(Can't believe we don't have THIS thread yet :p)
(EDIT: need to un-embed the video links. halp!)
So, I'm bored and I figured I'd make a thread about specifically supplementing martial arts training with weightlifting (As opposed to doing martial arts and lifting weights as two separate activities and not maximizing their cross-over).
Hopefully we all know that being stronger is cool and that good things happen if you develop a good level of strength, so I'm just going to list lifts I consider of use, with a short blurb on why I think they're useful for martial arts, followed by what would be my personal choices for an MA-focused routine, and I invite everyone to comment, suggest your own exercises, discuss other people's points, ask questions, share your experiences with MA and strength training, etc.
My experience is mainly with "orthodox" weightlifting (For lack of a better term), so that's what I'll talk about, but there are several kinds of 'traditional' strength training methods used in several martial arts that have varying amounts of overlap with this (Chinese stone locks, Okinawan Hojo-undo methods, Indian clubs, etc).
Needless to say, all of the listed exercises require gradual progression in order to acquire good (And therefore SAFE) technique, as well as maximizing their efficiency, and those with joint problems and similar issues should of course be extra careful with exercise selection and execution.
Let's get the obvious ones out the way first (These being among the more efficient lifts in general):
---
Barbell Squat:
Spoiler
The aptly nicknamed "king of lifts" is something everyone with healthy legs should do (And it can help SOME who don't have healthy ones :p). It is a 'full-body' lift that, when done correctly, develops and maintains health and mobility in the ankles, hips and knees (I almost never stretch, and personally attribute my perpetually above-average leg flexibility purely to squatting), affirms the support structure of the vertebral column, and pretty much strengthens everything between your neck and the floor. Needless to say, squats are good. MA-wise, I'd recommend the front squat variant, which strengthens the mid-back and abdomen a bit more than other squat variants (Although for general health and mobility I'd recommend the overhead squat). That said, any squatting variant done heavy will result in increased full-body power output.
Reference:
High-bar Back Squat: Full-body development, focused on legs and back.
Low-bar Back Squat: More glute, hamstring and lower back emphasis, higher load capacity.
Clean grip Front Squat: More quadriceps, mid-back and abdomen emphasis, lower load capacity.
Cross-arm grip Front Squat: Same, requires less wrist mobility.
Overhead Squat: Heavy shoulder mobility and stability component, even lower load capacity.
---
Barbell Deadlift:
Spoiler
The other big "leg" lift, in the deadlift the weight is in front of the feet, on the ground, which means that the body has to do a certain degree of backwards pulling to center itself, leading to a tremendous increase in posterior chain activation (Along with the abdominal wall for stabilization). As far as generalized back strengthening goes, nothing beats the deadlift, and it also increases strength in the forearms (Required to hold the bar) and neck (From synergy with the upper back and shoulder muscles to stabilize the shoulder joints against the load). Another lift that everyone should do, but for MA, specifically, the deadlift and its 'stiff-legged' variant make excellent counterparts to the front squat, by strengthening the entire back and abdomen (As well as the grip), and strengthening and stretching the hamstrings and calves.
Reference:
Conventional Deadlift: Full body development, greatly focused on the back and abdomen.
Sumo Deadlift: Good for shiko-dachi or horse stance users. Less lower back focus, more outer thigh/glutes focus, higher load capacity.
Stiff-leg Deadlift: More hamstring focus, heavy lower back involvement as stabilizer, lower load capacity. Good hamstring loaded stretch.
---
Barbell Overhead Press:
Spoiler
Pushing a weight overhead with your arms. I shouldn't have to explain why this is useful :p. That said, it also incurs a high level of abdominal development. One moves less weight than on a bench press here, but the action of the shoulder joint is more applicable to striking/pushing structure than that of a bench press, so I personally consider it a better movement for the purposes of assisting MA training, where the bench is a better arm strength builder. It is also generally considered a very healthy exercise for the shoulder joints, which is all the more reason to do it.
Reference:
Overhead Press: Balanced body development with an upper-body focus, particularly triceps, abdomen and upper back/shoulders.
Behind-The-Neck Press: Greater arm/shoulder focus, lower load capacity. Less safe with narrow grips.
Push Press: Press with leg drive. Less shoulder involvement, greater load capacity, greater stability component. Easier at the first half, harder at the second one.
BTN Push Press: Safer than a strict BTN press and with a much greater load capacity, but still not as safe as frontal press variants.
---
Row:
Spoiler
Also pretty self-explanatory; you pull something heavy, you get stronger, then you can pull heavier things, repeat ad infinitum. Also works grip strength.
Reference:
Barbell Bent-over Row: Greater load capacity from bilateral motion, main focus on back, moderate focus on arms, slight focus on grip.
Dumbbell 1-arm Row: Lower load capacity, with focus on the arm and abdomen if the torso is kept stable, and on the arm and back if it's moved to assist the movement.
---
These main movements aside, here are some other movements that can be of great use for martial artists, some of them quite common, others less so:
---
Lunge:
Spoiler
The lunge is a great way to build mobility and strength in the hips and thighs, and is, along with squats and deadlifts, one of the best tools for people who use their legs heavily.
Reference:
Barbell Lunge: Requires good posture, allows the greatest load.
Dumbbell Lunge: Slightly less postural emphasis, lower load capacity.
Walking Lunge: More posterior chain emphasis.
---
Farmer's Walk:
Spoiler
A not very common exercise where weights are carried in both hands while walking normally for a set distance or amount of time. Useful for everyone, since it develops stabilization of the entire body while in motion.
---
Barbell Clean:
Spoiler
One of the 'Olympic lifts', as it is used in the 'Clean and Jerk' in Olympic Weightlifting competitions, this lift and its variants consist of bringing a barbell from the ground to the shoulders in a fluid motion. The 'rack position' of the barbell at the shoulders is where the name of the clean grip for front squats comes from. All of these variants develop great explosive strength in the posterior chain, but are typically harder to learn than the slower lifts are, and might require direct coaching in order to be learned properly. Anyone benefiting from a strong back and explosive hip extension (Which for MA is basically everyone) will benefit from doing cleans. It also includes a grip component, since it is similar to a lighter, more explosive version of a deadlift.
Reference:
Full Clean: Greatest load capacity, ends in the last half of a front squat.
Power Clean: Lower load capacity but somewhat more explosive.
Hang Clean: Same as full clean but starting above the kneecap. Lower loads but more explosiveness.
Hang Power Clean: Same as power clean but starting above the kneecap. Much lower loads but even more explosiveness.
---
Barbell Snatch:
Spoiler
The other lift used for Olympic competition, in this one the barbell is brought overhead instead of to the shoulder. It works most of the same things, with the difference of using a slightly lower load and a greater shoulder and elbow stability component.
Reference:
Full Snatch: Greatest load capacity, ends in the last half of an overhead squat.
Power Snatch: Lower load capacity but somewhat more explosive.
Hang Snatch: Same as full snatch but starting above the kneecap. Lower loads but more explosiveness.
Hang Power Snatch: Same as power snatch but starting above the kneecap. Much lower loads but even more explosiveness.
---
Dumbbell/Kettlebell Variants:
Spoiler
Versions of barbell lifts done with dumbbells or kettlebells. Technique adjustments vary depending on the lift, with some being altogether different lifts that share a name due to being outwardly similar, but most barbell lifts can be done in some manner with dumbbells or kettlebells, either with both hands or one side at a time. Generally, the main differences are a lower load capacity and a greater stabilization component, making them worse for strength development, but better for fine-tuning muscle activation. Similarly, some barbell lifts can also be done unilaterally, as if using a dumbbell, which essentially has the same effect, but magnified. Also includes some DB/KB-specific movements like the
goblet squat
goblet squat
(An excellent mobility and posture tool) and the
renegade row
renegade row
(A great abdominal stabilizer if the arms and back are proportionately stronger than the abs).
---
Weighted Bodyweight Movements:
Spoiler
Good old calisthenics with a little extra oomph in the shape of added weight. Pretty much self-explanatory.
Reference:
Weighted Push-up
Weighted Pull-up/Chin-up
---
Windmill:
Spoiler
An excellent movement for developing one-sided stability in the shoulder joints and abdomen/lower back, as well as stretching the hamstrings and calves. Can be done in combination with an overhead lift, or by itself, using an overhead lift only to lift the weight to start a set.
Reference:
Kettlebell Windmill (
Alternate
Alternate
): Arm internally rotated due to the off-center weight of the KB.
Dumbbell Windmill
Dumbbell Windmill
: Arm slightly externally rotated to stabilize the centered weight of the DB.
---
Side Press/Bent Press:
Spoiler
Among the trickier of the slow lifts, these two are however possibly the best lifts to assist with developing a strong structure for straight-arm pushing/striking movements, particularly the side press. They basically have the stability benefits of the windmill, but with a much higher load capacity in the bent press, and a better applicability to pressing strength with the side press.
Reference:
Kettlebell Side Press/Bent Press
Kettlebell Side Press/Bent Press
(
Alternate Bent Press
Alternate Bent Press
): Arm internally rotated due to the off-center weight of the KB.
Dumbbell Bent Press
Dumbbell Bent Press
: Arm slightly externally rotated to stabilize the centered weight of the DB.
DB Side Press variant
DB Side Press variant
: No windmill finish, therefore even more focus on pressing strength and less on stability.
---
Twist
Twist
:
Spoiler
One of, if not THE best way to develop rotational power via strength-training. Not having rotational power makes baby Jesus cry.
---
Swing:
Spoiler
Another hip extension exercise, similar to the clean and the snatch, but done with a kettlebell or dumbbell. With a KB it tends to be done for higher amounts of repetitions and is good for cardiovascular fitness and more hip-focused strength development, while the dumbbell swing tends to be more of a full-body explosiveness movement done for fewer reps.
Reference:
Kettlebell Swing
Kettlebell Swing
(
Alternate
Alternate
): Minimal knee dip focuses the movement on the hip hinge pattern. Hip extension/glute and hamstring actuvation focus.
Overhead/Crossfit KB swing
Overhead/Crossfit KB swing
: Greater knee dip shifts the focus from a hip hinge to a squat-type movement. Slightly lower load capacity but fuller back and shoulder activation.
Dumbbell Swing ("KB style")
Dumbbell Swing ("KB style")
: Same movement, but with a DB.
Dumbbell Swing ("Old style")
Dumbbell Swing ("Old style")
: Heavier full-body movement with a change to a 'split stance'. Similar to a dumbbell 'split snatch'.
---
Roll-out:
Spoiler
A classic abdominal strengthening move, with a nice effect on the hip flexors and lower back if done right, as well as working shoulder stability if using bigger ranges of motion. Can be done with various implements and degrees of difficulty.
Reference:
Two-arm Roll-out (Barbell)
Two-arm Roll-out (Barbell)
: Less torso/shoulder stability needed, more freedom with grip positioning.
Two-arm Roll-out (Wheel)
Two-arm Roll-out (Wheel)
: More stability required.
Double-sided Wheel (or DB) Roll-out
Double-sided Wheel (or DB) Roll-out
: Even more stability required. Facilitates one-armed variants.
---
So that's what I have, basically. I've personally tried almost all of these at some point or another, so their inclusion and the associated comments are based on personal experience indicating that these movements can be useful to a martial artist in some way or another, even if they aren't direct imitations of martial arts techniques. Additionally, although the breathing methods for weightlifting are not identical to the kinds of breathing used for martial arts techniques, they tend to be roughly analogous, and thus they can complement each other (Particularly for styles that use heavier breathing patterns and shouting).
I don't currently have an MA-focused lifting program, myself, but if I were to personally choose lifts with which to make one, right now I'd be inclined towards something like this:
Spoiler
Clean/Squat movements: Full Clean or Power clean to Front Squat (In alternating workouts).
Secondary Pressing movements: BB overhead press and BTN Push Press (In all workouts).
Secondary Back movement: Pull-ups and Chin-ups (All).
'Sport-Specific' Movements: DB Side Press or DB Windmill (Alt.), Full-contact Twist (All).
Assistance movements: Stiff-leg Deadlift and KB/DB Overhead Squat, or KB/DB Goblet Squat and KB Overhead Swing (Alt.)
This would theoretically let me have: A solid full-body strength and health foundation based on pulling, pressing and squatting; explosive power development in both rotation and hip extension; exercises that help develop a solid structure via the arms; and mobility-focused exercises shifting towards cardio at the end of a session, all in a workout that if managed well shouldn't take more than an hour and a half or two hours, and could easily be condensed into less.
And that's it! Any thoughts, questions or suggestions? Any anecdotes related to MA and weights, perhaps?