Hi guys, newbie here. I was wondering if you could help clarify the proper training method for conditioning the body to take punches. Is it okay to keep your abs tensed the whole time your training buddy is punching you/hitting you with the medicine ball or should you try and tense them before you get hit? Also I know you're not supposed to hold your breath when you get hit but should you exhale right before or as you're getting hit?
You want to flex your stomach muscles right before the medicine ball/punch is thrown at your body. You don't want to exhale as you are being hit in the stomach as it's going to hurt much more. Nor do you want to just hold your breath for long periods as your body is being pounded upon. The principle is similar with punching. Clench the fist and flex the forearms right before the moment of impact.
Your stomach muscles tighten when you exhale, that's how the air gets forced out of your lungs. You don't want to take a shot while you're inhaling because that's when the muscles are loose and it will hurt and knock the wind out of you. Sharp exhale just before the ball (or punch if you see it coming and know it's gonna hit you) hits.
I love doing that exercise where we slam a medicine ball towards a concrete wall really hard and then you catch it with your abs/torso. It's an ab conditioning and core strengthening exercise in one.
definitley exhale when you punch..heaps to relax when throwing puches & titans to stomach at the same time
Hey guys, got a related question and didn't want to start a new thread. Is it possible that by body conditioning, you are making your abs weaker? Would hitting your abs when they're tensed be like tenderizing the muscle?
In the short term yes. All trauma damages the muscle but it will repair stronger. So long as you don't seriously damage it.
What's key is that you don't produce irreparable damage. To me, conditioning work on abs that involve contact isn't so much about strengthening them but to allow the body to learn how to take the blow.
Interesting, so playing 'dead arm' as a kid has made my arms stronger lol. Yea, I know. I was just wondering if I had to 'sacrifice' some muscle while teaching the body to absorb blows. I'm glad it actually makes your abs stronger.
If you don't overdo it, you probably aren't sacrificing much...except maybe for some pain during your workout.
