It is important for anyone who practices martial arts and wants to add some strength training into their regime to recognise that strength training for martial arts is not the same as you would do for bodybuilding or powerlifting, or even general gym training - there are specific issues which you must keep in mind and apply when you are putting together your training routine.

There are two main principles which it is important to consider. Firstly, and most obviously, you need to get a good balance between developing your power and maintaining a high level of fitness, speed and agility (see martial arts agility training), which can all be impacted negatively by the increases in size and weight associated with strength training. In actual fact speed is much more significant in determining the power you can put into a strike than general muscle strength. The second thing is that you must be very careful to ensure that you are developing functional strength rather than exercise specific strength. This is particularly germane if you go to work out in a high-tech modern gym with a large number of weight lifting machines. The difference between the two is that when you are using one of these machines they are often designed to isolate specific muscles or muscle groups, generally the major ones that everyone knows - this is ideal for bodybuilding, but when you are applying force in a real life situation such as a martial arts fight you also have to use many of the smaller (and less glamorous) muscles for balance and control, and you also need to have developed tougher tendons and ligaments as well as muscles or you are likely to get injured. Basically a machine trains you to be good at a highly specific range of movement, but does much less to increase your functional power when you go beyond that limited range.

Generally if you are going to lift weights then I would suggest that free weights are better than machines, although you can do some work on the machines without it being a problem if you keep the issue in mind and make sure that you get a balanced workout.

 Making sure you get the right balance between strength training and other physical conditioning such as fitness and speed is a more complex subject, and is more depenent on which kind of martial art you practice. The main thing is just to make sure that you do tailor your training to the specific things which you want to acheive, rather than following the same kind of routine which other people at the gym use, or which you may see featured in a bodybuilding magazine - as these will most likely be vanity 'bulking up' programs.

There are two kinds of strength, which use different kinds of muscle fiber, that are relevant for martial arts. The first is explosive power (fast-twitch muscle fibers) which is primarily developed using low numbers of repetitions (less than 8), heavy weights, and an emphasis on speed rather than control - this should be your main priority if you are primarily a striker. The other is muscle endurance (slow-twitch) which is developed using slow controlled movements, perhaps including pauses, lighter weights and either a medium or high number of repetitions (8-12 or 12+) - this is more important for people who prefer to use grappling.

If you want some more specific advice on the actual exercises which are effective to use then my top tip would be to to use isometric exercises. 'Isometric' is a modern term for a form of exercise which has been around for many centuries, and has a long history of association with martial arts training. Basically isometric means that rather than lifting weights you use a controlled tensing of the muscles and your own body weight. This is a great way to make sure that you are developing functional strength including all of the hundreds of tiny little muscles as well a the major ones, with a parallel development of the tendons and ligaments. It also tends to lead to less weight gain for a comparable increase in strength compared to weight training, which is ideal for the purposes of martial arts.

Isometric exercises have been an integral part of traditional kung fu training for many centuries, particularly in the Shaolin traditions, where they come under the category of 'hard qi gong', although they are explained in a different way and their effectiveness is attributed wholly to 'chi' energy.

Aside from exerices such as push ups, which are great for developing punching power, and pull ups, which are a good test of your strength in comparison to your body weight, I think that the most important aspects of your martial arts strength training should be core strength and stability training.

Core strength refers to all of the muscles of the mid-section, including not only the abs but also the obliques and inter-costals. This is heavily used in a fight, and also offers protection against strikes to the mid-section if the muscles are thick and well toned. There are a multitude of different exercises to help you develop this, but to get you started take a look at this.

Stability refers to how stable and strong your stance is, and helps you to be able to stand your ground and not get pushed about or knocked over. If you are into lifting weight then doing squats is the main exercise to focus on, but in my opinion the best exercise is the 'horse stance'. To do this you should stand with your feet roughly 1 and a half shoulder widths apart, and making sure that you keep your back straight and don't lean forwards you then bend your legs until your thighs are almost parallel to the ground, and you then hold that position for as long as you can. One of the great things about this is that in addition to training your stance and stability it is also a real 'mind over matter' exercise, as it will begin to feel unbearable and your legs will begin to shake long before your muscles actually fail, so forcing yourself to keep the stance for as long as possible require real determination and develops your mental strength.

For more information take a look at some of the links which I have included on this page!

Obviously this page has been written just to give you some basic and general hints and tips about how to go about your training. If you want to take it a step further and get a full Ma strength training program then I would recommend the Ultimate MMA Strength Training Program. In addition to the full program, which you obviously have to pay to get access to, you can also get some decent freebies and more useful tips if you follow the link to the site. You can also take a look at the list of recommended DVD's from amazon below.