Bodybuilding and Martial Art ?

[MingTheMerciless]

Any of you try crossing bodybuilding and martial art ?

Most bodybuilder i kew that are doing great in martial art tend to be grappler/wrestler and boxer ( And this is what I am currently doing ) , and tend to do less well on traditional martial art ( mostly because they do a lot of fast kicking ) or any martial art that need high amount of flexibillity and agillity ( I have been thinking of picking capoeira ) , but that is not always true though , some bodybuilder I knew are pretty agile for their weight and bulk .

 

[tntma12]

I have a student that I teach Aikido to who is a body builder, and he has been training in it now for quite some time, and he seems to be doing just fine. I think it depends on the person, and keeping up with your stretching. Anyone can do anything they want, if they want to bad enough

 

[CuongNhuka]

Keep in mind, Boxing and Wrestling ARE Traditional Martial Arts, they are just Traditional Western Martial Arts.
However, I did do weight lifting for a little while (about a year). I discovered that I had more bulk and pure power, but less speed. If you can devote a large amount of time to it, you could easily compensate for this. Also keep in mind that boxing caoches back in the 20's - 40's didn't like to have a fighter who was really ripped. they noticed that they tend to be too tight, unyielding.
However, I perfer the more old school aproch to body building. Namely, practicing weapons with steel pipes, and doing posture training. Amongst other things.

 

[MingTheMerciless]

When I watch Fight Science , the Australian Taekwando Practitioner Bren Foster have a rather ripped muscular body though and he seem to be doing great at taekwando.

 

[CuongNhuka]

He probably did more like Bruce Lee. He did weight training, aerobics/cardio, isometrics, and Martial Arts. Which is were his build probably came from. It is probably the same with that Tae Kwon Do-ist. He also did ALOT of plyometrics come to think of it. Which build power, speed, balance, and often flexibilty (or atleast don't reduce it). Then again, he could devote hours a day to that. To each his own.

 

[KempoGuy06]

Bodybuilding can be discribed as in many ways. It doesnt always have to be about getting absolutely huge (though most people think it is). I study SKK and there is a fair amount of flexibility required for it, that being said there is a guy at my dojo who is huge, 5'10 or so and can bench about 420. Suprisingly he is extremely fast and agile though sometime his flexibility does lack. His speed can be attributed to his football days though.

I used to do a lot of weight lifting when i fist got into the MA's and I noticed that as the more muscle i put on the slower i was becoming. I re-structured my work out and am now correcting that problem.

It all boils down to how you approach a workout, set goals, determine what you want to accomplish and go from there.

B

 

[Drac]

There was a bodybuilder at the Shorin-Ryu dojo I trained at and he was doing quite well..

 

[bushidomartialarts]

I did that for a while about ten years ago. It certainly didn't hurt my training.

I've found there are other forms of strength training which mesh better with my martial arts. But it was fun and affirming when I was power lifting. Certainly didn't harm my training.

 

[MingTheMerciless]

it doesn't heard to have good well toned muscle though . They kinda act like a natural body armor . Beside Lifting weight is a great way to burn fats and add muscle .

 

[Kwan Jang]

Muscle is what moves the body, as long as you train along the body's natural strength curve, the more lean muscle you have, the better your speed and performance should be. I have benched close to 600 lbs and have performed a double with 805 in the full squat. I can do both a full front and side split and perform jump split kicks, double leg 540's and 720's (despite my being in my 40's). All the bodybuilding/weight training has ever done for me is increase my physical abilities and enhance my performance as a martial artist. It's a great tool if you apply it ina an intellegent manner.

 

[Adept]

Muscle is what moves the body, as long as you train along the body's natural strength curve, the more lean muscle you have, the better your speed and performance should be. I have benched close to 600 lbs and have performed a double with 805 in the full squat. I can do both a full front and side split and perform jump split kicks, double leg 540's and 720's (despite my being in my 40's). All the bodybuilding/weight training has ever done for me is increase my physical abilities and enhance my performance as a martial artist. It's a great tool if you apply it ina an intellegent manner.

Quoted for truth.

 

[MingTheMerciless]

Muscle is what moves the body, as long as you train along the body's natural strength curve, the more lean muscle you have, the better your speed and performance should be. I have benched close to 600 lbs and have performed a double with 805 in the full squat. I can do both a full front and side split and perform jump split kicks, double leg 540's and 720's (despite my being in my 40's). All the bodybuilding/weight training has ever done for me is increase my physical abilities and enhance my performance as a martial artist. It's a great tool if you apply it ina an intellegent manner.

quite a good advice though .

 

[dru123]

FWIW,

I lift (heavy) weights 3 times a week, do yoga once a week, martial arts (Kajukenbo) 3 times a week, and try to get in a run or two. I find weight training (especially core exercises like deadlifts and squats), has only improved my martial arts.

-Jason

 

[tahuti]

Do you consider competitive bodybuilding or recreational bodybuilding?
Do you call bodybuilder anyone who uses weights?

There is no problem in using weights in martial arts. Examine some very traditional methods, Scots with logs and rocks, gymnasts horse - roots were in actual training for riding horse, various weighted clubs....

Next group to examine is running: sprinters, distance runners and marathoners. Look their system of training, how their body looks before and after run. Even if all of them just run, you will notice actual training is different for each group.

There are many body characteristics that need to be developed.

1. Strength (maximal, explosive, reactive, accelerating)
2. Speed
3. Endurance
4. Flexibility
5. Balance
6. Coordination
7. Aesthetics

I am gonna leave Technique out.

Question: Is it possible to develop strength without growing muscle?

Answer: Yes, and not to infinity (gymnasts would love that).
If you don't believe look at weight lifters they compete in weight categories so how they break world record without gaining size.

Absolute strength is defined as maximal INVOLUNTARY contraction of muscle. Normally only available through electrical stimulation.
Maximal strength is maximal VOLUNTARY contraction of muscle.
Difference between absolute and maximal strength is called strength deficit.
Strength depends on 2 factors, cross-section of muscle (number of muscle fibers) and central nervous system that fires those muscle fibers into action. Now for those who are in weight divisions they do increase maximal strength without gaining mass by decreasing strength deficit. Of course you can't do this type of training forever, as you aproach your absolute strength you will need to gain more fibers and than again you do training without gaining size.
To improve maximal strength you need heavy resistance. Weights, bodyweight, resistance bands, isometrics,....
Key concept is low repetition (more than 1 up to 5-6 for those in good condition), stop 1-2 repetition before failure, long rests between sets.

• Benefits of maximal strength training: strengthen joints and ligaments, improves intramuscular and intermuscular coordination (fibers learn how to work together, same as different muscle groups learn to play together).

• Disadvantages of maximal strength training: stress on central nervous system, degrades explosive strength.

Explosive strength is maximal contraction of muscle in minimum time, this is what you call power. Maximal strength training is prerequisite for training of quality. Reason why focus only on maximal training degrades explosivnes is speed of training. You can't safely move your maximal load at high speeds without risks of injury, so you do it at lower speed, basicly training your muscles to be slow. F=m*a (force equals mass times acceleration) that is reason of weight divisions in various sports, with mass relatively equal competitors must focus on acceleration which is gained from this muscle quality. Training is medium resistance, medium repetition, high speed. Plyometrics, grab medicine ball and throw it are some examples.

Reactive strength is ability to quickly change your motion, example squat jump, or punch-guard, or sprint stop sprintback.

Accelerating strength measures again how fast you can do particular activity. Example is take 2 competitors and let them do pushups for 2 minutes, one does 90 other does 75, first one have greater accelerating strength. Training with resistance bands, density training (like how many punches, kicks, pushups, you can do in period of time 2 min, 5min, 10min, you are trying to increase number).

Endurance is ability to repeat same motion over time. Above 15 repetition is considered endurance training, low resistance. So hill sprints, 100 pushups, 500 squats, burpees, mini drills, intervals, jumping rope they all help endurance. Now you also need to think about 2 energy systems of your body. Probably heard of aerobic and anaerobic. Again depending on your chosen activity you will need different ratio of both. Check boxers, they still breathe while fighting but their lungs can't keep up with demand, so you use ATP which creates lactic acid which you need to fight thru till gong. Now in recovery phase haven't you noticed trainers telling boxers to breathe. So during whole event boxers will use both energy systems.

Each physical activity requires different ratio of these qualities. Lets see soccer:

1. technique (you need to control ball and work with your team)
2. endurance, you need to last for 2x45min
3. speed
4. explosive strength (lots of minis sprints, here also reactive strength comes in, also to make ball faster)
5. maximal strength

You would need to figure what requirements your chosen activity has and find where you need improvements and than create training activity to match your goals.

Just following training regiment from another sport doesn't simple translates to best training for your art. Also avoid looking for champion training, they have spent years to get to that level of training and if you are beginer you simply can't start at that level.

 

[zDom]

Regarding aerobic / anaerobic energy systems:

My recollection is the first energy used is ATP, followed by the conversion of glycogen into ATP with lactic acid as a waste product.

These first two are the anaerobic systems.

The first gives energy for instant action, the second for another two minutes or so after that.

THEN if your body isn't getting enough energy from the anaerobic sources, the aerobic system kicks in (uses oxygen + proteins, fats and carbs, waste products are water, i.e. sweat, and carbon dioxide).

You have probably noticed that you can go a minute or two on the bag before you break a sweat. Once you have used up that read ATP and burned up the easy-to-reach glycogen stored in the muscles, that aerobic system kicks in.

It isn't until you have overcome the energy deficit (recover) that the aerobic system will back off and you stop sweating.

This is all from memory, but I think I'm pretty close on this.

 

[Darth F.Takeda]

Get a few Kettlebells and get a little training in their proper use, and you can train every physical attribute for hand to hand combat with 1 tool.

I have lifted weights and done MA on and off soince I was a child (10) a nd have found KBs to be the best all round (not the best in each individual attribute) S&C tool and methodology for mt MA.

I do also cycle in Dead lifts and bench presses, always do pull up and body weight training, along with some cable, band and dumbell prehab drills.

I liked KBs so much after getting into them, that I now make my living teaching and training others to use them to reach their physical goals.

Dont take my word for it, try them, odds are you will have that " Damn these things are just like fighting!" moment I did.