You may find yourself having a regular training routine: you go to the dojang two or three times a week, you get a good sweat in, and you feel like you’re in shape. Not that one can’t get in shape just by doing classes, especially for those who are brand new to martial arts. However, you will eventually reach a plateau physically, and the older you get you may find yourself regressing in some ways. Body weight training can only take you so far, and unless you either have a good personal trainer or have a regimented diet/workout schedule, you will have difficulty maintaining your physical fitness over the long term.
For a long time, I avoided the weight section of the gym as I was incredibly intimidated. There are usually other people standing around lifting weights and looking at themselves in the mirror, and I often felt ( and still feel) that I’m not welcome to pick out my own weights or that whatever weight I do choose wasn’t the right one for my size. Beyond the social pressure, however, there was just a general unfamiliarity that came with lifting weights and my inexperience compounded the fear I had of even trying to utilize strength training. It wasn’t until I started working with a personal trainer that I began to feel comfortable around weights and viewed them in a different light.
When I first connected with my personal trainer, I told him, “I wanted to lose weight” and that “I wanted to get in shape”, as I had a quickly approaching test I wanted to get ready for. He then corrected me, however, and said “you don’t want to focus on losing weight, but you want to focus on gaining muscle instead”. At first I was skeptical; up to this point I didn’t have much experience with weight lifting, and I didn’t need it to be in fairly good shape. But having worked with my trainer for over 2 years, there have been several benefits with strength training that I hadn’t considered in the past.
First, increased muscle mass means more calories burned, even when you aren’t actively working out. This isn’t immediately apparent, however since muscles are more dense than fat, for the same volume, muscle will weigh more than the fat it replaces. Initially your body weight will increase temporarily when you start out, but the more muscle you gain the more fat you will burn. This will mean your workouts will become more effective in burning those calories the more muscle mass you gain.
Secondly, you will become more familiar with your own body and how the individual muscles contribute to specific motions. When lifting heavier weights, there comes an increased emphasis in tightening your core and keeping your back straight, which also happen to be important body mechanics in martial arts. There are important steps to warming up for lifting that translate well to warming up for class.
Thirdly, you will widen your perspective on what you are physically capable of. When I first started to lift I could barely bench press a naked barbell, partly because of my measly upper body strength but also because I was intimidated by the exercise. There’s a certain terror in knowing a 45 pound metal bar could crush my sternum if my grip or my arms failed me! However, now I can bench press 100+ pounds through continued training and persistently pushing my limits. The progress will boost your self-confidence and your self-image will definitely improve.
Lastly, strength training gives you a routine that you can follow that will lead to more consistent results. Everyone has heard the phrase, “Never skip leg day!”, and having a routine will ensure you will not miss vital aspects to your training. Even when I travel I try to find time to do some kind of weight training if there is a facility available, and there are ways you can adjust your routine to make up for any missed days. I would highly recommend getting a personal trainer that will keep you accountable and provide guidance in your strength training, and especially one that understands your specific needs.
