Can I gain good strength with a mostly calisthenic workout routine?

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Mishima Zaibatsu

TMMAC’s resident musician
Feb 27, 2016
2,969
3,523
I'm in a bit of a pickle. Not immediately, but when the new year hits, I'll be taking both Boxing and Judo classes and while trying to gain some lbs in muscle.

Now, I'm aware that Boxing, you really don't and shouldn't focus on muscular hypertrophy, not the kind you get from lifting heavy anyway, to the point where you need a solid rest day or two to recover. I know some believe that moderate weight training can be useful, but you aren't going to get better technique in your punches by lifting weights and weight training 3 times a week like I'm doing rn(one of those nights being a LEG night), along with doing Judo twice a week(one night on the same night as a Boxing class) and working shift work, it's going to be hard to fit it all in.

The more time I put into going to a gym to lift weights the more time I need to recover and less time I have to Box or do Judo, the more time I Box, the less time I'll have to lift weights, because the kind of workouts I do at the gym I've been to take alot out of you, especially your legs(part of the reason I'm focusing on building and strengthening my leg muscles rn).

Guess what I'm about to ask is, what should I do to both develop solid, lean muscle, while doing a high aerobic sport like Boxing and high anaerobic sport like Judo? And should I just reserve my gym membership more for "roadwork" on a treadmill during winter(obviously running out in the snow, ice, slush, freezing rain and wind is going to be rather difficult).

Just a side note, I know some are going to say doing two arts at once is a bad idea, but, I honestly don't care, I'm doing it anyway.
 
Last edited:

Leigh

Engineer
Pro Fighter
Jan 26, 2015
10,925
21,293
To answer to thread title, I do calisthenics and I'm strong. But I treat it like weight training. I do 5x5 and I add weight.

Keep your intensity down; use Prelipin's table and use 65% 1rm. For cardio, find something you can tolerate and put the miles in at HR 130-150.

Basically, do the minimum intensity that gets results, because your recovery will be the main issue. When you train martial arts, don't go crazy trying to win rounds. Focus on technical improvement.
 

Mishima Zaibatsu

TMMAC’s resident musician
Feb 27, 2016
2,969
3,523


To answer to thread title, I do calisthenics and I'm strong. But I treat it like weight training. I do 5x5 and I add weight.

Keep your intensity down; use Prelipin's table and use 65% 1rm. For cardio, find something you can tolerate and put the miles in at HR 130-150.

Basically, do the minimum intensity that gets results, because your recovery will be the main issue. When you train martial arts, don't go crazy trying to win rounds. Focus on technical improvement.
K im looking at prelipins table... whats 1rm mean? It doesnt say how many sets just reps, so im a bit confused.
 

Leigh

Engineer
Pro Fighter
Jan 26, 2015
10,925
21,293



K im looking at prelipins table... whats 1rm mean? It doesnt say how many sets just reps, so im a bit confused.
1rm is your one rep max. So let's take pull ups. Let's say you weigh 60kg and the maximum weight you can add to yourself for 1 pull up is 40kg, so your 1rm is 100kg.

65% 1rm is 65kg, so you would add 5kg to your bodyweight. You would do around 24 reps with 3-6 sets, so maybe 6 reps for 4 sets or 5x5.

Or you could go a little heavier (70-80% 1rm) and do 18 reps, maybe sets of 4 or 5. This might be useful if you can't add too much weight yet.