Weight Training
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| I'm a college student who has little time for working out. I can only fit in around two hours of bodybuilding time twice a week (4 hours maximum per week). I weigh 130 pounds in a 5 ft 6 in frame. I don't mind gaining a little weight but my main goal is to develop power for my chosen sport without endangering speed. It is a martial art which mixes kick boxing, wrestling, and judo. Could anyone help suggest a weight lifting program? Can supplements help me? If so, what kind?
Question expanded by another reader.
I am 17 years old, about 5'11", and I weigh about 140 lbs. I am also a 2nd dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do and an assistant instructor at a self defense school. I get quite a bit of excercise and I am built fairly well. I look heavier than 140, but I am trying to gain weight. I don't know which type of weight gainer is best for me. I just started taking creatine and that has helped quite a bit. I work in classes on tuesday and wednesday and I attend my own training sessions on tuesday, thursday, and saturday. I recently purchased a dumbbell set and a 5' curl bar. I was wondering which exercises I should do with the equipment and how often I should do them? I am trying to gain muscle mass and weight without losing speed.
Thanks for your help and consideration.
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| I have been doing Martial Arts for little over 7 years now. I started out with Kempo Karate and then I switched to kick boxing. When I was in Kempo Karate I was 5'10 weighed about 155lbs. I was a tooth pick. But since I started to take kick boxing about 4 1/2 years ago, I started to lift weights to keep me in shape because I wanted to compete in tournaments. Since I had a high Metabolism At that time I took Weight Gainer and worked out 4 times a week plus 4 times I go to kick boxing classes and I went from 155lbs to 185lbs within a year. And it was mostly muscle. But now I am in University and I don't have that much time to waste so I work out during my off season (when I don't compete) and during my competition period I just go to kick boxing.
So, my advice for you is you can workout with weights, but don't over do the weights. I needed to maintain my weight. I always stay with in 183-188lbs. I don't go over it. But some times in my off season I go up to 195 lbs. because for martial arts if you train with heavy weights once in a while you will get some speed and strength.
The way I work out is:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdays - I go to kick boxing
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays - I workout with weights.
Since you said you have only twice a week so rather then splitting your routine into three days split it into 2 days.
My workout routine is:
Tuesdays I workout on my back and biceps.
Thursdays I workout my triceps, shoulders, and calves.
Saturdays I workout my chest and legs.
The reason I do this because during kick boxing I work my legs and chest the most so I give myself time before I work them with weights. Make sure, in order to keep your speed, stretch A LOT!!! and every other week use heavy weights and then go back to light weights with lots of reps. Currently I am 190lbs with 8.5% body fat because its my off season.
PS: I do take creatine on a cycle because that has helped me a lot with getting some lean mass.
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| I have been a martial artist for 18 years. Your best bet for a workout right for you would be to go to your local gym and find the weight lifting fanatic who has been training for the last 5-10 years and it shows. These guys spend an enormous amount of time learning what weight does what and where. Tell them what you want and they'll, at least in my experience, be able to tell you what to do and how much.
As for speed, try what we call reflex drills. A student stands in front of you and executes a reverse punch. You block with an out side in middle block, then a reverse punch of your own. Do this with kicks as well . Do these as quickly as you can each time adding a small amount of weight as you progress. Your instructor will help and your speed will increase as your body also becomes stronger. The key is to not let your body become completely comfortable with any workout that you are doing . If you want to add more strength, speed, and endurance. Sorry, I don't have enough time to go into detail. Talk to the people that have been around a while. In most cases, they will help you more than you would imagine.
Sincerely,
C.R.N.
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When lifting, try to get a full range of motion. Let's say you're doing the bench press with dumbbells. Before you execute each rep, have the weight push back on your arms as you go down. This will enhance the flexibility of the chest, which will make you much quicker when punching. The same thing goes for other exercises like pull-ups, bent-over rows, etc. I would also suggest a lot of plyometric drills, which will enhance explosiveness, anaerobic stamina, and power.
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I've been doing martial arts since I was a kid. I study a lot of the street-combat oriented martial arts (Jeet Kune Do, Arnis, Muay Thai, etc.). Whenever I lift, I try to get a full range of motion. Let's take the example from the previous response. If you were to do a dumbbell bench press, you would have the weight stretch your chest as your arms go down. This will wake-up the muscle fibers and give you a much better workout. This goes for all of your exercises, whether it is a squat, dip, a deadlift, or any other exercise that you may do.
I also alternate between heavy weight with low reps and light weight and high-reps. Take bicep curls as an example. Let's say I do 4 sets. My first set would be heavy weight at low reps (done at a moderate pace), and the next set would be light weight at high reps (done at a fast pace), heavy weight, light weight, etc. This allows me to maintain my speed, while at the same time building strength, power and a little bulk.
Focus on the most important muscle groups for martial artists. These groups are the forearms, abdominals, shoulders, neck, and legs. Also, don't be afraid to try some plyometric exercises as well. These will increase your explosiveness.
Lastly, be sport-specific. Do not do exercises that won't enhance your martial art skills. Chances are that these "unnecessary" exercises will impede your movement and skill. Try shadowboxing with light weights or calisthenics like knuckle push-ups. And don't forget to stretch, stretch, stretch.
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