BRUCE LEE QUOTES ON STRENGTH TRAINING FOR MARTIAL ARTS

Training for strength and flexibility is a must. You must use it to support your techniques. Techniques alone are no good if you don't support them with strength and flexibility." - Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee's training regimen involved all the components of total fitness. Apart from his daily martial arts training, Lee engaged in supplemental training to improve his speed, endurance, strength, flexibility, coordination, rhythm, sensitivity, and timing.

Bruce Lee learned early on that the role strength played in the overall scheme of things was of vital importance, not only for its own sake but also because an increase in muscular strength brings with it greater mastery of striking techniques, increased speed and endurance, better-toned muscles, and improved body function. However Lee did not regard weight training as the "Holy Grail" to a athletic success. He recognized it for exactly what it was an important facet of total fitness that had to be integrated into one's training schedule along with other exercises to improve one's technique,  speed, agility, excetera.

"My strength comes from the abdomen. It's the center of gravity and the source of real power." - Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee was particularly impressed with the fact that strength training, which typically involved weight lifting,  could increase one's speed and endurance capabilities. His belief that a martial artist must engage in training methods apart from the techniques and movements of the art he or she has been trained in was based on purely scientific grounds.

"If you are talking about sport, that is one thing. But when you are talking about combat - as it is - well then, baby, you better train every part of your body" - Bruce Lee

When Bruce Lee devised muscle development programs either for himself or his students, he always stressed compound exercises - that is, exercises that required two more muscle groups to be involved in the execution. Lee's reasoning was simple: he wanted harmony among all of his muscle groups so they could generate power in concert and would combine to accomplish a single objective.

"Above all, never cheat on any exercise city; use the amount of weight that you can handle without strain." - Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee experimented with many different martial arts and supplemental training programs. For example by looking at his 1963 training records we learn that Lee was working out and what would have to be described as a traditional fashion: he was performing forms or spending hours on the wooden dummy.

By 1970 his workouts were perfect examples of efficient cross training weight training for strength, running and cycling for cardiovascular efficiency, stretching for flexibility, the heavy bag for timing and applied power, and the speed bag for developing rhythm and timing.

"Some guys made not believe it, I spent hours perfecting whatever I did." - Bruce Lee

HOW TO GET STRONGER WITHOUT WEIGHTS USING BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES

You can build strength and muscle without going to the gym, buying expensive home exercise equipment or even lifting a single weight. In fact, many world-class athletes such as Olympic gymnasts use bodyweight exercises as a primary means of building strength.

Body weight exercises either require you to support the weight of your body with one or more of your limbs, or use your core muscles to lift your limbs against gravity’s resistance. Many Pilates movements and yoga poses are body weight exercises, as are traditional calisthenics like push ups and squats. 

To build muscle and get stronger you need to place the muscles under tension by using significant resistance. So, to make bodyweight training an effective method of building muscle without weights, you have to progressively overload the muscles in the same way you would by adding weight in the gym.

Progressive overload’ refers to the concept of placing demands on the body which must be increased gradually over time to continue building muscle. Without progressive overload, your muscles have no reason to grow and adapt to handling heavier loads.

To build muscle without weights, you need to continually challenge your muscles by doing increasingly difficult bodyweight exercises – just as you would use heavier weights in the gym.

Body weight exercises generally improve muscular endurance; whether or not they can make you stronger is dependent on your current level of muscular strength.

If you’re unfit, you may only be able to perform 10 body weight squats with good form. As your muscles become stronger and your fitness increases, you can lift one foot off the floor at a time, performing single-leg squats. Once you’re able to perform a high number of single-leg squats -- with good form -- you can advance to plyometric, or jumping, squats.

Other ways to increase the load of bodyweight exercises by creating variations like stopping and holding the movement on the sticking points, doing the whole exercise slower and elevating a part of your body to increase the load (such as your feet during a one armed pushup), however you can use weights with bodyweight routines to keep yourself progressing into new territory. For example with chin ups, you can put a weight into a back pack and wear it while doing pull ups to increase the load.

THE IMPORTANCE OF STRENGTH TRAINING FOR MARTIAL ARTS

It boogles the mind, but in this day and age I am still hearing martial artists say “strength training will make you slow”, “it will make you muscle-bound”, and “all you need is technique and do a million reps with light weights."

Times have changed!

It is now accepted that high levels of strength are a prerequisite to superior speed, power, strength endurance and overall performance. Coaches and trainers now recognize that proper strength training will make their athletes stronger, faster, and more resilient to injury.

Unfortunately, when most martial artists think of strength training, they think of the massive muscles of a bodybuilder, and that scares them, because they do not want to lose their speed, power or flexibility.

Typically you will see most practitioners of the martial arts doing tons of pushups, skipping rope and maybe some “functional training” stuff like tire flipping, sledge hammer, med balls drills… all typically conditioning drills, but none of that stuff really develops their strength. But a properly done strength training program can make a martial artist faster, more powerful, more flexible, and resilient to damage.

If martial artists focus only on developing maximum strength and muscular size, the benefits of strength training become limited. Martial artists must react with power to opponent's attack and maintain that power over numerous rounds. Simply lifting weights is not the best approach.

Martial arts-specific strength training programs are fundamental to an martial artists development and success.

Unfortunately, most strength training programs fall well short of what an athlete requires...

Bodybuilding and Olympic weightlifting programs still dominate many athletes' training regimes. While these types of training have their place, strength training for martial arts consists of a more refined approach than just following your favorite fitness magazines program of the month.

Jump Training For Beginners | Low Hurdle Progressions

Jumping and landing techniques are crucial to teach to younger and lesser experienced athletes that have never done any form of plyometric or jump training. In order to be able to correctly perform plyometrics the execution of jumping and landing must be mastered first.

The primary issue with landing is the inability to stabilize the legs via the hip musculature, and the feet via the lower leg musculature. The hip weakness can have a major impact on the functioning of the feet and ankles as well. The other area of concern with landing is the strength of the musculature around the pelvis and spine. The muscles must be strong enough to dissipate forces away from the pelvis and spine.

Without going into too much detail the major concern is that the knees are able to remain in line with the feet and not cave in (valgus) during landing and jumping. The other concern is the ability of the pelvis and spine to avoid extreme flexion or extension of the spine during landing.

Many plyometric activities require the athlete to rebound off the ground quickly using little bend of the knee and primarily force production from the lower leg. Examples of this form of quick jumping would be jump rope, line drills, and hop scotch type activities. But when more advanced jumping from higher heights are being introduced the athletes must learn to push the hips back and allow the shoulder to come forward during the landing. If the hips do not go back, during a jump that will require the knees to bend quite a bit due to the height of the jump, the knees will get pushed forward as the athlete goes way up on the balls of the feet. This technique puts large amounts of stress on the knee joint and soft tissues. Another potential injury that can occur from this knee forward approach is to the lower back. When the knees push forward the hips will follow and the lower back will hyper-extended in many cases to maintain balance and an upright position. If this is done aggressively there can be damage to the structure of the low back.

This is why it is a must that all athletes learn how to jump and more importantly how to land.

Here are some basic plyometric and jumping/landing exercises and progressions

In-place jump and hold

Low hurdle jump and rebound and hold

Low hurdle continuous jumps

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Plyometrics for Beginners

First formalized in the early 1960’s as a scientific training system by Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky. The earliest published use of the term seems to be in a Soviet publication in 1966. Dr Verkhoshansky favored the term ‘shock method’ to distinguish between naturally occurring plyometric actions in sport and the training system he devised to develop speed-strength. Plyometric training has been demonstrated to improve jumping ability Such “bounce” training is widely utilized in strength programs designed to develop power or speed-strength.

Plyometrics are a form of explosive exercises that creates what called a Stretch Reflex in the muscle. The muscle goes from an eccentric action to a concentric action quickly. The nervous system is highly excitable during this action. The goal is to improve how quickly an athlete can apply force to the ground or another object and move either the body, as in sprinting or jumping, or a ball or implement, as in throwing or hitting. 

With youths and beginners, the variables of maturation and experience compound the problem of determining when and how to begin a plyometric training program. Even thought the actual purpose of plyometric training or shock training, as it is originally referred to, was initially intended to be done at higher intensities, it can and should be modified so that even the pre-adolescent athlete can participate in activities that require quick jumping. Examples of these would be jump rope, hop scotch, and Ladder drills. It is important to understand that the athlete must have a solid strength foundation in order to advance into more intense plyometrics. But even youngsters can participate in lower level plyometrics A maximum squat of 11⁄2-2 times body weight has been recommended by some Eastern Bloc authorities as a prerequisite for plyometric training. This goes along with traditional training patterns which normally follow the sequence of maximal force development preceding speed or plyometric training in the yearly cycle.

However, Eastern Bloc literature concerning youth strength training utilizes various forms of “bouncing” activities starting as young as 7-8 years. A squat of 11/2- 2 times a child’s body weight as a prerequisite for such training is highly questionable and was probably never intended for such a population. Maximum strength activities are not recommended for pre-pubescent or pubescent athletes, yet plyometric activities can be utilized throughout childhood. The key to all of this is proper training loads, dependent upon age and stage of biological development Even among mature athletes, a minimum strength level necessary to begin a plyometric program has been questioned. This is not to say that maximum strength training is not necessary, for it occupies a very important part of power development. Plyometric training should be taught using very basic drills and gradually progress to a more advanced level that is suited and needed for the particular athlete or group of athletes.

Prior to beginning any plyometric program the coach should instruct all athletes on the proper techniques of landing and jumping. Even though, during plyometric exercises there isn’t much time spent on the ground, Landing is the most important aspect of keeping the athletes safe. The following drills are all simple to learn and teach and allow athletes of any age athlete to learn coordination while improving upon the foundation of plyometric training.

Line Drills

Ladder Drills   

Low Box Drills 

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Complex Training For Speed, Power, And Explosiveness

Many athletes include plyometric exercises in their training programs and are well aware of the benefits. However, it is slightly less well known that the combination of traditional strength and plyometric exercises together (complex training) results in greater improvements in power and rate of force development.

Complex training, one of the most advanced forms of sports training, integrates strength training, plyometrics, and sport-specific movement. It consists of an intense strength exercise followed by a plyometric exercise.

Complex training activates and works the nervous system and fast twitch muscle fibers simultaneously. The strength exercise activates the fast twitch muscle fibers (responsible for explosive power). The plyometric movement stresses those muscle fibers that have been activated by the strength training movement. During this activated state, the muscles have a tremendous ability to adapt. This form of intense training can teach slow twitch muscle fibers to perform like fast twitch fibers.

To maintain a high level of intensity throughout the workout, use low repetitions (two to five), high recovery intervals between sets (three to five minutes) and at least 48 hours of rest between complex workouts.

Lower Body Complex

Upper Body Complex

Double Kettlebell Exercises For Strength And Endurance

Kettlebell training is fantastic for losing fat, building lean muscle, and helping you get into great physical condition. For some kettlebell athletes, double kettlebell exercises may not be an option, but if you do have two kettlebells of the same weight then double kettlebell training will fit nicely into your training program and really improve you strength and endurance.

The versatility of kettlebells is part of their appeal; all you need is a couple of kettlebells and an open space to train. Focus on exercises that provide the most bang for you buck. Pick one pressing exercise, one pulling exercise, one exercise for the quads, one for the hamstrings, and one core exercise.

Questions From Parents of Skinny Kids

If you are the parent of a skinny kid, you undoubtedly want to help your child add weight healthfully—without eating tons of ice cream, supersized fast-food meals, and expensive (as well as questionable) nutrition supplements. The following are some answers to the questions parents commonly ask about how to support appropriate weight gain in growing children.

Q: My 16-year-old son insists that I buy him protein powders and weight-gain drinks so he can bulk up. Are these necessary?

A: No. The single most important thing your son needs is extra calories to perform resistance exercise, which builds muscle. Most of these extra calories should come from carbohydrate (not protein supplements) because carbohydrate will fuel his muscles and give him the energy he needs for exercise. I recommend replacing water (apart from during exercise) with extra juice and low-fat milk as a simple way to boost calories. Note that even with no exercise, just eating extra calories stimulates a little muscle growth. Sedentary people gain about 1 pound of muscle with every 3 pounds of total weight that creeps on.

Q: My 12-year-old son is shorter than many of the girls his age. He feels embarrassed and asked me about protein supplements. Would they help him grow faster?

A: No amount of extra protein will speed the growth process. Boys generally grow fastest between the ages of 13 and 14. After this growth spurt, he will have enough male hormones to add muscle mass and start to grow a beard (“peach fuzz”). This growth spurt lasts longer in boys than in girls. After the growth spurt, boys continue to grow slowly until about age 20.

Q: My 13-year-old son wants to start lifting weights to bulk up for football. Should he?

A: A well-supervised weightlifting program (to prevent stress on immature bones and ligaments) with light weights can help your son grow stronger and help prevent injuries. But it will not contribute to bulkier muscles until he has enough male hormones to support muscular development. (This corresponds with the growth of adult-like pubic hair.) Boys generally bulk up after they have finished their growth spurts. Remind him that patience is a virtue!

Nutrition Questions and Answers

Q: What should I eat before I lift workout?
A: By eating carbohydrate before exercise, you’ll provide fuel for a stronger workout (even just 5 to 10 minutes beforehand offers benefits). By eating a little protein along with the carbohydrate, you’ll start to digest the protein into amino acids, which get used by the muscles during and after exercise. Good choices for a preexercise snack include fruit yogurt, low-fat chocolate milk, cereal with milk, a poached egg with toast, and almond milk and an granola bar.

Q: I’ve heard I should eat as soon as I finish lifting weights, but I’m not feeling hungry then. Why is immediate refueling so important?

A: After a hard gym workout, your muscles are primed for getting broken down: Their glycogen (carbohydrate) stores are reduced, cortisol and other hormones that break down muscle are high, the muscle damage that occurred during exercise causes inflammation, and the amino acid glutamine that provides fuel for the immune system is diminished. If you just guzzle some water
after your workout and dash to work, you’ll miss the 45-minute postexercise window of opportunity to optimally nourish, repair, and build muscles. You can switch out of the muscle breakdown mode by eating a carbohydrate–protein combination as soon as tolerable after you exercise.

Q: Why are protein supplements so popular? Are they better than real foods?

A: In today’s fast-food society, a mindless way to get healthful (no cholesterol, low fat) protein is through supplements. Plus, the label tells you exactly how much protein you are eating and takes away the guesswork. But protein supplements are not a whole food and fail to offer the complete package of health-protective nutrients found in natural foods. Use them to supplement wise eating, if desired, but not to replace it.

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6 Things You Must Have For A Successful Spring Training

As a strength coach, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my clients athletic ability or—more importantly— strength, speed, and mental. I want them to have a program that would make a difference. I want them to have both the mental AND the physical advantage going into a game.

Throughout my quest to achieve this goal, I have always been looking for programs that work. I’ve tried EVERYTHING. I bought about every book, dvd, attended every seminar I could find and talked to as many people as possible for ideas. Some of the programs allowed for some success while others have been an epic fail.


So, my quest continued as I patched together programs and had moderate success, but not the success that I knew that I could achieve.



Finally, though years of trial and error, I have come to the conclusion that success is the result of hard work—brutally hard work—that follows a well-developed plan of attack. The reason that most people are not successful is that they are victims of poor planning or not planning at all.. I get the most out of my clients because in addition to making them work hard and want to win, my training involves careful planning. Success depends on identifying needs along with your weaknesses and then formulating an appropriate plan of attack.




The Next Level plan of attack includes the following:

Strength training – the foundation on which the plan of attack rests. We use barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sleds and more with the idea to develop the greatest levels of strength possible.

Speed training - my thoughts on the significance of speed can be summed up in this quote from The Art of War, by Sun Tzu: “Speed is the essence of war.” Special sprint training will employ a variety of drills to maximize absolute speed.

Agility training – start, slow down, change directions, and accelerate with a minimum loss of speed. Agility drills require rapid changes of forward, backward, vertical, and side-to-side movement.

Flexibility training - one of the most important, yet misunderstood, areas of athletic development is range of motion, or flexibility... often mistaken as simply stretching.

Mental Toughness training – toughness is flexibility, responsiveness, strength, and resiliency under stress. Toughness training puts you in control of your performance level on and off the field.

Recovery Training – recovery must be planned, scheduled and “trained” just like any other element of your complete training plan of attack. Knowing how and when to recover may prove to be the most important skill in your life.

One thing is for sure the possibilities are endless and there’s no way you’ll get bored with your training using this plan of action..

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