Kung Fu + Gym = Bad Idea?

Question

I've been regularly going to the gym around 3 - 5 times a week. I do not do crazy workout like some other people. I only do resistance training enough to may be build some muscle in a few months. I just joined Kung Fu class and the instructor told me that it was a bad idea to do both Kung Fu and go to the Gym as it will make by body be disproportionate and cause back pain. Is that true? If it is under what circumstances? i.e. how much work is too much?

As for myself, I am 32 years old and 6'3" weight around 200 pounds. I am already a bit muscular, i.e. I am able to incline press 200 pounds for 16 reps.

Edit 1: I plan on doing 1 - 2 Kung Fu sessions a week. Each sessions is about an hour.

Answer 1

I've been in the martial arts for 25+ years (Isshinryu Karate and Aikido) and can tell you first hand, that if you do the standard weight training (bench, squat, dead lift, etc.) and go for the full range of motion and stretch, you WILL NOT have any problems with Kung Fu. Sounds like your Kung Fu instructor is old school, where weight training was considered detrimental to speed and flexibility. If you look at the top MMA fighters, they ALL do some level of weight training and if you look at some top power lifters, they're very flexible.

My recommendation: focus on power (Olympic lifts) and make sure your form is good and that you go full range of motion.

Answer 2

Whole body strength is helpful in martial arts; however, many people don't focus on whole body strength. They focus on what they like, as you can see by bird legged people with massive chests and arms. This is not balanced.

The best way to build whole body strength is to focus on full range of motion compound lifts like squats, standing press, deadlifts, and bench press. Technically speaking, you can do quite well without the bench press, and not including it in a program that supports martial arts isn't going to hurt you.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Do not neglect mobility--this will help you prevent injuries
• Do not neglect conditioning--this really becomes the biggest determiner of your stamina
• Do not focus on being big or huge. A little size is inevitable when you go heavy, but a program heavy in high rep ranges will get in your way.
• Do not neglect technique

If you do go down the path of martial arts and weight training, it might be good to focus on strength 2x a week, and conditioning/mobility/skill work at least 3x a week--and that's not including your classes.

Answer 3

I noticed that all the people that are saying that is wrong don't practice Kung fu. They practice other martial arts. When I was doing Taekwondo, it didn't matter if I also lifted weights and did the gym stuff. But Shaolin Kung fu is based of Tai chi chuan and natural strength, it isn't based off of the artificial strength you create by lifting weights. My strength level since I started doing Shaolin Kung fu is much higher, because it isn't based off of strain.