

 

I've done this 4 times, each time adding 10 push ups on my total, so I can now do 80. =)

 

 

[G95champ]

The key to straight leg deadlift is to do light weight. No more than say 135lbs. Stand on a box so you can go lower than you feet. Let the weight hang for like 2 seconds on each lift so you get a great stretch. I have my football players use Dumbells when doing them. They key to any weight training is to go light and use perfect techinque. The ONLY time you get hurt is when you are showing off doing more than you can or need to be doing do. Light weight build you just as good as heavy weight and you don't get hurt in the process.

[Jack]

Not true, G95... light weights do not work any fast twitch muscle fibres... heavy weights do. Heavy weights also cause more of a shock to the muscle, allowing it to grow more than a light weight would make it. Form will always be more important than weight, the only thing cheating with extremely heavy bicep curls is exercise is your ego, and possibly your lower back.

 

 

[G95champ]

I disagree. My brother plays football at WVU. I have been to and seen a lot of D1 and other college weight training programs. Although you may be right that heavy weight may work it faster the fact is light weight done with corrrect form will do the job just as good if not better.

 

The best Bench workout for mass and muscle is 5 sets of 5. You can not do that with you max. You have to do it with a lighter weight you can control.

 

I don't mean if you bench 400 lbs to do 100. More like 250 instead of trying to hit 390 everday. Do a safe weight with perfect form and you will grow and develope much faster than heavy weight.

[Jack]

I'm in no way advocating weight over form, but lifting the correct amount of weight so that you reach failure within 10 repitions is the key. With your example, that could be 200lbs, 280lbs, 320lbs... whatever, but I aim for the maximun weight with best form for 10-rep at max failure and it has been doing me miracles.

 

In my experience and several professional bodybuilders, their best Bench workout would be 3 sets of about 6-8 to failure. Failure is not necessary for muscle growth, but encourages it a lot more than simply performing difficult movements.

 

If you read some of the articles on http://www.bodybuilding.com you will see what they recommend.

 

Peace.