Hi people, been looking around the site and there’s some good stuff here so I joined. I train in mma and kung fu (kf over 3 years and mma about 5 months).
At the moment I am trying to get some decent strength training and trim my body fat (have done quite well so far but still a way to go). I’m basically after advice from other mma/grappling people about weight training to improve strength.
It’s really important I put some work in,I’m the only woman at both my clubs so have to spar and roll with men who are significantly bigger and stronger than I am. I know it’s technique over strength that matters but I need to get some work done on both!
Hey, welcome. Can you give some info on training history in the weightroom? Injury history? There is a great article on here by Alwyn Cosgrove “Ten secrets to martial arts conditioning” or something similar. I think that is a great starting place. Just search it.
Welcome, Lou! I agree with danew, Alwyn Cosgrove is a great place to start. It would definitely help to know more about your training history, but I’ll go ahead & tell you now that jumping front squats, overhead squats, & burpees with a pushup at the bottom have really helped me.
Also, work on anything that will increase your speed. I’ll never be as strong as most of the guys I train with, but I try to make up for it by being faster than them, & that seems to work nicely.
Just as an aside you might scan through the old threads on this forum for one called Training With Women. The guys gave some really interesting comments & I appreciated them opening up about it, whether they said they like training with us or not.
[quote]Miss Parker wrote:
Welcome, Lou! I agree with danew, Alwyn Cosgrove is a great place to start. It would definitely help to know more about your training history, but I’ll go ahead & tell you now that jumping front squats, overhead squats, & burpees with a pushup at the bottom have really helped me. Also, work on anything that will increase your speed. I’ll never be as strong as most of the guys I train with, but I try to make up for it by being faster than them, & that seems to work nicely.
Just as an aside you might scan through the old threads on this forum for one called Training With Women. The guys gave some really interesting comments & I appreciated them opening up about it, whether they said they like training with us or not.[/quote]
Thanks guys! I don’t really have a history with weights at all to be frank!I started training in kung fu over 3 years ago ,I have always been quite fit through running (road and hill) and cycling. My strength improved a lot doing the kf, doing a fair amount of body weight exercises and spending a lot of time using a heavy bag and pad work. I joined a gym last summer and started going quite regularly ,then it went a bit wrong there and I quit.
I started mma training earlier this year and joined the gym about 3 months ago as a weekend member, so had to fit everything in to a short space of time.I upgraded to full membership a month ago as I realised how my strength training is essential to progress both for my mma and for kf too.
I was given a programme by a trainer at the gym but realise it’s not great after talking to my kf teacher who also does personal training.
I have strong legs from training and also pretty strong stomach from my training but I need to work on my core. I have previous back problems, issues with my joints and also a recurring sacroliliac problem and hip problem which flares up after prolonged kicking sessions.
Having a look at the Cosgrove article, very interesting.
I have good speed as well as lower body strength and I think my cardio fitness is ok, my resting heart rate is about 63-65 and I am sure I can improve even further!
[quote]mma lou wrote:
Thanks guys! I don’t really have a history with weights at all to be frank!I started training in kung fu over 3 years ago ,I have always been quite fit through running (road and hill) and cycling. My strength improved a lot doing the kf, doing a fair amount of body weight exercises and spending a lot of time using a heavy bag and pad work. I joined a gym last summer and started going quite regularly ,then it went a bit wrong there and I quit.
I started mma training earlier this year and joined the gym about 3 months ago as a weekend member, so had to fit everything in to a short space of time.I upgraded to full membership a month ago as I realised how my strength training is essential to progress both for my mma and for kf too.
I was given a programme by a trainer at the gym but realise it’s not great after talking to my kf teacher who also does personal training.
I have strong legs from training and also pretty strong stomach from my training but I need to work on my core. I have previous back problems, issues with my joints and also a recurring sacroliliac problem and hip problem which flares up after prolonged kicking sessions.
Having a look at the Cosgrove article, very interesting.
I have good speed as well as lower body strength and I think my cardio fitness is ok, my resting heart rate is about 63-65 and I am sure I can improve even further![/quote]
Hey mate. I personally love the weights but I also do some MMA and boxing on the side, twice a week. For MMA core training, I’ve found that big exercises have helped me most. People always comment that I’m a lot stronger than I look when grappling with them.
When I say the big exercises, I mean: Back Squatting (squatting with weight on your back), One arm dumbbell bent over row, barbell bent over row, dumbbell bench press, etc. It’s important to remember when doing these as a combat athlete that full ROM and good form must be maintained. I really don’t see the benefit for a martial artist, if they do quarter squats, or bench press with bouncing reps etc, whereas the average gym rat could probably still make progress or even need to utilise these (rarely) in their progression. (Edit: I just read up and you’re female. Girls usually lift with much better form than guys, so you probably have this mentality covered already)
Of course, moves like the deadlift and the snatch will probably benefit your explosiveness in the long term, but in the short term they present you with a challenge due to their learning curve.
[quote]mma lou wrote:
Hi people, been looking around the site and there’s some good stuff here so I joined. I train in mma and kung fu (kf over 3 years and mma about 5 months).[/quote]
Excuse the possible random question, but did you used to post on MAP? If so, hey there right back at’cha. If not, you’ll have no clue what I’m talking about so nevermind, but hey there anyway.
Hey Chris! I used to and still do! I think it was you who recommended the Never Gymless book that I got and use quite a lot now. I was Su Lin over there and now Lou
[quote]mma lou wrote:
Hey Chris! I used to and still do! I think it was you who recommended the Never Gymless book that I got and use quite a lot now. I was Su Lin over there and now Lou [/quote]
Ha, I thought so. Sadly, I recognized you by your injuries.
So what’s your weekly training right now look like: mma-kung fu/lifting/cardio/whatnot?
I forget… is your hip issue caused by anything particular, not talking about the kicking that makes it flare up, but was it originally caused by anything?
Having read that article…the first thing would be to make sure you can move your bodyweight around well. Bodyweight squats (with full range of motion), push-ups, australian pull-up (aka horizontal pull-up), lunges etc. If you can do those easily, then starting out with days based around squats, deadlifts, step-ups and/or lunges with moderate weight and 8 rep sets or so is a good start.
This will serve to build up your connective tissue and get you prepared for the higher intensity training. Make sure you pull alot also (ie face pulls, australian pull-ups, bent-over rows, seated rows, one arm row) are important because you will really work the front side of your shoulders punching so much. Good luck! There’s so much more obviously, but that’s a good start.
It seems to be working quite well. Would like more ma training but can’t at the moment until I get good enough for the advanced class.
My hip injury, not sure what causes it.It seems to be a weakness and the muscles get clamped up there and in my lower back.I have bad hip mobility really and struggle with kicks in my left leg. I struggle with my form when doing squats due to the mobility in my hips.
I can’t emphasize the following suggestions enough:
Buy a foam roller and use it everyday
Buy magnificient mobility and inside out by Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey, and Bill Hartman
Read every article by those 3 and start working on the mobility/flexibility.
Not doing this will mean that you are injured constantly and that obviously sucks.
get your deadlifts,Squat,Bench,Cleans,Rows. Make sure you add these into your schedule. They will be the best if you’re limited to a few days. Compound exercises will be a great thing to add. Try this one Randy Coulture does. It’s a Barbell curuit. i use these barbell circuits alot. I can give you some other ones as well if you like. They tie everything together. I have some on video i do that I can get on here for you.
Dude, with damn near eight hours of cardio week (including the martial arts training), it better be working. Just monitor your strength levels in the gym, if it starts to drop, you’re likely losing muscle. What’s a weight session look like, anyhow (exercises, sets, reps)?
I definitely agree with danew on investing in a copy of Magnificent Mobility. Also, Mike Robertson just had a great article on FigureAthlete.com with some glute/hip activation exercises. Try incorporating those on your next weight training day and see how it feels. Powerful Women - COMMUNITY - T NATION
