Any one that is studying or training for self-defense, close combat, or mixed martial arts knows that they need to get and stay as strong as possible. To be effective in any type of hand-to- hand combat or self-defense you need to have strength and power throughout your entire body. The most effective way to gain and maintain strength and power is through a sensible, all around, total body weight training program.

You need to build strength and the best way to build strength is by using some sort of progressive resistance exercise or in other words, weight training. You need to be lifting weights in a progressive manner that challenges your body to become stronger by lifting heavier and heavier weight. Muscles grow and get stronger when they are exposed to stress therefore you should strive to make each workout as hard as possible. You should strive to add either weight or reps as often as possible. For example, if this week you were able to do 5 reps at 300 pounds for your squat, then next week you try to do 6 reps. By systematically adding reps or weight to each of your exercises you will get stronger.

In addition, you should always be training heavy. Light weight and lots of repetitions will not make you stronger. However, the term "heavy", is relative. Heavy is the amount of weight that is hard for you and makes you work hard. If 100 pounds in the squat is heavy for you and taxes you to your limit, then 100 pounds is heavy for you. Keep at this and build from there as long as you are experiencing an adequate amount of resistance. If you try to go to heavy for your limit you may hurt yourself or get disillusioned and quit.

Another concept to understand is that you are training with weights to develop all around strength, power, and condition. You are not weight lifting to become as strong as possible in one exercise for a single lift. This would be counter productive and take too much energy because you are also training to be the best you can at your particular endeavor, whether that be self-defense, close-combat, or mixed martial arts. Again, your are training your body with weights, not training to be a weight lifter.

An excellent routine for conditioning the entire body should consist of the following exercises done once or twice a week. Squats, dead lifts, bent-over rowing, overhead press, bench press, and standing curls. Two to three sets of six to eight repetitions should be sufficient for most people. A beginner should only only need one set for the first month or two and then can progress to two or three sets. These exercises all work the core muscles and exercises such as squats and dead lifts benefit the entire body.

So, if you are looking to build power and strength and maintain total body fitness, give these exercises a try.