How strong are most amateur martial arts trainees?

[Oblivian]

At your weight and age, your strength base is fine. Just continue to improve your strength while training as well. People who say strength doesn't matter are clueless. It may not be the most important aspect, but good strength + technique will always beat just mediocre strength + technique. I'd also focus more on squats and deadlifts rather than bench press. Power from your hips is most important.

[cms9690]

Originally Posted by S80

he is a big juicer who Ive seen bench 225 for 12 clean reps

if I were to start training would most the guys whom would be training with me be about one and a half times as big and about twice as strong as I am?

1.) Your friend must need more "juice" because I was benching 225 for 12 @169lbs - JUICE FREE!

2.) Like others have said, it depends on the MA that you're considering. But from my experience most people are non-juicing regular guys of average strength.

[BB in Crazy!!!!]

Strength training is great. You are fine. I would hit up more power exercises like olympic lifts and kettlebells, they will help more for martial arts than basic strength training. Although, you should at least maintain/slowly improve you current strength over time. At the point you are at, technique is way more important and strength is ofter relative to your weight. For a 170 lber at 18 you are stronger than most.

But you will develop hip control, core strength, a grip strength only equaled by climbers from actual sparring and rolling. There is a certain physical control that you develop that keeps you relaxed while being able to use a lot of strength in different parts when you need too. You would be surprised how srtong a skinny 150 lb man can be when his body is adjusted.

[Cannon_6]

Originally Posted by S80

I am 18, 176lbs, bench 240, squat 285 atg, don't train legs like I should, working on it, deadlift 390, can do a weighted chinup with 90lbs, weighted wide grip pullups with 70. OHP, 150...

I've been training in martial arts longer than you've been alive. I've never lifted weights, and I have no fucking idea what you're talking about.

So you're probably good to go.

[ectonomore]

Strength in martial arts is not just measured by how much you bench or how much you could squat or whatever else. Its with how you use your strength and combine it with your skills and show proper form and with the accuracy in your strikes or take downs.

From where I come from, most legit amateur fighters are those that would normally show some sort of sloppy form during fights even if their technique during training is already very refined. There are those though whom i consider non-legit amateur fighters, meaning to say that by watching a fight between a legit and non-legit, its very obvious that the non-legit guy should be fighting in a more higher level of competition.

Just like last time I fought amateur, there's this guy that I saw had an ad online offering private mma classes and had pictures of maybe hundreds of fights that he already had and the many trophies and certificates of participation, but in the end I was surprised that he still fought amateur. He was matched up with a guy who was fighting for the first time and he of course outclassed the new guy. It was also very noticeable that the non-legit ammy fighter was kinda trying to limit his game but still beat the hell out of his opponent. Non-legit fighter got the win, but respect for him went out the window for not fighting someone his own size or should I say his own class.

[fullmount87]

Most guys i've encountered that are big into lifting suck at fighting.

[Blond]

I'm pretty sure there is a small percentage that does serious lifting. You should have the strength advantage but it will not be useful if there is a big difference in skill. I think the closer two fighters are in skill the more beneficial strength advantage is. I have no idea why the fuck are people discussing beach muscles in this thread as if it has something to do with strength training.

[Negative Zero]

Originally Posted by Revs

Strenght is not everything
dos Santos is not even that big and can beat anyone

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...92552382_n.jpg

You're right though about strength not being everything. Conditioning isn't everything either and neither is technique or mental discipline. You need them all.

[Matt Boy]

Originally Posted by S80

I am 18, 176lbs, bench 240, squat 285 atg, don't train legs like I should, working on it, deadlift 390, can do a weighted chinup with 90lbs, weighted wide grip pullups with 70. OHP, 150, very weak shoulders, always been that way, they also tend to hurt.

I am really thinking of starting to train martial arts however honestly I am worried I would be extremely outclassed strength wise, I know one guy at my gym who trains, and I don't know how advanced he is, but he is a big juicer who Ive seen bench 225 for 12 clean reps, and max out the leg extension machine with every additional weight plate in the gym. After looking around I see a lot of guys on here all have me beat strength wise as well. Now I don't know how advanced most guys here are, but if I were to start training would most the guys whom would be training with me be about one and a half times as big and about twice as strong as I am?

Dafuq people are being ignorant on this thread, OFC weight training is extremely important in all forms of combat sport but its finding a happy medium where you don't end up like Phill Baroni with huge muscles but no cardio.

If you really are 18 and these stats are true, that's plenty strong enough for any martial art and alot stronger then me when I was 18 and boxing at a decent level.

[evansusmc2]

Originally Posted by devilrojo145

That depends on which martial art and the style of the practitioner. Most wrestlers = strong as hell.

Not to mention they have developed "wrestlers balance". And that can be used to really screw opponents that have ZERO wrestling seasons under their belt.