Notes: Weight Training for Strength and Power in Sport

This page summarizes weight training tips for power sports such as martial arts.
(Power = generating large force in a short time tick from rest.)
Use at own risk. Last updated 2006.

(Note: The review-points (/10) indicate the extent to which I think the book meets the claims on its back cover and in some cases whether the book is objective and trustworthy.)

Bibliography

  1. Hatfied, Frederick, Ph.D.
    Power: A Scientific Approach
    7/10 (Don't believe everything.)
  2. Aaberg, Everett
    Resistance Training Instruction
    7/10
  3. Stone, Michael, Ph.D.; O'Bryant Harold, Ph.D.
    Weight Training: A Scientific Approach
    8/10
  4. Reilly, Robin
    Secrets of Shotokan Karate
    3/10
  5. Funakoshi, Gichin (trans. Ohshima, Tsutomu)
    Karate-Do Kyohan
    (definitive)
  6. Ohshima, Tsutomu
    Notes On Training (for Shotokan Karate)
    8/10
  7. Saotome, Mitsugi
    Principles of Aikido (Akikai)
    6/10
  8. Westbrook A., Ratti, O.
    Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere
    7/10
  9. Chu, Donald, Ph.D.
    Explosive Power and Strength
    5/10
  1. Acceleration of weight during weight training is a MUST for power (speed). Targets type II fibres and builds moto-neural activity as well. PREVENT INJURY, USE PROPER FORM [1].
  2. Carb an hour before training. BCAA enriched protein supplement too. Carb == microwave corn, honey (both low glycemic index ensure steady supply of carbs over workout to prevent early exhaustion) [1].
  3. Caffeine helps as well. However, more than 12 micrograms in a urine test is banned. A cup-o-joe is OK, 5-6 cups is not [1].
  4. Plyometrics a MUST for power [5, 1, 2, 3].
  5. Don't run or bicycle. Jump rope instead. Endurance training will hurt your power goals. Jumping rope is plyometric and is definitely a power exercise. Go as fast as you can, spending as short a time on the ground as possible. Great warm up and cool down.
  6. Pyramid and reverse pyramid for sets & reps. Use 60% of 1RM, high intensity, acceleration, and a modest rep count. Endurance (high rep count) will hurt your POWER goals. Lower weight will hurt strength goals [3].
  7. Work antagonistic muscles. Large groups before individual muscles. Train to fail but WITH FORM. Bad form hurts, will cause injury.
  8. Negatives take a long long time to recover. Not recommended for power anyway. You MUST train type IIa and IIb fibres, anything slow is type I [1, 3].
  9. Protein supplement within 90 minutes after training [1].
  10. Deep, cross fibre massage after training. Heat stimulation (hot shower beating down) speeds and aids recovery [1].
  11. Vertical jump test for tracking power progress (lower body). Other tests for tracking progress on other groups [3].
  12. Just getting BIG (hypertrophy) is useless except for body building and looking good. Training MUST be goal oriented. For sport, POWER is the goal. Compensatory Acceleration Training or something similar can bring you POWER. Everything else (isometrics, isokinetics, superslow etc.) won't. Plyometrics is highly recommended [1 ,3].
  13. Train sport _movements_ in the final phase (i.e., as you move closer to competition. Become very plyometric in your training program [1, 3, 5].