Why Are Men Who Only Lift Weights Considered "Strong?"

[lucasnabizada]

First I want to say that by strong, I mean people who can eventually fight and not intimidate or ambush people in the streets at night, or with 4 other colleges.

Also that I don't have the pretense of calling myself strong, I let other judge themselves when I face them.

So I've been studying martial arts for quite some time, 6 years of Tae Kwen-do and now nearly 3 years of karate. Not that I consider myself awesome or anything. Or that I fight people out in the streets everyday because that is not true...I just deem that I have actually seen and learned how to fight in a controlled fighting space. With either sportified form or more direct contact and application in my latest dojo. (I am about 55 kilos no more, rather thin, but dry to the muscle not the bone I would say)

Now the thing is I have problems with what people consider strong in our society today. That comes from the fact that people who seem revered or estimated powerful are ones who basically look like bulls, whose definition of (keeping in good shape) is to lift a piece of metal for days and days becoming bloated with water and body fluids and eventually evaluating into a tight balloon full of water ready to pop, which HIGHLY reduces their muscle capabilities, and muscle coordination.

Now the reason I am writing this is because you see those people entering a dojo wanting to "fight"...You see them coming and they can't handle any of it. No matter how "fit" they consider themselves to be, they cannot take any of the physical, cardio, or and most importantly the mental presence, challenge and pressure. They are just down. And I see this and it's just really sad to see that they think themselves in better shape because they are big, or bulky, or have beards, and pecs and they do all these things and go to their gyms and look tough, when in reality when they have to fight, and I am talking about head on tatami fighting, face to face one on one, they will just not be able to take it in.

I've seen it. They are knocked on the ground once and they can't get up because they are really heavy so one fall is really devastating to them...They can't move correctly. Some of them just pass out, tap out. Not that this never happens but still. They will get hit somewhere, (in the arm I saw once) and they are so over-bloated that their muscle literally pops inside. And i'm not kidding you; they really get injured and so few can actually keep up with the training that is given to them. I am in a tough school of karate by a traditional master so maybe that explains, because it is no American martial art if you know what I mean.

So just wanted to say: People think keeping in shape or being physically superior is to lift metal and do a couple pushups, take up as much carbs so you become a bulldozer, when in reality it all means nothing.

[Anonymous]

You defined 'strong' as fighting ability. Well sure. By your definition lifting weights is not a key part of being 'strong'. But some people define 'strong' as 'being able to lift heavy shit'. And you know, that's a pretty valid definition too.

Personally I do a martial art and only strength train to supplement that. I've done straight up barbell work in the past.

I think you might consider that a lot of people like the aesthetics of muscular guys. They LOOK strong and masculine. Being able to handle yourself in a fight is strong and masculine, but it doesn't show when you take your shirt off.

[Puppylove94]

They are physically stronger.. Lol they can lift more than you. Most likely they'd be able to throw a punch stronger than a fighter too if they knew the proper technique.

Fighting and lifting are different sports though. You can't really put them in the same category like that

[EnglishArtsteacher]

Exactly! Someone can be an amazing fighter, but not that physically strong, and vice versa. I lift all the time, and I know I'm stronger than men who don't ever lift.

[AhGojira]

Ha! No...

[lucasnabizada]

He can't throw a punch with those arms... He's too heavy too slow... I told you iv'e seen a guy actually "BURST" his muscle when he got a shock there... It became completely purple and he had to stop right away because of a minor shock... Almost literally it's not muscle it's freaking water... It makes you slow... It's a pure illusion of strength... You're at no advantage against someone trained... He can't punch harder, because he can't punch at all... The strong is weak

[Truthatanycost]

I get where you are coming from but your take is full of stereo types. Also, why would you worry about what society deems strong? If you know you are then nothing else matters.

I do not do weight lifting, I do Isomotion using an Isokinator Green Giant and people ask me what my lifting routine is.

The difference with the Isokinator is that you build strength, flexibility, balance and muscle mass and you can get quite big from it. I bet you couldn't do more than 90KG on the chest routine with that.

However, you focused on strength in your take when you should have focused on ego. Having big muscles or strength does not make a better fighter, science and technique does. Those big guys simply have big egos.

[AdamThomas]

I've had this happen where I used to box, although not quite as dramatic. There would always be a big 16/17/18 stone bodybuilder would come in with his vest on strutting around as if he owns the place, and they always used to put them in the ring with me because I was only about 8/9 stone at the time. They'd always snigger at first when the trainer would say "don't hurt him Ad teach him" with a wink, they were never fast enough to hit me and I dropped a couple of them. Was always fun to wipe (punch) the smirks off their faces.

But they were still stronger than me. They were on steroids and they lifted probably more than twice the weight I did. And the amount of force you can produce is what strength is. It's funny that they're always seen as tough though, a lot of them just get big to scare people away because they're big pussies themselves.

[Anonymous]

Almost everything about this is wrong. I lift weights but I also practice martial arts. I personally do BJJ and am not gonna lie I am not a fan of Karate and especially TKD when it comes to real life fighting. If you have enough distance to even do any kicks you use in TKD then you should just turn around and run away instead like a smart person. Kata's are for show not real fighting. I don't have a problem getting up anymore than the guys in my academy that don't lift at all. I even got told I'm really strong and hard to deal with after rolling with someone.

Bruce Lee himself a man who could kick anyones ass said himself that you need to do strength and muscle building. He didn't go so far as body builder but he would hit the gym and lift weights. He didn't just practice technique all day.

[lucasnabizada]

Does Bruce Lee look like someone ingesting chicken and lifting metal... Plus I fear this is going to turn into a Martial Arts debate LMAO... But I think you're judging things you're not practicing... I agree TKD is surely not a real life application, I just had basis of agility and basic stretch with it when I was younger... Then I quit and took on Karate,,, But to say that katas are for show is really insulting... That just proves to me that you know nothing of karate in the slightest... And that's just insulting Karate altogether... I'm not no fucking dancer... You think people who have been doing them for 60 years do it..."FOR SHOW?"... They'll fucking kill you with it... Karate Kata IS real life application...

[lucasnabizada]

I've seen a few people coming on a tatami thinking..."This was a show" LMAO... Trust me... Or that they were here for camping on the ground after 10 minutes of training... They were surprised

[goodmood]

In lifting, there are two different kinds of weight training: bodybuilding and powerlifting. Power lifting will dramatically increase your strength because it targets myofibrillar hypertrophy. Since strength describes the work force that your muscle can produce, and since strength is a function of the number of myofibrils, powerlifting will indeed make you stronger because it increases the number of myofibrils your muscle. Bodybuilding, on the other hand, targets sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, and it increases the volume of the muscle fiber. This does not increase the number of myofibrils, and hence it will not increase your strength. That's why you see guys who are jacked aren't as strong as, say, a skinny farmer. Big doesn't necessarily mean strong. There's a huge difference.

[KittieCat]

According to definition one:
having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks
Weight train = increased muscle mass = strength

Anyways I don't think what you're describing is strength in the traditional sense. But strength has nothing to do with fighting, endurance, or discipline. Martial arts are pretty cool

I'd learn but I have no time so I'll squat away

[lucasnabizada]

Strength= strong... Would you call strong a man on the ground who ends up on the floor incapable of breathing...

[KittieCat]

I would call him out of breath. Has nothing to do with his physical strength. Like other people have said fighting and lifting are in completely different worlds. I don't know why you're trying to compare them

[lucasnabizada]

You have to put yourself in my shoes seeing those 80 kilo guys freaking fall down in matter o seconds... So are they strong... Or is it the illusion of strength... That's the real question

[KittieCat]

I have a feeling you aren't reading anything that I'm saying lol

[ihatethiswebsite]

He just wants to respond with his predetermined answer lol.

[KittieCat]

@ihatethiswebsite Should I be nice and just tell him he's right lol

[ihatethiswebsite]

Absolutely lol

[KittieCat]

@ihatethiswebsite Alright lol.

ALMIGHTY TAKE WRITER YOUR WISDOM HAS BEEN GRACED UPON ME. STRONG MEN ARE NOT STRONG BECAUSE THEY CANNOT DO MARTIAL ARTS.

Do I get a cookie for that?

[ihatethiswebsite]

✋🏼✋🏼✋🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[AhGojira]

While I agree some training in something like karate will put you at an advantage against some random gym rat that just lifts, in reality you're not really trained to fight either… Most club black belts will get destroyed by a mediocre grappler in an actual fight. Don't over estimate your abilities... I agree that there are a lot of posers that think their tough because they lift. So what, how does that affect you? If they fuck with you, then put them in their place.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

Strength and fighting are 2 different things. People who lift are stronger. You're describing technique. If a 7 year old hits Brock lesner (like 6'4 260 on a Tuesday) in the gonads and brings him to his knees, does that mean the 7 year old is stronger? No

[Miezko]

Because to the average person they are strong. It's kind of like saying am avid chess player who is considered “good" by his peers is a “horrible" chess player because he can't beat a grand master chess player. Just like “good" and “horrible" are relative terms there “strong" is a relative term here.

[Miezko]

I'd also like to add, while I have the utmost respect for martial artist bodybuilding is really not that much different in terms of the dedication and discipline that is required to truly master their art. And in this way true bodybuilders are as deserving of respect as any martial artist is. And I think that you'll find that in giving respect you are much more likely to receive respect in turn.

[Scabbard]

Buddy, I can understand your point,
but consider this
With significant practice in martial art, you can deliver much effective blow.
But with martial arts and weight training, you can crack open skulls.
I was 58 at 5'9 3 months ago. With weight training and a big diet, I am now 63 and I can feel the difference in my strikes.
Try and you'll see.

[Thisperson98]

Unfortunately people don't respect martial arts like they did years ago. Some people think martial arts teaches nothing about actual fighting.

[lucasnabizada]

Yeah I'm talking about those kinds of guy's who come thinking it's a party or something... They are generally surprised... And they don't come back

[Fathoms77]

Well, not all guys who lift weights are uncoordinated morons. :P

[lucasnabizada]

Granted of course... And some is actually beneficial... And by that I mean some Gym trainings... But you have to admit the typical clan of bearded guys on carbs, gluten, and stupidity coming out of LA Fitness every other day aren't "strong" like they think they are... They have the illusion of being strong

[Fathoms77]

Thankfully, I'm nowhere near LA Fitness but I'm willing to bet that a lot of dopes you describe are there. :)

[Anonymous]

Because people who lift weights are stronger than those who don't. Nobody said they were a better fighter.

[lucasnabizada]

So you want me to declare that the hunky dude lying on the ground after 15 minutes of real training is "Strong" or is it the illusion of being strong LOL :)

[Opinion Owner]

There's no illusion. If you wanted a guy to haul and pack up stuff, then the guy who lifts would be way better. Fighting is more of a skill and lifting heavy things would be strong.