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MMA Workouts are not Just for Men

By Alexia Krause

Mixed martial arts appears to be a male dominated sport, yet the number of women who are becoming part of the MMA community is continually growing. There are many female MMA fighters (including Kaitlyn Young and Gina Carano), who follow the same rigorous regimens as their male counterparts. These inspiring ladies have broken open the doors to what used to be the “boy’s club” of MMA. They use the same techniques, MMA equipment, and exercises that most fighters would use. MMA training has the ability to help women stay fit while participating in a competitive and exhilarating sport.

A MMA workout may sound intimidating. However, with the right frame of mind, guys and girls alike can use it to their advantage. MMA workouts train the whole body as one unit, which is a great way to keep the body moving and in shape. A normal training session can include cardio sprints, jumping jacks, and accelerated core workouts. The training of a fighter is a daily endeavor and requires more dedication than a couple visits to the gym each week. Additionally, whether you are a beginner to regular exercise, or supplementing an existing, more advanced routine, these exercises certainly pack a noticeable punch.

On a more serious note, it’s a known fact that men are generally bigger than women by nature and therefore, women are prone to planned attacks from men because they can be considered an easier target. However, with the proper self-defense tactics, you can help even-out the fight. For this reason, a lot of women seek out self-defense classes. The added bonus of self-defense training is the exercise that the individual gets by taking part in the classes. Most people don’t consider the fact that self-defense training is a great way to exercise while increasing your resiliency at the same time. Additionally, MMA exercise routines often include simulated fight training to teach proper self-defense techniques that will be utilized during a match. Therefore, anyone looking for self-defense classes, or an intense exercise routine, or both, might want to check out MMA training. Keep in mind, there is no reason to be nervous about getting hurt because in order to actually train properly, exercises and simulated fights involve the use of MMA gear; like MMA gloves in order to avoid injury.

Articles Zemanta thinks may be related:

• Oct 19, Self-Esteem Begins with Self-Defense (self-defense-mind-body-spirit.com)
• The Psychology of Reality-Based Self Defense (combatsportpsychology.blogspot.com)
• Sep 28, Your Personal Safety and Self-Defense Continuum (self-defense-mind-body-spirit.com)
• Ten NFL Players Gina Carano Could Beat Up (bleacherreport.com)
• Stacey Nemour: Martial Arts: Finding the Perfect Style for You (huffingtonpost.com)
• Ultimate mma strength mma workout program (slideshare.net)

John Zimmer of My Self-Defense Blog has recently discussed non-martial arts activities that can help build strength, flexibility and coordination for the martial arts in a couple of posts:

• Martial and Dance Arts Flexibility, Agility, and Coordination
• 
  Karate Pole Dancing, Hula Hoop, & Gymnastics; Enhanced Training?

I enjoy walking/hiking, cycling, and yoga, among other activities. But one of my favorite cross-training activities is bellydancing or, as it’s more appropriately called, raks sharqi (meaning “Oriental Dance”). In addition to strengthening the core muscles (those in your torso), it’s helped to build up my arm muscles. It takes a surprising amount of effort to hold your arms out away from your body for minutes at a stretch, as any practitioner of Kundalini yoga can tell you . The basic stance for raks sharqi is similar to a shallow, narrow horse stance (the feet are shoulder width apart, but it’s a narrower shoulder width than in any of the martial arts I’ve done).

Much of the hip work you see bellydancers do is actually driven by abdominal muscles, rather than from your legs or back as you might expect. I can tell you, three years of bellydancing have made sit-ups a breeze. Something that surprised me, though, is how much it’s helped me maintain proper stances. I’ve always thought stances depended primarily on thigh muscles, but the core muscles help you retain a straight torso without slouching. It’s also added both power and control to my kicks, since I’m now able to drive a kick from the hips alone, if I need to. And, at least for me, performing a dance routine requires as much exertion as a sparring bout.

Additionally, bellydance has props, many of which are or can be used as weapons. Sword dancing is, I think, the best known. If you live in the southern area of Raleigh, North Carolina, my bellydance teacher will be teaching a four-week sword workshop in August of this year. I’m psyched; I’ve been wanting to learn sword dancing for years. Here’s a video of one our local dancers. Unfortunately, the audience hides her from the waist down, which means you can’t really see her floor work. But it’s still a video worth watching, especially since the camera zooms in close enough to see how she’s actually handling the sword:

You can do more with a sword than just balance it on your head! Many bellydancers use “dead steel” (unsharpened blades) and it shows in how they grip the weapon. Sara and the rest of her troupe, Blue Moon, use the real deal and you can see it in the way they dance. The following video shows you can balance a sword in several places:

Besides swords, bellydancers sometimes use poi which are weighted balls on chains or strings:

In outdoor performances, dancers will sometimes use flaming poi; inside, they have to make do with battery-operated lighted ones. Here’s a dancer using flaming poi:

Stick and cane dances are also part of raqs sharqi. In the Middle East, stick dancing is considered a man’s form:

Whereas women are more likely to dance with a cane or even two:

The video quality is bad, but you can really see how she uses the canes.

I have to admit: dancing is a struggle for me. I’ve been told I’m a decent dancer, but I have to work really hard at it. It doesn’t come easily for me the way martial arts does. Telling myself that it’s forms set to music helps. Still, the benefit I get out of it outweighs the frustration. Of all the various styles of raqs sharqi, I find myself drawn to tribal the most. I think that’s largely because in tribal bellydance, you’re supposed to look serious, strong, and with a “don’t mess with me” attitude (that and the costumes), unlike the friendly, flirty attitude of cabaret or Egyptian styles. My goal is to eventually work up a routine using nunchuku.

What cross-training have you done and how has it helped your martial arts?

Belt Test – Dynamo and I did test for our next belt rank last Saturday. The test always seem to go by in the blink of an eye — it feels like I’m barely on the floor for a minute, then it’s all over. This was our first test at White Tiger that required sparring. I’ve got to start adding some endurance training to my schedule. I barely made it through the two required bouts before melting into a puddle of sweat on the dojang floor. Of course, the fact that it was probably 95°F inside the building didn’t help either

We won’t get the actual results until Saturday. The big question will be how Dynamo’s grades may affect his chances for advancement. White Tiger requires school-aged kids turn in their most recent report card along with the application and … well, to say his grades haven’t been where they should be is an understatement. Particularly since he could be a straight-A student if put even a modicum of effort into his homework. As it stands now, it’s looking like he’s going to have to repeat 6th grade, all due to lack of motivation, rather than lack of ability.

Thanks to Michele of Just a Thought for letting us know about this

Do you remember the Presidential Physical Fitness awards? I always hated those days in PE. I was never a great athlete growing up; I couldn’t climb the rope, my arms always wore out in the first few seconds of the chin-up, and when it came to running … let’s just say in a race, the tortoise would have nothing to fear from me. The one thing I’ve always been able to do is walk. I can walk for miles. Of course, they never counted that.

That’s changed. Now, kids can get points for being active in any way, including household chores and playground games. Kids keep track of how long they spend doing an activity each day. For kids under 18, the challenge is 60 minutes a day, five days a week for six weeks from 01 May to 24 July, 2009. Dynamo was all fired up to go, until I told him it meant he needed to carry through with this even on the days he spends with his dad. Suddenly, it wasn’t so exciting anymore.

Did you know they have an adult program, too? For adults (over 18), the challenge is 30 minutes at day, five days a week for six weeks. I’ve signed up and I’m planning on signing Dynamo up, too. He needs to do more than just sit at the computer all day. I’ll be tracking my progress here; it’ll help keep me honest and get me to actually move on the days I’m not at the dojang, so that I’m not sitting in front of the computer all day, either.

If you want to join me, you can get more information at The President’s Challenge announcement page. For more information about the program in general, visit their homepage.