“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This
area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion.”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger
Building physical strength is hard. Doing pushups and pullups and other body weight exercises are great for building strength and muscular endurance, but eventually you will reach a maximum as your muscles get used to the weight they are lifting. Once there, you can continue to work on their endurance, but in order to increase a muscle’s strength capacity, it has to grow. To do that, you will have to increase the weight you put on that muscle.
At least that’s what I’ve learned over the years of studying martial arts and fitness. In order to do that, I’ve studied the idea of practical strength. Yes, lifting weights in the gym will certainly help you gain strength, but while you’re doing that, try to add in weights on exercises you normally do without them. Imagine practicing your punches, but with a 5 or even 10 pound weight in your hands. Put on a 10 pound ankle weight while working on your kicks. Strap a weight vest to your chest as you do your pushups and pullups. All of these things and lots more can be used to add to the workout you normally do and will go a long way towards not only increasing overall strength, but also in increasing the strength of each technique that you practice. I suggest looking up further body weight and practical weight exercises to add to your specific routine. One of my favorite sites for this is www.darebee.com.
Train hard,
Head Instructor Shawn Morris