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10

Start at your head, and go to your feet. That's the muscles involved. :p Seriously, a good punch will involve most of the muscles in the body. The primary single movers in a punch are going to be Pecs (Chest) Triceps (Arm) Deltoids (Shoulder) You could throw a punch just using those muscles, but it won't be a hugely powerful punch (Think a jab in ...


10

Optimal Jump Training Without Restrictions "Arioch" recommends squats, plyometrics, and speed work with submaximal weights to improve jumping height: An athlete wishing to improve his vertical jump should not only squat, but perform a variety of assistance work specific to both improving squatting strength as well as specifically improving jumping ...


9

I've asked this implicitly of two qualified personal trainers. (One of the two usually trains Olympic athletes, so I trust his judgement.) Each time I said that I was interested in weight training to balance out the extra workout that my quads get (not just in the lower body, but to bring up my upper body strength too). Both of them said it was a reasonable ...


6

This Scientific American article may help. It basically states that the improvements in cardio-respiratory function from exercise are due to the efficiency of the cardiac component rather than lung function: Improvement in cardio-respiratory function does not result from changes in the lung's ability to expand, however. In general regular exercise does ...


6

First, get strong People who haven't yet done strength training should generally avoid overly task-specific exercises. Instead, they should get strong generally. As Mark Rippetoe puts it: Strength is the most general adaptation. It is acquired most effectively through exercises that produce the most force against external resistance, and as such is ...


6

Looking at your numbers, strength is not an issue if you are a local/regional level player, you are all set. It looks like your biggest problem is the lack of mat time. 1 to 4 sessions a week is not enough and no amount of weight lifting is going to change that. 4 sessions a week is a minimum if you compete locally and you should be putting some serious ...


5

Running on a treadmill is even ground. There are no bumps or slopes like a road has. The downside to this is your stabilizing muscles do not get the workout so they do not get stronger. Adding weight lifitting can help build those muscles. Nice thing about the tradmill is the belt is easier on the joints, but you do not get the benefit of perception on ...


5

Just like spot weight reduction, there is no such thing as spot strength building. From what you describe, the two most beneficial exercises are deadlifts (http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/) and farmer walks (http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=4959113). Both will build the off-the-ground power you need, the grip strength ...


5

If you are training outdoors, when you train is largely dependant on the weather. For example, I'm from Dallas so in the summer I have to weigh lower temperatures and higher humidity in the morning versus higher temperations and lower humidity in the late afternoon/evening. In a more temperate climate, you may not have that issue. When I run sprints or a ...


5

Unfortunately, adaptation to altitude is a few weeks of process, as what happens is the body kicks up production of red blood cells, and that's not an instant thing. As noted in the comments, getting there a few days ahead will help. Also, be very aware of hydration, and make sure that in the days leading up and especially during the event, you are getting ...


5

To answer your question "what's easier", cross training to start. There are several different ways to start cross training. Pool running running in the deep end of the pool where you cannot touch the bottom will take the impact off your ankles. This works several of the same motions and muscles that you will need to stay in running shape. This link offers ...


5

The answer to "what should a beginner do to physically prepare for X activity" doesn't change very much whether you're training for chainsaw-wielding, tennis, or martial arts: first get strong while doing your chosen activity, then add power and slightly sport-specific tasks, and add conditioning if your sport doesn't do enough to tire you out. If you're ...


5

I'm not sure focusing on isolation is correct, especially in the example you provided. In the example you gave (tricep dips), the shoulder does play an important role, and so do the pecs. They're often used as a closed-chain alternative to the bench press, and closed chain exercises are chosen because they don't isolate a muscle group, but force ...


4

Many will tell you the best time to do HIT is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. The theory being that a lack of readily available carbohydrates will ‘force’ your body to burn fat. A secondary benefit is the metabolic boost that comes with HIT (or any exercise for that matter). Doing HIT in the morning means you’ll experience your ‘boost’ ...


4

You already have some good answers so I'll just add to keep in mind specificity of exercise. Specificity of exercise means that if you want to get better at cycling, you should cycle. If you want to be able to run fast, you should train for speed etc. And if you want to be able to squat, lift, and carry you should train specifically to squat, lift, and ...


4

A treadmill won't prepare you for the impact of running for real. If the (half) marathon is in the desert and you're running through the sand then the problem you'd run into is fatigue. If (much more likely) the (half) marathon is on the road, you'll be in for a really nasty surprise. Also, unless you're planning on running somewhere quite different from ...


4

Ok, as fredob requested, this is an n=1 style of writeup, for my experiences and what I consider to be the core kernels of a lifetime fitness program. Note, this is not a design for specific competition, this is fitness in general. Obviously if you compete, you would need to tweak the physical component and nutrition components to support that. NUTRITION ...


4

Check out the book "Practical Programming for Strength Training" by Rippetoe and Kilgore. It is aimed at the college educated professional strength coach and covers every aspect of developing training programs. While overly detailed for the likes of us, it is the basis for lifetime learning. BTW I'm over 60 and started lifting in my teens. I've always put my ...


4

Well I'd recommend you to cycle the way you feel most comfortable with. I would recommend you to cycle at an average pace to work and decide daily how you want to cycle back. Maybe you need to relieve some stress or aggression, so just bite your handlebar and go full speed. Maybe you are exhausted already anyway, so just keep it slow. Cycling 18km daily ...


4

Ok, given your program and what you would like to do (Along with the upper body restrictions), here's what I would recommend. Conditioning - I would concentrate on HIIT training for your lunch sessions, with an emphasis on agility and footwork drills. Leave the heavy lifting stuff for your lifting/mobility sessions. This will have the double effect of ...


4

Judoka do not have as high V02max as other sports like bicycling, rowing. In this study LEVELS OF ANAEROBIC AND AEROBIC CAPACITY INDICES AND RESULTS FOR THE SPECIAL FITNESS TEST IN JUDO COMPETITORS. They have measured good judoka. They seem to be around 52 ml/kg/min . I think you can reach that in if your not already there in 45 days with Intervall/HIIT etc. ...


4

http://www.livestrong.com/article/396039-how-to-calculate-cycling-power/ This is actually one of the better estimations, although any of them are basically educated guesses. Without a properly calibrated power meter, it's hard to get a completely accurate reading of watts.


4

In the gym my family used to run, we used exhaustion style workouts with a lot of success. You would work as much as possible with the heaviest weight possible, then go down some in weight (5-10 pounds/2-5 kilos) and work to exhaustion again. Keep repeating until you can't even lift the smallest of weights and you're working with no weight at all. We ...


3

Lifting heavy weights. Everything else you might do depends on strength, so if you don't have that, you'll be limited. If you do have it, everything will improve for you. You'll be more flexible, have better endurance, will be less injury prone and will recover from injuries faster. It's also very sustainable. You can do one short, high intensity lifting ...


3

There are two types of training; neural adaptation and hypertrophy. Your pure focus here is hypertrophy training which focuses on the size of the muscle. This means breaking it down, letting it heal and working it out again to repeat the cycle. Proper food and nutrients allows the body to use the proteins/fats/carbohydrates to rebuild the tissue which was ...


3

Optimal muscular hypertrophy is achieved by using enough weight that makes you hit failure in the 6-10 rep range. To answer your question frankly, neither. This weight range would be considered moderate. Higher weight would mainly increase strength, while lower weight would mainly increase endurance. Source: ...


3

Most "athletic hair removal" is done to make massages easier, so bandaids come off easier and gashes are easier to clean, sunscreen is easier to apply and more reliably applied, to reduce irritation and pulling in contact sports, and for psychological reasons. I suspect the reason it's difficult to find a study on body hair v. strength is because it's ...


3

My favorite quote by John Broz is: If you can't go into the gym and squat heavy twice a day, every day, you aren't overtrained, you're undertrained. Greg Glassman defined overtraining as: Overtraining is not sleep deprivation, soreness, or systemic or musculo-skeletal fatigue due to excessive training volume. Overtraining is a neuroendocrine ...



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