Best Martial Arts Concentration for fitness
 

I've been on a diet recently and I'm also thinking about getting into martial arts mainly for fitness reasons. I think just learning the trade while I'm getting in shape would be a huge bonus as well. I'm seeing what you guys would think I would benefit the most from?

Obviously kickboxing is the most physically intense ( I think. I'm open for other suggestions to.)

In my area there's:

Kickboxing
Tai Kwon Do
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Kenpo
Bok Fu
Mai Thai Kickboxing

I'm sure there are others too. Open to suggestions.

Mai Tai kickboxing sounds awesome. Getting hammered on girly drinks and then fighting? Fuck yes.

Seriously tho, take Muay Thai.

You get in shape and also become a bad ass.

I'm about to start taking boxing and wrestling myself, mostly to stay in shape as I hate working out, and would rather do something I enjoy.

I'm certain I spelled it Mai Tai because I'm craving one right now. Or anything other than what I've been eating.

Yeah, this is basically my scenario.

I've been doing alot of cardio to prepare for whatever I'm taking. Last time I went to a kickboxing conditioning class I almost threw up like 4 times and had to sit out a bit.

muay thai is probably the best for just fitness because of the amount of energy it takes raising your legs up for kicks. Your using your biggest/strongest muscles in your body and repeatedly exploding them up into pads. very strenuous and instantly gets your heart rate up.

you will lose weight and get in shape fast with it.

Yeah, lifting weights becomes repetitive and boring.

Yeah. Wanted something that I could really get into and learn while losing some weight in the process.

kickboxing is comparable, but you dont throw as many kicks as you would with muay thai.

boxing is good, but just using your hands isnt as much work as using your legs. Ive only gotten really tired boxing when Im sparring and getting hit a lot.

Wrestling isnt going to help you much unless you have a high caliber partner and and a coach to teach you how to move and put you through the proper drills. Wrestling is the most intense workout, but you have to really know how to wrestle to make it that way.

BJJ is the worst if your trying to get your fitness to a high level, because while the technique is awsome and the art itself is invaluable, it is a very lazy martial art. The idea is to stay relaxed and rely on technique, not cardio.

I want to take BJJ too, but they only have Gi-BJJ and gi's are gay and useless.

im not bashing BJJ. Because if you do nothing and you get into BJJ, then your going to lose weight because your doing an activityy, and you learn A LOT really quick, but it has nothing on the striking martial arts in terms of cardio.

Narc, this is K7 seriously responding to you. As you know, I've been taking Muay Thai and Brazillian Jiu Jitsu since Late Feb/Early March. I started off around 390, with 41 percent body fat. I am 355 right now, with 34.5 percent fat. This combination has been hugely successful for me, and I love the sparring sesisons! You've got to stick with it, the first few days will be tough. See it through my friend. That's my two cents.

Also, I took Tae Kwon Do in my child hood, and I don't remember enough to comment. I would imagine that any kind of boxing would be great...cardio kickboxing is a hell of a workout too. Good luck my friend, and keep me up to date with what you're doing.

you know what, fuck a thread! Let's make a group dedicated to TPWWers who are working out, trying to lose weight. Positive motivation is great for anyone. You game?

I've always liked wrestling, and I know its insane work out and crazy training.

At this particular kickboxing gym they have strength and conditioning classes that you can go to 3 times a week if you choose to. Then they have the boxing class afterwards.

:nono:


they help you in mma and no gi more than you can imagine. Think of running stairs with a 70lb jacket on, getting in shape with it, and then running with out it. Thats what training with a gi is like.

Rev, I totally respect you, but I have to disagree. You're in pretty good shape. For the fatties here (myself included) BJJ is awesome for reactivating muscles, and improving flexibility. And that Gi is a cloth SAUNA! I sweat like mad, when I'm in a rolling session. You can lose decent weight. I wouldn't recommend BJJ as the only art, but it's a great compliment for fitness.

I've always heard it was better to train without one and get used to grappling with sweat and trying to grip that way.

lol. I have a social group dedicated to my own weight loss. You can make another one or you can post in mine.

Bingo! now from my experience, Gi helps a lot with your technique as well. For my frame, I like No Gi better because people have less to grab. Each form has deginite pluses/minuses

selfish ass! :p Cool, I'll hunt it down, and join asap

no... using a gi makes you have to be a million times more strategic in your technique and attack. Fabricio werdum was a world champion in gi before he switched to no gi

And Krimzon, holy fucking hell man. You're a big man. That's awesome that you've lost that much weight since the end of February. Keep at it, it sounds like this is really working for you.

Myself, I'm just a little chubby. I'm 6'3 and around 205-210 lbs. Just looking to get rid of a bit of the flab I've been accumulating by eating all of this junk. Also, I've been looking for a new hobby... bad.

yes bjj is working for you but compaired to an intense muay thai workout, you are not getting near the same amount of cardio

Yeah but's thats Fabricio Werbum, the guy if one of the top BJJ grapplers in the world.

yea and he started in a gi..... what are you not getting by that example?

all the best guys started in a gi.... nogiera brothers, demian maia, ricardo arona, florian, BJ Penn, matt serra, all of the gracies.

I dunno, if your not wearing a gi in competion wouldn't it be more advantagous to practice without one?

I think it's more of a "If you can do this in a Gi, then you can do this wearing anything" type of thing.

At my gym, we cant even roll no Gi until we earn a stripe. It is up to our master's approval.

Now, I will agree that a MT workout is balls out. Jumping rope, shadow boxing, three rounds of heavy bag work, then drills, leg sparring/sparring...shit i'm breathing heavy thinking about it!

What about when your not wearing anything, ur both sweaty and there is nothing to grab for leverage?

just so you know, your second guessing generations of the best BJJ practitioners in the world with that statement.


before you have a nogi competition you take the gi off, but when learning and expanding technique for BJJ, its the best thing for you.

Yes, you're right. But, if youre in a No Gi competition with somebody who is efficient IN a Gi, you will be EFFED in the A.

You and generations of BJJ are probably right, but the place near me is very strict about it.

What makes the gi so important?

you realize that the guy who never trained in a gi still has the problem of the sweaty dude as well.

the submission defense of a guy trained in a gi is lightyears ahead of a guy that never trained in one. your defense has to be perfect in a gi. the slightest opening will give your opponent a chance to finish you. That translates into no gi.

Training without a gi isnt going to make up for a sweaty opponent. You just have to be patient in your positioning and get to a finishing move that will not slip out. This is why you dont see as many later round triangles, arm bars and leg locks, but rather rnc and armless guillotines.

See now it makes more sense to me.

The More you know kiddo