In the past fighters would stay far away from weight training, thinking it would make them slow, but research has proven otherwise, mainly because there are different kinds of strength. Any fighter, from all styles, is looking to develop speed strength and explosive strength.
The highly regarded sports bio-chemist Vladimir Zatsiorsky, was a well-recognized strength coach/consultant for the Olympic teams that were competing for the Soviet Union many years ago. He said the ability for any athlete to produce the most maximal force in minimal time is known as explosive strength. He says that a strong body does not necessarily mean strong explosive strength.
It is clear that developing one type of strength like max strength will not guarantee development of another type of strength like explosive strength or speed strength. Speed strength is defined as the ability to execute any unloaded movement against a small resistance very quickly.
A good example would be punching a heavy punch-bag which would be considered a small external resistance. The few ounces of weight that your gloves weigh would be insufficient to qualify as minimal resistance. But, all fighters should note that excessive max strength training may eventually impair strength speed, reducing the technical speed of a good boxer.
Strength endurance is different as it is defined as maintaining the muscular function/integrity of the muscles for longer periods. No matter what style a fighter uses, strength endurance is vitally important for any competitive combat fighter. Having a whole lot of power and speed with no stamina is not going to get a fighter very far.
Combat sporting events require the athlete to be multifaceted and well-rounded when it comes to strength preparation. Developing max strength at the expense of other strengths is not going to help the athlete. A fighter needs a completely unique blend of these strengths.
It does not mean that fighters should never do max training to improve their strength, a fighter needs to understand a bit of muscle physiology to be able to appreciate how important max training could be for a fighter. Muscle fibers are always grouped into different motor units.
These motor units each contain one nerve and hundreds of separate muscle fibers. The nerve delivers the signal for a muscle to fire, slow or fast twitch, depending on how many reps, the weight used and the muscle(s) isolated. The muscle fibers are then contracted when the signal is delivered.
Training specifically for power development, a fighter needs to target only the fast twitch muscle-fibers. But unfortunately, not all of the motor units will be activated at once. Any and all low intensity exercise will not activate the important fast twitch fibers.
If the exercise that a fighter performs does not stimulate any fast-twitch motor units, then the muscle fibers inside that motor unit will not be able to adapt to the training. If the motor unit isn’t being recruited, no response will happen. But when the athlete lifts heavy loads they’ll be activating fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Strength coaches across the world recognize the importance of maximal strength training because it is the best way to improve both intramuscular and intermuscular coordination, required for any fighter.
Despite what you might have heard about heavy weight training, it’s a common myth that all heavy weight training will only result in unnecessary bulk, which will then reduce the range of motion and the speed development. This is totally false, any fighter considering strength training will improve his/her competitiveness in the ring.
The well-known Russian coach Yuri Verkhoshansky, said in one of his manuals that when any effective methodology is used for planning a weight training routine, the resistance used will promote an increase in speed of a movement but will also improve muscle coordination, motor-reaction plus the quickness and the frequency of the movements.
He continues by explaining that the primary function of a muscle is not to increase size when strength training, but rather to increase the contractibility for effective nervous stimulation. He explains that strength training correctly will increase the ability of your muscle to relax while developing local muscular endurance and it will increase the maximal anaerobic capacity of that muscle group.
About The Author:
Paul Becker is a natural (steroid free for life) bodybuilder and fitness consultant. Visit his website at http://www.bodybuilding-store.com