If done correctly, weight training can be extremely beneficial when incorporated into your training regime. It can improve your strength, power, flexibility making you less prone to injury.

Misconceptions:

Some common myths about weight training are that you will automatically bulk up, lose flexibility, and become slower. Of course training with weights incorrectly can lead to weight gain and the other issues mentioned, but training correctly and intelligently can help you gain flexibility, improve your explosive power, and make you a stronger fighter.

Proper weight training will actually increase your range of motion and provide greater flexibility of your joints. However, it is very important that all exercises with the weights are performed with a full range of motion. Also, a good warm up of the body and thorough stretching of all the major muscles groups you will use before you begin and after you finish, is essential.

Some people believe that weight training for fighters should be carried out using light weights with high repetitions. This is actually the opposite of the truth. High repetitions will slightly increase your aerobic capacity, and do little for explosive power. Weight training should be used to improve the power and strength of a fighter, the cardiovascular fitness and aerobic improvements are what training in the gym on the bags and pads is for. Therefore the fighter must perform medium to heavy lifts with fast, ballistic movements ensuring that the correct lifting techniques are carried out to prevent injury.

Train according to goals:

It is important to understand the differences in the training programmes a fighter should follow compared to some one else e.g. a bodybuilder. It is not useful for a fighter to lift weights in the same fashion as a bodybuilder, as this is a case when you would bulk up and possibly slow down. You must train according to your goals.

A Base Training Routine:

It is recommended to complete a weights session only 1 or 2 times a week, ensuring that quality training in the gym is not sacrificed. Strength training is very demanding on the body so it should be planned and integrated well into your training schedule. Train on a day that does not clash with another very intense session in the gym, perhaps chose a day that precedes a rest day in your week.

Strength and weight training is not recommended in the week leading up to a fight.

It is best to keep your weight training simple, Work primarily on the major muscle groups that you will use in the ring. Such as:

Ideas:

• Bench Press: Isolates the chest, triceps, and shoulders
• Squats: Targets the legs
• Arm Curls: Targets the biceps
• Bent over Rows: Works the upper back
• Leg Extension: Isolate Hamstrings and Quads on machines

Working with free weights has a slight advantage over machines in that it will also develop the stabilising muscles around the regions, not just the target major muscle groups. But machines are useful for isolating an individual muscle such as the hamstrings. This is particularly useful as squatting with free weights will be working both the quadriceps and hamstrings, but there are occasions where you may need to improve the strength of only one of these muscles if it is a bit weaker then the other.

Begin the workout with three to five rounds of skipping and light shadow boxing, as a warm up. When the body is warm (you are sweating slightly), stretch all of the muscles groups that you will be working in the session.

You should do 3 sets of each exercise with the weights. The first two sets are warm up sets which are done with a fairly light weight for 8-10 repetitions. Do not go to failure on these sets.

Lower the weight in a controlled fashion, pause for a second at the bottom and explode upward. Never lock your joints at the top of the motion as this can cause hyperextension of the joint which will cause problems for you.

When you have completed the warm up sets, select the predetermined amount of weight on the bar or machine and get ready for the main set. This set must take you to muscular failure on the final 12th repetition. When you have completed the final set, move on to your next exercise, using 2 warm up sets and a final main set as before.

Record the third set of each exercise in a diary or journal and keep this up to date. This record of your training will help you make maximum improvements. Additionally, it is also very beneficial to write in your journal the things you learn in training sessions in the gym with your trainer, for example favourite combinations, problems you need to work on, etc.

Every week you should aim to improve on your previous number of repetitions that you completed until you reach 20 reps with the weight staying fixed. There will be some weeks where you may only improve by one or two repetitions, other weeks you may increase by many more. When you reach the 20 reps, it is time to add more weight on, the aim is to take you back down to 12 repetitions and repeat the process.

In your journal, keep track of the weight you were lifting and the number of reps completed for each exercise.

Finish the session with some more light shadowboxing to help remove the lactic acid and other waste that accumulates in your muscles with anaerobic training. This will reduce the soreness that you feel. Stretch out all muscles groups thoroughly and eat a good meal soon after the session (with in 1-2 hours) which contains carbohydrates and proteins to aid the muscle repair and growth which will be making you a stronger fighter.

by Steven Ryan