As a Thai Boxer, say yes or no to weights ?

[terry]

Tom,

General rule of thumb is that you should be able to deadlift what you squat. So what is up with your deadlift? Is that sumo-style or conventional?

Terry

[Tom Yum]

I think its sumo style (left palm out, right palm in).

While I'm lifting with my legs, I think my lower back is not equivalently as strong.

Am I using incorrect form or is my back not strong enough?

[terry]

Tom, it's not hand positioning, it's foot positioning. Conventional deadlifting is when your feet are shoulder width apart. Sumo-style deadlifting is when you have your feet wide, just inside of the barbells. Sumo-style relies more on the glutes and hamstrings than the conventional.

The disparity between the deadlift and squat puzzles me. They use the same core set of muscles. I would have to look at your squat. Are you squatting deep down until your thighs are parallel to the ground?

T

[kh_s]

I got a question about squatting, HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET THE WEIGHT on your shoulder/back area !?

[terry]

Most people use a power rack. Some guys that lift heavy have a hydraulic setup that allows them to use very little energy unracking the weight.

[Tom Yum]

No, actually my thighs go about 15-20 degrees above parallel so I suppose I should lower the weight to go parallel

[Thai Bri]

Tom! Tom! Your ruining this image I have of you! A Squat not to parallel is not worth.....well, squat.

Maybe your deadlift is not as good as your squat because you're not really sqatting?

terry - what are your views on squatting all the way down? Bad for the knees? I keep mine to parallel, just in case.

[terry]

Dunno. I was taught to squat to competition depth and no more. Lemme ask my coaches and get back on that one.

[shasan]

Originally posted by Typhoon
Giving up speed and flexibility for POWER! NO WAY!( i duno who said its worth it its on the previous page and I dont wanna go back) But it def isnt, you can train hard and have strength WITH speed and flexibility. Raw power does not get you anywhere, if you lose speed and agility then you ll be easy to dodge and evade foe anyoen even not martial artists, flexibility is even more important flexbility gives you strength and it also reduces the effort you gota put in in your kicks and punchies for maximum power basicly you tire out slower. You CAN lift weight gain strength and not gain muscle mass, it all depends on how you eat and lift. Me personally I lift weights jsut for my arms and do lots of reps with less weight, as for the rest I do aerobic exercises and isometric exercises.

Correct me if I'm wrong here guys,

but doesn't speed actually come from muscle strength? Being that all motion is basically muscles contracting, I would think that the stronger the muscle is, the faster I can contract it, hence move faster?

Plus can you really get stronger WITHOUT increasing muscle mass???? I didn't think that was possible.

[kh_s]

Man this poll is kinda screwed, It should just have options of Yes and No. oops

[big_cat]

I started lifting weights in high school, and it still dosen't change things in a fight

[MuayThaiFighter]

For answering to whether a MuayThai fighter should use weights I would say it is just a choice thing really.

Weightlifting makes you bigger and stronger,not tougher and faster and sure doesn't make you a better fighter.

Sparring is what makes you a better fighter.

With speed comes power anyways so doesn't matter if you have size or strength at all.

I will use myself for an example:

I'm thin for my height 6'2 at 180 lbs,hardly ever lift weights,but because I am flexible,and quick I have power and also have good technique.I am able to hit hard and I do mean hard even without much weights.

Don't get me wrong though,weights can help but not the most important thing.

There are many thin Muay Thai fighters that have one hell of a hard punch,but looking at them you would never be able to tell.

It's not what you have on the outside it is what you have on the inside.

Point being that strength is great for lifting and pushing things but it won't necessarily win you a fight,but speed,flexibility,technique and power will.

Just because one builds muscle mass and looks good on the outside doesn't make him tough.

Want to stay strong just eat healthy,stay fit,train hard in your martial arts,stay away from drugs and alcohol and you will be fine.

If you should chose to weightlift,then great just make sure you still keep your flexibility.

[BeCubic06]

Simple Physics, Force equals mass times acceleration. The more mass you have, the more force you will exert on your unfortunate opponents face. But you can never forget to train for speed. In other words, practice so that your strikes hit peak speed the instant you make contact with your opponent and follow through. Your mass and acceleration of the striking point are both equally important in thwarting an opponent.

[AlexJitsu]

Lifting weights is essentially an additional (and important) routine to add to bag and focus mitt work. You learn how to hit hard by hitting the bag. If you don't hit the bag (or spar several hours a day if you don't hit the bag), it doesn't matter how ripped you are, you'll have slow and weak punches, because of the lack of coordination and stability, among various things.

Simply put, Mike Tyson could hit 10x harder than those guys on World's strongest man.

[chalambok]

Muscle & Fitness Magazine several years ago had an article about 1" in muscle length equating to 3" in muscle thickness, hence the long, skinny guy can hit pretty hard. Every school I ever went to in Thailand had a set of weights lying around. Not every school had a lifting program, many left it up to the fighter himself or to his personal trainer/feeder. Master Chai has a set of weights and a bench in his bedroom. Marilyn Monroe was an avid weightlifter. So is Julia Roberts. There are assets and liabilities to everything.