🧵 Strength Training vs. Combat Sports??
CaptchaForever at Wed, 19 Mar 2025 01:38:45 UTC No. 226096
Crossposting from /fit/...
I've trained (alternating) combat sports and weightlifting for years now and find myself at an impasse of what to focus on right now.
When I left lifting my PR's (at 5'11", 180lbs) were:
- Squat: 365
- Bench: 195
- OHP: 135
- Deadlift: 415
Been doing combat sports for the last ~3 years and have competed in and placed (bronze lol) in local competitions. Have vastly improved cardio and lost weight (mostly bodyfat eyyy) -- now weigh 160lbs.
Issue is now I feel more agile but more fragile and i hate it feeling so vulnerable (primarily to injury), even if i can beat up guys who weight 200+ lbs.
So, what are /fit/-izen's opinions of weighlifting (starting strength, texas method) vs. combat sports (sambo)? Particularly for health & overall ""performance""* (whatever that means).
For some context, I live a demanding life that asks a lot of me not just physically*, but especially with respect to my time, hence why I can't train both seriously, but can occasionally do quick side workouts (running, calisthenics)
*endurance probably the most important/required quality, but strength & cardio (e.g. running sprinting) close behind
Anonymous at Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:21:38 UTC No. 226131
>>226096
>opinions of weighlifting vs. combat sports Particularly for health & overall ""performance""
Lifting. Specifically, circuit training, combines the benfits of cardio & weight lifting. The amount of progress you can make on your fitness, for the amount of investment it takes, is significantly higher compared to combat sports. The benefits of general fitness will also grant you more aptitude for self defense than participating in combat sports because the overwhelming majority of people, have no formal combat training, but the overwhelming majority of people are out of shape.
CaptchaForever at Wed, 19 Mar 2025 19:59:54 UTC No. 226147
>>226131
Would you say circuit training is better than strength-focused traininged (e.g. powerlifting)?
Anonymous at Thu, 20 Mar 2025 12:17:12 UTC No. 226184
>>226147
For general health & performance. Yes. All circuit training is really is your typical strength training, with little to no rest between movements, to get the heart rate up that way. Cardio doesn't mean you have to be moving quickly, it's just the most efficient tactic for getting the heart rate up and keeping it there.
>Pushups/Bench
>Pulldups/Pulldowns
>Squats
>Situps
>DL
Your typically circuit might look like this. You just need to move as quickly as possible from one to the next & then back through again, rather than sitting & resting waiting for your next set. With this strategy you typically can't pursue maximal strength, but that's okay because for most practical uses, maximal strength achieved through traditional training is a meme. Muscular endurance/cardio is far more important in pretty much every setting & you can still achieve remarkable relative strength this way.
Anonymous at Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:22:36 UTC No. 226189
>>226096
You need to be doing both. The amount of time you spend on each will just come down to personal goals. Don't overthink it, but try to be consistent with whatever split you decide on.
For example, 3-4 days of lifting + 2-3 days of training, if you're focused on lifting right now. Swap a day or two if you're more focused on your sport.
Anonymous at Thu, 20 Mar 2025 21:04:38 UTC No. 226201
I've been thinking about adding some explosiveness work into my training
Thoughts on power cleans vs high pulls?
Anonymous at Sun, 23 Mar 2025 07:14:12 UTC No. 226323
>>226201
They're good but honestly, depending on your purposes it's probably overkill. The secret to developing explosiveness from conditioning is stiffening the tendons. While olymipic lifts are good for developing power, the ROI is not that great compared to other options that are safer & allow you to focus more evenly on the rest of your conditioning.
>Isometrics
There is a growing body of research showing that isometrics can develop power just as well as other options. Turns out karate had it right with stance training & such. Electric chairs, planks of all kinds, push-up iso holds, slowed pullup negatives, etc.