Dear Mr. Tim Cartmell:

First of all, thanks for your site as it's very informative and specially your forum which is a high level type of forum, including the participants.

I know you do a lot of calistecnics (push-ups, hindu pushups, Handstand p.u., h/squats,etc.). The problem i see is that as with weightlifting , you can build muscular endurance (hindu squats) , max. strenght (H.S.P.U) so how can i work through this?

I am a kenpo practicioner and don't have clear if i should put emphasis on higher reps or working only for strenght or mixing higher reps. up with max, strenght training?

Hindu push ups, h/squats, build endurance as well as muscles but should them be the only way of training?

When doing max. strenght excercises like hand stand push ups when it should be done, before the other higher reps push ups or after? Or alone?

how many days per week? I don't enter any competition but usually like to stay in shape.

I have consulted royal court and Pavel tsouline's principles of training but don't have a clear idea of mixing both schools of thinking together if they are necessary for martial artists.

Your advise would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Yours sincerely,

Jagdish T.Sukhwani

P.S:Your email @verizon.net has not accepted my email.

My personal max.number in body squats are 130 reps., bridging 90 seconds,one arm push-ups 3/4 per arms, pistols 3/4 per leg.

Yours,

Jagdish

Hi Jagdish,

Yout training protocol should be determined by your specific goals. Once you have a foundation of general fitness, your workouts are designed around the particular demands of your style of fighting or the event if you are training to compete.

For example, all martial artists need to have adequate cardio, strength and flexibility, but the specific needs of a wrestler will be different than those of a kickboxer, so their training methods will also differ.

Since you said your goal is primarily to stay in good shape, I'd find a balance between cardio and strength dominate exercises. It sounds like you are already training this way.

You can save time and increase the effectiveness of your cardio training by increasing the intensity (to very intense) in short intervals. You'll get more benefit and save time (an example would be interspersing sprints during slower running, or doing sets of jumping squats at intervals during your regular Hindu Squats).

In general, strength training exercises should be done separate from cardio training (or at least before).

Dear Tim:

(May i call you Tim?).

First of all, thanks for your answer.

I practice primarily a striking art which has joint locking ,limbs & body manipulations & many throws.

My aim is to practice so in an extreme case i can survive to an assault.I think that any martial artist who trains for street should be in shape.

My confusion comes when someone suggests that i have to train for max.strenght (more time to train!) and that higher reps are useless.

Also the frecuency for strenght training per week changes from school to school: 1 time per week to 5 times per week?

What does the fighter really needs( and in my case a striker)? (Do i need to be strong? Do i need to do 500 body squats?)

I understand the balance of the triumbirate of Flexibility, Cardio & Strenght.

Hope not to be repetitive.

Thanks for your time.

Yours,

Jagdish

I hope you don't mind my input. But Tim is right about the interval training. A "streetfight", which you'll probably never get in, because I can tell you are a good guy just by your writing, last only 15-30 seconds before someone is taken out or the fight is broken up.

You need to train for that anaerobic burst.

Taku's Interval training would suite you fine: http://www.trainforstrength.com/Endurance1.shtml

Or the Tabata Protocol explained here: http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter/14.html

You can combine the different movements in one short routine, developing muscle endurance as well cardio.

I train this method for my MMA training and Judo training.

You can make your own variation.

Backarcher:

Thanks for your response. I have been following your answers in other topics & found them very interesting.

Actually, now-a-days one does not know if one will be safe or not in street encounters or better: thugs trying to assault you.

Yes, the intervals are killers but worthwhile.What drives me crazy is that i don't know if i need to combine both schools of thought (higher reps or max.strenght) or not.

Doing the royal court for recovering from a lower back injury (from 5 to 7 days per week) worked very good. I even gain some pounds of muscles but finally got burnt out.

Also i suspect that as per my body nature (i am not skinny nor heavily muscle built) i won't need more than 2 sessions per week but i need some opinions before deciding in which direction to go.

One thing that has helped me with my technique is punching with strings attached to my waist.(really cardio but also burns your shoulders)

Yours,

Jagdish

Jagdish,

One more point, since Backarcher brought up the Tabata Protocol; I use a variation of the Protocol to up my cardio before I fight. I originally did sprinting intervals until it occured to me that I never sprint during a fight, so I applied the S.A.I.D. principle to the intervals and changed the activities to those that most closely mirror the competition.

My suggestion is to make the chosen activity of the intervals as close to your event as possible. For you, something like striking a heavy bag with maximum speed/force for the duration of the intervals would be more appropriate than sprinting or using an exercise machine.

Tim is right, as always!

As a fighter, Tim is referring to the most sophistocated form of training for an athlete, SPP.

You have to begin with your chosen endeavor and study the movement patterns for the ranges of motions most often explored. They you try to expand the range of motion in motion, then you try to strengthen the range of motion and lastly you focus on the the specific type of cardio conditioning required.

As Tim stated, BJJ is not a sprint(dependent on your personal style). It's more of a battle of movement, muscle endurance and aerobic cardio.

For instance I do judo and MMA mainly. They are short anaerobic bursts with periods on "active" recovery. So that's how I train.

The heavy bag would be a great tool to use for you. A sample plan might be:

A circuit of:

-30 seconds on the heavy bag striking(kicks, knees, punching, elbows)

-10 hindu push ups

-30 seconds on the heavy bag striking

-15 Hindu squats

-30 seconds on the heavy bag striking

-5 sprawls

Rest for a minute and repeat progressively. Cycle up to about six rounds...say within a month, take a week off and begin again with an increased number of reps.

Then do some static stretching to abate the tension in your body.

Do this about every other workout and the days between you do your strength training.

Your strength training might again be "sport specific", with a focus on core strength and strength in your stablizer muscles.

Here's an example of a strength program:

http://staff.jccc.net/ijavorek/mf.htm

Dear Tim:

Thanks for both of your posts.They were clear and precise. Now i have a clearer idea.

About the Tabata Protocol: i tried something similar years back and yes it works. About your idea of replacing jogging in it, i think the same as your thinking is similar to mine.

I friend of mine is insisting me to go out and jogg but i don't have time nor the energy.He says he recovers better from all the training he does (including M.A.). I always thought there should be specific ways of training for martial arts that give you a good cardio work out focused solely on your training.

I told him that even with his breathing exrcises he should be recovering faster but he is not listening.


Backarcher:

Thanks for your posts and links. I think i can design a better programm now.

Thank both of you.

Yours,

Jagdish

Can the Tabata Protocol be performed all the year round?

Tim, in the seasons you don't compete do you follow something similar to the Tabata intervals?

For specific preparation i used to do sets of punches at full speed with elastic cords attached to my waist. What do you think?

Yours,

Jagdish

I believe your body needs rest and a break. Neurologically, your body also adapts and you need to change your workouts every now and then for real progress.

I recommend you read these article carefully about periodization:

http://www.cbass.com/PERIODIZ.HTM

http://www.sportfit.com/christopher/lasandf/periodizationA.html

I guess I should give you a definition of periodization:
Periodization is an approach to resistance training programming that includes systematic alternating cycles of weight lifted (intensity) with total repetitions or volume (repetitions x sets).The roots of this exercise program design date back to the 1950’s and early 1960’s where European coaches, trainers and sports scientists were coaching some of the greatest athletes of that period. The coaches and trainers determined that no matter how fit the athletes were, they just couldn’t continue to train harder and harder. So the trainers did something quite revolutionary with their athletes’ training schedules. They methodically had the sportspersons complete resistance training phases that included high-volume, low-intensity resistance workouts, and then alternated these cycles with low-volume, high-intensity training phases.

This theory suggests that the body adapts to training in three different phases. The first phase is characterized as the alarm stage. This is the introduction of the resistance training program where the exerciser experiences alot of soreness and stiffness due to the ‘shock’ of the exercises on the body. The second phase of the G.A.S. is the resistance phase. In this phase, the body is adapting to the demands of exercise and is becoming stronger. The third phase is referred to as “exhaustion” or fatigue, caused by training too hard or too long without sufficient recovery. Overtraining is a practical occurrence of what might be occurring in the third phase of the G.A.S. To avoid the exhaustion phase of the GAS, there must be some type of orderly change in the stimulus.

This is why you should use Periodization.

Simply put, gradually increase your training intensity, then gradually decrease it and then take a break. This goes for professional athletes or weekend warriors!

Jagdish,

No, I don't use the Tabata method all year round. I vary my training.

Backarcher's post above sums it all up.

Backarcher:

Thanks for your post. Periodization is a concept i am familiar with but honestly i think i was too overconfident that i don't need it.

You wrote:"Simply put, gradually increase your training intensity, then gradually decrease it and then take a break. This goes for professional athletes or weekend warriors!"

That is eye opening!

Yours,

Jagdish

Tim,

1.-Would you eliminate or advise to eliminate higher reps and concentrating solely on max. strenght, static strenght and explosive strenght if you get endurance from specific ways of training from your chosen field ?

2.-In the Tabata Protocol can the calistecnics be substitute for another type of specific exercises that resemble your martial arts training? if so would you suggest some?

Yours,

Jagdish

What i wanted to say was that after hitting the bag for 20 seconds, which specific exercises for martial arts would you suggest for the remaining 10 seconds?

Yours,

Jagdish

"2.-In the Tabata Protocol can the calistecnics be substitute for another type of specific exercises that resemble your martial arts training? if so would you suggest some?"

If you already have endurance training covered, I would spend more time on develping the strength/force in your strikes.

After the 20 second sprint on the bag, you can continue hitting the bag for the recovery period, just lower the intensity.

You can substitute any activity that is sufficiently difficult (raises your pulse high enough). Some of the exercises I have used are running/shuffling while bear hugging a heavy bag, sprawling then jumping (actually, any exercise that involves jumping will raise the pulse quickly).

Jagdish,

Speed reaction exercises like glove hitting with jump rope training will surely help reaction time as it is of utmost importance when responding to attack, and perhaps knowing how to avoid (avoidance of potentially dangerous areas)/interact with certain denizens of despair.

Strenght training, bag hitting, would truly fall into basics depending on your age. If younger than 30 (a guess!) yes, or older than 50, more reaction drill (less bag and strength reaining.

ole man

Tim:

Yes, more or less i think endurance training is well covered with drills, shadow boxing, self-defense tech. not talking about forms & sets and bag training ,etc.

I think my mistake was to training higher reps. calistecnics (many days:3/7 days per week)and all the martial arts training without thinking about a possible burn out.

I have noted your advise about the Tabata Protocol training.

Thanks for you time.

Yours,

Jagdish