BoM and Martial Arts

jc228 · 09-13-2004, 04:43 PM

Hi all,

I've been doing the Intermediate routine from the Book of Muscle for a few weeks now, and I really like it. There were a few things that caused me to raise an eyebrow, but the program has worked for me so far, so I'm not going to complain. I'm also reluctant to try another workout, since I enjoy this one so much (thanks, Lou!).

Anyway, I recently looked into joining a martial arts studio near my office. They teach tae kwon do (primarily), with some aikido and jujitsu thrown in. They charge $35 per month, and also have a full gym in the back that I can use whenever they are open (5pm - 9pm weeknights, 8am - 1pm Saturday). I probably won't use the gym much, since I work out in the morning before work, and work out in my garage. I also was amazed to hear that it typically takes someone only 4 years to achieve a black belt in TKD - I thought it took 3 or 4 times that long (I am not demeaning the effort that is required to get a black belt, I was only surprised by the fact that it can be viewed as a relatively attainable goal).

So, my questions. If I decide to learn TKD, do I need to change my weight routine? I lift M-W-F in the morning, and TKD is T-Th in the evening.

I've always been fascinated my martial arts, but never did anything about it. When I was a kid, I tried convincing my parents to let me take classes, but they were never keen on the idea. The things that I hope to get out of it are:

A form of cardio exercise. It's not HIIT, but neither is it constant rate (I have plenty of fat to lose).
An increased self-confidence. I have always been lacking in this regard.

I'm 34, with ~20% BF. I'm working on my diet, but I have a ways to go. I am very, very inflexible, so I am hoping to change that as well.

I know there are plenty of martial arts folks around here, so any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you.

~jc228

David.W · 09-13-2004, 04:51 PM

Im a strength training rookie, but as it relates to martial arts, I would think that your own personal goals would dictate your routine. If you want to be focused on Tae Kwon Do then use weight training to contribute to your martial arts.

I hold a 2nd degree blackbelt (nidan) at the moment and personally use strength training to increase my Kendo performance, secondary concern is overall health, and third, i wanna look good.

I just do a big5 routine and it is helping in all three above mentioned areas, im seeing great results!

Chris Correia is the TKD man in these parts, look for his reply!

quaribc · 09-13-2004, 11:12 PM

it sounds like a plan, but i would really recommend doing lifting only twice a week with just basic compound lifts: dips, pullups, deadlifts, squats, rows, bench press etc.

if you can handle going all out on BOM, then you should be fine. martial arts can take a lot out of you. and trust me...lifting with heavy weights and watching your diet you can loose the fat. along w/ martial arts.

PS: this is in no way discredit Ian King and Lous Schouler's work on BOM. IMO...Book of Muscle is one the best lifting books ever written.period.

DigitalRob7 · 09-13-2004, 11:24 PM

yeah TKD is awesome for cardio, its all about using legs and if the classes are good you will be moving alot. You will also become very flexible, i have a little ways to go before doing a full split, but all the little kids can do splitss like crazy. I've been taking it for like a year now, i enjoy the sparring the most [img]smile.gif[/img]

jc228 · 09-14-2004, 09:14 AM

David.W: I have a lot of personal goals, I guess. Gain muscle, lose fat, see my abs for the first time in my life, become more flexible, more disciplined, and more self-confident. I've been lifting for 4 years, for the most part, and I enjoy it. I hope that I will enjoy TKD as well. I think it can fill a big gap in my training and exercise regimen.

quaribc: I agree with you regarding the BoM book. I have read the entire book through once already, and feel a need to read it again, since I'm sure there is more information in there that I didn't pick up the first time. Thanks for your advice. I may continue with the BoM routine at first, and see how my body responds and go from there. If it's too much, then I'll take a different route (big 5 2x per week or something similar).

DigitalRob7: A full split, eh? [img]smile.gif[/img] The day I do a full split is the day that I require some pretty serious surgery.

Thank you all for your responses. They have a 14 day trial, so I am going to at least try it out to see if I like it. I'm hoping that I will. I'll keep you posted.