Over the years I’ve had formal training in a variety of eastern martial arts and enjoy reading about and comparing the principles and applications of different styles. I recently purchased The Complete Guide to Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu by Stuart Alve Olson, since my son studies Wah Lum Tam Tui Northern Praying Mantis and I wanted to learn more about it’s history and philosophy. Considering the book was only published a few years ago, I was very disappointed to find some of the worst misinformation on strength training for martial artists I’ve ever read.
Starting on page 60 Olson makes several erroneous statements about strength training and muscle size. I’ll address them one at a time.
“Big muscles do not equate or imply strength. They just have the appearance of strength.”
While the ratio of strength to size can vary between individuals due to a variety factors, all else being equal a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. A stronger muscle is capable of generating more force, and although the delivery of force has a lot to do with proper body structure, coordinated movement, and range, between equally skilled people the stronger one has a definite advantage.
In addition to bigger, stronger muscles, strength training also increases bone density and connective tissue strength and improve joint stability, all of which add up to an increased resistance to injury.
He then states,
“Actually, big muscles slow down a person’s reaction time.”
and in another paragraph,
“Lifting weights and working out to produce large muscles and a chiseled body may get you noticed, but it doesn’t mean you will have any internal or external strength, speed, or lasting endurance.”
There is no reason why an increase in muscle size would cause a reduction in reaction time or speed. After reading this I searched for research on resistance training and reaction time and was unable to find a single study that would support Olson’s claim.
Similarly, on page 95 of The Wing Chun Compendium, Volume One, Wayne Belonoha states,
“There are two types of weight training. Training for size/strength and training for flexibility/muscle endurance. To excel in ving tsun, train for the latter. The more muscle mass you have the longer it will take to move or react. In a fight situation there are times when speed is necessary. Also, larger arms present more of a target and are easier to block.”
Although the relative improvements in muscular strength and endurance depend on the training, they are not mutually exclusive, nor are training for strength and flexibility mutually exclusive. If an appropriate range of motion is used strength training can improve or maintain a good degree of flexibility.
A stronger muscle is faster, not slower, because the more force the muscle is capable of producing the greater the rate of acceleration it is capable of.
Big muscles didn’t slow down Bolo Yeung
The idea that having larger muscles would slow someone down seems to be at least partially based on the idea the increased weight of the muscles would make them more difficult to move quickly. However, an increase in the force your muscles can produce will always greatly exceed any increased resistance to movement resulting from the mass gained. For example, a 50 pound increase in the weight you can perform chin ups or parallel bar dips with will not result in a 50 pound increase in upper body mass, and a 100 pound increase in the the squat will not result in a 100 pound increase in overall muscular weight. From an evolutionary standpoint this would be ridiculously inefficient.
Getting back to Olson’s comments in his book on Northern Praying Mantis kung fu, he continues,
“They (big muscles) lessen one’s endurance in a fight because the breath is intrinsically tied to the blood flow. Since big muscles require more blood flow, too much strain is put on the heart and breathing. Big muscles are unhealthy because the heart has to work harder to provide the necessary blood they need. It is common for weight lifters to suffer heart problems and musculature problems later in life. This is primarily because they spend so much time in their early years exercising to enlarge their muscles, but then as they slow down later in life the heart is weakened from having been overworked so many years.”
As the strength and size of your muscles increases your cardiovascular system adapts as well. Research has shown high intensity strength training produces equal or greater improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic conditioning to traditional endurance training. Increasing the size of your muscles is not going to cause you to lose endurance.
Not only does strength training not cause heart problems, when properly performed it is safer for the heart than traditional endurance activities, even for cardiac rehab. Any musculature problems later in life would be due to poor form, and not just having lifted weights.
Olson then claims standing is the best exercise for the heart and muscles and that certain animals are strong because of their “strong spirit” rather than their muscles. This is too ridiculous to even respond to. Finally, Olson states,
“Real strength starts with breath control, not big muscles.”
Yeah, that’s why Lamaze classes are so popular with power lifters. They’re not? Oh, that’s right, because that’s bullshit. If you want to develop “real strength” you have to strength train.
While skill and knowledge are far more important, martial artists of any style will benefit from and should include strength training in their routine, regardless of their focus (self-defense, professional use of force, art, sport, etc.).
References:
Maisch B, Baum E, Grimm W. Die Auswirkungen dynamischen Krafttrainings nach dem Nautilus-Prinzip auf kardiozirkulatorische Parameter und Ausdauerleistungsfähigkeit (The effects of resistance training according to the Nautilus principles on cardiocirculatory parameters and endurance). Angenommen vom Fachbereich Humanmedizin der Philipps-Universität Marburg am 11. Dezember 2003
Peterson, J. Total Conditioning: A Case Study. Athletic Journal, Vol. 56, Sept. 1975
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Great Post!
It amazes me, with all the research and knowledge we have at our finger tips, that myths and misconceptions about health and fitness, like folklore, continue to be passed down and and sold by snake oil salesman like the author of this book. I meet people like this every day and it is still hard for me to believe how many people believe this stuff.
Thanks for posting,
Dwayne Wimmer
Owner
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I read an article in the latest issue of Black Belt by mma fighter Nate Marquardt and he seems to have the right idea when it comes to conditioning. He downplayed the significance of running or traditional cardio and said he often just does sprints, spars, and lifts weights a couple times a week (he doesnt do high intensity training but its a step in the right direction I think).
A lot of mma fighters, while I think they are well conditioned focus on all these crazy exercises, that I used to think were good but now I dont know if they really are.
Even at the gym I used to train to, they did some of that stuff and I wish more people in the mma world, pros or amateurs would adopt HIT and sprints in lieu of other conditioning exercises.
Bruce Lee was a prominent supporter of strength training, and had an incredible muscular build, he also did lots of cardio, like overkill I think.
Heh, the muscular build of a jaguar enables it to drag a heifer up a tree for secluded consumption; then again maybe if it stood a lot, worked on its breathing and lost some muscle-mass it would be able to take on elephants, eh? Hmm… Could a marmoset with an especially strong spirit beat me at arm-wrestling..? The mind boggles.
Hi Drew,
Thanks for taking those on. I often read similar statements in various martial arts texts. I often wonder if the authors ever consider whether speed is all that important. Which will knock you out, a fast, low force punch, or a slower, high force punch?
Don,
I believe speed is important, but it’s only one of numerous factors that must be in place for any kind of technique to be effective. Speed won’t make up for poor structure, improper range, lack of coordinated body movement, poor targeting, etc. I’m no expert, but in my opinion although speed helps it is far more important to move correctly than quickly.
Proper body mechanics (skill of movement) is the most important part of ANY activity. I believe the rest enhances the skill. You could be strong, flexible, durable, but if the mechanics are off, there is waisted movement (energy) and the effectiveness of the skill is compromised.
There are VERY notable exceptions in the martial arts, but many martial artists are unfortunately notoriously against weight training, mostly for romantic and outdated reasons like ‘muscles slow you down’ and ‘strength training is li not jin’, ‘you can’t be relaxed’, etc. I personally don’t see how strength training or large muscles contradict anything from the martial arts.
I believe deep down that it has to be that such people think that if one has big muscles and are successful at a martial art, that the muscles are the cause any not the relaxation or qi that your martial art is teaching you, and that it cheapens the martial art and teaching handed down.
Justin
Hey Drew,I agree with you on those points. I remember that about 17-18 years ago, I was studying Tai Chi Chuan and one of the Tai Chi journals had a report of an experiment one of the top Tai Chi coaches did. Supposedly physical strength isn’t important in Tai Chi, its all “internal energy” and yada yada. So this coach took some of his charges and put them on a strength training program (barbells) and after some time pitted them against some who had not had the strength training, only practiced push hands and form. Surprise (not), the guys who got the strength training performed best at push hands, more capable of uprooting their opponents. Technique can help a skilled practitioner sometimes overcome a stronger, but less skilled opponent, but when skills are matched, the stronger will win, and often, a somewhat less skilled but physically stronger man can defeat a skillful but weaker opponent. Why MA teachers diss strength I will never understand. In a fight, or emergency, strong is bad? come again?
I think Justin has it about right – I briefly practiced Tai Chi with a guy who said these kinds of things about muscularity inhibiting the flow of chi, etc.
I think there is a kind of half-sense about their warnings though. Don Matesz talks about people winning push hands with superior strength: that is exactly the kind of thing the teachers want to discourage. Obviously, strength should be used in actual fighting, but push hands is skill/sensitivity training. And if you believe in chi, it’s supposed to teach one how to apply chi as well. If you turn it into a shoving-match there’s not much point – the larger person will usually win unless the smaller one has some really amazing skills.
I also trained under a muay thai teacher who told me flatly that weight-training was no use for increasing striking-strength. This struck me as self-contradictory seeing as a) he would drill his students in calisthenics, which amounts to the same except less personalised and efficient, and b) the guy himself had the most massively developed legs I’d ever seen; possibly gained through traditional Thai exercises (i.e. resistance-training).
I know a guy who knows Teddy Atlas and apparently he always says you can train strength, but you can’t train power – seems some people are natural hard hitters and other people never pick it up. Don’t know whether it’s a skill that is difficult to acquire or impossible. Obviously, anyone can increase it, but I gather that it’s rare for a boxer who is a weak hitter for years to stumble on whatever it takes to start hitting hard, regardless of weight-training.
The problem is not being strong, but relying on strength to make a technique work instead of correct structure, movement, range, etc. If someone does this they might be able to get away with it against someone with less skill, but not against someone with more skill or who is equally skilled but stronger.
This will become even more of a problem as a person gets older and loses strength, and can be a huge problem if they never learn to perform their art correctly and eventually teach others who might not be able to compensate for incorrect technique with strength.
Martial artists should strength train, but they should learn to perform techniques correctly so they can make them work against someone who is stronger than them, as well as be able to use them effectively even in old age and be able to teach others to do them correctly.
If someone is relying on strength during a sensitivity exercise like Tai Chi’s push hands or Wing Chun’s chi sao, they’re missing the point and are not going to
Always good to be as strong as you can. But in combat u cannot rely on it being there. All you know you will have is your mass. Gravity is always working on you. True striking is about dumping your whole mass at a body target and having that mass come out the end of a “body weapon”, i.e., fist, shin, foot etc. That is the only way a system can claim speed, size, conditioning doesn’t matter.
@ Chris: Unless you’re confined, e.g. pinned? Then you may have to bash with your arm or elbow without being able to sink or twist or step into it. Also, jabbing and other fast strikes that don’t telegraph and aren’t intended to be finishers but should still at least sting.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Mark MacYoung in your references. I first heard about him in the recent episode of Penn and Teller: Bullshit! (season 8, episode 3). I highly recommend that episode and the series as a whole. I don’t always agree with their positions, but they are entertaining and thought-provoking.
Although Bruce Lee did not fight to compete, he did incorperate weight training after a real fight to increase his strength and endurance. He did maintain his leaness feeling it helped his speed.
When training for my black belt in Isshin Ryu karate, the weights played a key role in my own conditioning. That was 1994.
After I discovered Fred Hahn’s Slow Burn a few years back, my hand speed actually increased after a couple of months on the program. Yes a totally unscientific experiment of one, however I think a good HIT program could benefit a martial artist.
Audley, self-experimentation is not necessarily unscientific:
http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/
You might like this.
G, there are three body targets that do not require bodyweight tranfer to cause injury, i.e., something that a doctor could see in an X-ray and say, “yes, your buggered” , those being eyes, throat and groin. Also known as the anti-grappling tri-fex. Any other target hit without bodyweight tranfer and the result will be you just pissed off a killer. Not want you want to do. Bottom line, don’t irritate, cause injury.
I can’t think of a regimen that would help a fighter reach his potential faster than:
1) strength training approximately 1x per week
2) sparring at a greater intensity than the actual fight (and for the same duration) as often as the body will allow, minimally 1x per week.
3) slow motion skill practice with proper instruction to correct errors in form
High speed skill practice likely would only slow down the above combination.
The fact that you are expected to do a lot of explosive calisthenics and stretching is largely why I haven’t taken some type of martial arts. Like many others probably feel on here, I don’t consider these thing to be beneficial. Drew, John Little and others have talked about the importance of skill training which in this case would be fighting. I always thought it was strange back in high school how they had us sprinters do distance running at practice. Or had us throwers weave in and out of a line of orange cones. ???
A lot of drills and conditioning activities practiced in athletics make no sense. Unfortunately, I don’t see that changing any time soon. The number of people trying to promote a sensible approach based on the science of motor learning are greatly outnumbered by the number of people who have no idea what they’re talking about and seem to enjoy inventing silly drills.
I guess I should add this. I understand that there is of course the possibility of injury when doing martial arts fighting/sparring. I just don’t see the point in doing other activities that don’t add to the effectiveness of the skill you’re trying to obtain and may even cause injury.
Injuries can occur during martial arts training or practice but it is possible to minimize them by using common sense, following appropriate safety guidelines and using protective gear. The same can be said of most sports or physically demanding recreational activities. If done properly, strength training is one of the safest things a person can do and will improve the performance of all other activities. If done improperly it can either cause injury directly or predispose one to a greater risk of injury during other activities.
One of my martial arts instructors did not do any of the conditioning drills associated with martial arts in his classes, such as push-ups or excessive stretching. He felt the class was to learn the art, your conditioning was done on your own time. I like that approach and do it myself when I teach.
Over 15 years ago. a fellow black belt and I trained with specific drills and practice related to the arts. We both weight trained, however, we did not spend hours doing the tradional running, pushups, etc, instead we did time on the heavy bag, kicking and punching drills or sparring. After reading Body by Science, we were on the right track.
Drew,
I train with Jay Vincent at BioFitNY in Clifton Park, NY. I brought up the topic of people saying that more muscles would slow down your reaction time during Chi Sao (a drill that forms the backbone of Wing Chun Kung Fu). I also read WING CHUN COMPENDIUM VOLUME ONE and made a rebuttal video on my YouTube channel, although honestly it was in response to a different issue.
At any rate, I made a video with my son and I doing a sensitivity drill, which should have shown me performing poorly since I have been training with Jay all year. I was wondering if I could share that video here. (It has not been posted live yet, but I would like to post it for all to see, if that is cool with you.)
Steve
Hey Steve, yes, you’re welcome to link it here in the comments.