I have a lot of time on my hands right now so that is not a problem. My main concern is that I'm really out of shape. I would like to eventually get in the ring. I'm 34 in a few months and would like to get into the ring before I get too old to compete. I'm not looking to become the next UFC champion or anything. It's been years since I practised any martial arts, I don't want to look back on my life and wonder what if. How long can I expect to train before I can get into the ring? Is there anything I should be aware of as a beginner?
As long as it takes. It's a marathon, not a sprint. You didn't get out of shape in one day or one week. You won't get back into shape in one day or one week, either. Just do a little bit every other day. A little bit every other day. A little bit every other day. And then a little bit more. And then 4 days out of 7 for a whole month. And then 5 out of 7 for a whole month.
Competing in MMA is pretty intense. You have the amateurs and the pros so you also have to decide what you want to try. What's your previous experience?
I just want to try amateur. If that goes well, then who knows. I dabbled in various martial arts over the years but because I moved a lot I couldn't go far in any of them. I'm not moving again so I would like to do this sport. I think it will be a good way to keep myself motivated to keep in shape.
Thanks! I'm heading to an xtreme couture gym that is near my place in Toronto. It looks pretty good from what I saw online.
Great start already in finding a decent gym. And also they may know where there is a amateur comp / inter-camp to enter you in. And your previous MA training/experience will kick in and help you physically.
How out of shape? Because im 100+ Kilos and dont regular exercise and only just started doing my outside "regime" yesterday after about a month or two break. Also, hand cramp is a pain, that is one of the most obnoxious pains i get/have is hand cramp, no matter what its from.
it sounds like you are on the right path already your coach should be able to determine the time scale after a few months based on your fitness and work ethic.
I like my weight, its my only redeeming martial factor. Just annoying that it all fat and gets annoying sometimes. By the way i am in a similar boat, but i am younger and i mean "unfit" is a broad term.
Panda decided a few days ago that he wants to train. He's already found a gym and he's probably going to start within the month. You need to follow his example man. No more excuses.
Think of all the redeeming attributes you'll have when you get into shape. As for the hand cramps, you just have to push through it and build up hand strength and flexibility. Trust me, I play guitar.
I lost 10kg in 2 weeks last month for a comp. No dehydration involved but I was doing silly stuff like going under my kcal intake of 1200 a day sometimes. (95kg > 85kg) 25g carbs (about 2-3 slices of bread) and as many leafy greens as you want. What helped was (and I mentioned in Dan Bian's thread of Journey into Spandex - sorry for technically cross posting) but diet is your worst / best ally. I would say you probably won't need to go into what I did as I had a 2 week cut. But research and try out what probably works for you. I don't know what your cooking skills are like, but that is a tremendous help because then you know what is going in. I am a NOTORIOUS snacker. @Simon can attest to that via my instagram, but slowly cut that stuff out. So as I mentioned before Week 1: Crisps Week 2: Crisps and Soft drinks etc etc I am not an expert on nutrition, its simply what I have found to work for me. Your Cardio will be your MA training but adding in stuff like HIIT etc will help.
A lot of places now do white collar mma fights for charity those or interclubs can be a good way to start. As for losing 30kgs just training will help, find something sustainable that works for you In the long run, for me it was 5:2 meant I could still eat what I like 5 days a week which mentally helped
Personally, I think training alone is overrated when it comes to losing weight. The main place to lose weight is the kitchen, in my opinion.
Panda can easily go to a MMA gym. (the fear of all tradtional martial artists) I have two TKD's to choose from, and a Boxing which has been uprooted and a Chinese kickboxing. But anyway i am going to start doing TKD again. I am not mentioning the "MMA" that was in my town. Mc dojo, leaving it at that. If i pick anything up i will leave it here. Also, i will have you know @Mushroom, Crisps and softdrink are the staple diet of any martial artists. (or at least soft drink, crisps get meh fast)
I started training MA again after a very long break (decades) at 315 lbs (21 stone, 140+kg), a little over a year ago. It was rough but after a few weeks I was keeping up better in classes. The hardest part for me is when I fall out of rhythm, haven't been to class, and then it gets really hard again. So the best advice I can give (to both you & myself) is to make sure to go at least a little bit to class even if you are really busy. Even just 1 class a week will keep your conditioning alive much better than 0 classes a week.
Went to the gym today and did an introduction interview, I start training tomorrow and meet with the owner on Monday to get an assessment done. The gym was fantastic. I don't think I've seen an MA gym that big before. I cannot wait to get going.