"guns" for the wife

[cmetalman]

I’ve always liked working out with weights and lately I’ve been slacking on my striking (punching) workouts. I’ve noticed that I’ve sacrificed speed for muscle. Is it possible to have both? p. s. wife loves the “guns”

[carpecanis]

Re: "guns" for the wife

There are two types of muscle fibers: Fast-twitch and Slow-twitch. Your weight workouts are building up the slow-twitch muscles but not helping out the fast-twitch ones. Just keep on with the weights, but work on the striking as well. It should all balance out in the end.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/MuscleFiberType.htm

[cmetalman]

Re: "guns" for the wife

CarpeCanis, thanks for the advice, yeah my arms feel (heavy?) day or two after lifting, makes it hard to do the Bas workouts.

[kirsten]

Re: "guns" for the wife

Maybe change up the workouts to include more endurance lifts, meaning 2-3 sets of 25 reps using a circuit. Think functional fitness and not the “bodybuilding” workout. Lots of guys are doing this to help increase both strength and muscle endurance. In Bas’ Big Books of Combat he has a circuit that he does religiously 3x’s a week in combination with his hill sprints, or he does the TRX workouts. Nobody would classify him as small… at least not stand there long after saying it. 🙂 Oneness and I have switched to crossfit bodyweight workouts, circuits like Bas’ or Randy’s and the TRX suspension trainer.

Here is a link to Randy’s Circuit. I change it to walking lunges and walking side squats…
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3224902600571518938#
(I wouldn’t recommend using his form on some of the exercises… just IMO) but its a great circuit and fun.
http://www.workingclassfitness.com/randycouturecomplexworkout.shtml

I should add that I would do striking later in the day or morning, seperate from your weight training session- or do it on your off days. If your arms feel heavy, its ok- it WILL get better… just work through it. It’s no different than having a heavy leg day and going running the next day. Your legs feel like they are in cement buckets, but after a few sessions they get stronger and stronger. Just so long as you don’t stop.

Good luck!

[cmetalman]

Re: "guns" for the wife

Kirsten, thanks for the links.

[garddawg]

Re: "guns" for the wife

Hello garddawg, it appears that you have not posted on our forums in some time, why not take a few moments to ask a question, help provide a solution or just engage in a conversation with another member in any one of our forums?

Finally a thread I know something about so I can get rid of this message!

Fast twitch fibers can be further broken down into Type IIa and IIb. Type IIb fibers are the classic anaerobic fibers while IIa presents a combination of anaerobic and aerobic characteristics.

In basic terms:
Your genetic makeup determines the quantities of each of these types of fibers in your muscle tissue. However research shows that training influences the characteristics predominantly displayed by the Type IIa fibers. So a person who trains primarily in the aerobic pathway will “train” his Type IIa fibers to work more like Type I fibers, while a person who trains anaerobically will tend to have his type IIa fibers display characteristics of the fast twitch muscles.

Significantly the research shows that predominately training in the anaerobic pathways has a positive effect on aerobic activities while aerobic training has little carryover and often deleterious effects to anaerobic activities.

Your training needs to revolve around multi joint, compound movements focusing on power output rather than sets and reps. If your training is of a typical bodybuilding type you will train yourself to slow down.

There is another point to be made regarding arms and punching. We often can get people who train with us to punch much harder when their arms are tired. The power and speed of the punch doesn’t come from the arms but from the explosive opening of the hips and driving that power through a stable and secure midsection into the shoulder girdle out into the arm.

Most folks can’t utilize their hips properly and don’t train them adequately. Cleans, Snatches and their power cousins, deadlifts, back squats, their variations and heavy high rep sets of the above, box jumps, broad jumps, etc. not only teach a person to explosively open the hip but how to keep the spine in a secure stable position to utilize the power generated.

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