How to combine strength training and martial arts?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2013-08-03

I often encounter people (mostly young guys) who train with me and simultaneously engage in some form of martial arts. Usually, this is wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts. But that’s not so important. What matters is that they are tormented by the question: can and how should one properly combine these two different types of physical activity?

I’ll say right away that it is possible to combine them. Moreover, with a smart approach, strength training and martial arts can complement each other quite well. After all, martial arts involve speed, endurance, and agility, while strength training will provide us with strength and mass.

However, it's not that simple. The fact is that there are limits to the development of all these motor qualities, beyond which the development of one quality hinders the development of others. Here, you need to determine what is more important for you. If strength is your top priority, train in the gym 3 times a week and attend a martial arts class once a week.

If you want to become a top-notch fighter, then you only need to focus on strength training once a week. Direct all your remaining energy toward boxing, wrestling, or another martial art. But often, guys want both, and they want it quickly. In this case, you need to assess how many workouts you can handle each week. I recommend starting with 4 workouts a week. For example, do strength training on Monday and Thursday, and martial arts on Tuesday and Friday.

Principles of combining strength training and martial arts:

1. It is very important not to do 2 workouts in one day. Remember: one day – one workout.

2. If you go to the gym in addition to martial arts, there is no point in strength training during martial arts sessions. Focus better on technique.

3. If workouts follow one another (on adjacent days), it is better for the first workout to be strength training, with martial arts on the following day.

4. In strength training, you must eliminate all unnecessary isolating exercises and focus mainly on compound movements. Moreover, the workout shouldn’t be long. One hour to one and a half hours is sufficient. However, the rest between sets shouldn’t be too long; on average, 1.5 to 2 minutes. This will make your strength workouts more intense.

5. Remember that it’s fairly easy to overtrain in this regime. So reduce the number of workouts if you feel you’re not recovering adequately.

Conclusions

Achieving high results in any martial art is impossible without good strength training. However, you must remember that in this case, strength training is supplementary. It should not interfere with your primary training.

If you are an ardent supporter of "the gym" and you joined a martial arts class just "for the fun of it", then build your training regime around strength training. Engage in martial arts 1 to 2 times a week.

Remember that these are completely different types of physical activities. If you give your all both places, you won’t make progress in either. Determine what is more important for you. If their importance is equal for you, then eliminate all unnecessary elements from your workouts to avoid wasting energy.