I'm about twice to three times stronger as compared to when I first started lifting weights, and yet the power of my smash has only gone down. I find that I can't get as much power out of my stiff/light racquets. I've switched over to heavier and more heavier racquets now and get more power out of those than the lighter ones, but they are still slower than my old smash speed before I started weight lifting. But then that kind of makes sense... lifting weights favours slow twich muscles whereas smashing requires fast twitch muscles. My years of badminton has trained my arms to be dominated by fast twitch muscles. Weight lifting trained my muscles to favour slow twich muscles instead, so that the total amount of fast twitch muscles is less. Then i'm reminded of the Indonesian situation, in which their elite players were actually the least fit. Perhaps it is preceisely because they didn't do much cross training and weight lifting that they are good... because their muscle composition is optimal for badminton rather than being optimised for a bunch of other stuff too. Anyway, apparently there is a new lifting strategy gaining popularity called Westside (from Westside Barbell Gyms i believe.) Part of that includes maximizes explosive power by lifting at maximum dynamic effort rather than at maxium static effort--that is to lift with less weight, but lift them faster (power = force * speed, so that you will still be using the same amount of power but with less weight and more speed.) For people doing traditional BB-style lifting, perhaps switching to the dynamic effort startegy will be more compatitble for badminton strength. Max effort, the other half of Westside, is better for endurance than the traditional BB style as well. It focuses on lifting more with less weight in a manner similar to running the rack except it's at fixed reps and at one-way. Thoughts/Comments? Anyone else feels the same way?
it all depends on how much ur lifting and how many reps you do just because you're lifting weights dont mean ur power for should decrease try to "mimic the weight" and do your weight training from there ie if your training the muscles above your knees, use a little more(1-2lbs) than the body of your weight then do maximum reps. this sorta "mimics" what ur doin on court and thus u should be able to lunge around the court more (over time)
I once read in a Dragonball Z comic about hero Son Goku and Son Gohan in the time room, doing a practice of aura control. At that time Goku did a aura concentration and in that sense, his entire body grew in size, muscles stronger and more powerful. Gohan went, "Great dad! Cell (enemy) is sure to lose now!". Goku then reverted to his old body and shook his head, "No son. Not this way". Gohan, puzzled, asked why. Goku said, "When the body grows in size, the power and strength increases and yet, I won't be able to hit him because I am no longer quick enough". I remember reading here in BF somewhere that the speed and acceleration of the racquet head is important to determine how powerful your shots are. Based on the story above, one can already be slower by more muscle mass alone, I wonder if it is made worst when using a tool that is not linked to the body, a racquet for example?
Sort of similar to the "World's Strongest Man" events. There's a trade off between strength and speed. Some guys are miles ahead in one particular discipline, but the winners are usually pretty good, but not best, at everything.
to have both Would it not be nice to be both strong and fast? Like Bruce Lee for example. Mohammond Ali too.
I think you meant plyometrics. Yes, doing weights only develop the brute slow acting muscles and can slow down the fast movement because the high speed muslce now got more slow muscles fibers to move with it.
Re: to have both Bruce lee wasn't that strong... he happened low body fat % so the muscles he did have show up better. I've seen someone bench press 850lb, and half the people in some gyms can bench 600+ ... Bruce lee wouldn't come close...
Muscle make you lose your flexibility also. I have a friend who is very muscular and could barely do a overhead. I have seen some top players pic and they didn't seem to be very very muscular in their arms. However, I have seen some men top single players with 4 pack of iron abs and big muscular leg.
Being un flexible because of weight training is only a myth. Lots of people are just naturally inflexible, myself included. I was inflexible before and after I did weight training. As far as the original post goes I disagree. I have been weight training for a few years and my shots are all more powerful and I move quicker around the court. As well, you can choose to train your fast twitch, or slow twitch muscles. You just adust the amount of repetitions you do.
Weightlifting doesn't really keep you in shape. Instead of jogging, which will just make you a good runner, try an aerobic circuit comprised of various types of skipping, various sprints (sprint, backpedal, side step), and strength component such as crunches, V-sits, etc. This is more suited specifically to badminton. As to the original post, it does make me think because since I started working out 6 months ago (gained about 10 pounds so far, went from 120 to 130 pounds), my overhead shots appear to not be as fluid, but I think I can attribute this to changing my technique. My defense/drives have improved since then, so I'm not sure how much working out affects badminton strokes/quickness. Also, muscles causing inflexibility is only the case when your muscles are so disgustingly huge that they are actually in the way of your range of motion. Phil
Bigredlemon, You are not alone, I also started weight training and my smashes decreased exponentially. I tend to swing with my arm, less body rotation, and less wrist snap. When I smash, it usually sends the bird to my oppenents bodies. THe harder i try the worst it gets. If I smash lightly, i could direct the bird to where ever i want better. Looking at the bright side, I noticed my speed getting to the birdy has increase, in another word, I am quicker getting to the bird which could only mean better game plan.
and it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind, never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in
I noticed the same thing, when I was doing a lot of weighlifting I gained a lot of muscle pretty fast and noticed that my smashes were slowing down. Building muscle did decrease my flexibility, so based on my experience if you are doing weightlifting make sure you do a lot of stretching and Ive found a good guideline is 1 hour of practice for 1 hour of weights (if possible, I know I dont have time for that now!!) Also I was advised from a personal trainer to get one of those workout elastic bands, tie one end to something solid, hold the other end, and practice your swing and technique at about 3/4 speed. I am trying it now, not really sure if it works, but I thought it was worth a try anyway. Just my 2 cents
I rememer reading somewhere that stretching during weight lifting reduces the maximum amount of weight you can lift by making your muscles more loose. So serious lifters only stretch enough to not get injured, which is usually done in the form of no stretching at all except for a minute or so, and starting off with 1/2 of the max weight. Phil's idea is good for building endurance and strength, though free weights can achieve the same. I'm sure if you use high reps with fast bar speeds the effects on smashing power would probably be positive rather than negative... but that would make it harder to build muscle size. Not to say everyone wants big muscles of course... as Brave_Turtle alluded to, have you noticed how (almost) every very high level badminton player have tiny arms in comparison to the rest of their body?
i too have heard about the lifting weights = less smashing power. but so far, it has not happened to me. My smashes are harder than previously... much harder in fact. maybe the extra muscle = extra weight = less fast to get into position to smash?
what does your lifting regime look like? what kind of split do you use? how many reps and sets? And what percentage of max weight?
i am not sure what you are talking abt. every week i just rotate between jogging, going to the gym, swimming and badminton. Usually it'll be like monday swim. tuesday gym in the morning, badminton at night. wed gym and after that swim. thursday badminton friday gym and jogging. sat badminton sunday gym/badminton everytime i go to the gym i just carry what i can and do between 8-15 rep for ard 3-5 sets. when i first started going to the gym i can only benchpress 30 kg (minus the bar, i'm not sure how heavy it is) now i can benchpress ard 55kg. the things i do in the gym is all upper body. i dont touch the legs. i hope this helps.
