Maximize Martial Arts Training: Techniques to Improve Strength, Stamina, and Skill

Discover proven conditioning strategies to enhance performance, prevent injury, and accelerate progress on and off the mat.

In this modern age time is in low supply and your to do list is growing exponentially. Sometimes we must take a step back and examine the life that we are living and figure out how to make the most of the 24 hours that we have during the day. Often, we get comfortable in our day-to-day routine with a massive number of distractions and wasted efforts. Listed below is a strategy to maximize your day to train more and to minimize the time wasted doing inefficient activities.

1. Plan Your Wardrobe: The time spent picking, choosing, and ironing clothes could be better spent training, eating, or resting. Wash your and iron your weekly wardrobe in one day and wear the clothes throughout the week. This also includes your training clothes too, so don’t skip this step. You may not be the most fashionable person around, but you will be ready to train during the week!
2. Plan Your Meals: Meal prep is a common tool used in the body building community to control calorie intake, specifically to maximize protein, minimize unnecessary fat and manage carbohydrates. We will use the same methodology to cut back on unnecessary time wasted during the week and to use this time to train or rest. Go Shopping for your favorite foods, buy containers if needed, and prepare flavorful meals that will last you during the week. Prep for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. You will have more time for rest and recovery at the end of the day.
3. Plan Your Training: This is the exciting part, your training is important, and you want to get the most your of every session.
   1. Keep A Training Journal: Training without a clear measurable goal is just exercise. That is not what we want, we are here to train! Keep a pen and your training journal close!
   2. Get A Stopwatch: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Measuring your training time is important, from long runs to your plank, and even your rest periods, they must all be measured, tracked and managed.
   3. Create A Training Schedule: Plan how many days you will train and what days you will rest as well as the times and frequency of your training. Do not plan to train hard 7 days a week, 3 times a day, including full and active rest days.
   4. Plan Your Training Routine: With your training goals in mind, decide what exercises you will be doing during the week. If possible, try to keep your cardio and endurance training on a separate day from your strength and power days to maximize your progress for each.
4. Plan Your Rest and Recovery: Training is important, but it is only as effective as your recovery. Set as many alarms as you need to get to bed and wake up on time, every time! Aim for 7 – 9 hours of rest, try to get to bed by 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm. If you have children, this is the time they should be in bed also. Use this coincidence to your advantage. Go to Sleep!

Use this strategy to maximize your training and improve your life! These are the methods and strategies that I use to train for tournaments and to live my life. I love training and I must do my best to carve time out of my life to train. Good luck!