Do you ever feel burnt out? Try this new approach to training.
We are constantly told that we have to train hard. If you are lifting weights or bodybuilding then you haven’t had a good workout if you can walk to your car after or if you can pick up your protein shake without your training partners help!
When you are trying to get stronger, you train to failure, every set and that’s it!
When we train in Martial Arts, there is normally the belief that your training should be hard. You should train hard, fast and keep going until you can’t do any more.
This method is great because we not only learn the skill, but we get a conditioning workout at the same time.
Twice the benefit in the same time right!
Well…….. Maybe not.
The thing is that , while this approach is ok if you are really pushed you time, it is not the optimum way to make progress!
Humans learn best when we are fresh. When we are tired, at best, we don’t really take new input in and at worst, we can move backwards because we practice bad form!
You need to train conditioning but you should train that separately from your skill training.
So, if I can’t train repetition, then whats the answer for my skill training.
Well,
The trick is little and often!
A great description of this can be found in the ‘Naked Warrior’ over at www.dragondoor.com
The author, Pavel, writes that the best way to develop a skill is to train as much as possible whilst remaining as fresh as possible.
What this means in practice is that whenever you get a chance, you should practice your chosen technique a few times. I really do mean a few as in a small number. You should never tire yourself out when you are doing this.
The trick is that you do each technique with absolute focus, making sure that every aspect of it is perfect (or at least, the point of your practice is to make it as perfect as you can) and that you do it often. ( you could end up doing dozens or even hundreds of techniques without ever feeling tired or even breaking a sweat!)
Try it for a couple of weeks with one technique and I guarantee that you will see real noticeable improvements far above what you normally get!
Going back to my opening paragraphs about lifting weights, you may be wondering how this applies to lifting weights.
Well, it comes down to the fact that strength is in large part a skill.
Most people can dramatically increase their strength without any change in muscle size or composition, simply by learning to use their muscles and their body as a whole more efficiently.
If you focus on the bar when you lift, you are robbing yourself of pounds of weight.
Next time you lift, focus on your body. If you are bench pressing, instead of trying to push the bar up, imagine using the bar to push your body through the bench and force yourself to tense up every muscle in your body.
You will find that the bar moves up dramatically easier than before.
Once you realise that you are training a skill when you do strength training, you can become open to training in the optimum manner to improve that skill!
I you are in doubt, compare the differences between how bodybuilders and Olympic or power lifters (some of the strongest people on the planet!) train.
Or better yet, Try it yourself!
Tags: Martial arts, Power lifting, Skill Training, strength, training, Training Smart, Weight Lifting