How has weight training been beneficial to your MA training?

[bushido_man96]

Pretty self-explanatory here. I was just curious to hear how weight training has benefited the MA training of those that do both?

For me, I feel that it has increased my leg strength, and I have noticed a difference in upper body power in blocking and striking. An overall increase in strength through the weight training has helped to increase my performance in my forms training, and has helped in sparring. By increasing my muscular strength, I have also increased the power in my techniques, especially in endeavors like board breaking that are required for testing.

[tallgeese]

Increased strength is the obvious answer, and that's a benefit when utilized properly. There's also an element of power endurance that is highly beneficial.

Overall, there is also just a general increase in athleticism that is a good thing that comes from training with weights.

[isshinryu5toforever]

The right kind of weight training will work as injury prevention as well. The strength benefits you get directly contribute to you being more durable. That may be one of the largest benefits. Strength is good, but only if you can use it. Injury prevention, you can always use.

[bushido_man96]

The right kind of weight training will work as injury prevention as well. The strength benefits you get directly contribute to you being more durable. That may be one of the largest benefits. Strength is good, but only if you can use it. Injury prevention, you can always use.

Agreed. That's why its important to continue to focus on technique work in line with weight training. The combination of the two will increase power.

[hx35543]

I have been weightlifting for the better part 25 years. Standing 5'4" at a weight of 160, I pack a pretty good punch. Being the age of 40, I hold my own pretty well against the the younger generation in my class.

I do have many aches and pains to deal with from years of heavy lifting, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Overall, I feel good and move very well for my age.

[RichardZ]

Actually, it had increased my speed as much as strength.

[mr_obvious]

My response is prolly more rhetorical, since I've strength trained before / longer than formal MA classes. Anyway, my $0.02 is that is certainly helps, but isn't necessarily a silver bullet.

Something I've started doing at the end of every gym session -- knockout 1-2 set(s) at about 60% of my working capacity, focusing on speed and explosivity. The goal is to develop more fast-twitch fiber, something I used to careless about before getting serious into MA.

Admittedly, speed isn't inherent to my build, so I've got a lot of work to do in this department

[sperki]

The other component of strength training, that hasn't been mentioned yet, is endurance. I notice that I can do more repetitions of kicks and blocks and still maintain good form when I've been weight lifting regularly. And of course I don't tire as quickly while sparring.