Increasing strength.

[jack_the_rippuh]

You ever wrestle with one of your friends who were about the same size as you, but they were just physically stronger than you?

How do you train for strength? How do you train for strength and not muscle, because that's what I'm more interested in. I don't really want to get all bulky, I just want to stay the way I am and become stronger, is that possible?

[jeffmills]

Well leave the weights and do only calisthenics, including things like handstand press-ups and neck bridging(do the latter very carefully however). Add plyometrics to this.

Also do things like you mentioned above, try freestyle or greco roman wrestling.

Also chopping wood, lifting uncoventional things like logs or large rocks. A good thing to try is farmers walks, where you hold two heavey dumbells in either hand and fast walk 50m, turn then and fast walk 50m the other way.

Or get a hold of some sandbags. Grab one, run 50m, trun and run 50back, rest then repeat.

[boxernyc]

You ever wrestle with one of your friends who were about the same size as you, but they were just physically stronger than you?

How do you train for strength? How do you train for strength and not muscle, because that's what I'm more interested in. I don't really want to get all bulky, I just want to stay the way I am and become stronger, is that possible?

Do the prison work out minus the weights. Sit ups, push-ups, squats. Use your body weight and you won't get big but you will get more cut and definitely stronger. Or you could use light weights and a lot of reps until you hit failure. I am ususally that guy that people who are pretty much the same size as me underestimate my power. I have just been doing this type of working out for many years and though I may not look very cut or big I have done it since a young age so I think the mucle is well conditioned and more importantly, I have learned how to use the muscles in a well coordinated way to get more strength than someone who may have a slightly bigger build. Please note, by no way am I saying I am a strength expert or that I am bruce lee type cut. This is just how I have trained and I have found it to be effective.

[jeffmills]

Oh and lots of running and interval training eg.sprinting will give you plenty of explosiveness.

[PunchDrunk]

It's certainly possible to become much stronger with a limited weigth gain. You have to stay in the low reps (1-6), and refrain from training to failure. Say you're doing 3 sets of 6 reps on a given excercise. You should actually be able to do 7 or 8 reps on the weight you're choosing for 6 reps. This limits the muscle breakdown, that is the main factor in inducing hypertrophy (excercise wise, cal intake and other factors are equally important).

[PunchDrunk]

It's not that what you're saying is wrong.... However, bodyweight work can be just as effective for hypertrophy as barbells and dumbells. It's all about rep schemes and whether you go to failure or not. Look at olympic Gymnasts. Those guys have arms most bodybuilders would die (or shoot up) for. Generally they use only bodyweight strength training. On the other hand, if you take a look at lower weight class olympic weight lifters, they're really not that big, muscle wise, but they're STRONG!!
There's a lifter at my gym who's about 150 lbs., like me. He's taller and therefore skinnier than me, and he just squatted 352 lbs. the other day! Weightlifters never train over 6 reps (usually 1-3) and the result is great strength and limited size (remember, they compete in weight classes as well.).

[pinaldino]

Interesting stuff, punch drunk.
A good (and 100% safe) exercise is to use water resistance in a swimming pool. Go to the shallow part of the pool, stay where the water level is about your shoulders. Then u can simulate weighlifting exercises and develop all the upper body.
The faster u move ur hands, the greater the resistance so you cannot hurt yourself and u can increase the difficulty as u progress.
also shadowbox under water can help u develop power and strength on the inside, I think the great hagler was doing it.
and there are always some nice ladies around to watch if you need motivation for the pool

[Rockin']

You can lift weights for strength without bulking yourself up. I would actually recommend using weights. Just do high repetition with low weight. burn that muscle out man, build its endurance and build its strength. You wont get bulked up from this, your muscles will just get leaner, tighter and stronger.

The push ups and chin ups and all of that is a given, always do those..............Rockin'

[pinaldino]

You can lift weights for strength without bulking yourself up. I would actually recommend using weights. Just do high repetition with low weight. burn that muscle out man, build its endurance and build its strength. You wont get bulked up from this, your muscles will just get leaner, tighter and stronger.

The push ups and chin ups and all of that is a given, always do those..............Rockin'

Just to make sure...what do you call high reps? like 20, 30, more?
and do you keep going until failure?

[PunchDrunk]

You can lift weights for strength without bulking yourself up. I would actually recommend using weights. Just do high repetition with low weight. burn that muscle out man, build its endurance and build its strength. You wont get bulked up from this, your muscles will just get leaner, tighter and stronger.

The push ups and chin ups and all of that is a given, always do those..............Rockin'

If you lift weights like that, you're NOT really building any strength. Only thing you're working on is muscle endurance, and in my opinion you're better of working on heavy bags, sparring and other more boxing related stuff. That's where you get your endurance. Low weights are a waste of time for boxers. You HAVE to lift heavy (0-100% of 1RM) to get stronger. Read my earlier posts on how to do this without bulking up.

Read up on your training theory Rock...