The Weighting Game...

I rarely make New Year Resolutions as I figure trying to think about changing things when I'm half-cut and as generally miserable as I am on New Year's Eve is a bad idea.

But one thing I am definitely continuing next year that I've started already is to use weights as part of my training regime.

Bizarre though it may seem for a big-nosed, speccy beanpole, I used to be a bit of a gym bunny but I generally found it quite dull and no matter what weight programme I adopted I never put any weight on my arms. It was simply a case of 'I've always had skinny arms and that's probably always going to be the case'.

Since I started hapkido, however, I haven't worried about it as my arms and grip quickly became much stronger and all I wanted was functional muscles rather than big-bulging, chick-attracting biceps.

Since I've started boxing, however, things are happening and while I may never be Lou Ferrigno I may yet lose my twiglet arms. And I figure this would also be a bit of a boon because more arm muscle would help protect my shoulders and elbow joints, which have both been injured in the past few years.

Weight training has always been a contentious issue in the martial arts as it's always thought that technique and speed generate power rather than brute strength. Another worry is that excessive strength may make a martial artist forget technique and rely on power.

But much recent thinking has argued against this and the rise of UFC has made a lot of martial artists realise that sometimes technique and speed aren't enough against well-trained, all-round fighters.

Anyway... I was enthusiastically explaining this to the Missus but she was watching Strictly Come Dancing and told me to be shut up.

She probably doesn't need weight training.