Martial Arts For Fitness

The world is in an obesity rise, and sadly, the United States population is at the top ranks leading on this problem. The biggest problem with obesity is in the lifestyle the person lives. A person is meant to eat a certain amount of calories from a balanced diet and food groups and maintain a level of activity. When a person disregards these two facts, metabolism slows down and the body stores fat easier, thus gaining weight. The subsequent problem with this is that most obese or overweight people enter a lethargic state of mind where they feel tired most of the time and choose not to exercise because it is exhausting. This is commonly known as being “out of shape”. On the same subject, many people insist that in order to start an exercise program or martial arts program, they need to get in shape first. This is as accurate as saying you should wait until you feel better before you visit your doctor. The first step into a weight loss program or fitness program is to accept the fact that a lifestyle change is needed and only exercise and proper eating habits will make a difference. Exercising in any way, as long as it is intensive enough to counter the calories intake, is a good thing. However, many people find exercising extremely boring and slow. They feel running on a treadmill for 30 mins only to burn 340 cals is ridiculous when those calories will be gained again on your next slip of a diet. Martial Arts training such as MMA, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are extremely effective for weight loss. Your body is engaging muscles that no other workout system can. And your core is constantly working even after you have left the mats. Often, marathon runners and weight lifters have found themselves “out of shape” after 5 minutes of grappling or bag drill. Have you ever wondered how this is possible? When you adopt an exercise routine, you engage a set of muscles and you build resistance. Your body starts adapting to it and eventually you hit a halt. This is known as the “Plateau Phase”. Some avid fitness aficionados will identify this problem and correct it by changing their routine to a different workout such as going from anaerobic to aerobic, or from long distance to sprints or HIIT. But something tells me that if you are struggling with your weight, you may not be the type of people who would constantly change their exercise routines and supervise their plateaus. In MMA training, you are constantly changing your pace, intensity, strength, and frequency. Your body is moving in all different directions. And the best part, time flies! I don’t know about you, but running steady for 30 minutes can become pretty tedious after a few weeks. And you probably lost 10 lbs by that time, in which most of it is the thinnest layers of fat under your dermis (skin). The toughest and thickest layers that are deeper under your skin are attached to your core. They start leaving you later. And you will see them leaving only if you stay motivated long enough to get that far. Treadmill users usually hit boredom and plateaus, and quit before they get to see those results. Make sure you let your instructor know that you are not interested on being a fighter. But you wuldn’t mind looking like one!

HIIT Programs

Several fitness promotions have developed over the years that have proven themselves very effective. Some of the most popular include: Insanity, TapOut Xtreme, and P90X. They rely on High Intensity Intervals Training or HIIT to challenge your body to engage constantly with minimal breaks. These programs are also welcomed by many professional fighters, such as the involvement of UFC fighter Ryan Bader in TapOut Extreme. If this is something you are interested in, we are glad you feel that way! But, have you ever wondered where these workouts come from? Some, not all, but the great majority of the workouts included in these fitness programs were adopted from MMA drills. You will realize that after a few MMA classes, except, there is no physical interaction and resistance. Meanwhile preforming the drills is a great workout routine, you will realize that engaging in a grappling session with your partner challenges your fitness to a whole new level and beyond any drills. Not to mention, if you follow these fitness systems on the comfort of your home, you will be more likely to stop whenever you want and the workout program becomes a repetitious system which can lead to plateau as we mentioned above. In an MMA facility, your instructor will be pushing your limits constantly and safely, and your training partners will help you stay motivated. Eventually, you start feeling like you belong to a team that you will be proud to represent – a home away from home. And your confidence will go through the roof as you realize you are tougher now than you ever were and you are able to defend yourself and your family if the need arises.

Our Fitness Program

Let our instructors know your interests are purely based on weight management. We do not ask, encourage, or force anyone to engage in martial arts competitions unless they want to. Let your instructors know if there are any medical conditions they need to be aware of. And last but not least, work as hard as you want, but let your instructors test your limits. You will be glad you did.

Basic Fitness Equipment You Will Need

  • Lose fitting clothing or MMA shorts and a shirt