New Weight Training Program

[Fu-Pow]

Hey folks I just wanted to run by some of the exercises in my my new weight lifting/conditioning routine....

I've tried to stick to the following criteria.....

1) Most body parts possible effected by field of gravity

2) Standing when possible

3) Whole body movement

4) Large range of movement

I'm getting away from nautilus type machines and utilizing

-Cable machines
-Free Weights
-Body Weight exercises

So here's what I go so far (and my "experimental" results)


-Standing cable rows (feels strange, not sure what height to set the cable at)

-Assisted Pull ups (all these exercises were performed on a machine that assists you by counterweighting. I'm a bottom heavy guy and I just wouldn't have the upper body strength to do these otherwise.)

-Assisted Dips

-Assisted Chin Ups

-Swiss Ball Dumbbell Flyes ( I wanted to do these on a swiss ball but my gym didn't have one near the weights so I just did them on a incline bench. )

-Clean and Jerk

-Snatch (I tried practicing these 2 with the 50 lb bar. even that seemed like a workout. I'm a little worried about the back with these....should I wear a belt when I do them?)

And then I do push ups, dive bombers, v-up and crunches as part of my regular training regime.

Can anyone recommend some other good solid martial arts weighttraining/conditioning exercises?

Thanks in advance.





;) :D :cool:

[_William_]

Hi Fu-Pow,

I would recommend some kind of "twisting" exercise, since martial arts tend to use lots of rotational force.

Does your gym have a Hammer Strength ground based jammer? If so, use if for the one handed pushing exercise(I am unclear about the name). The motion is very close to delivering a punch with the rear hand while shifting from a neutral stance to a "bow" stance, so IMO it is a good one for increasing punching power. I use this one in my routine.

If you don't have one of those machines, you can do Full Contact Twists with a barbell. I have read many good things about this exercise, but have never tried it.

[fa_jing]

Originally posted by Fu-Pow


-Clean and Jerk

-Snatch (I tried practicing these 2 with the 50 lb bar. even that seemed like a workout. I'm a little worried about the back with these....should I wear a belt when I do them?)


For the Snatch and the C & J:

Wearing a belt doesn't make the exercise safer, it just allows you to pull more weight. Instead of wearing a belt, take a big breath into your diaphragm and squeeze the sh!t out of both your abs and the bar. Tension prior to starting the movement is key IMO. When you begin the lift, exhale slowly with a strong SSSS sound. This changes to a harder exhale as you complete the tough part of the movement, at which point you of course breath in.
Use at least 85lbs for the C & J or you really will be doing another exercise entirely. It is important that the muscles fire in sequence in order to impart momentum to the bar. Treat the reps as singles at first.

The other option is to do high rep ballistic lifts with low weight, which has a conditioning effect. In this case, you just breath naturally, but you will need to brace with your abs at the low point of the movement. Snatches in particular are good for the abs and lats due to a second bracing at the top, at least for me. Jerks require bracing of the abs in the overhead position too.




And then I do push ups, dive bombers, v-up and crunches as part of my regular training regime.



Don't burn yourself out. Do this stuff in a seperate workout, which is I think what you are saying. Abwork is good. I recommend deadlifting for the abs, upper back and spinal erectors, too.

Don't go to failure on a regular basis. In general, stop with a rep in the tank and do another set. Try to lift heavy about once every 5 days. Just my advice.

Your exercise selection is pretty good, but you are missing lower body work as part of a complete routine. Despite the strength you have in your legs, you will still find squats very beneficial.

Don't bother with the weightbelt for now, just get used to stablizing yourself with your abs.

[fa_jing]

oh - wanted to remind that a power clean is not the same thing as an assisted/cheat curl. The bar moves pretty much in a vertical plane, close to your body. At the top of the motion you pull your shoulders up and push off the ground with your calves, then bend your knees and drop back down under the weight. Finally, you straighten out your knees. You can either move the bar back slightly or take a slight step forward to get properly under it.

Just remember, " grip and abs and calves and traps." The major leg muscles don't need to be "reminded" so much to do their function.

Another note: the grip relaxes some in the clean as you bending your wrists backwards in the "catch"

[Toby]

Originally posted by Fu-Pow
-Standing cable rows (feels strange, not sure what height to set the cable at)Do you mean upright rows, or the equivalent of seated rows but standing? If upright, stand close to the cable so that the cable is pretty much vertical throughout the ROM. If seated equivalent, I like to pull it into my stomach. You want your forearms to be horizontal throughout the ROM. Since you're standing, be careful not to use momentum.

Originally posted by Fu-Pow
-Assisted ...You could try negatives on all these. I used to not be able to do pullups. My bar is low so I have to bend my knees to do them. Anyway, I'd jump up to the top position and perform the eccentric motion. You can lift IIRC 140% of the concentric limit during the eccentric. I like negatives. You could use a box if your dip/chinup/pullup bars are too high.

Originally posted by Fu-Pow
-Swiss Ball Dumbbell FlyesThese are for chicks. Semi-j/k. Why on a swiss ball? If you're lifting anything significant the ball won't be stable enough. I don't mind the swiss ball, but it's not a bench or a floor so IMHO it shouldn't be used as one. No further comment.

Originally posted by Fu-Pow
-Clean and Jerk

-SnatchIf you're worried about your back, build it up. Squat and deadlift are good for this. Make sure your form is good for the Oly lifts. Get a coach or the Olympic Weightlifting for Beginners and Intermediates book and tape set from Ironmind. I've got that and while I haven't started Oly lifting yet, it's a good reference. Quality is poor, but content is good.