Need workout routine guidance - 5’2, 17 yr old female, trying to gain strength

[crl]

I’m 17 years old and I’m trying to gain strength, particularly in my arms, for martial arts. While I am already stronger than most girls my age, I could definitely be better and also it would be pretty sick to see some cuts on my arms.

I do intense cardio at my dojang 2x a week already (I go 3x a week but not counting the third day because it’s shorter/usually more lax), and people have told me to left weights 3x a week for about 40 min- an hour. Since I get the cardio in at martial arts (and it isn’t my main concern/what I particularly need to work on imo) I have been lifting weights for 40 min (doing about 3 sets of 15 for 8-10 exercises). At first I was doing arms every time but I was advised to incorporate an abs day as well (I do a lot with my legs already so I don’t feel the need to target them).

And just want to know if this is enough, and when I should expect to start seeing results. I’m not particularly insecure about myself so I don’t mind not seeing results asap but I’d like some indication that I’m doing it right/that it’s even working. I’ve only been doing this for like 2 weeks, and at first I wanted to do 5x but ppl told me that was too much so idk.
Also I’d just like to throw in that I’m not worried about looking “bulky” or “manly” and that I would actually prefer to have bigger muscles instead of leaner ones, as my primary goal is to gain strength/improve health. So yeah. Please give any tips

 

[preacher4truth]

@crl I think your overall fitness as well as your martial arts performance could improve if you have a fundamental understanding of exercise science. For example, understanding what constitutes as cardio and why. Training a certain body part but not training another will 100% lead to injury. You mentioned you don't train legs because you already feel like you do during martial arts, but I assure you that the muscle fiber used during martial arts and the way in which it is used, is different than when you weight train. Also weight training ensures symmetry, meaning that if your quads are insanely strong but your hamstrings are not, to prevent an injury due to this imbalance, you want to train legs. Does this make sense? So I think you might want to incorporate a holistic weight training program that compliments your martial arts training. Granted athletes of different sports want certain muscles or certain mobility to be better and stronger, but in general, you want to be balanced. If your abs are strong but your low back is weak or vice versa, it will lead to an injury. So the sets and the reps aren't as important per se (so long as you're not over training), what is important is that you're training every muscle in the body....chest, back, biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, legs, etc etc...dominant muscles as well as antagonist muscles alike. In doing so, you'll notice an improvement in your martial arts as well.

 

[dablain]

@crl If you lift weights 3 days a week and do 3 sets of 15 reps of 8 to 10 different exercises (i.e. 24 to 30 different exercises per week) targeting all the major muscle groups in your upper body, that routine should make you stronger. And that will likely be your first sign of progress: feeling stronger. You’ll be able to lift more weight for 15 reps than you could when you first started.