Basically as the title says. I am entering a different phase in my training/life. I started doing Taekwondo. Its a mainly kick based (although there is still punching allowed) martial art.
For the majority of my weightlifting career, I was solely focused on hypertrophy, and obviously some strength stuff. Wanted to get stronger so i could get bigger.
Any advice as to what type of exercises i should be prioritizing? I think i am still going to do my compounds ( Bench/Incline Bench press, squat, overhead press, Deadlift) but focusing on strength rep range. I also was looking at things like Hang cleans, clean and press, squat press, and so on. I guess, Olympic type lifting, for force production/explosiveness.
Any advice is appreciated. I need to lose some of my bodyweight/muscle mass because as of right now, it is detrimental to the sport that i am in. I want to keep my strength though, because that does help, but muscle size does not. Thank you!
You’ve got it figured out. Just make the muscles stronger and let the sport make the muscles better. If you know how to do the olympic lifts, do them, but if you don’t, the time spent learning how to do them could be better spent just getting explosive. Jim Wendler prescribes jumps and throws for that very purpose, and they work well and are hard to mess up.
Check out the Tactical Barbell “Fighter” program for an idea of how to structure training around TKD.
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Thank you for the recommendation. It seems that program is a good starting point for me, 2 days a week, maybe 3, focusing on strength and compound lifts. Will add in more jumps and throws for explosiveness.
I think the hardest part of switching to this sport is having to be at peace with losing my size. Mentally challenging to say the least.
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I think the hardest part of switching to this sport is having to be at peace with losing my size. Mentally challenging to say the least.
If it helps, there are big men, and there are old men, but there aren’t both.
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