Should You Stretch First?

Published by garciamuaythai on December 23, 2015 | Leave a response

No matter what type of exercise routine you use, whether its running, calisthenics or even martial arts, most instructors or fitness experts have you stretch first, before starting your workout. Stretching your muscles helps reduce injury later by providing a wider range of motion, more flexibility and improved co-ordination. It’s like a dry run, safely putting your muscles through the paces before asking it to do the tough work.

Warm your muscles before you stretch.

Stretching cold, stiff muscles is worse than not stretching at all. Warming your body includes increasing your heart rate, which in turn gets your blood circulating faster and sends more oxygen laden blood to your extremities. You don’t have to spend all your workout time warming up. In fact, five minutes or so is adequate to help prevent injury.

Stretch your body properly or you’ll feel it hurt.

Sometimes people stretch and you hear them moan a bit or verbalize pain. That means they’re doing something wrong. Stretching should never hurt. You do it to avoid injury, not create it, so if you feel pain, stop what you’re doing back it up a bit and take your warm up stretching slower and less aggressive. Bouncing to get your muscles stretched, such as bending down to touch your toes and bouncing to get to that position, can also cause injury. Just take it slow and you’ll get there.

Breathe properly while you stretch.

Stretching is all about getting the muscles more oxygen and nutrients, warming them up with blood flow, so to speak. If you’re holding your breath the whole time, you’re counterproductive to the goal. Breathing deeply throughout the stretch not only increases the oxygen in your system, it also helps develop the lung muscles and is basically a warm-up for them.

Learning to do each exercise or movement correctly is another way to prevent injury. That’s why people often use a personal trainer when starting any kind of new sport or exercise regimen.

Stretching after the exercise also helps. It helps prevent stiff muscles and returns them slowly to a relaxed state.

If you have limited range of motion or stiff muscles, work with a personal trainer to help you build all aspects of fitness, but work more heavily on flexibility.

Some types of exercise, such as kickboxing or Muay Thai require the body to be flexible to do the moves correctly without injury to your body. You won’t be able to kick as high as you want if you don’t have adequate flexibility and that requires stretching.

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How’s Your Roundhouse Kick?

Published by garciamuaythai on December 14, 2015 | Leave a response

No matter what martial arts based movie you watch, there’s always one scene where the hero or heroine uses the roundhouse kick to over come and defeat the enemy. No matter what age you are, you want to try that move at home. The older you are, the more you make sure you’re alone and nobody is watching. Wouldn’t it be nice to actually know how to do it? You can watch a million Karate Kid movies and still never get the right form, or all the benefit of the knowledge you’ll get from actual martial arts lessons.

You’ll learn more than the roundhouse kick.

Martial arts, particularly mixed martial arts, uses the whole body. MMA includes boxing as well as martial arts moves. All of the techniques use more than just fighting and making the moves, it involves discipline and respect, as well as fitness. Learning respect for your opponent is just one of the wonderful life lesson that can help you be more disciplined in other areas of your life and help you achieve success.

Get fit, lose fat and learn those fancy moves.

Learning the moves of fighting techniques such as Muay Thai, kickboxing or MMA isn’t easy. It’s not just mentally challenging, it also takes tons of energy to accomplish right. Your body needs to be at peak fitness and that requires conditioning, part of the training. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll lose weight without even trying. You’ll be more focused on the lessons than the workout, which makes it almost seem like magic! If you don’t change your eating habits, you’ll still lose weight. Imagine what you will lose when you start a healthier diet lower in calories.

Feel good about yourself again.

You don’t have to be a closet Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris. You can learn how to do all the impressive moves while doing something important for yourself. You’ll get into better shape than you’ve ever been in your life—unless of course you were a professional athlete before you started, then you’ll just get back into shape—when you start learning martial arts techniques. Most of all, you’ll develop a better self image. Not only will you be learning how to defend yourself and doing something great for your body, you’ll also be honing your discipline.

You’ll blow off steam while you learn. If you have a stressful pressure filled job or life, learning MMA, or any type of fighting style, such as kick boxing, can help you burn off the hormones created by stress and get back to a mellower self.

You’ll improve your focus. The physical activity of the sports improves your circulation and takes nutrient and oxygen rich blood to all areas, including the brain. It lifts the mental fog of stress and increases your mental acuity

You’ll feel more energetic after just a few weeks. The longer you stick to a routine of regular exercise, the more energy you’ll have for other things.

You’ll feel safer once you know you can defend yourself. You don’t have to actually be in danger to feel unsafe. We’ve all been there, leaving work late and walking to a car alone or finding it dark when you leave the deserted parking lot. Learning self defense through martial arts can make you feel safer.

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Women’s Self Defense

Published by garciamuaythai on November 30, 2015 | Leave a response

Women’s self defense classes can save your life one day. However, learning the art of self-defense, whether Jiu-Jitsu, Krav Maga, Muay Thai or other form of self-defense, can bring huge rewards in other ways. In most cases, women who take self-defense classes often don’t need them. That’s because the classes change them from looking like a victim to looking confident and strong. Many muggers and rapists choose people who look more like victims because they’re easier to subdue and don’t present a challenge that could backfire and cause injury to the thug.

You’ll lose weight as you build strength and skill.

You can’t help but lose weight when you workout learning one of the self-defense techniques. Muay Thai probably burns the most since it uses all parts of the body in the conquering of the attacker and defending yourself. If you don’t change your diet in anyway, you’ll burn off extra calories that helps shed pounds. However, if you lower your caloric intake, even slightly, you’ll see weight drop off quickly.

You’ll build muscle tissue and eliminate fat.

You’ll quickly see your body trim down, even if you don’t lose weight. That’s because you’ll be building muscle tissue and eliminating fat tissue. Muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does, so one pound takes up less space. Even if you don’t lose any weight, you’ll look thinner and have a smoother contour. Strong is sexy these days and the workout at a self-defense class builds both.

You’ll build your endurance and strength, while also improving balance and flexibility.

Building strength is important, but training to achieve it can cause injury if it isn’t accompanied with flexibility training. Self-defense courses, particularly the martial arts classes, improve all types of fitness. You’ll be more agile and have better balance, while also developing more stamina and strength. You’ll see visible improvement in your health too. While you’ll be protected from an attacker, you’ll also be protected from serious diseases.

Learning self-defense can also build self-control. Self-control and self-discipline are the keys to success no matter what your goal, even weight loss.

You’ll meet and make friends at self-defense classes, which you’ll maintain even after the class ends. If you decide to go beyond just the stage of self-defense and learn more, you’ll open a whole new world of social interaction.

You’ll really enjoy learning the art of self-defense, no matter what type of self-defense you’re taking. It’s fun to learn how to defend yourself.

You’ll feel fantastic and watch your mood soar. Regular exercise stimulates the brain to create hormones that make you feel good, while also burning off ones created by stress.

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Teach Your Child Self-Discipline

Published by garciamuaythai on November 29, 2015 | Leave a response

No matter how much you try to teach your child self-discipline at home, you often feel like the rest of society attempts to foil your efforts. Many Little League games and other forms of children’s sports don’t even keep score and often children get rewarded for simply attending functions, even if they were counterproductive to the overall goal. To help your child learn about self-discipline and personal achievement, consider enrolling them in a martial arts or Muay Thai class. These classes promote personal responsibility and self-discipline.

Respect for others helps on the road to self-responsibility.

The instructor is the authority figure in Muay Thai and no matter what instructor or class taken, demands the respect of the pupils. It’s one of the underlying foundations of the sport. While you’re child learns the various moves required to compete in this sport, he or she also learns respect for the instructor that transfers to other adults in positions of authority.

Your child will learn to listen more carefully to instruction.

In the sport of Muay Thai, as with any martial arts or kickboxing sport, following instructions can make the difference between success or failure in competition. It dramatically shows during a match and the lesson learned from lack of attention or failure to follow instructions are severe, immediate and extremely obvious. Immediate reward or punishment is the best teacher. While the child may grasp the concept of the benefits of listening in any class or training, it’s extremely obvious with Muay Thai.

Your child will develop self-esteem.

Muay Thai trains the child in the art of self-defense and that can build confidence. Children who feel good about themselves don’t have to act out to get the attention every human craves. The feeling of accomplishment and courage developed during training transfers to many other areas of life to improve those areas too, while also improving overall performance to boost self-esteem even higher.

Your child may be learning the art muay Thai and how to win in a fight using it, but it doesn’t promote aggression. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Part of the training is learning to help resolve issues without violence.

Your child will develop physical stamina and strength during sessions. The rigorous physical exercise helps develop the body.

Not only does the rigorous exercise help the body, it also helps the mind. It builds new pathways to make learning easier.

Your child will develop respect for other participants in class, while also developing friendships. Classes focus on helping one another to become the most accomplished fighter possible.

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Respect Is Earned

Published by garciamuaythai on November 25, 2015 | Leave a response

Respect is earned by focusing on the basics, practicing with vigilance and demonstrating skills. But part of the ritual in Muay Thai includes showing respect to an opponent, to the masters and in the ritual of Wai Khru Ram Muay, the wai,the sign of respect, is when the fighter puts his hands together as you would in prayer to show respect to others, which include opponents, teachers and ultimately God. While respect is earned on one level, it is also given freely as part of the basics of Muay Thai.

Showing respect occurs in a number of ways.

You show respect to other students and your teacher when learning Muay Thai by listening closely without interrupting. Showing anger, criticism and irritation with another not only shows disrespect, it’s a breach of the rules and can cause loss of face to the person demonstrating it. In order to be at your best you need to maintain a ‘Jai Yen’—a cool heart, and a polite disposition.

You will receive respect in your sport when you’ve earned it.

Simply signing up for classes will garner you personal respect from everyone in the class, but to get respect in the sport of Muay Thai, which indicates admiration, rather than polite treatment, you need to work and succeed. Training, listening, following instruction and practice are a few of the ways to develop your skills that will start you on the road to that type of respect.

Respecting certified instructors and masters is part of Muay Thai

Your instructor deserves not only your respect but the respect of everyone involved in Muay Thai. Masters and certified instructors have proven themselves to be superior in a sport that takes years to conquer. Even then, most will continue to learn throughout the rest of their life, hoping to improve and hone their already significant skills. While the masters of Muay Thai are experts, they are humble enough to understand there’s always more to learn.

Always work toward perfection. Even if you think you accomplished a move perfectly, if your teacher said you didn’t, go back to the start and learn it again until you’ve accomplished each movement perfectly. It is one way to show respect as you earn respect.

Working on the basics may not seem exciting, but it can take you to the top of your game. All moves start with the basics.

Focusing on developing strength and power can help you become victorious. It’s one of the important areas in muay Thai training.

Improving endurance will aid you in every match and promote the level of respect you’ve earned in a sport.

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Muay Thai Certification

Published by garciamuaythai on November 22, 2015 | Leave a response

Before you can attend classes for Muay Thai certification as an instructor, you need to learn the basics and advanced techniques that help you win fights. Certification is normally achieved after many years of training and special classes are taken in Thailand, the home of Muay Thai. While not all Muay Thai instructors have hundreds of bouts, almost all will have a several and have years of training themselves before taking instructor certification.

Consider an instructor with Kru and ‘Ajarn’ training.

While a larger number of people may qualify for Muay Thai certification, Kru and ‘Ajarn’ training is only available to the most experienced and best of the group. This is an advanced certification. Kru and Ajarn mean master. While some say that Kru is an informal way of saying Ajarn, others say that an Ajarn has more years of training and more fights. No matter which is correct, both are titles for masters with far more experience and training than most.

A certified instructor can show you the right moves to win.

Learning from a certified instructor helps. It means the instructor not only knows the sport, he or she has learned teaching techniques that can help students learn it easier. Finding a certified instructor with a great deal of patience can be a huge benefit to those who are new to the sport, whether the instructor is a kru or ajarn. Muay Thai is a sport that requires the student knows the basics well before advancing any further, since all future moves build on the basics. Having a certified instructor can help.

Check all the credentials, beyond just certification.

Unlike other martial arts, Muay Thai doesn’t have belts and levels to advance through to achieve the next step. That’s why checking all the credentials of the instructor and all the training is important. If all the trainer has is certification to instruct Muay Thai and no background in the sport or further training, he or she may have learned it from a DVD that allowed you to print off a certificate. Real instructors train with names you’ll recognize or train in Thailand.

No matter who you train with, make sure it’s someone who makes you feel comfortable. You should easily understand the directions given by the instructor.

Learning Muay Thai from a person who has experience in the ring helps. It provides them with the perspective you need for instruction. However, having a larger number of fights often doesn’t mean it’s better training, particularly if the instructor has limited teaching skills and lacks patience.

When you train for Muay Thai, find someone that will safely advance you. If you’re not ready for a fight, a good trainer won’t push you.

A certified trainer often has certifications from several masters in several different areas. He or she may also be certified other sports.

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Looking For Extreme Fat Loss?

Published by garciamuaythai on November 19, 2015 | Leave a response

You’ll see extreme fat loss when you participate in the rigorous workout that Muay Thai creates. Within a few weeks, your body will be shapelier with far less fat, replaced instead with strong muscle tissue. Whether you lose weight or not depends entirely on whether you lower your caloric intake or at least maintain the same intake so you’ll be burning more calories than you consume. That’s the key to weight loss, eat less than you burn and the exercise can help you burn more.

You’ll lose fat but gain muscle tissue.

Muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue does, so you’ll look thinner even if you don’t shed one pound. It’s like considering the size of the container necessary for a pound of feathers compared to one that holds a pound of lead. The container holding the pound of lead will be far smaller. Your body will slim down even if you don’t shed one pound. However, building muscle mass also helps in another way.

Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does.

While the increased exercise from Muay Thai can help burn more calories as you’re doing it, it builds muscle tissue too and that helps you lose weight in another way. Muscle tissue requires more calories than fat tissue does for maintenance. That means you’ll be boosting your metabolism and burning more calories 24/7, even when you’re sleeping!

Maintain your present calorie intake or lower it for maximum weight loss.

The increased exercise burns calories and you’ll lose weight as long as you don’t increase your caloric intake. Ideally, to maximize weight loss, you should lower your caloric intake. You can do this by eating healthier. Learning to make some substitutions, such as using Greek yogurt to replace sour cream or eating wild rice rather than white rice. Make sure you plan for those times you’re hungry and have fresh fruit or other healthy foods available as snacks.

You’ll feel better about yourself the more you exercise. Not only does the actual exercising with Muay Thai improve self-esteem but also learning how to defend yourself does too. The better your self-esteem, the more likely you will be to stick to a program of regular exercise and weight loss.

You’ll have fun in Muay Thai classes. It won’t seem like a workout because you’ll be so busy focusing on each movement.

You’ll burn off the hormones created by stress that can cause abdominal fat. Stress can also cause overeating. Exercise also stimulates the body to create hormones that make you feel good.

You’ll sleep better at night. A good night’s sleep is important to any weight loss program. It can prepare you for the day, improve your self-discipline and eliminate the need for sugar snacks for energy.

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Looking For Authentic Muay Thai?

Published by garciamuaythai on November 16, 2015 | Leave a response

If you’re looking for a gym that teaches authentic Muay Thai so you can get ready for your next competition, beware. Not all gyms that advertise muay thai teach the true form of the sport. Some use forms of kickboxing from Laos or other arts similar to that but don’t teach muay thai that comes from Thailand and is the countries national sport. People often use muay thai for exercise, but those wanting authentic muay thai often want to compete. We can help you learn it.

You can use Muay Thai for weight loss.

You’ll be amazed at how many calories you burn when you practice muay thai. It can be grueling if you haven’t developed the endurance. That grueling nature of this sport is probably why rounds are only three minutes long with two minute rests in between. It’s also one reason a match doesn’t normally last longer than five rounds. Learning Muay Thai gets you into shape fast, much like interval training where you work to your maximum for a short time, drop back to a lower level of difficulty and then jump back into maximum exertion. It burns calories and builds your body super fast.

Surprise yourself and others with your newly learned form of self-defense.

You’ll amaze yourself at how you can use Muay Thai for self-defense no matter what your size. It’s moves can make you feel more confident when walking alone, which shows and will deter many potential attackers. That doesn’t mean you should put yourself in harms way and use anything but common sense when alone, but a muggers, robber, rapist or other assailant doesn’t have a special location and sometimes attacks occur even in safe areas. By using just a few moves for self-defense, you can overtake or startle an attacker, giving you time to get away.

Build your endurance, strength, balance and flexibility with Muay Thai training.

You can get fit a number of way, but many people do calisthenics and other exercises to develop each type of fitness. You can get an “all in one” package when you take Muay Thai training. You’ll build your strength while you also develop your flexibility, balance and endurance. It’s a total body workout that will get you fit faster than you ever thought possible.

Muay Thai training is similar to kickboxing but Muay Thai fighters use an eight point system, feet, knees, elbows and fists, unlike kickboxing that uses only fists and feet. There are other difference too.

You’ll feel amazing after a Muay Thai workout. Even though they’re hard, it burns off the effects of stress and stimulates the brain to create hormones to make you feel good.

Muay Thai builds muscle tissue. Muscle tissue uses more calories than fast tissue does, so it boosts your metabolism.

You’ll build core muscles when you learn Muay Thai. That can improve your posture, help you walk taller, looking thinner and more confident.

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Kickboxing And Weight Loss

Published by garciamuaythai on November 13, 2015 | Leave a response

Kickboxing and weight loss go hand in hand. Once you start learning kickboxing and practicing, you’ll notice you’ll start losing weight and/or gaining muscle tissue, if weight loss isn’t a goal. You’ll burn huge amounts of calories during each kickboxing session and build muscle tissue, which can increase your metabolism. That’s because muscle tissue requires more calories that fat tissue does. That doesn’t mean you’ll automatically lose weight if you don’t want to lose. A trainer can work with you to help match your diet to your overall needs. If gaining muscle tissue and/or weight is important to your goals, the trainer will show you foods to eat that help.

You’ll get a brisk workout that burns plenty of calories.

Your workout with kickboxing won’t be constant like doing a set of jumping jacks or push-ups. It will combine mid level exertion with maximum exertions, which is similar to interval training. That type of workout burns calories faster and builds the body toward overall fitness goals quicker. While you’ll be exercising, you won’t notice it because your mind will be focusing on the moves, not on how many sets of sit ups you’ve done or how much longer you have to work at maximum capacity.

You’ll get all types of fitness training in one session of kickboxing.

Everyone needs four types of fitness training. The first is cardiovascular training, or endurance training. This helps keep the heart strong and keeps you energized longer. The second is strength training. Strength training builds muscles but can also keep osteoporosis away at the same time. The third is balance, which can prevent falls. Lastly, flexibility training helps prevent injury when doing other types of training such as strength training.

Muay Thai is a form of kickboxing.

If you want to use even more parts of your body, getting even more exercise, use a special form of kickboxing called Muay Thai. Muay Thai uses more than just the feet and hands for boxing. It uses elbows and knees too. It takes more to learn all the moves of Muay Thai and it’s often considered more rigorous than many other forms of kickboxing. That means you’ll burn more calories and lose weight faster.

Your goal of weight loss will become secondary to learning how to be more effective kickboxing, even though you’ll be making huge strides in weight loss. You’ll barely notice the effort since your focus will be on learning more.

You’ll have an amazing amount of fun learning kickboxing, regardless of the form you use. The more fun you have the more apt you are to continue. People tend to stick with a program of Muay Thai on the average longer than they do with traditional workout programs.

You’ll develop self-esteem from weight loss, a toned firm body and learning kick boxing, which can be fantastic for self-defense skills.

You can continue in training and compete, making this form of exercise one you’ll use the rest of your life. You’ll never have to ride the stationery bike to nowhere for exercise again once you start kickboxing.

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Do You Compete?

Published by garciamuaythai on November 10, 2015 | Leave a response

Do you compete in MMA or Muay Thai? If you do, you know that getting into shape can be tough and even tougher if your trainer has no idea what MMA or Muay Thai entails. In order to maximize your benefits, you need to train with someone that has or does compete and has proven to be worthy by receiving certification. This type of trainer knows the skills you need and the way to train your body so you have the muscles and endurance to achieve those skills.

Build more lean muscle mass while improving strength.

You need to be a lean mean machine when you’re competing and excess fat will only get in your way. If you’re conditioning doesn’t take off the rolls of fat and replace it with muscle, you’re not training right. General conditioning to improve strength, stamina and speed are important. They prepare your body for the grueling competition ahead. You also need to work on balance while you develop your overall fitness and endurance.

Generalized fitness training is important but you also need Muay Thai specific training to compete.

Sparring, bag work and pad work all help develop the skills a Muay Thai fighter should possess. Aerobic conditioning is also important, just as improving overall power, the ability to use your strength quickly, balance and aerobic training are equally important when preparing for your next competition. You need to work on strength training because ultimately if two fighters are equally matched in knowledge, the strongest one always wins.

Only an instructor skilled in Muay Thai can help you fine tune the basics.

Perfecting the basics, such as footwork, head positioning or hand positioning is more than just knowing the moves. It’s being able to take the appropriate steps spontaneously, when deemed appropriate in a fight. These moves, should be second nature to the fighter and a good Muay Thai trainer can identify weaker points. Perfecting the basics is important since all other techniques are built on them.

Training with the best provides confidence. A certified Muay Thai instructor knows whether you’re ready for competition or need to train longer.

The certified trainer can spot weaknesses you didn’t realize you had that leave you vulnerable to injury in a match.

Insuring your safety is one of the most important jobs of a training. The trainer does that by insuring you’re ready for a match and never sends you into one before that occurs.

No matter how long you’ve competed, there’s always more to learn. Whether you’re new to Muay Thai or not, you can always learn more to perfect your skills, particularly if you’re competing.

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