Page 138 - Pat O'Keeffe Combat Kick Boxing

Combat Kick Boxing

Strength
Weight and Resistance Training
In Kick Boxing –A Framework for Success I outlined a basic exercise routine that
could be built on to take you into the ring. If you haven’t read it I suggest you do
so before reading on.
Here I will skip many of the basics and cut to the heart of what will give you
explosive power and a good maintenance programme. I will only show an upper-
body routine and explain later how to build up your legs through various running
routines and bag work. This is not to denigrate weight-training routines for the
legs, it merely reflects my own training and emphasis. Ultimately you may wish
to embark on a full weight-training programme, but that is beyond the scope of
this book.
In purely practical terms, I believe that a combination of weight-training and
body-resistance exercises such as press-ups, affords the best maintenance
programme for someone wishing to stay street sharp.
A number of years ago I was on the comeback trail after a long period away
from ring fighting due to injury. A friend of mine, John King, was a weight-
training instructor, as well as a 5 Dan in Go So kempo, a doorman with more
th
than twenty-five years of experience, and a one-time kick boxer. He suggested
that I come to him and he would coach me through a routine that would enable
me to rip the heads off the opposition!
It was a routine devised to fit in with what was an already full training regime
of running four times a week, sparring three times a week, bag work, skipping
and pair and shadow-boxing three times a week.
With such a heavy training commitment it was important that the routine be
of relatively short duration, but geared to provide maximum results. Also, because
of the amount of running and bag kicking that I was doing, it was only an upper-
body routine.
John’s idea was to give me both anaerobic and aerobic training simultaneously.
This was achieved by spacing out the workstations and making me run from one
to the other between exercises to keep my heart rate up – which it did! He
christened it the ‘Killer Routine’ – though I never got to the bottom of whether it
was meant to kill the opposition or me.

Warning: If you are new to weight-training do not attempt this routine under
any circumstances, especially the running between workstations. Build up to it
slowly over a period of months. The best approach would be to do the exercises
individually, as three sets only, until you can cope. Once you can deal with the
exercises, place them back to back as described and then, only when ready, add
the running.

This routine performed two or three times a week will give you a real edge and
will enhance your ability to fight strongly.

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