Weight Training

[mazzybear]

I'm going to be getting myself a barbell and weights for using to gain more strength and power in my legs for kicks. I have dumbells, a medicine ball and pull up bar for working my upper body but feel I'm neglecting my legs somewhat. I have a circuit worked out with the barbell:

40lb weight

3x20 Squat jumps

3x20 Lunges (both legs)

3x20 1 legged deadlift

3x25 High knees.

Does this seem ok? How much weight training do you incorporate into your home workouts?

If you have any other leg exercise routines, feel free to share.

M.

[Harkon72]

If you want to kick hard; cut out the weights completely; just do push ups with your hands the on ball and walk 2 miles up and down hills every day. Bulky legs will prevent power; they require more energy to use. You just need a powerful core and the balance of a dancer. Why do you think the British Gurkha terrify the meat monkeys of the US army?

[mazzybear]

If you want to kick hard; cut out the weights completely; just do push ups with your hands the on ball and walk 2 miles up and down hills every day. Bulky legs will prevent power; they require more energy to use. You just need a powerful core and the balance of a dancer. Why do you think the British Gurkha terrify the meat monkeys of the US army?

Thanks Harkon, I have a nice hill nearby for walking, possibly running up. My legs are quite skinny or as my mum puts it "there's more meat on a butchers pencil" so I just assumed my lack of power was down to that. I've been kicking the bag in the garage every other day, while it's definitely helping my technique and height, power just won't follow. So my weekly shifts finish tonight, first thing tomorrow I'm gonna tackle that hill.

M.

[jaypo]

I have to respectfully disagree with you on 1 thing, Harkon. I know plenty of US Army soldiers, and they fear nothing. Not British Gurkha. Not Russian Special Forces. Not the Taliban. Nothing. Not to make this adversarial, but I think it's a bit disrespectful to call a group of patriotic men and women that give their lives to protect the lives of their peers "meat monkeys". I'd prefer a term such as "hero".

[Wastelander]

There is a long-standing misconception that muscle "bulk" causes slowness and inflexibility. Fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are the muscles you need to be explosive and strong, are the largest type of muscle fibers in the body, and therefore the bulkiest. What causes slowness and inflexibility is lifting slow and not doing enough/any stretching.

After adding barbell squats and deadlifts to my training, as well as working with a heavier (150lbs) heavy bag, my kicks definitely got stronger.

[mazzybear]

There is a long-standing misconception that muscle "bulk" causes slowness and inflexibility. Fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are the muscles you need to be explosive and strong, are the largest type of muscle fibers in the body, and therefore the bulkiest. What causes slowness and inflexibility is lifting slow and not doing enough/any stretching.

After adding barbell squats and deadlifts to my training, as well as working with a heavier (150lbs) heavy bag, my kicks definitely got stronger.

Thanks Wastelander, it's definitely conflicting opinions I've been getting from folk at work and in class too, i suppose I won't know for sure unless I try for myself. I think the squat jumps and high knees should be good for explosive power as they are fast exercises. I want to get more running or walking in too, so I'll work them all in to some kind of rota. Thanks for your input.

M.

[jaypo]

While it is true that if you add resistance training to your routine, a side effect will be to add some "bulk", your speed and power will be the result of how you workout. As Wastelander mentioned, your fast twitch fibers are what generates speed. If you do your sets using explosive motions, it will benefit your speed and power more than just using a slow push and a slow negative.

Don't worry too much about putting on too much bulk that will affect your performance. You shouldn't experience that unless you start training like a power lifter.

[DWx]

If you want to kick hard; cut out the weights completely; just do push ups with your hands the on ball and walk 2 miles up and down hills every day. Bulky legs will prevent power; they require more energy to use. You just need a powerful core and the balance of a dancer. Why do you think the British Gurkha terrify the meat monkeys of the US army?

With all due respect Gareth, I disagree. Explosive power requires muscle. Look at any athletes that have to move their legs fast. Look at the sprinters Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Justin Gatlin, they're all built like tanks with massive leg muscles. Heck look at some of the most successful Karate-ka, Kickboxers and Taekwondo players. JCVD had big legs and did a ton of weight training. Bruce Lee trained with weights too. I would put money on all the UFC roster currently doing some form of weight training.

FWIW there are Gurkha's based at our local barracks and those guys aren't exactly scrawny in any case. They aren't exactly kicking a lot either. They're good soldiers mainly because of attitude.

[Harkon72]

I'm sorry if I upset anybody, but my own gym are full of bulk builders with 70% bulk above their waist, I played rugby for the British RAF OTC against the US marine corps in 1991. Their pack had a third more weight than ours, it took longer for them to get up and out wide our 11 stone wingers left them chasing shadows. We fear our elite forces ourselves; you don't even know they are there. I won my wings and am retired now; I'm not a hero and would never claim to be. I feel shame and loss; my point was that to achieve leg power, to bulk up is not the answer, if you are bigger; you need more fuel, more water, just plain food and faith in flexibility not steaks and lobster followed by aspartame and ibuprofen. Please fear your enemy; that's the only way you can survive. Technology can only do so much; it's the look in the eye that makes them run.

[jaypo]

I fully agree about more muscle needing more fuel. I am in the process of shedding some pounds right now to gain more speed and flexibility. I've been one of those "70% bulk up top) people for years, but not by choice. I used to have very strong (yet lean) legs due to the various sports I played. I had a 36 inch verticle and was squatting 405lbs. Then my knee blew out when I landed wrong in a game. From that point (2001), I haven't been able to do nearly enough to get my legs back to where they were because of my range of motion from the knee reconstruction. However, I can still do martial arts and run.

I've changed my workouts from heavy weight lifting to a lot of Olympic ring exercises. I've changed my cadences from slow and controlled motions to explosive motions. This is what I meant by building up those fast twitch muscle fibers. The ring exercises are to fire up all those stabilizing muscles that never got a burn before, and they also work wonders for your core. This also translates to more powerful kicks (just read that in this month's issue of Black Belt Magazine- an entire article on how to have more powerful kicks).

As far as the discussion on soldiers, while some may be more physically fit and gifted, the one thing that trumps all physical gifts is heart. And every soldier I've met personally had it. That trumps fear. They had no fear, or else they wouldn't be willing to put their lives on the line by going to war. I'm not saying one group is better than the other. I just believe that ANYONE that is willing to put themselves thru what soldiers do (regardless of which country they're defending), there is no fear of an opponent. Only fear of failure.