This is the fifth in a series of six articles on things I have learned from High-Intensity Resistance Training that have influenced my approach to martial arts.
If you missed the previous articles in this series, you can find them here:
High Intensity Resistance Training and Martial Arts – A Perfect Match (Part 1 of 6)
You Don’t Need a Separate Cardio Workout (Part 2 of 6)
Weightlifting Will NOT Make You Constantly Tense (Part 3 of 6)
Stretching Exercises Are NOT Your Friends (Part 4 of 6)
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Overtraining is something we haven’t discussed yet. We really need to do that, so here we are.
Martial arts is not something in which many people engage seriously or on a consistent basis. Unlike people who get into football, baseball, or basketball, some people look upon us as “weirdos” for our chosen activity.
However, although our selection may be unusual, there is something we have in common with “normal” athletes: we run the risk of overtraining.
This can be true of our martial arts training on its own, but it is even more of a possibility if we adopt an exercise program.
Then again, it is less likely to happen if we select the right program.
Let’s explore this phenomenon together.
What is “Overtraining?”
I’m not sure who might stumble across this article while they are browsing the wild and wonderful internet, so I’m going to assume you might not know what “overtraining” is.
The answer is right in the name: overtraining is when you train too hard and too long without giving yourself adequate recovery time between the sessions of intense activity.
Overtraining can lead to three negative outcomes:
- Fatigue (I don’t mean just the typical exhaustion you feel from a couple rounds of hard sparring. This is a persistent feeling.)
- Decline in performance (Self-explanatory)
- Injury (Obviously something to avoid, whether you are a martial artist or not)
How Do You Know If You Have Overtrained?
Fortunately, your body will provide you with several warning signs that you are overtraining. This list includes (but is not limited to):
- Prolonged muscle soreness after a workout
- Delayed recovery time
- Inability to train to your previous fullest potential
- Prolonged fatigue
- Poor-quality sleep
Sadly, many people ignore these signs. Others take them to mean something they don’t. EXAMPLE: “I can’t curl 85 pounds anymore. I must be getting weak. The only answer to that must be more training.”
Quite the opposite, my friends. You need to train less.
The Dangers of Overtraining in Martial Arts
It is admirable that some people want to do better in their art by getting in better shape. (Even if you don’t practice a martial art, better health is always…well, better.) However, they do expose themselves to more chances of injury.
Let’s take a hypothetical martial artist named Bob, and let’s outline what his martial arts and exercise journey might be like.
Bob works in an office, 8:00am-4:30pm. He takes Tae Kwon Do, and classes are Monday to Thursday, 6:00pm-7:00pm. This gives him enough time to get home, eat dinner (which he has to do immediately so his food will settle before class time), grab his uniform, and head back out to class.
Recently a friend of Bob’s lost a lot of weight. When Bob asks how, the friend says, “P90X.” After hearing more details about this home-based workout, Bob becomes interested in trying it out.
One night after Tae Kwon Do class, Bob goes online to look up more details on P90X, and his heart sinks. First, it demands that you work out six days per week. Second, he finds the running times for each session:
- Chest and Back – 52 minutes, 50 seconds
- Plyometrics – 58 minutes, 36 seconds
- Shoulders and Arms – 59 minutes, 53 seconds
- Yoga X – 92 minutes, 24 seconds
That is where Bob stops reading. However, a few minutes later, doubt creeps into his mind. Maybe he shouldn’t dismiss P90X simply because it will be hard to work into his schedule. After all, isn’t the fact that other people aren’t willing to put in the work the reason why America is so obese?
Bob doesn’t want to be obese, nor does he want to be like people that lack motivation. Plus, he has started to feel like he wants to compete in Tae Kwon Do tournaments, but currently he gets winded even when they do light sparring in class. The truth is obvious: to compete, he needs to be in better shape.
Bob asks himself, “If I bought this program, when could I do it?” Given the running times, his day job and class schedule, equipment requirements, and meal times, he realizes the only time he could do P90X is after class.
Damn, he thinks, class ends at 7:00pm, and I get home at 7:30pm. I’d have to start P90X as soon as I get through the door, or else I’ll be up super late!
Bob takes the plunge. He buys P90X and, over the next few weeks, attempts to accommodate the schedule he has set for himself. The thing is, when he gets home, there are other things that need to be done: getting ready for work tomorrow, responding to any emails, texts, or Facebook messages that he ignored during class, and so on and so forth. He doesn’t start P90X until 8:30pm, sometimes later, which is a real pain on those Yoga X days. Still, he wants to be in better shape, and he wants to compete, so Bob keeps pressing “play.”
He manages to maintain this routine for a few weeks. However, over time Bob notices that the fatigue he feels after P90X doesn’t seem to ever go away. In addition to that, he seems to be more irritable and loses patience with people more than he ever has in the past.
That is because Bob has overtrained. His only recourse now is to withdraw from all physical activity (including Tae Kwon Do) and recuperate. Saddened, Bob sits at home, randomly flipping through thousands of TV channels (none of which broadcast anything even remotely interesting to him), wondering if there is a better way to do Tae Kwon Do and exercise that won’t leave him stranded on the couch again.
Good news for Bob: there is a better way.
The Solution: High Intensity Resistance Training
High Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT) is the martial artist’s workout dream come true. In fact, it would be good for anyone who leads a hectic schedule. (Isn’t that all of us these days?) Here’s why:
- It consists of only one workout per week (two tops).
- Each session lasts approximately 30-45 minutes. (When you get in better shape, you might go longer, but it’s unlikely that it would ever exceed 60 minutes.)
- Performers are less prone to injury due to the slow and controlled motion of the exercises.
Honestly, what more benefits do you need beyond those three?
Now that I think about it, there is one more benefit you should know: It gets results. Not only does it get them faster, but it gets them safer.
I have encountered quite a few skeptics when I tell them about this workout program. However, you can’t argue with results. Therefore, I present you with my “before and after” picture. Keep in mind: “before” is me in January 2020. “After” is around June 2021.
Never Say Never – Overtraining IS Possible
Having sung the praises of HIRT, I do want to issue a word of caution.
Notice how, at the beginning of this article, I said you are less likely to be injured if you have the right exercise program. There is a reason I chose to phrase it that way.
Overtraining is still a possibility if you combine HIRT with martial arts training, but only if you aren’t careful. I can give you two words of caution here:
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- Do NOT engage in sparring for at least two days after your workout. You can still go to class to practice techniques, learn forms, and run through self-defense scenarios. However, you will be far too exhausted to spar.
- You might have to wait more than seven days to do HIRT again. Yes, when I started this article series, I told you that HIRT is done once per week. However, as your strength increases and you can work out more intensely, you might need to wait longer. If you were to ask me how to figure that out, my answer would be that I can’t answer you. The only person who truly knows what your body feels is you. All I can say is: always err on the side of caution. If you feel like you might benefit from ten days, then wait ten days. If you take those extra days but notice you aren’t making the same strength gains, then go back to seven days.
Conclusion
Adopting a HIRT protocol doesn’t mean you will avoid injuries 100%. However, you are far less likely to overtrain, which of course means you are less likely to get injured.
Next month I will be posting the final article in this series. For my closing thoughts, I want to talk with you about a term that exploded in popularity in the early days of the new millennium: “functional fitness.” As with my article on stretching, I’m guessing that one is going to ruffle some feathers.
Don’t let it though. These articles merely represent my journey down this road. No one says you have to walk it with me.
~~~Steve Grogan
NOTE – Steve Grogan is looking for people to coach through this exercise program. If you don’t live anywhere near him, the workouts can be done via Skype or some other video chat platform. Contact him via email, with the subject line “saw your Martial Journal article on HIRT.”
geekwingchun@gmail.com
His YouTube channel (Geek Wing Chun) gives free training tips and ideas for people who want to get better at Wing Chun but can't make it to class as often as they'd like. Check it out by simply typing "Geek Wing Chun" into the YouTube search field!
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- TRAINING TIP – Ignore the Latest Shiny Object - August 4, 2022
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