Weight Training

[luigi_m_]

I started weight training befoe I started kickboxing, and have seen tremendous strength gains over this period. I know many Martial Artists who are against weight training, as it is said that it limits flexibility and speed. I am looking for answers from people who do use weight training, and the methods they use, and exercises they find useful to them in said Art, and what gains have you seen?

 

[Shirt Ripper]

Weight training only limits flexibility and speed when one trains incorrectly or trains for a purpose unrelated to those outcomes. Weight training can be used specifically for the purpose of increase flexibility and the same for speed. Overall strength is oft times a general outcome as well.

The same arguement was (and is) used for baseballers and other skill dominate sports for many years and it is either a cop-out or complete ignorance.

 

[Jagermeister]

Shirt Ripper is right on the money here. Pro football players (ignore the hippos we call lineman) are a good example. Unbelievable speed, amazing strength, and when you seen these guys stretching out before games, touching their heads to their knees and such, you can see that it's not an either/or kind of thing. Hit the weights, bro! You got nothing to worry about if you focus on stretching after every workout. If you want to know more about the nitty gritty of this stuff, check out http://atlantamartialarts.com/articles/stretching/index.html.

 

[samurai69]

also look at some of the top fighters, you dont get that big without lifting weights

as long as you lift correctly and always stretch and continue training for speed there is no problem, hell even marathon runners and the likes are using weights correctly and improving because of it

all that shirt ripper says is correct

 

[bignick]

Pro football players (ignore the hippos we call lineman)

Hey, I resemble that remark!

 

[IcemanSK]

I think pro wrestlers are a better example than footbal players. Some of these guys are huge, & yet have great flexibilty. RVD & Batista to name few. You can have both, ya just need to work @ it.

 

[Shirt Ripper]

Your listed arts are Kickboxing and Judo. Both of these with benefit greatly from explosive movements imitating motions practiced in them. Cleans, Push presses, squats.

If I am training a martial artist and can have him/her do only one movement in the weightroom...its the overhead squat. One of the more athletic movements...just behind the full snatch.

It's sad that so many pro lineman sacrifice their long term (and short term) health for the purpose of "being bigger" which in acuality is "fatter." I would take a 275 pounder who's got great mobility and strength and can get down the field and make things happen when needed (always) over a 320 pound tub o' goo who leans on a guy (exaggeration, I know) for 4 or 5 seconds and stops. Athleticism over size anyday.
But I am not partial to the common style of play in the NFL which is flashy pass oriented offenses. But even then.

 

[barriecusvein]

Weight training can be used specifically for the purpose of increase flexibility and the same for speed.

Does anyone know some training methods that can increase general speed (i mainly practise wing chun and hence speed is of critical importance)?

 

[Shirt Ripper]

Does anyone know some training methods that can increase general speed (i mainly practise wing chun and hence speed is of critical importance)?

I assume you are not speaking of sprint speed so much as the ability to "jump and fly around" if you will excuse my crude manner of discription. Agility as well?

If this is the case I would have you doing olympic lifts (or at least, their variations). That is, assuming you have a well grounded program of full ROM movements now (i.e. pistols, squats, pressing, bodyweight exercises).

Keep in mind that you (and everyone else) has limitation bestowed upon them by genetic inheritance. This applies to speed, especially due to muscle fiber distribution. I do not buy into it as much as some popular belief seems to be. One simply must maximize what they have...and thinking about it...what else is there?

 

[Jagermeister]

I think pro wrestlers are a better example than footbal players. Some of these guys are huge, & yet have great flexibilty.

Yeah, based on those two criteria alone you are right. But in terms of speed there is NO comparison.

Cleans are a good lift to incorporate for speed and acceleration training. You might want to try those. Be careful, though. Concentrate on good technique.

 

[evenflow1121]

I ve been incorporating weight training to my martial arts background since I was 19 and I am 28 now. I have never had an issue with speed or flexibility, if anything my strength and power have increased. I just use low weight and high reps. Been using them since I started and have always been very happy with my results. One thing I did get was a personal trainer at first, cause I didnt know a damn thing when it came to weight lifting and saw way too many guys not properly proportioned.