My routine, feedback please.

[SidTheSloth]

Hi guys, I'm posting my intended routine for when I start back at Uni in september. Bit of background: I'm 18 years old, I'm tall and very thin but over the last 6 months i've been doing a lot of weights and through good nutrition and hard workouts have increased in size and strength considerably. I have been training in Muay Thai for about eight months and boxing for two and i'm hooked. I found a Bujinkan class close by and I plan on starting there too. I think it would be nice to train in a martial art that isn't primarily a sport. I also plan on starting Yoga classes if I can squeeze it in between my studies and my other training.

Anyway here's my plan:

Monday: Weights. Back and Biceps.

Tuesday: Muay Thai training.

Wednesday: Weights. Legs and core.

Thursday: Muay Thai Sparring.

Friday: Weights. Chest, triceps and shoulders

Saturday: Rest.

Sunday: Boxing training and sparring, Bujinkan.

Note: The days I do weights a will also probably do 20 minutes of intense cardio or circuit training.

I'm clued up on nutrition, I eat well. A varied low fat, high protein diet and I rarely drink. I'm going to take protein, glutamine and Creatine supplements to aid recovery.

I realise that what i'm doing here is going to be very tough and i'm making social and financial sacrifices to do it but I want to challenge myself.

Any feedback on my routine will be appriciated.

Thanks, Sid.

[Frodocious]

Can you give us a bit more information about what exercises, sets and reps you're doing please? And what are your goals?

Also, there is nothing wrong with having some fat in your diet.

[airweaver]

No jogging/running?

a martial artist should run regularly imo.

[benkei]

No jogging/running?

a martial artist should run regularly imo.

You base that on what exactly? Running is totally unnecessary for a martial artist.

OP: Ditch the isolation stuff, there's no need to be exercising stuff like your biceps and triceps unless you're trying to be a bodybuilder. If you want to supplement your martial arts training, compound movements are the go (we really need to get a stick post on here with regard to weight training, I've seen the same stuff asked a billion times). Also, what Frodo says, nothing wrong with fat. Your schedule is very doable, no problems with overload there so long as you have the fitness to handle it.
As Frodo said, some specifics on your weights routine would be good..

[Kuma]

You base that on what exactly? Running is totally unnecessary for a martial artist.

I wouldn't say totally unnecessary. What if you get chased for a certain distance by some nutter, only to find out there's nowhere left to run and now you have to fight him? Or, if you're in the type of job that requires you to be the chaser from time to time (hopefully legal ones we're talking about here), it's not wise to be sucking wind by the time you finally catch up to the guy only to find out he's ready to throw down is it?

Running itself should be a part of anybody's routine, it just doesn't necessarily have to be long slow runs.

[benkei]

I wouldn't say totally unnecessary. What if you get chased for a certain distance by some nutter, only to find out there's nowhere left to run and now you have to fight him? Or, if you're in the type of job that requires you to be the chaser from time to time (hopefully legal ones we're talking about here), it's not wise to be sucking wind by the time you finally catch up to the guy only to find out he's ready to throw down is it?

Running itself should be a part of anybody's routine, it just doesn't necessarily have to be long slow runs.

I meant to put in a disclaimer that sprints are very beneficial. Anyhoo..
If it's part of your job to chase people then that really has no bearing on a martial arts routine does it? Circuit training really goes a long way for cardio, to the point that yes, I think that running is unnecessary for a martial artist.
If you are training hard enough and your body fat % is at a low enough level most of the general populace is going to have a hard time keeping up with you anyway, whether running is part of your program or not.
Why should it be part of everyone's routine? Not trying to argue with you here, just genuinely curious why that's your point of view?
I have to run for a fitness assessment twice a year in the army, and I've managed to keep my times down even without running just through crossfit type circuit training, weights and judo. This is why I have a problem with the above statement....

[Kuma]

It's easy, it's cheap, and it doesn't require any more equipment than a pair of sneakers. I like to run up hills and up the steps by the local transit station, I only do a short run otherwise (mostly 2-3 miles, depending on how I feel) once a week. Yes, I like to skip rope and do fight training a lot, but running's my endurance foundation. It's also important as during Kyokushin kumite, if you're testing or doing a round robin sparring session, it often goes into the aerobic stage just due to the sheer length of time you'll be fighting (i.e. the last test we did for one of our guys was 20 minutes of straight fighting for him, switching out opponents every 2 minutes, no rest).

Running from a fight only to find out you're in it anyways is something that can easily happen in a real confrontation. Two weeks ago a friend of mine and I did a drill that really kicked our butts. We went down to the local track and I'd sprint around the track while he waited by the goalpost (it's a 1/4 mile track). Once I closed with him, he'd start the 2-minute timer and we'd go at it at a controlled pace (we did our sprints wearing gloves and shinpads). Once I did so many, it was his turn. We jokingly called it the Foot Pursuit Drill, and it whipped us.

You said you do sprints anyways, so you're still running, aren't you?

[SidTheSloth]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

My goals are to obviously become a better fighter, I would love to compete for my University team. Through training I will naturally become fitter which is another one of my goals. With regards to the weight training, my current weights program is one designed with muscle/strength gain in mind. This is because I want to gain more lean muscle mass. My weights program is based around 3 sets of 7 reps.

Chest: Bench press, inclines, flys.
Triceps: Dips.
Back: Pull ups, cable rows, lat pulldown.
Biceps: Bicep curls, hammer curls.
Shoulders: Military press, front raises, side raises, reverse flys.
Legs: Squats, leg press, leg extensions, hamstring curls, calf raises.

I do run regularly, long distance running comes quite naturally to me as I am of the long legged persuasion. On days where I will be lifting weights I will also put in a short but intense cardio session, 20 mintues of tredmill swimming, cycling or a half hour of HIIT. I figured that long distance style endurance training would be less benificial than high intensity sprinting that more refelcts conditions within the ring?

Thanks again for the critique, Sid.

[Freeform]

Well, just to play devil's advocate, as a full contact stick fighter (Kali) I run a LOT during our 3 min fights. Lots of probing (ooh er!), drive bys and aggresive crashing.

Kali = Martial Art = Martial artist running

[airweaver]

You base that on what exactly? Running is totally unnecessary for a martial artist.



I disagree. Like Kuma said, what if you get chased? I base it on experience, in both fleeing from and winning fights.

Running is an excellent endurance training tool. why do boxers jog? so they can keep going through the rounds and so theyre quick on there feet. Bruce Lee ran 2-3 miles a day. He emphasises the importance of jogging in 'development of the human body'.

Running is 50% of the training. Self defense is more to do with fitness than martial tecniques. Dont listen to those who would say otherwise.

[Patrick Smith]

Why run to develop aerobic endurance for forms or long sparring sessions? Why not just do long forms or long sparring sessions/drills? This way you're actually practicing the movements at the same time, and your endurance is becoming specific to what you need it for in the first place.

Sid, don't do body-part splits. The human body doesn't work like that. A much better program is the 5x5 lifting program that uses compound lifts 2-3 times a week.

http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

:cool:

[Freeform]

Bruce Lee .........

Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Freeform cries tears of blood

[Patrick Smith]

I disagree. Like Kuma said, what if you get chased? I base it on experience, in both fleeing from and winning fights.

Running is an excellent endurance training tool. why do boxers jog? so they can keep going through the rounds and so theyre quick on there feet. Bruce Lee ran 2-3 miles a day. He emphasises the importance of jogging in 'development of the human body'.

Running is 50% of the training. Self defense is more to do with fitness than martial tecniques. Dont listen to those who would say otherwise.

Running is definitely NOT 50% of the training for any martial artist. Keep in mind the element of sport specific training. If you run, you will able to run. I think running is fine, but it depends on what you're training your body to do. If you want to run, then run. If you want to fight, then do some sort of fighting specific exercise. It's easy to get aerobic and anaerobic conditioning through martial arts.

Additionally, as much as I liked Bruce Lee as a person, he was NOT an educated genius on training methods or principles. I don't care if he was fast, that was not because of his training alone; genetics played a huge part in it. He is also not the perfect example of strength training. He was just an abnormally fast guy. Instead of quoting him, I would quote some of the top trainers in the world like Alwyn Cosgrove, Jon Chaimberg, Mike Boyle, Charles Poliquin, etc. who have been training people for decades.

Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Freeform cries tears of blood

Don't cry, Freeform! It's okay, there's still hope! :(

[benkei]

Running is definitely NOT 50% of the training for any martial artist. Keep in mind the element of sport specific training. If you run, you will able to run. I think running is fine, but it depends on what you're training your body to do. If you want to run, then run. If you want to fight, then do some sort of fighting specific exercise. It's easy to get aerobic and anaerobic conditioning through martial arts.

Additionally, as much as I liked Bruce Lee as a person, he was NOT an educated genius on training methods or principles. I don't care if he was fast, that was not because of his training alone; genetics played a huge part in it. He is also not the perfect example of strength training. He was just an abnormally fast guy. Instead of quoting him, I would quote some of the top trainers in the world like Alwyn Cosgrove, Jon Chaimberg, Mike Boyle, Charles Poliquin, etc. who have been training people for decades.



Don't cry, Freeform! It's okay, there's still hope! :(

What he said. 50% of training? You gotta be kidding. If you like running, sure, do it, I'm not saying it's a bad thing to do or anything. I don't mind the occasional run myself. As I said before though, I don't believe it's necessary. I train at a top level judo club with multiple national champions and Olympic competitors, none of us run. In fact, since using crossfit and strength training as our sole source of fitness training outside judo, most of the guys are the fittest they have ever been - it shows in everyone's bodies and in performance at randori/fight nights.
Cardio fitness crosses over to all areas, including the need to run away from a fight. Swimming, circuits, cross country skiing, whatever floats your boat. All I'm saying is it doesn't need to be the sole source of cardio training for anyone.

OP: If you want to gain muscle, that's not a bad program per se. You could really ditch all of those leg exercises in favour of squats though, even for muscle building they aren't much bang for buck. I'd recommend for muscle gain a 10/8/6 reps program rather than 3x7, each set increasing the weight. After doing that for a month I'd switch to a stronglifts type program, that way you gain muscle from your program now, and when you switch to pure strength training (5x5) your muscles will be shocked enough to keep growing.
Either way though, get rid of the tricep and bicep exercises, they get worked enough doing other exercises.
Maybe add some bent over rows in there too.