Getting fighting fit

Before you can learn the movements associated with unarmed combat and bladed combat its best that one gets into physical shape. Always ask a doctor before starting a work out regime etc.

It seems with martial arts in general that endurance and speed are more important then raw strength. For the purpose of this article we'll classify raw strength as the maximum weight you can lift.

Strength athletes train with very heavy weights for very low repetitions. Ex: They'll do between 3-5 repetitions with weight nearing their maximum single rep. This gives them explosion, raw strength.

Sounds kind of seductive, but many strength athletes neglect to train their hearts and bodies for long periods of physical exertion. Their bodies are geared for short periods of extreme energy where as a cyclist, distant runner etc has a body geared for long periods of light to moderate energy usage. Being able to lift 500 pounds from the ground is impressive but is unnecessary in a fight. Being able to strike hard repeatedly and to have the physical ability to hit just as hard at the beginning as at the end is very important for a fighter. To quote Randy Couture "Yeah its not unheard of for a fight to end in a single punch, but the more likely result is that it will take multiple punches. You should train for the more likely result." (not a perfect quote but im going from memory)

With all that said a martial artist's goal is to be somewhere in between the strength trainer and the cardio/long distance athlete.

Here is a proposed workout plan:

(Required equipment, 45 pound Olympic weight bar, a place to do push ups/sit ups and a place to run. Use google to find what each exercise looks like).

Tu/Thur: do 3 sets of 10 of the following exercises

10 bent over rows, 10 overhead presses, 10 squats, 10 standing rows and 10 stiff legged deadlifts. I'd also recommend getting some good grippers to work your hand/forearm muscles.

After completing the weight section, take a short one or two minute break then try and do as many push ups as you can. If you can't do a single push up then try them from your knees and work your way up to a normal push up. Perform as many push ups as possible (your max rep) then rest a few minutes and repeat..trying your best to reach the same amount. Repeat one more time and try to reach your max rep again.

Also take a look at the 100push up challenge ( http://hundredpushups.com/index.html ) you can use this instead of my method. Works great.

For the finale (feeling tired yet?) perform your max sit ups, repeat, repeat. Done.

After a workout like this I really recommend you go and take a multivitamin, drink a protein shake and drink 2 or 3 glasses of water (you can drink this slowly over time). Have a nice protein rich /lunch/dinner like chicken breast, steak, a hamburger, boca burger etc. Try and maximize your protein intake. Try and eat 75% of your body weight in protein (If you weight 100 pounds, eat 75 grams of protein for example).

As you get more advanced with this try adding weight. 5 extra pounds a week is a great goal, but if you can't do it then don't stress. You should eventually get up to 100 pounds of weight. Feel free to go higher if your body can handle it.

M/W/F: Your Cardio days

You don't need to be a marathon runner or Lance Armstrong to be an excellent martial artist. Fights last anywhere from seconds to 30 minutes or more. Being able to perform intense action for 15 minutes seems to be the golden mean.

-Run 1 mile (Goal is 8 minutes). If you can't run this far (I sure couldn't when I started) then check out http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml 3 miles is a great goal for the future.
-Walk a quarter mile, run a quarter mile, walk a quarter mile then Run a quarter mile as fast as possible (goal is 1 minute).

After this its a good idea to work on some pull ups. They're a great exercise and really work out the back muscles. You'll see a noticeable increase in punching power from doing them. If you can't do a single pull up then do negatives. This involves grabbing the bar and jumping up into the "finished" position. Hang there a second and slowly lower yourself back down to earth. two sets of five for two weeks should see you doing your first real pull up. From there work doing 3 sets of your max pull ups like we do with push ups/sit ups above.


Remember, do as much as you can. if you're out of shape it'll take time to build up to this. Don't get hurt and end up putting yourself way behind while you heal a bad injury.

Sat/Sun: Eat lots of protein, drink lots of water (your muscles are mostly water), Take a multivitamin and relax. Maybe do some light stretching; but your goal is to just relax, heal and enjoy the day.

Doing these exercises gives you a full body exercise. Every muscle is worked a little bit. You'll gain muscle mass slowly over your entire frame. The compound weight lifting exercises you do makes sure that joints and supporting muscles are strengthened. Just say no to the exercise machines that only work a single muscle. Compound is where its at because that's what you use in nature. A lunge is not just a tricep extension its a combination of wrist, forearm, tricep, shoulder, back, hip and leg etc.

Thanks for reading, please add any ideas, opinions, critiques or post your own exercise plan here.