kcb
06-09-2005, 01:24 AM
My wife and a girlfriend of hers decided to drag me to St. Louis, leaving me in a lurch while they went shopping to spend all of my hard-earned money. To pass the time I decided to stop in Borders to pick up some good reads. I had a couple titles in mind, but The Naked Warrior jumped right out at me, literally. Someone on the other side of the book case knocked it over on my side.
I picked up the fallen book and noticed that the title sounded familiar. I walked over to a chair and flipped through a few pages and decided to pay the 40 bucks for it. What sold me was the focus on max strength and not strength endurance (a billion push-ups a day). Could it be that bodyweight exercises could make their way back into my workouts, thus saving me time each and every day? Once I read the book I decided that no, in fact, they would not. Doing one-arm push-ups and one-legged squats are impressive, but what is best for a martial artist?
This book spoke adamantly against workout routines which intrigued me a bit. Pavel said that strength is actually a skill that should be practiced daily. I do not agree and actually believe that way of thinking would lead to CNS burn-out, the same way doing 1000 push-ups a day would. Pushing your CNS to the max on a daily basis with no recovery isn't good for anyone, let alone an aspiring fighter. As you, the reader knows, fighters don't just lift weights. We have to endure a variety of physical activities to get us in peak shape for a fight.
Secondly, Pavel said becoming great in 2 exercises (in this case, the one-armed push-up and one-legged squat) was an optimal way of training. Again, I don't really agree. I do believe complex body building type routines aren't the way to go for a martial artist, but a routine that efficiently developes the posterior chain is the way to go. Doing one-legged squats, in my mind, isn't superior to heavy deads, barbell squats, or SLDLs. A one-legged squat would tax the quads and hamstrings, but what about the lower back? What if you can't do a one-legged squat right away? Then what?
Here is where we find my main gripe about Pavel's theory on strength training. He suggest doing half squats until one's quads allow them to complete the full motion. Wrong. I don't believe it's a very bright idea for a fighter's glutes and hamstrings to go neglected while the quads recieve all the attention. This could also possibly lead to muscle imbalances, which could lead to injuries in the future. I don't think an athlete wants to compromise his knees by training this way.
In my humble opinion, a person who can do a one-armed push-up or one-legged squat is strong, but training to do such exercises for martial arts preparation isn't efficient and in my mind a waste of time. A person who can do back flips is a very flexible, strong, and powerful person, but not necessarily a gymnast. Just because someone can complete a full range one-armed push-up or one-legged squat doesn't make them a mixed martial artist. Practicing MMA and doing a routine that fully developes the posterior chain is the way to go. Train the chain, motherfucker!
Rating: 4/10
Note: The Naked Warrior does provide some neat information about breathing to develop more force when lifting. Due to time constaints, I cannot go over them right now. Don't go pay 40 bucks for it, though. If you are really curious send me a PM and I'll fill you in.
I picked up the fallen book and noticed that the title sounded familiar. I walked over to a chair and flipped through a few pages and decided to pay the 40 bucks for it. What sold me was the focus on max strength and not strength endurance (a billion push-ups a day). Could it be that bodyweight exercises could make their way back into my workouts, thus saving me time each and every day? Once I read the book I decided that no, in fact, they would not. Doing one-arm push-ups and one-legged squats are impressive, but what is best for a martial artist?
This book spoke adamantly against workout routines which intrigued me a bit. Pavel said that strength is actually a skill that should be practiced daily. I do not agree and actually believe that way of thinking would lead to CNS burn-out, the same way doing 1000 push-ups a day would. Pushing your CNS to the max on a daily basis with no recovery isn't good for anyone, let alone an aspiring fighter. As you, the reader knows, fighters don't just lift weights. We have to endure a variety of physical activities to get us in peak shape for a fight.
Secondly, Pavel said becoming great in 2 exercises (in this case, the one-armed push-up and one-legged squat) was an optimal way of training. Again, I don't really agree. I do believe complex body building type routines aren't the way to go for a martial artist, but a routine that efficiently developes the posterior chain is the way to go. Doing one-legged squats, in my mind, isn't superior to heavy deads, barbell squats, or SLDLs. A one-legged squat would tax the quads and hamstrings, but what about the lower back? What if you can't do a one-legged squat right away? Then what?
Here is where we find my main gripe about Pavel's theory on strength training. He suggest doing half squats until one's quads allow them to complete the full motion. Wrong. I don't believe it's a very bright idea for a fighter's glutes and hamstrings to go neglected while the quads recieve all the attention. This could also possibly lead to muscle imbalances, which could lead to injuries in the future. I don't think an athlete wants to compromise his knees by training this way.
In my humble opinion, a person who can do a one-armed push-up or one-legged squat is strong, but training to do such exercises for martial arts preparation isn't efficient and in my mind a waste of time. A person who can do back flips is a very flexible, strong, and powerful person, but not necessarily a gymnast. Just because someone can complete a full range one-armed push-up or one-legged squat doesn't make them a mixed martial artist. Practicing MMA and doing a routine that fully developes the posterior chain is the way to go. Train the chain, motherfucker!
Rating: 4/10
Note: The Naked Warrior does provide some neat information about breathing to develop more force when lifting. Due to time constaints, I cannot go over them right now. Don't go pay 40 bucks for it, though. If you are really curious send me a PM and I'll fill you in.