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By
Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems |
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Twenty years ago, strength training
was considered taboo for martial artists.
Today, it is gaining in popularity,
despite the fact that it is rarely carried out in a rational
manner. Due to strong influences from the world of bodybuilding,
most martial artists are only getting half the potential benefit
that strength training has to offer.
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Specificity and Strength Training
Virtually all martial arts depend
upon the ability to develop force very rapidly. Technically, the
rapid execution of a technique results in more damage to the target.
Tactically, rapidly executed techniques have a greater chance of
landing, since they are more difficult to defend against than slower
movements. From a defensive point of view, rapidly performed blocks
and parries, as well as defensive footwork, are made more effective
if executed rapidly.
Strength training for sports normally
progresses through three phases: hypertrophy (muscle mass), absolute
strength (the most force that can be produced irregardless of time
required), and finally, speed strength (the ability to develop force
rapidly). In the case of the martial arts, most athletes spend most
or all of their time developing hypertrophy. A few progress to methods
designed to develop absolute strength. Fewer still venture into
speed-strength territory.
Critical to this article is the concept
that the ability to develop high levels of force (such as displayed
during a 400 pound bench press) is not as important as the ability
to develop a high level of force within a very short (less than
a second) period of time. The development of muscle mass and absolute
strength are important because they form the foundation for speed-strength,
but by themselves, they are next to worthless.
Hypertrophy Training
Sometimes called "the bodybuilding
method," hypertrophy training involves the use of moderate
(between 70 and 85 percent of maximum) loads for sets of between
5 and 10 repetitions. Such loads provoke an increase in protein
synthesis within the muscle cells, leading to an enlargement of
the existing muscle tissue.
This enlargement is the first step
in developing speedstrength, since increases in muscle cross-section
are highly correlated to increases in absolute strength. An athlete
stays in the hypertrophy phase for as long as is necessary and/or
appropriate— while hypertrophy is a necessary first step, too
much of it can be counter-productive (i.e., growing out of your
weight class, or developing flexibility deficits, etc.). When the
desired level of hypertrophy is developed, the athlete moves on
to absolute strength training methods. Note: Athletes should increase
protein intake while in this phase to help the body resynthesize
muscle tissue.
Training for Absolute Strength
Absolute strength is developed through
the use of high (85+ percent of maximum) loads. Repetitions range
from 1 to 4. Such training improves neurological efficiency, or
the ability to recruit higher percentages of existing muscle fibers.
Fast twitch muscle is preferentially recruited over slow twitch
fibers at this intensity range. The development of absolute strength
is considered to be a prerequisite to speed-strength, but this training
method should only be attempted by mature, experienced athletes,
due to the high loads involved.
Developing Speed-strength: Moving the Time-force
Curve to the Left
Once absolute strength is brought
to a high level, the next task is to move the force time curve over
to the left. Several methods can be used for this purpose: plyometrics,
the use of modified Olympic lifts, and the lifting of submaximal
(70 to 80 percent of maximum) weights at a high rate of speed. The
emphasis is on improving the rate of force development (R.O.F.D.).
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During the period of time
devoted to speed-strength work, one can expect gains in
hypertrophy and absolute strength to degrade to a certain
degree. For this reason, a rationally designed training
program will constantly alternate between phases devoted
to hypertrophy, absolute strength, and speedstrength, in
that order.
For mature athletes who already
have sufficient muscle mass, the hypertrophy phase will
be greatly abbreviated, however. For competitive martial
artists, training cycles are planned so that the speedstrength
phase coincides with the competitive season. In this way,
sport-specific strength is brought to a peak when it is
needed most.
Strength as a Means to an End
I caution the reader to remember
that strength, as a component of physical preparation, is
not an end but a means to an end. It simply allows the martial
artist to achieve high results on the technical and tactical
levels of preparation, and thus, to a high level of psychological
preparedness.
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About The Author
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His colleagues call him an iconoclast,
a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The
Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches
miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled
in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’
methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious
results. His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing
demeanor have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY
Show and The CBS Early Show.
Currently, Charles competes
in Olympic-style weightlifting on the master’s circuit,
with a 3-year goal of qualifying for the 2009 Master’s
World Championships.
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