Power without the Bulk

Ok, I have switched from my weight routine to resistance training and its one HELL of a workout, but one thing worries me.

Resistance training is designed to use your body's maximum output, right? Which means extreme strengh gain, neh? So, I'm just worried that I'll end up being some bulky dozer! I'd rather stay small, but also effective. Any suggestions for upper body/lower body routines that may help? Or will resistance training make me bulk up at all? (by that I mean stupidly big muscles, not muscle gain. I'd prefer to stay my current weight)

 

Um... They're the same thing. But anyways

This isn't uncommon amongst MA, we're very concerned about becoming the muscle heads we see no TV. One question, are you planning on taking steroids? Cause if you're not, you got nothing to worry about. If you want reassurance of this do a search, and there you will find.

 

Why? This always bugs me, why do you think smaller is so much better? Wouldn't you think that more muscle means more stuff slamming your opponet?

 

^^^^, whilst that's a good valid point, your opinion doesn't sit well with everyone, there is a large MA myth created by Bruce Lee (respects to him) that smaller quicker guys can always bash the hell out of big bulky guys, it's also been reinforced with Jacky Chan (respects to him too).

 

Guys who dont train heavy b/c they are scared of bulking up tend to be the same guys who are puny and weak. Train heavy.

 

Yukuji, put down the Muscle & Fitness, those guys are few and far between and spend their life dedicated to looking like that. Chances are you don't eat and "juice" nearly enough to even get close to those guys.

If you take a look at line backers, those guys pack some serious muscle on but are incredibly fast.

Or there's always sprinters-they stay lean and have incredible power output.

 

Firstly Yukuji, I don't think this is the place to be asking such a question. With all due respect to everyone on this forum, the vast majority of martial artists have very little knowledge of weight training and they often have ill informed ideas of "special ways" that people should weight train for martial arts that involve useless exercises and stupidly high rep ranges (15+) because apparently this is "more specific to what 'we' do". I could go in to detail about the principles and facts about weight training but I don't really have the time so I will just past a couple of things I posted on a different forum.

If I was you Yukuji I would use a program like to this one

Monday: Legs
Smith machine front squat or leg press 3x8 (sets by reps)
Unilateral Leg extensions 3x8
Unilateral leg curls 3x8
Calf extensions 3x10

Tuesday: Chest
Flat DB press 3x6-8
Incline DB press 3x6-8
Cable cross overs 2x8

Wednesday: Back
Lat pulls to the front 3x6-8
Cable rows 3x6-8
One arm DB rows 2x6-8

Thursdays: Shoulders
Seat DB shoulder press 3x6-8
Standing side laterals 3x8-10
Lying rear laterals 2x8-10

Fridays: Arms
Standing BB curls 3x6-8
Standing alternating DB curls 3x6-8
Lying BB tricep extensions 3x6-8
Tricep cable push downs 3x6-8

Now I'm sure someone is going to say using this routine will make you "bulky" or only build puffy non-functional muscles (this always makes me laugh as there is no such thing as non-functional muscle). Well, I have been using routines similar to this one for the last 2 years (I have been weight training for 3 years but for the first year, like you, I was naive and thought that as a martial artists I should be training in some special way) and in those 2 years I've gone from 65kg to 72kg and My strength has increased in leaps and bounds. I am by no means what you would call "bulky" or muscle bound, I'm 5 foot 9", I can do the full front splits, I can very nearly do the side splits, my jumping and spinning kicks are of a high standard, I'm fast and I have proved this by doing well in tournaments and I'm sure my weight training has helped all this (I'm not trying to big myself up, I'm just trying to show the benefits of weight training).

Like I said, a martial arts forum probably isn't the best place to ask about weight training you might have better luck at http://www.forum.bodybuilding.com

 

BigBoss, where are the barbell squats, dips, pullups and deadlifts?

 

I'm sorry, aside from the fact that you are spending 5 days/week for that,
its one of the worst regimes for MA ive seen lately. Totally useless.
Also, strength = size + neuron adaptivity, thats why bodybuilders although generally speaking strong (ie might have good absolute strength) have extremly poor relative strength.
And MA forum is better place to look for advice on weight training for MA than bodybuilding forum. No need to look beyond advices on some experienced people here samurai, BWater, Adam, etc.

 

Apologies, I copied and pasted the wrong routine, that one is the one I am currently doing (soon to change) specifically for my goals and weak points. This is the routine I meant to put up

Mondays, chest
Tuesdays, legs
Wednesdays, back
Thursdays, shoulders
Fridays, arms

Chest, Incline dumbbell press 6-8x3 (reps by sets)
Flat barbell press 6-8x3
Cable cross overs 8x3 (if you don't have a cable machine just do flat DB flys)

Legs, Squats 8-10x3
Dumbbell lunges 10-12x3
Leg curls 8-10x3

Calve raises 12x3
Calve extensions 12x3

Back, Lat pull downs 6-8x3
Dead lifts 4-6x3
One arm dumbbell rows 6-8x3

Shoulders, Seated dumbbell press 6-8x3
Seated barbell press 6-8x3
Side laterals 6-8x3

Barbell shrugs 8-10x3

Arms, EZ bar curls 6-8x3
Alternating dumbbell curls 6-8x3

Lying barbell extensions (french press) 6-8x3
Tricep push downs 6-8x3

 

This is a prime example of the ignorance of many martial artists. As a martial artist you need no special "regimes" this is because weight training is done to increase muscle strength and size and the basics of how to do this are exactly the same for everyone.

 

BigBoss, I think thats an ok routine but having 5 day split routine is not good for MAists. I mean, where the space for the MA training? Better to keep a 3 day full body routine.

And you also got some useless exercises there (for athletes and MA). Cable cross over, Calve raises, Calve extensions, Leg curls, Lat pull downs, EZ bar curls, Alternating dumbbell curls, Tricep push downs are all bodybuilder exercises.

Put dips, overhead squats, Glute/ham raise, chin/pull ups, standing BB overhead press, and maybe some Olympic power lifts if you can get a coach (I want to learn Oly lifts but there arent any coaches around :cry: ).

 

Thanks everyone, big help. First off, I know weight training and resistance training are basically the same, I was refferring to my old sh***y routine, which didn't really do much for me.

Secondly, I have to stick with self-resistance training for now at least, because of my limitted access to heavier weights (mine are too small now).

Thirdly, harhar, if calf-raises are useless then what are some decent calf excercises?

 

full squats and glute/ham raises will give you enough calf exercise. Jump ropes are great too.

Calf-raises are usually used for calf growth. Bodybuilders try really hard to grow that muscle b/c it doesnt grow very well.

Btw, by self-resistance you mean bodyweight exercises right? Not that silly push against yourself type of exercises?

 

You do have a valid point and obversely if you have to make the choice between weight training or MA training then you should chose MA training, however I don't consider an 1 hour a day a big constraint on my time.

This is another common myth amongst MAists; they think to them self's "right, the primary muscle involved in a front kick is the quads, so I'll just train quads" unfortunately this isn't how it works. The body is one big machine that needs to have all parts functioning to the same standard, so you have to work all muscles including calfs, hamstrings and biceps. Also it is vital you develop all muscles equally or you risk serious injury and stress to your ligaments from in balance.
I'm assuming your saying cable cross over are useless because they are an isolation exercise, but it is important to stress a muscle from all angles to ensure it can cope with resistance of any kind and to make sure all parts develop equally so you do not get imbalance injuries.

 

Seriously, unless for some reason you are extremely weak, body weight exercises (push-ups, no weight squats etc.) are just going to waste your time.
At a guess I would say the average MAist could do about 30 push-ups before reaching failure and there's no muscle group on the body which will respond to such high rep training (with perhaps the exception of abs), this kind of training will not make your muscles grow stronger.
My advice would be to join a gym, but if you really can't do this, then rather then wasting your time with body weight exercises use that time to go running or do some stretching either would be far more productive.

 

Big compound exercises will use many muscles. Deadlifts for example use the back, arms, legs, and core. That's a crap load of muscle being used. Compound exercises use all the smaller muscles as well as larger muscles. Take a chin for example. Those work the biceps unbelieveably, along with the lats, upper back, shoulders, etc. You don't need isolation exercises. As a matter of fact, that can cause an imbalance. Search around this forum and you'll see A LOT of people here are for heavy weight, low reps, and huge compound movements.

Bodyweight exercises aren't useless at all. If a pushup becomes too easy, put plates in a back pack and make the load heavier. Change the grip, angle, etc. How many bodybuilders do you know that can do handstand pushups? Not many... Handstand pushups build incredible over head pushing strength. Chins/pullups develop great pulling power. Dips make you very strong as well. Weighted dips are even better! Freeweights are great, but sometimes the basics can work REALLY well.

 

bigboss- go read a book already.

 

LOL! How did I know you'd say something....

 

Wow dude, way to make your self sound stupid. Once you add any kind of weight (plates on your back, weighted dips) its not a body weight exercise, a body weight exercise means using just your body weight.