Martial Arts and Daily Living

Martial Arts

Focus

Many students ask - what do I do with my eyes? Where do I look? Regardless what the practice is - standing, walking, moving - eyes are looking straight but your mind does not register information taken by your eyesight. The gaze is turned internally, observing your muscles, your legs, your hands, scanning every single part of your body with your mind. I used to go to crowded places to train for competitions - the more distraction the better it was. Well, no doubt, I learned how to focus and keep final destination constantly in my mind - perfection of the body posture, allowing the energy to flow freely like cleaning blocked pipes or dirty chimneys. Meridians are fresh, blood circulates to all parts of the body, there are no blockages and as qi starts in your dan tian it swirls through the whole body and is being released into the ground. To reach perfection you first hear about what it is that you are looking for and then step by step focus on each requirement until you get it and lift yourself up to new horizons. I take focus as another insight for daily living.

Flexibility

A lot of people are put off by the idea of martial arts for a simple reason that you need to wake up early and practice outside during winter. In my opinion these are such minor components of the whole practice and if you do get into practicing at dawn and during the winter than you are already into it that much that it does not matter. Your teacher may be flexible enough to assist you in learning whenever it is convenient for you, some teachers take it easy during winter and if you have a spacious apartment you can practice at home. So, first of all martial arts teaches about flexibility. By being flexible I mean physically and mentally because it is all connected and one directs the other.

Calm

Another simple implementation of martial arts in daily living is that you learn how to keep being focused and relaxed while doing strenuous exercise. The practice gets your body to twist in new directions, to use muscles you haven’t used before, to learn what ‘natural posture’ means in terms of martial arts. After a while your body becomes soft outside (for the observer) and hard inside (you experience the flow of qi in your body). Simply, if you manage to keep your body relaxed during strenuous exercise then in daily living you can maintain being relaxed in stressful situations. Needless to mention, daily practice enables you to remain calm and focused despite the circumstances and the environment.

Patience

Recently I have been translating for Liu Sifu - he has new students who do not speak much of Chinese and I am amazed (again and again) how much patience he has. Each student is treated in a new way, with new perspective, so much appropriate for their personality. I stopped asking how he does it, each time it is just as if he knows how nature works. Of course, practicing ba gua was helpful for increasing this insight (amongst other things). As I translate I keep rushing ahead, giving my perspective on what is being said, talking about my experience while he sits calmly and waits for me to finish. Never a single comment, never a single request. I look at new students practicing zhang zhuan (standing stance) and keep thinking: they must be bored, there is so much more to it! And yet, I realize - their mind and body are so occupied maintaining the proper standing stance as it looks simple to an observer while the person practicing has busy time thinking of all things that need to be done - usual case with internal martial arts. I learned patience by living in China and I know that patience is part of every journey - accept the fact that beginning is slow and that some things you will do well, some will be hard.

Determination and Discipline

Over the course of 7 years of practice I have learned one thing about internal martial arts - there are times when I enjoy it, when the flow of it is so natural and free, by body wakens and mind empties itself accepting nature as the only guide. As everything else in life, there are also times when I am lazy, I dread waking up in the morning, my body rebels, practice seems boring and I question if there is anything coming out of it. Liu calls these times “guan” (”pass”). Each guan is blocking the way towards new learning, realization and expansion. So there is physical guan, lazy guan, guan of doubt etc. It is our choice to stop and retreat from practice or to continue and see what awaits us behind the obstacle. Usually it is expansion of physical and mental experience: body becomes stronger, mind reaches new horizons. However, it does not mean that if you pass one guan you have finished with that lesson. For me, lazy guan keeps coming back but the time needed to pass it is getting shorter and shorter. Lessons are fulfilling enough for me to realize that determination and discipline is what takes me further towards abundant and balanced living.

With flexibility, calm, focus, patience, determination and discipline I look forward to every new challenge.

Tags: exercise, martial art, martial arts

Getting in fighting shape, post-workout meals are important.

How Important Is Nutrition Post Workout?

If you were told that you could increase protein synthesis by as much as 110%, would you believe it? What if you were also told that you could store glycogen twice as effectively? What if you were told you could increase insulin sensitivity, growth hormone levels, and naturally increase recovery time? We bet you would have trouble believing that too, wouldn’t you?

Well, it is possible and we are here to tell you that these things are DEFINITELY true.  The choice is yours on whether you choose to believe it or not.

A common misconception that a lot of body builders have is that it is ok to work your ass off, and then as soon as you have finished your vigorous workout, it is time to go someplace that is comfy and stretch out to relax.  Well, we hate to be the ones to burst your bubble, but this type of thinking will not get you the results you are working so hard to achieve!

The post workout meal should ALWAYS be an important part of your regime!
When and How much?

Ok, now that we have that determined, and you know how important the post workout meal is, do you know what you should eat, when, and how much you should eat?

After you have just finished putting every ounce of energy you have into a vigorous workout, your muscles become torn down, glycogen is shot to hell, and you can even enter into catabolism.  Don’t just ignore it, take care of the problem by giving them the important nutrients they are craving.

Carbs that are stored as glycogen is done 125% more efficiently right after a strenuous workout, and this has been proven by various studies.  Not only that, but the building of new muscles (called protein synthesis) is elevated a great deal as well.  Why would you not want to benefit from this, and give your muscles exactly what they need to repair, and to grow?

Just How Important Is Water?

Imagine losing 20% of your strength.  Without re-hydrating after you work out, this is exactly what can happen.  Not only is water extremely important for replenishing what your body lost during your workout, but it also takes 4ml. of water, for your body to store every gram of carbohydrates as glycogen.  80% of our bodies are made up of water, it is what is used to help maintain your internal body temperature, and it is also used for the forming of and burning ATP.

Which Carbs Are Best?

When you think of your post workout meal, you want to think of carbs that are the fastest acting, and preferably the ones in liquid form.  Assuming you had a vigorous workout, you will want to take in approximately 1 to 1 ½ grams of carbs per kilogram of your total bodyweight.  This means if you weigh 200lbs., you will need to take in 100-150 grams of carbs.

Fruits can be good for after workout meals, as long as they are fruits that are higher in glucose than they are in fructose.  It is best to eat fruits on the high glycemic index, such as that in banana’s or grapes.

Protein – Protein –  and More Protein!

Everyone should know by now that protein is our muscles’ building block.  Are you aware that after you have work out, you are able to absorb and use just about 50% more protein, than you can while eating other regular meals? The protein synthesis in your body is at high levels during this time, and this is why it is so important to put protein back in.  Give your muscles what they need! Depending on your size and metabolism, between 30 and 70 grams should be sufficient.

What’s A Post Workout Meal Without Vitamins!

We can’t forget about vitamins and minerals.  After a vigorous workout, your cells are oxidized because of the free radicals.  So, the nutrients from vitamins are needed to help your muscles repair, as well as to help bond to the radicals.  It is very important that you take a multi-vitamin that is high in vitamin C, and vitamin E, along with chromium and alpha-lipoic acid or ALA.  These help to ensure your muscles are more insulin sensitive, and the cells of your muscles will be able to absorb the nutrients they need much more effectively and efficiently.

If you REALLY want great results, you can’t ignore any portion of your daily workout regime, and this includes the post workout meal! Check out the sample ones below, geared towards a 200 pound male. Remember to adjust their calories accordingly:

Tags: nutrition, recovery time, workout

The importance of recovery in a boxing workout

Recovery is very under used by many boxing trainers. Recovery methods are sometimes thought of as a novelty or even a way babying a fighter.

Typically a fighters training camp will run 4-6 weeks of brutally intense training. If a fighter shows up

Sometimes the best thing in a hard workout is relaxing.

in camp in pretty bad shape the training means to get him in great shape can often leave him over trained just barely surviving the training camp. This is do to the high and hard amount of training he will partake in to get his weight down to get in shape. So the fighter starves, runs all these miles and works the bag for many rounds yet no recovery is usually planned. The next line of action is check weight if the fighter is still heavy. Even if a fighter isn’t that bad out of shape, they are still being told that the other fighter is training even harder so they burn themselves even more by picking it back up.

The best solution is to monitor the fighters readiness before training intensely. If the fighter comes to training wore out, why beat a tired horse even more. It’s not weakness the fighter is showing, it’s the fighters body telling the trainer something. The trainer needs to pay close attention to his boxer and at the same time implement recovery modalities after the training to ensure proper training readiness/freshness. The fighter will then show up to the next training session rejuvanated and ready to train hard. You are then building the fighter up and not breaking them down.

Again, Why beat a tired horse? I’ll repeat this again too, naive boxing trainers look at over training as not training hard enough. This has got to stop. We know what happens with this scenario. If the team would monitor training readiness and use recovery techniques such as massage and proper post workout nutrition, they would obviously be building the fighting beast they seek to have ready at fight night. In training we are only as good as we recover. If we don’t recover we don’t progress. It is ridiculous for fighters to show up to the fight fatigued by barely surviving their training camp. Implementing recovery methods will ensure this won’t happen.

Here are some recovery methods that can be successfully applied to the fighters training: foam roller, massage stick, goose bump ball, deep tissue massage, steam room, hot tub, and post workout nutrition. Mineral and epson salt baths work well too. Nutrition on a whole determines how well a fighter can train and recover. If the fighter is bloody starving himself to make weight, that’s the fight itself and it’ll cost the fighter the fight.

By gaging the training intensity of the fighter you allow the fighter to recover better and not peak to early for the fight. It is far better to rest for a day or two and decrease the intensity of the training then to peak before the fight! The fighters who have to take off all the pounds and come to camp out of shape can peak 3 weeks before a fight! This is the reason they can look so flat during the fight. Look deeper and the truth comes out.

I hope this article has shed some light on why applying recovery techniques and modalities in boxing training can determine the success or apparent early downfall of the fighter. The new motto of enlightened, experienced trainers is “Less Is More”. Based on their fighters performances who follow this new slogan, who can disagree?

Tags: boxer, Boxing, Techniques, training, workout

How to Keep in Shape and Gain More Confidence With Martial Arts

There are many various forms of exercise that people use to keep in shape. One way to keep in shape and gain more confidence is by doing martial arts. You will find many different types of martial arts are available to those who are interested in this discipline. To help you out with the learning process of martial arts there are academies and dojos where you will have a chance of learning different styles and forms of martial arts.

Is Martial Arts a good fitness activity?

In the academies you will get to learn different techniques and weapons use of the many forms of martial arts. While you can learn more about this ancient form of fighting it is best to experience this learning with a qualified and trained instructor.

With the help of these individuals you can make sure that your training progress at a rate that your body will be able to work with. You will also be shown the right movements so that you don’t cause yourself any serious injurious. Now most of these academies can be geared towards teaching one type of training.

For this reason it is best if you see which martial arts form you would like to learn. Once you have made a decision about the unarmed fighting that you want to learn you can think about where you will get this training. You will find that some forms of martial arts are considered as being more popular than others.

You can look at the enrollment form of different classes in a martial arts academy to see which ones have more people in them. At the present karate is considered as being quite a good martial arts discipline to learn about. Even in this form of fighting you will find sub disciplines. Some of these martial arts are ones that we have heard about.

For instance you will find that Tae Kwon Do is one such martial arts that people take part in. Judo, Ninjitsu, Tai Chi are just a few of the other well known forms of unarmed fighting. You will find that many of these martial arts are inspired by legends who keep the flames of these art forms alive just by their names. For instance we have all heard of Bruce Lee.

Tags: different types of martial arts, exercise, Judo, Karate, martial art, martial arts, ninjitsu, tae kwon, tai chi, Techniques, training

Weight Loss Tips for the Martial Artist

Keeping fit is essential in martial arts

A martial artist always strives to be in the best shape possible. Sometimes that means losing weight, either because we are overweight or because we need to make weight for an event or a fight. Whatever the reason, these tips are designed to get you started on the road to permanent weight loss.

Supplements Can Help, But They Aren’t Magic

Supplements can help with fat burning, can speed recovery time and can give you a boost in performance as well. It is important to remember several things about supplements though. First, some people think they are not safe. Read all the labels, research online and make an informed decision. The vast majority of supplements available over the counter are relatively safe, provided you don’t have any pre-existing medical conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes. At the very least, I would recommend taking a joint support compound and a multivitamin for good health and recovery.

Tags: Fitness, weight loss

Cardio benefits of Karate Training

It has virtually become common knowledge that regular exercise - especially sustained activity which places an optimum load on your pulmonary-cardiovascular system - promotes health and, according to recent research, greater longevity. There are various exercises which are found to be good for your health including certain forms of self-defense activities. This was first reported in a well-controlled, long-term, Stanford University study headed by exercise physician Dr. Paffenbarger.

Dr. Paffenbarger first found that people who burn over 2000 calories per week through exercise significantly reduce their cardiovascular risks. He then evaluated a number of different types of exercise to see how effective each is in helping the practitioner burn 2000 weekly calories.

He and his co-workers grouped the types of exercise into three categories with respect to their effectiveness in burning the minimum calories he found necessary to be of health benefit. The categories were: Best, Fair and Least effective.

In the ‘Best’ Category we find the expected - running, jogging, walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing and swimming. These are the forms of exercise which, at the time of Paffenbarger’s study, already had strong scientific support. Along with these types of exercise, Dr. Paffenbarger’s study also found that karate rated in the ‘Best’ exercise category for pulmonary-cardiovascular health.

Karate, a set of Okinawan/Japanese self-defense and fighting systems, is not only healthy from an exercise standpoint but, in my opinion, is the optimum, effective self-defense for the average person at just about any age level. Dr. Paffenbarger found that practicing karate for one hour on each of three different days per week causes the body to burn over 2000 calories each week.

Tags: cardiovascular health, Karate, karate training, self defense

The importance of having fun while training

From the LA Times comes a great story about not only do we have to exercise, we have to enjoy it too.

For me, I think training in Martial Arts is a tremendously motivating and important part of anyone’s fitness routing.

Each day in the dojo is a test of your physical fitness and flexibility.  It’s a constant reminder of how far you’ve come in your training, and how far you still need to go.  It motivates and gives you goals, and gives you positive feedback on the results.

Here’s what they recommend as a minimum to stay fit.

Here’s the rundown: For adults, HHS recommends 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a week — that’s walking briskly, water aerobics, ballroom dancing or gardening. People can also opt for an hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity such as running, swimming laps, or hiking uphill with a heavy back pack. Adults should also do muscle-strengthening exercises such as weight training, push-ups and sit-ups at least two days a week.

Anybody in martial arts knows that you easily exceed the minimum activity easily during your week’s training.

What I think is most important is that the study recommends that we need to enjoy our physical training.  And for me, martial arts is that motivator.  For others it might be tennis, running, or even El Guapo trying to kill you, but I agree with the study 100%.

How To: Bodyweight Circuit Training, No Gym Required

Most people think you have to get a workout in a gym with lots of machines.  Actually, your own body can be a gym using just the floor and some exercise clothes.

Check out this video for a selection of bodyweight circuit training exercises, no equipment required.  Good for when you are traveling or everyday training.

During our training at my Krav Maga facility, we often do Mountain Climbers, Burpees (except our instructors require a push-up with a burpee), lunges, pushups, squats, and more.  I can tell you after a rough crossfit session today consisting of body-weight exercises and kettle bells, I’m sore as I ever have been pushing free weights in a gym.

My recommendation would be take 3-5 of these exercises each day, and do 3 sets of 15 of each.  Vary them each day, and try and pick exercises that focus on different muscle groups.  So don’t do 5 leg exercises in a row, but instead pick a combination of all of the above.

Remember, good training increases core strength, not just the diameter of your biceps.  In martial arts, boxing, and MMA you hit with your WHOLE BODY.  I’ve sparred with people who hit deceptively hard because they have incredible core strength, even though they don’t look outwardly powerful.  Work on these bodyweight exercises and you will develop your core.

Add a pull-up bar in your house, and you are set for physical fitness.

Tags: Fitness, training

Drills for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA with stability ball

Here’s a quick intro to using ball training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in balance and technique drills. The following video is by Hywel Teague, BJJ purple belt, coach certified with Straight Blast Gym International and editor of Fighters Only magazine.

Now take a look at this video and see how Ken Shamrock does it.  He’s incredibly graceful, but obviously has had years of MMA and ground-fighting training.

Stability ball training is very useful for grapplers in that it allows you to develop core strength, flexibility, balance and spacial awareness while working with an unpredictable piece of equipment. You can replicate moves you would usually perform when rolling as well as have fun. This is a drill when done as a warm up but is also beneficial to those are limited to solo training or are sidelined with injury and are unable to grapple.

Think about adding more stability ball into your training, regardless of discipline, and improve your core strength and flexibility.

Tags: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Ken Shamrock, training

Think you’re a badass? Try these 90-degree push-ups.

We know our readers don’t just watch MMA, but many are training in martial arts as well. Fitness is always an important goal, as is flexibility.

So all you badasses out there, let me ask you this, can you do these 90-degree push-ups?

Tags: push-ups, training