Heavy or Light Weight Training

One question that has always sprung up in conversations that involve martial arts and weight training is what should be lifted, heavy or light. Does a martial artist benefit from lifting the heaviest of weights for 6-8 reps or taking it slightly lighter with reps from 12-20. This is one of those questions that have been given a variety of different answers. Some people say heavy, some say light and others say both. Some say that if you lift heavy weights you shall build muscles which are to big, which are not practical for martial arts. The reality is that in order to get big, you must train regularly with heavy weights, eat lots and lots and do this often, limiting cardio training, which is very hard to do. If it was easy to build muscle, everyone would be as big as houses and entering bodybuilding competitions. Although good technique is a must with martial arts, being strong will not make you any worse of a fighter, but shall make you better, allowing for stronger punches, kicks and more explosive throws, takedowns and grappling so training with heavy weights is not as bad as some people say. But training with light weights with higher reps, although shall not give you much strength, shall certainly do wonders for your muscular endurance. In the course of a competition or fight, a fighter needs the cardiovascular stamina to not get tired, and to be able to move around swiftly and effectively, but also his/her muscular stamina must remain high so as his/her muscles don’t cramp or seize up, and training with light weights is the way to achieve this. Bear in mind that although the weights are light, you must still struggle with them after 15 reps or so. There’s no point lifting weights that allow for 20 reps or more, as that is to light.

It’s obvious that both types of training are needed. A martial artist needs strength and stamina. A good blend of light and heavy training shall help a martial artists muscles, tendons and ligaments become conditioned enough to withstand and excel with the training and competition that comes with martial arts.

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