The Benefits of Weight Training

[EmptyneSs]

hey i just wanted to post this link to this website. the info on this page regarding weight training is very acurate and if fallowed will have great results..

http://www.indiana.edu/~health/weightrn.html

also, u dont need to take any supplements whatsoever to build a great body. alot of people think u do, but u dont.

[BriK]

Thanks for the info EmptyneSs. Good article!

[Infinite1]

Emptyness,

Yes indeed! Great article! But may I ask do you lift very heavy weights with less reps or more reps with moderate weights? Also do you perform full body workouts or divide it by muscle groups? Sorry to be a bother I'm just curious since i have neck spasms at times if i lift weights. That and being a beginner at MT i'm trying to gather at much info as possible so i can train right and improve as well as keep me injury free (well to a degree of course!! )

[EmptyneSs]

Emptyness,

Yes indeed! Great article! But may I ask do you lift very heavy weights with less reps or more reps with moderate weights? Also do you perform full body workouts or divide it by muscle groups? Sorry to be a bother I'm just curious since i have neck spasms at times if i lift weights. That and being a beginner at MT i'm trying to gather at much info as possible so i can train right and improve as well as keep me injury free (well to a degree of course!! )

usually i lift between 8-10 reps. ive heard from many sources this pretty much the best range of reps to be performed. its not too heavy, and its not too light, its just perfect. u should have complete control over the weight the entire time, and perform the movement slowly and smoothely. if u are straining or feel like u do not have complete control over the weight, choose a lower weight. if u are new, ur goal should be to learn what exercises work what muscles and how to perform them correctly. dont worry about weight, just worry about doing them correctly and staying safe.

also i divide my workouts into differnt muscle groups, so i can concentrate on them better. i usually lift 3-4 days a week, and cover all muscle groups throughout these 3-4 days.

[Infinite1]

Emptyness,

Thanks very much for your advice!!!

[GeorgeK]

EmptyneSs,

Yea, the article is great...If you're a bodybuilder. If you're a martial artist, then you got it all wrong. Which one are you? Your notion about working different body parts and the rep schemes is old news. It's okay. We all learn from our mistakes. You should check out various crosstraining and strength and conditioning programs (if you're into MA and athleticism and not bodybuilding) and mainly Crossfit at Crossfit.com Good luck.

[EmptyneSs]

EmptyneSs,

Yea, the article is great...If you're a bodybuilder. If you're a martial artist, then you got it all wrong. Which one are you? Your notion about working different body parts and the rep schemes is old news. It's okay. We all learn from our mistakes. You should check out various crosstraining and strength and conditioning programs (if you're into MA and athleticism and not bodybuilding) and mainly Crossfit at Crossfit.com Good luck.

wtf are u talking about. i am a martial artist, but i lift weights as well. that info isnt for bodybuilding, its for just working out with weights and getting built for regular people who want to get in shape. i do lots of cardio and weightless excersises too in addition to weightlifting. true bodybuilders have much more intense workouts than the one described in the article. i dont think u know what ur talking about. theres nothing wrong with lifting weights and doing martial arts at the same time. why do u think these 2 activities conflict with eachother? are u one of those people who think lifting weights will make u slow cause if so dont even bother to reply, just go to the "my physique" thread and post ur bs over there.

[EmptyneSs]

btw, if u havent noticed, most mma fighters look like bodybuilders, and they martial artists, more so than most people. try telling them what they are doing is all wrong.

[Ikken Hisatsu]

not really. most MMA fighters look nothing like bodybuilders. what on earth makes you think that? sure, they are muscley, because they are strong. but look at someone like ignashov, he looks like a slob but is still very strong.

as for weight training- low reps, high weight. the whole "low reps just makes you big and slow" is a complete lie. low reps will make you stronger and have little effect on your speed- lifting does not effect twitch fibers to any great extent. and I find it odd how people are afraid they will suddenly put on huge slabs of muscle and not be able to move properly anymore. its called steroids- most people will never balloon up like randleman (aka Roidleman)

[GeorgeK]

I am a certified personal trainer and I lift weights too and I train in MMA. I am not one of those people that think that lifting weights and doing martial arts together conflicts each other.

It's how you lift weights and what exercises you do that matters here. If you're a regular who just working out and getting built to get in shape as you put it, then yea the 8-10 rep, 3-4 days a week plus some cardio scheme is ideal for you.

However, if you are trying to get in the best possible shape or maybe prepare for a NHB contest, then you should consider other strategies. How about doing compound movements at high intensity and abandoning isolation movenents alltogether. How about adding more bodyweight exercises that work your body as a whole? How about incorporating some gymanstics into your training? How about doing weights and running in one workout? Ever heard about kettlebells?

By the way, bodybuilders go for volume - many exercises for a certain bodypart for as long as it takes to finish all those exercises and reps. They're trying to pump as much blood as possible into one area to make the most tear to grow that area the most. In our case, we should strive for intensity (even in our weight training )sessions - perform the workout as fast, as intense as possible in the shortest possible time. This type of workout in its intensity should resemble a survival or combat situation. (You fight like you train).

Anyway, I am not trying to bash the way you work out. Just trying to suggest some other alternatives. Some things can be eye openers like it was in my case with Crossfit. BTW. have you checked it out? Read through the posts, try to uderstand what it's all about (actually, it's about acheiving elite fitness), download the free isue of "What is fitness?). Have fun.

[EmptyneSs]

you should consider other strategies. How about doing compound movements at high intensity and abandoning isolation movenents alltogether. How about adding more bodyweight exercises that work your body as a whole? How about incorporating some gymanstics into your training? How about doing weights and running in one workout?

who said i dont do any of these? the link i posted was some general info for people who want some info on how to get started with using weights. i myself used that workout when i first started, but now i do a variety of exersises, and do alot of the things u mentioned.

[EmptyneSs]

not really. most MMA fighters look nothing like bodybuilders. what on earth makes you think that? sure, they are muscley, because they are strong. but look at someone like ignashov, he looks like a slob but is still very strong.

as for weight training- low reps, high weight. the whole "low reps just makes you big and slow" is a complete lie. low reps will make you stronger and have little effect on your speed- lifting does not effect twitch fibers to any great extent. and I find it odd how people are afraid they will suddenly put on huge slabs of muscle and not be able to move properly anymore. its called steroids- most people will never balloon up like randleman (aka Roidleman)

um, look at vitor, look at randy, look at ortiz, look at vanderlei silva, look at orlovski, i can go on naming people in mma that are incredibly muscular. not all are, but most of em.

and yeah its rediculous how people think they are gonna turn into arnold overnight.

[Ikken Hisatsu]

way off track buddy.



wanderlei does NOT look like a bodybuilder.

[GeorgeK]

Yea, guys. I am all for being muscular and athletic. All those guys you mention, Emptyness, look muscular and athletic and they are damn good athletes. They don't look like bodybuilders though. They work out differently. They do compound movements mostly: cleans and jerks, snatches, push presses, deadlifts, squats. They do tonns of calisthenics like push-ups and sit-ups, tons of pull-ups. They do burpees and jump rope. They run sprints. They use medicine balls. Some swing Ketllebells. Most importantly they work on sport skills. They are coordinated and know how to use their musles and bodies.

Bodybuilders, on the other hand, do isolation exercises mostly and very limited amount of "cardio". They don't work on any skills and a lot of them ignore flexibility. What they become is a mountain of uncoordinated, overdeveloped, non-functional muscles (muscles that they can't use ). They are much weaker than they look. Ikken Hisatsu, you're right. The guys in the pictures look nothing alike. The guy on the bottom is a damn good athlete, one of the best in his sport and he looks awesome and athletic. The guy on the top is only good for showing off the muscles that he can't really use.

And, emptyness. You're right. You won't turn into Arnold overnight. But by isolating muscle groups, you run a serious risk of overdeveloping certain muscles and hindering your athletic progress.

[Infinite1]

Hey George,

Could you please explain how it would hinder isolation exercises would hinder athletic progress? A good friend of mine who is a sports medicine doctor (who also has practiced martial arts all his life) told me kinda the same thing. He said that i didn't need the weights so much but i should build my ligament strength by doing lots of pushups, one-legged squats, etc. Currently, I work out like Emptyness where i do the cardio and isolate the muscle groups. All of you have very valid opinions and I hope you don't mind me asking b/c this topic has really been debated in the martial arts world for quite sometime now. Thanks in advance for your reply!!!

Infinite1