Iron Body Training

[7starmantis]

Yes but I did think that weight lifters saw an increase in bone density in bone structures that were put under stress (though I don't know of any study that supports that view, just something I heard). However the soft and hard target thing doesn't realy make sence to me. If you hit a soft target hard, it may yield but the force placed on whatever you are hitting with is increased a great deal (over a softer blow) because that target still resists..

That is true, but think of executing a shin kick (a kick where you make contact with your shin to the target) on a leather heavy bag. Rememebr the exact amount of power you used and then execut that same kick on a thick oak tree. See the difference? I'm not saying we kick trees, we don't, but I'm trying to show the difference in targets. While the soft target will help you with power and even some conditioning, using a hard target is going to be where your toughing or hardening is coming from. If you kicked a soft target everyday for an hour for 6 months, your still not going to be able to kick with that same power to your training partners shin. With using a hard target you will increase the amount of power you can use against a hard surface such as an opponants rib or shin, or head, or what have you.

JMO,
7sm

 

[loki09789]

"Well, bone growth is really not effected by any type of conditioning. A big misconception is that you are strengthing or thickening the bone, that is not true. "

It isn't necessarily 'growth' that occurs when we put our bodies under healthy levels of stress as much as bone density. The body responds to the environment and stimuli of conditioning by increasing anabolic activity. Like any activity, if the intensity, frequency or volume is too much for the body to respond to injuries can occur. Whether it is IB, or any other kind of training.



Paul M.

 

[7starmantis]

Very true, but the change in density is quite miniscule. However that was exactly my point, bone growth or strengthening does not occur, although one could argue that increasing density increases strength, but thats another topic altogether.
Good post!

7sm

 

[loki09789]

Very true, but the change in density is quite miniscule. However that was exactly my point, bone growth or strengthening does not occur, although one could argue that increasing density increases strength, but thats another topic altogether.
Good post!

7sm

I would think that it would be a whole package of benefits that IB training creates, muscle/tendon/ligament and bone density. In terms of the Iron metaphor of Iron body training all of these parts are interwoven to create a solid 'grain' of structure.

Actually, over the course of a lifetime of training - for fitness or IB - the density can be significant. When I worked as a trainer we really had to be careful of older women who were either Osteo or had indicators that they were going that way. One of the things that contributed to their lack of bone density was a lack of activity during earlier years. Study the bone density of a fit, 25 year old martial artist vs a couch potatoe and the overall body fitness will be very different. The bone density will also be different because of this.

The increase in bone density correlates to the increase in 'strength' as resilience of the connective tissues. The more solid the bat that hits the ball the more likely it is not going to break. An oak bat and a pine bat will be the same size and the density difference might be slight, but the relience is vastly different.

The muscle/connective tissue benefits might have been easier to measure/feel when IB training was formulized than bone density, but it is all happening together at the same time. Just because we recognize or say that 'this' is what we are developing doesn't mean that nature isn't doing it all once. The old tree in the woods and noise idea.

Paul M

Paul M.

 

[7starmantis]

I see what your saying but I don't think I completely agree. The totality of the training doesn't involve the ligament and tendon as toughening of the ligaments and tendons is basically ankylosing spondylitis, only it could be in any joint or ligament. Hardening of ligaments and tendons results in arthritis, and we are talking about non damaging or injury causing training.

Older women (or men) who are experiencing bone loss is one thing, but we are talking about a condition type of excercise that would increase bone density, that is just really not the case. There have been many studies on bone density and I've seen none that show bone density being increased by impact type training. The decrease in bone mass in older women because of lack of excercise in younger years has many more contributing factors than simply lack of excercise. I won't go into them now, as this is really getting off topic.

I guess there are many beliefs about IB training out there, mine is that it shouldn't negativly impact the rest of your life, adn doing something to try and increase toughness of connective tissue is goign to do just that.

7sm

 

[moving target]

I'll have to find an oak tree to kick