Hey there, this is my first post on this site…I hope this topic is acceptable with the local members…
I’m a martial artist/instructor who is trying to gain weight to gain more muscle mass. Man, I’m a SUPER-skinny 145lbs at about 5’8". Also a vegetarian (for the most part)…now don’t get me wrong (for some strange reason I have to say this…) I’m no weakling for my size and I’m a capable martial artist and stuff (I hate saying stuff like that because I don’t want to seem arrogant…a true martial artist isn’t arrogant…), but I feel that more muscle and power and size would be beneficial…it will propel me to nthe next level (or 2) quickly…on’t as me how I know (I just do)…but at the same time I don’t wish to lose speed. Can anyone offer any ideas or assistance? Thank You
I’m assuming with your stats that you are in some sort of striking martial art. If you’re grappling, then disregard the following.
If you put on size, you will probably become slower. Power doesn’t really come from large muscles, but from the nervous system and tendons.
If you put on a considerable amount of weight, you will definitely feel the mass. Not to mention that your muscle tone will improve…while this sounds like a good thing, it will make you tighter and your hits will have less power.
What some people consider arrogance, I call self confidence. Nothing wrong with being slef confident if you can back it up.
You should check out Renegade training.That particular style of training has more carry over to sports, than any other.
More importantly,you need to eat big. If you train for strength (which is not always best for hypertrophy), and pick up your calories, you will gain some size.
As you are a vegetarian, I would recommend looking up information on Mike Mahler, or contacting him directly for dietary advice, as he is a vegan and a strong dude. He also trains fighters, so he would be a good source of training info for you. He is a T-mag contributor, and posts here regularly, so he may even respond to this thread.You should also check out some of his articles here at T-mag.
Thank you Ko. As a current example we could use Roy Jones, or Sugar Shane Mosley.
Mosley, arguably one of the fastest men in boxing, trains powerlifter style. Benches 330 plus, and squats and DLs over 500 lbs. Something to think about.
Hell, i’ve put on 50 friggin lbs since I started martial arts 23 years ago, and I am faster now than I ever was. And strength,well, it’s going up every day.
As far as speed goes, most likely what you’re referring to is power. Power = Force x Acceleration.
Increase your force and with all things being equal your power will increase as well. Check out the interview with Tudor Bompa on this site. If you train with heavy weights and lower repetitions targeting the fast twitch fibers any size you put on will also come with an increase in strength which will be functional and not only will your size increase, but so will your power. I’ve heard Charles Staley say something to the effect of, if you’re a martial artist, hold up one hand and count how many fingers you have…5!!! That is just to remind you that 5 reps is the most reps you should ever perform on a basic movement if functional size, strength, power, speed is your goal. What will slow you down is adding mass without an increase in strength which can occur when using higher rep pure hypertrophy programs. Training for acceleration or speed is another thing and is probably already met well enough just with your martial arts training so no need to specialize on that.
Also take note of how and how fast you lift the weight.
How many reps is there in a 100m sprint.
There are a number of variables you can manipulate, resistance and reps being two of the better ones.
I didn’t say he shouldn’t strength train, but that he shouldn’t try to put on muscle. It’s possible to get stronger without putting on muscle, which is
If he worked up his bench to 250 and his squat to 400, while remaining at his present bodyweight (assuming he doesn’t already), he would become a lot more powerful. If he got the aforementioned lifting numbers, but increased his weight to 180lb, he would not be as fast as he was if he had the same strength level at his present weight.
What I’m saying is that he should never train for hypertrophy, but for strength. He specifically asked about hypertrophy.
As far as physics, yes, I did mean power (P=Fv). Muscle strength is defined as F, the maximal force a muscle is able to produce.
F = ma
F/m = a
Acceleration is inversely proportional to mass. The move mass you have, the less aceleration you have. If your arms are tree trunks, you’ll be slower than a guy with wire arms.
You are still saying that adding muscle will slow you down, and it just is not the case. If you train hypertrophy specific, like a bodybuilder, then sure you will gain a bunch of non-functional mass.
But If you train for strength, keep calories up and keep working your technique, you can gain mass, WITHOUT sacrificing speed.
Again, that is a old myth kept alive by many traditionalists in the martial arts community.
Bruce Lee was a badass… and he was a skinny bastard! Anyway, I don’t train for speed like you’re wanting to do, but maybe Boxer al can post, or you can PM him. He’s a boxer (no shit) who trains for your similar goals. He might be able to include some diet/training tips for you.
Greekdawg and Ike, if you can find the reference for this study, I’ll be awfully surprised. I know Fred Hatfield has mentioned this before, but no one has been able to put his hands on this mythical study. I feel very confident in saying that it doesn’t exist.
Although I won’t want to be thought of as a thread-travelling evangelist, I will take this chance to reiterate that I also cannot find a single study to verify that any improvements in neurological efficiency in the weight room carry over to sports. I’m still open to the idea if someone can provide me with some non-anecdotal evidence, but right now, I see now reason to believe that, for example, a well-trained boxer will improve his performance in any way by bringing his power clean from 155 to 255.
Bruce Lee was pretty muscular despite his frame and reputedly used steroids (not saying this is fact) with his weight training. You must have a certain amount of lean muscle mass to accelerate your skeletal, organ and adipose tissue. What is the ideal amount for each individual and for what context?
In absolute power/speed sports skinny is the exception to the rule in non weight limited sports and is usually accompanied with exceptional technique & biomechanical attributes. Male gymnasts for eg.
I actually agree, to some degree, with the Boxer/Power-Clean example. Simply because the power clean trains muscle/nervous characteristics that aren’t really needed in Boxing. Yes, there might be some added ‘snap’ to the boxer’s punches, but that would be about it.
Cleans transfer far better to right now explosiveness. Improving vertical jump, a lineman coming out of his stance, etc.
It’s another example of something being touted as “The Answer”. Power cleans for everybody! Boxers, Housewives, Marathon runners!
Don’t even get me started about high-rep Olympic movements for conditioning purposes. My god.