Why can't I lift as much weight?

[crackerjacker]

Hi There
I originally posted this on the womens thread but realize maybe I should have posted it here instead.

I have been doing a womens muay tai kick boxing class for about 8 months. Before that I did weight training about 3 days a week and cardio on the other three days. Since I have been kick boxing I haven't been doing hardly any weight training. I decided to try and incorporate in back into my workout but it seems that I cant lift as much weight as before andI get tired out. I do the muay tai class 3 days a week and try do to the weight training in between. Any insight or suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks CJ

[kosmo yagkoto]

Myself not being a women, this may not be why......but are you doing your cardio and/or muy tai classes before you lift? If so that might be why, and if you don't do that, then it may be because you are just more active.

[SamuraiGuy]

a Few reasons that could be the reason why.. see if any of these could apply.

1. Your overtraining, doing too much on the days you are training/weight lifting, or doing it too many days a week, strength is built not in the gym but while resting.

2. You've been doing Muay Thai for a long time, is the strongest person the best at Muay Thai, no... obviously not, Gene Rychlak with a 1005 pound benchpress (world record) is not the best at Muay Thai. The point of this.. by doing Muay Thai youve become far FAR more cardio-vascularly fit (I would hope), and youve also gained alot more muscle endurance from all the repeated punches and kicks.

A simple test of the above is if you knew how many pushups you could do before you started Muay Thai, im sure you can do alot more now.

3. I highly doub this, and I think it is number two that has happened to you, but you may have just gotten weaker... it happens.

[crackerjacker]

I weight train on the days that I do not do Muy tai, but I do two a class on two consecutives and I alternate upper and lower body workouts. I get a bit confused though if I do a class with a lot of kicking would it have a similar effect as doing a leg workout, same goes for arms and punching.

I set my goals for three days of weight training a week about an hour each session and that would include a twenty minute run or walk on the treadmill depending on how much energy I have.

I tested the push up theroy I can do 20 mens pushups which is good I think I could maybe do ten before.

thanks for the advice this board seems like a cool place I think I will like it here!

[crackerjacker]

oops I am spelling muay thai wrong?

[xmartial artist]

crackerjacker I used to have the same problem with kickboxing I realised that you can't physically expect to perform your best weightlifting without it having a negative effect martial arts or visa versa because they are both mentally and physically demanding on the body (muscles and central nervous system in particular).

However you could either try working out at the gym on non martial arts days or do a full body split/workout 1-2 times a week (monday + friday) or as some people suggest you could focus on compound lifts (such as squats, bench press, military press, pullups, deadlifts, leg press, ez bar bicep curls or reverse curls, clean and press (which I don't do because it requires good leg +back strengh) etc.