Bodybuilding for the Martial Artist

High force meaning rapid acceleration. The pure essence of what one should be doing in the gym environment (not sport specific) CAN be accomplished with a simple isometric repitition (though there are indeed other reasons to actually perform a dynamic rep). Physical work (external motion) is not neccesary to engage the METABOLIC work which occurs internally and sets in motion the strength/size growth mechanisms.

The forces we want to generate in punching, throwing, kicking are best developed by actually....punching, throwing, and kicking with the real resistance (namely none). Not simulating a punch by doing something, like rapid bouncy bench presses, which the body considers to be completely different neurologic endeavor anyway. But the greater strength we are able to develop in terms of physical tissue changes transcend whatever movement we ARE trying to perfect.

 

keinhaar: so, in plain english, are you saying that you think that lifting weights won't aid in improving your striking power?

Sorry, maybe im slow, but Im having some trouble getting what youre saying.

 

Hi Skinny, have you tried 'Statics', I got great results in two weeks, (strength mainly) all my max poundages increased dramatically.
It's a time under load routine, heres the site, good luck... PrecisionTraining.com

Ps I mix it up with a boxing workout and polymetrics.

 

yes, good article, ive read that long ago tho. Are you really an mma fighter?

 

Bugei,

Static training rocks. It wipes me out though. I don't do it in conjuction with MA training. My recovery ability BLOWS...relatively speaking.

Tikka,

Weight lifting can improve striking power. But weight lifting should serve only to improve strength. By strength I mean the strength of the muscle as it applies to ANY joint function it's capable of. And that, as Bugei can attest to, need not even involve movement.

Training to punch should involve punching as it occurs in real life; i.e. NOT against a resistance, and full speed.

Strength training: low force, high resistance, generic strength development

Kicking/punching/takedowns/throws etc: High force, no resistance*, development specific to the task.

*I don't mean the resistance of partner, or the impact of a bag. I mean no cables, bands, cables to load the full range of motion.

 

Ok, lets see if I understand you now. Weight training will improve striking power. So will the actual practice of striking, but dont do the striking with weights. Yes?

 

Word.
:woo:

 

Well, you deffinitely said that the hard way.

 

Yeah, but I might have saved the trouble of someone saying: "Dude, shut up! I do clapping push-ups on broke glass alll the time and my punching power has definitly improved!!!1"

 

How so? because they cant understand what youre saying ?

 

you can bodybuild all you want, but if you don't know how to use your body and focus it, then ur punching power is worthless. you don't have to have like 20 inch biceps to be strong, it just makes you stiff and slightly more resistant to strikes. moderation, as always, is a good thing.

 

Stiff?

**The notion of muscle bound comes from the old-time strong men who were also very fat. The accurate descriptive term should have been fat bound. But the wrong image stuck.

Histology (the anatomical study of the microscopic structure of animal and plant tissues) professors and the orthopedic physicians that Ken Hutchins has worked with have emphasized that tendons have very little elastic property. They are very static and not subject to being stretched.

In comparison, the contractile part in the belly region of a muscle is extremely elastic. Reflecting on this, it only makes sense that the more you can contract something, the more you can stretch it. In essence, you should be able to increase its length—stretch—by the same amount you can shorten it through contraction.

Knowing the properties of these tissues begs the question of just what is being stretched when you stretch a body part. Well, we know we do not stretch tendons and hopefully not ligaments. We can only meaningfully stretch muscle bellies.

Also, from the previous section, we noted that the length of a muscle belly potentiates the ultimate size of the muscle. Not only is muscular size at stake here but also flexibility. The longer the muscle belly, the greater the potential for stretch; i.e., flexibility.

Reflecting back on this are stories of hugely muscular men: John Grimek and Casey Viator. These two men—and a few others like them—are freaks of nature. They were so massive at their Mr. America events that they dwarfed other very muscular men. Of several impacts on the viewer’s mind was that they were bulky and inflexible. But this later proved to be an optical deception. Grimek is known to have ended his 1940 Mr. America posing routine by landing in a full split and then standing to bow to the audience by placing his elbows on the floor with his knees straight.

In 1971, Casey Viator became the youngest man to ever win Mr. America, also winning more of the Best Awards than anyone before. I have a picture of Casey jumping off the ground—the picture caught him in midair, touching his toes with straightened knees.

I believe that Arthur Jones would have stated that Viator and Grimek “were not extremely flexible in spite of their great muscularity but because of it.”

So back to our poignant question: What is being stretched? Obviously, both Casey and Grimek possessed a tremendous potential for stretch due to their long muscle bellies. This inherited—not acquired—attribute not only potentiates massive muscular size but also a tremendous elastic component.

Flexibility is limited by several factors: bony delimitations, any present arthritic conditions, muscle belly length (elastic potential), fatness, as well as the ligamentous and/or capsular integrity. Whichever of these is encountered first during stretch is that entity that sets the momentary limit of flexibility. If that entity is muscular, and more elastic potential exists, then flexibility can be legitimately increased. If not, or the other nonelastic components are the limiting entity, then flexibility will be gained only by damaging the joint’s structural integrity. The only exception might be that of fatness. If fatness can be appreciably reduced, then more flexibility might be legitimately gained.

http://www.superslow.com/articles/WhyNotPilates.html

 

lol

lol i stopped lifting weights long ago. Bodyweights are actually better than heavy resistance like the Bowflex and it makes u incredibly strong. Hindu push ups and Hindu squats actually develop better "explosive power" reactions, i think it's got plyometrics into it. Try 50 of those things, i promise u'll get a good workout at the sametime without ever messing up ur joints. That's how old people get back and wrist pains, they probably lifted too much heavy weights when they were young.

-Fitz

 

i've got a friend he's 140 lbs he's 5,8...he's never lifted weights in his life ever...he's a drummer and hes a da*n fast one at that...he's in the top 2% of florida's drummers and top 5 in the nation...this guy is insanely fast especially with his hands...all he has ever done is stretching to keep from hurting himself while playing on his set... so his speed really isn't a surprise...what surprised me is regardless of my strength and obvious weight advantage of 70-80 lb...he could hold me and keep me off of him with little to no problem...and he could hit WAY harder and more accurate and of course with more speed...this was at the time when i was still lifting weights...true i could throw the kid off of me easily...he's an even match for me **not trying to say i am great fighter cause i am da*n well not as good as alot of people on this board i am certain..**...if i had fought this guy in a real street fight he would have whipped my ****... and i lifted weights regularly its funny how he was way stronger when it came to actually using the strength that counts outside of a weight room...

 

genetics, plain and simple, genetic. one of the strongest men in the world weights only 176 lbs. he can bicep curl his body weight repetitively. The reason for this is he has a HUGE weight to strength ratio compaired to normal people. I don't know exactly what it is that gives him such abnormal strength but d*mnit I want some!!!!!!!!!

 

176lbs for biceps curl? That's scary. Actually, what's scary is a guy I read about who can deadlift 500 pounds one-handed.

 

How much does that guy weigh?

 

I don't know, off-hand..I'd guess somewhere in the 300lbs. range. Definitely no 176-pounder.

 

I don't know exactly what it is that gives him such abnormal strength but d*mnit I want some!!!!!!!!!

You'll have to get yourself a favorable muscle fiber distribution, number, and a biceps insertion half-way to your wrist.

 

Amazing article. Your wife is very intelligent and knows what she is saying. I look forward to another article written by her very soon.