In my previous two articles (PART 1, PART 2) I have discussed the benefits of a good strength and conditioning program for a muay thai fighter, and a general overview of what that program might look like. I proposed a 3 phase program using conjugated periodization to ensure that each phase targeted a specific quality, building on the previous phase.
The first step is to build raw strength– the ability to exert force through muscular contraction. I’m sure I don’t need to spell out how important being strong is to being a fighter. However, there are a couple of issues to taken into consideration. Firstly, we compete in a sport that utilises strict weight classes. If you don’t make weight, usually you don’t get to fight and you can leave yourself, and your gym, looking unprofessional. The common fears regarding weightlifting that I mentioned in the first article often revolve around gaining too much mass and getting both heavier and slower. Secondly, we need to think about what specific type of strength we need.
The answers to both of these issues revolve around the correct selection of movements, weights and rep ranges.
Muay Thai is a full body sport. You don’t just kick with your leg, or punch with your arm. The whole body is used to some degree in the majority of techniques. Therefore, we need to develop full body strength utilising several muscle groups working in sync. Isolating muscle groups with weight machines is going to be of limited value, instead we want to concentrate on full body, compound lifts using free weights including barbells, dumbbells, and my favourite, kettlebells. Other equipment such as sandbags, medicine balls or weighted vests can also be used. Free weights also have the added advantage of challenging your body to keep itself stable, working the smaller stabiliser muscles and improving grip and core strength, among other things.
Reference http://www.acefitness.org/fitness-fact-article/2655/free-weights-vs-strength-training/
You are going to want to use heavy weights for this, around 70-80% of your 1-rep max. Each set should stay between 1-6 reps, preferably avoiding total muscular failure in order to prevent (a) excessive hypertrophy, (b) excessive DOMS and (c) increased risk of injury.
Traditional wisdom dictates that lighter weights and high reps are the way to go, however I believe much better strength gains can be obtained using high weight/low rep protocols with lower levels of attendant DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). High weight/low rep protocols affect neural factors far more than metabolic or cellular, emphasising strength gains with little hypertrophy.
High weight/low rep protocols result in:
- an increased ability to recruit more muscle fibres
- stimulation of the higher threshold fibres that are not activated with high rep/low weight sets
- decreased neuromuscular inhibition
- increased coordination between the muscle groups
Reference http://www.freedomfly.net/Articles/Training/training29.htm
High rep/low weight protocols will induce higher levels of local muscular endurance, through micro-damage to the muscle fibres, along with small amounts of hypertrophy. These can be useful to improve muscul.ar endurance, for example by shadow boxing with small dumbbells. However, they create very little gains in raw strength, the quality we are aiming for here.
To keep things simple, I would suggest this easy to remember, classic layout for a basic strength session- lower body / upper body push / upper body pull.
Lower body lifts should focus on squats and deadlifts. This includes the numerous variations of these techniques, such as sumo squats/deadlifts, stiff legged deadlifts, Bulgarian squats etc. Always start with the lower body movement as these are the most taxing, so you want to hit them whilst you are fresh.
Upper body push movements include bench press, overhead/military press, weighted dip, weighted push up etc.
Upper body pull movements include chin ups/pull ups, rows (bent over/inverted/upright), shrugs, shoulder raises (front/lateral/rear delts).
Ideally, a lifting session should last no more than 45-60 minutes tops. After 45 minutes, your testosterone levels will drop, leading to a point of diminishing returns. As fighters, we rarely have the luxury of training time to waste, so make sure you get the most out of it. Besides, if you follow the simple plan below, 45 minutes will be plenty to get in a good strength session.
So, how do we put this all together? Let’s say we are able to fit in 2 strength training sessions a week. We will split the movements up into 2 separate sessions, referred to as A and B.
Each session will involve 2-4 sets of each movement, for 1-6 reps using 70-90% of your 1-rep max and with rest periods of around 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, you could superset the lifts to really maximise your time, doing one set of each lift one after the other, resting for 1-2 minutes and repeating.
Strength Session A:
Lower Body- deadlift
Upper body push- bench press, overhead/military press
Upper body pull- chin ups/pull ups
Strength Session B:
Lower Body- squat
Upper body push- weighted dip, weighted push up
Upper body pull- rows (bent over/inverted/upright), shrugs
To summarise, remember these key points:
- Depending on your schedule, strength train 1-3 times a week
- Compound, full body lifts with free weights, 70-90% of 1-rep max
- 1-6 reps per set, avoiding muscular failure
- Max 45-60 minutes per session
GET IN. LIFT HEAVY. GET OUT
In the next article, I will look at how to turn these strength gains into real explosive power that will help you KO your opponents in spectacular fashion!
muayfight- muay thai 