Thread: Weight training and martial arts

First of all i would like to say that im a very skinny guy. I don't do this on purpose! it's just something that is in the family, so i was thinking to gain muscle. My 'plan' is to begin with weight training till i get to a point where im happy with it, and then just try to maintain it. I also always wanted to learn martial arts. I am not sure what one im gonna pick yet, but any advice is welcome!

I got a couple questions about this.

- Is it healthy to mix martial arts with weight training, or will i just overdo it? Remember that i wanna do this in a healthy way! I am gonna mix it with a good diet though.

- Any good advice for weight training? because i have no experience with it, and the internet says so many different things about what i should do.

Going to the gym ain't healthy. At least not mentally, probably not for the body either. Training different muscles is better, even though you might not look like the hulk. Traing martial arts will get you into a good condition.
If you're going for the muscles, eating much and hitting the gym is the way to go.

Originally Posted by Oros

Going to the gym ain't healthy. At least not mentally, probably not for the body either.

With all due respect Oros, I think that would vary greatly in terms of the individual and more importantly the particular gym.

I know there are plenty of places a newcomer might want to avoid, but "Gym cultures" have as many differences as the equipment.

I would say in today's world, you see less of the "I am IronMan - why are you here?" and more of the, "Everyone is welcome."
It's a business after all and they want customers.

Gyms these days are much more user friendly, I think.

I have a good amount of experience in some fighting styles, im only 16 but i had a strong interest it fighting since about 14. I'v done muay thai for around 2 years and still going, dabbled in boxing, jiu jitsu/mma aswell. Now these here are great practical martial arts, i had an interest in karate, kyokushin or Goju ryu but decided not to do them as in my opinion muay thai ect is more direct in learning how to fight. Muay Thai and kickboxing get you fit and agile. boxing is great for fitness too and its good if youre not interested in kicking or dont see your self using your legs. Jiu Jitsu (bjj) is great for self defence, once you have a good grasp on it youl have the upper hand in a one on one fight, assuming your opponent doesnt know what he is doing, just commence grappling and the fight will completely be in your element, all about manipulating your enemys body and dictating what he can and cant do and then choking him out or breaking one of his joints, ouch(; Put em all together and you get MMA (mixed martail arts) fastest growing sport in the world i may add haha. but not specialized in anything when learning, takes some commitment and drive to get better to really succeed at it, but hey, its different with everybody. As long as your seeking to improve and better yourself you will.
As for weight training as well as martial arts, go for it, make sure you eat right. DIET IS KEY! now i bet youl be so sore once starting training, but dont worry its just your body getting used to it. i acctualy like the feeling of being sore haha. But anyway, there you go, hope i helped(:

Kung fu is the best. It's very old, very broad and endlessly fascinating, especially internal energy work. Just my two cents.

As for what you're asking, I'm a skinny guy, too. What helped me gain some weight was, indeed, heading to the gym and working each muscle group 6-8 repetitions at a reasonable weight. However, if it is genetics and your metabolism, you aren't going to gain much weight, so don't look for a body transformation. Just try to increase your amount of usable strength, and with that bar, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the changes that will come your way.

It sounds like you want to get big and tough using hard work and hard force. If strength isn't your strength, why not focus on where your strengths do lie? Work out to a point where you are happy with your image (very difficult for skinny people, at least in my experience!), but as far as martial arts go, I would consider a soft, intelligent martial art if I were you, like aikido. Unknown to many, tai'chi is an amazingly effective martial art. Do some research, there's a wealth of material on different fighting styles. The reason I like kungfu is because many times it begins as a 'hard' martial art, focusing on external muscle power, then progresses to an internal understanding of using internal energy, or the power of the mind, in order to increase one's speed and strength. However, I only took it for a short time and most of my knowledge of martial arts is theoretical book-larnin'.

There are many avenues of self-enhancement to pick from, yoga and qigong are notable! Oros is right, the gym is a great place to gain weight, but it's not necessary. Mixing the two won't overdo it as long as you play it smart and don't strain away at heavy weights. Know thyself, if you are a skinny man you'll probably end up a slightly less skinny man. The greatest area of growth is always your greatest strength, not your weaknesses.

After living in Thailand for 8 years I can honestly say that I believe the Muay Thai fighters would win out over any other pure form.

They have strength, agility, the ability to keep a cool head AND they can withstand many hits.

The only reason I never got involved in Muay Thai is because I don't want to get hit! :p

I would recommend using a weight trainer for the beginning, so you can learn about the differences between toning up and bulking up, as well as breathing, straight back, etc. Also a properly qualified trainer will have insight into diets.

If you're looking for a very healthy diet that improves your senses (even) consider "paleo."

For martial arts, in my opinion:

Karate / Tae Kwon Do and other schools that are similar are GREAT for getting in shape and preparation for public sparring.

Hap Ki Do / Jujitsu / Aikido / Judo and similar schools approach practicality for true self-defense AND have the added bonus of sparring prep, plus fitness.

In my experience (tho the schools aren't easy to locate) Vee Arnis Jistu is as real as it gets when it comes to pure self-defense:

This is my Sensei's Master:



The main differences between the above and other branches of Jujitsu are:

In VAJ: You never grapple. On the street, engaging in grappling is a good way to get your head stomped on (from a 3rd party)

In VAJ: There are a lot more gun and knife defense techniques.

In VAJ: You take an oath to never aggress with these skills and to always look for the door before preparing to counter and attack.

My Sensei is very experienced (grew up on the mean streets of Brooklyn in the 70s) and has a 5 pt plan in regards to an attacker who won't stop coming at you....
1- Run Away
2- Hurt (hands in front of you in a non-threatening manner - with verbal announcements of your intentions to protect yourself, but otherwise having no problem with this person.)
3- Break a bone
4- Maim or cripple
5- Kill (because if he's still coming, he's clearly on PCP or something worse)