Lifting and martial arts

[ironjim87]

Whats up fellas, I'm James from Erie, PA and I bodybuild and practice Tae Kwon Do. Lately, I've been debating whether or not Tae Kwon do would hinder my strength and mass gains. I hope not because Tae Kwon Do was what got me into bodybuilding. I'm a second degree black belt in the martial art& have been doing it for ten years. I've been bodybuilding for 3.5 years. I think that three 75 minute sessions of Tae Kwon Do is good cardio, hence I am able to stay lean in the offseason. Now this isn't 75 minutes non stop, there is sufficient rest time in there. The intensity is between middle and high. I think that when the onseason comes, I would only have to add two 30 minute sessions of cardio to those Tae Kwon Do classes. PRETTY MUCH, I WANT TO BOTH BODYBUILD AND DO MARTIAL ARTS. If anyone knows about cardio or martial arts, I'd apprectiate your insight. Thanks.

[Cstlfx]

There are a few people on here who do the same thing. Name that comes to mind k1usa, and I think Tiny is big on martial arts too.

However, I wouldnt see much of a problem. As long as you are taking in enough calories, carbs, protein, and fats, then you should be able to bulk. I can only see a problem if you're lifting after Tae Kwon Do, that it would hinder your lifting because you are tired.

[Dozer]

I was involved with martial arts for several years, and started lifting around that time. The one thing I loved was that I continually had a six-pack--the minus was that I wanted to gain weight rapidly. At the time I wasn't eating enough or taking any shakes, so I didn't really gain much weight. If trying to bulk, you'll just need to take in more calories with very high protein and carbs. A friend of mine successfully did bodybuilding and martial arts at the same time--he's about 190, 195 right now, standing at around 5'11" and he's really lean...

Basically--if you're willing to eat more, it can be done. In fact, martial arts could very well add an element to bodybuilding that many people don't get--joint strength and flexibility, two things that aren't stressed as heavily as many other things in the BB world.

[ironjim87]

Alright, yeah, I agree. And yeah, I always lift before a tae kwon do session, always. Not to mention, I've been getting stronger lately and added a quarter inch to my arms.

[Pizzalamp]

I've done martial arts and kickboxing since i was 6. Ive kept my flexibility(i can do a full split) and it helps my endurance. I always have aminos or a shake before class to protect my muscles.

[powerhouse]

i do martial arts karate boxing and sambo but i have gained 2 stone in half a year of muscle it dnt stop my gains so wont stop yours and mariusz pudzianowski still does abit of karate and boxing sometimes

[RenegadeRows]

not tae kwon do but kickboxing and wrestling here. No it will not hinder your gains it will actually help (It did for me). Just treat it like you would your regular workout. I do it on my non-workout days also. Serves as good cardio and ofcourse provides a great stretch for your mucles.

[violator]

Ive done tae kwon do & kung fu while lifting, no problem, adds madd power to kickin & punchin....ever seen Mirko Cro Cop in UFC?, that dudes got some power squat quads & his leg kicks are brutal, in his words, "left leg hurts you, right leg sends you to the hospital."

Keep doin what ur doin & for the one brethren that can give you cool insight in2 martial arts & the animal life, lifting&nutrition... PM ironshaolin hes the king of that game-the name says it all.....

[Wasteland]

Serious bodybuilding would probably run counter to some forms martial arts, where core strength and flexibility are emphasized. In general, I think you could do both. But if you want to be really serious, I think you have to choose one over another. That's not to say that you should give up lifting if you chose martial arts, or vice versa. One can benefit the other.

[Tiny]

Serious bodybuilding would probably run counter to some forms martial arts, where core strength and flexibility are emphasized. In general, I think you could do both. But if you want to be really serious, I think you have to choose one over another. That's not to say that you should give up lifting if you chose martial arts, or vice versa. One can benefit the other.

Agreed. Too much cardio to get but so big, plain and simple - AND if you could get endlessly huge, eventually, your newly developed physique will hinder your fight game.

[bobbymart]

Gained about 20 lbs past few months and do jiu jitsu and kickboxing 4-5 times a week just ate allot more when I got really into jiu jitsu because You burn allot of calories but Just up the calories to make up for it and it's all good

[Pizzalamp]

I remember going to a kickboxing show in nj a few years back and one of the fighters was a huge jacked guy-pretty sure he was a bodybuilder-and i remmber his quads were so huge he could hardly get his leg in the air to do a proper kick lol

[Tiny]

I remember going to a kickboxing show in nj a few years back and one of the fighters was a huge jacked guy-pretty sure he was a bodybuilder-and i remmber his quads were so huge he could hardly get his leg in the air to do a proper kick lol

Imagine getting a great full body pump in the gym and then trying to fight. With my current physique, I would get so tight and pumped rather quickly and then that would slow me down and be a major hindrance. If I do fight again, I will probably drop all the way down to 235 or so.

[ironshaolin]

dude its all about how you work it. Flexibility is an issue, thats why before lifting I always put in 5-10 mins on a bike, or ellypitical, or walk on a treadmill to break a real light sweat, then I stretch lightly for about 5 mins. Then, I always stretch the shit out of a muscle after working it, and spend about 10 mins stretching post workout. Yes, granted, if I were to do a martial art workout right AFTER a hardcore session, my punches would be weak, but everythings weak after you lift. But I do it, and I teach martial arts for a living, and to me its a good thing. As long as you keep up on stretching so you stay flexible, keep working your punches and kicks so you stay fast, the lifting will only make your punches stronger. Lemme give you an example of my super stretch for after the lift. Like on chest, right after my last work set, I grab a pair of 50lb dumbells, drop into the bottom position of a flye and hold it for a minute. That will stretch the shit out of the muscle, and keep you flexible. My goal is to look like Chong Li from bloodsport. Remember that guy? He was in enter the dragon with bruce lee too, and he was huge and kicked ass.

[Pizzalamp]

Imagine getting a great full body pump in the gym and then trying to fight. With my current physique, I would get so tight and pumped rather quickly and then that would slow me down and be a major hindrance. If I do fight again, I will probably drop all the way down to 235 or so.
that would be cool if u get back into it tiny
I really love martial arts its helped me so much in my life

dude its all about how you work it. Flexibility is an issue, thats why before lifting I always put in 5-10 mins on a bike, or ellypitical, or walk on a treadmill to break a real light sweat, then I stretch lightly for about 5 mins. Then, I always stretch the shit out of a muscle after working it, and spend about 10 mins stretching post workout. Yes, granted, if I were to do a martial art workout right AFTER a hardcore session, my punches would be weak, but everythings weak after you lift. But I do it, and I teach martial arts for a living, and to me its a good thing. As long as you keep up on stretching so you stay flexible, keep working your punches and kicks so you stay fast, the lifting will only make your punches stronger. Lemme give you an example of my super stretch for after the lift. Like on chest, right after my last work set, I grab a pair of 50lb dumbells, drop into the bottom position of a flye and hold it for a minute. That will stretch the shit out of the muscle, and keep you flexible. My goal is to look like Chong Li from bloodsport. Remember that guy? He was in enter the dragon with bruce lee too, and he was huge and kicked ass.

yep stretching is so important for weights and martial arts
i love chong li-his chest was huuuuuge in bloodsport
very good but brick no hit back!

[Tiny]

dude its all about how you work it. Flexibility is an issue, thats why before lifting I always put in 5-10 mins on a bike, or ellypitical, or walk on a treadmill to break a real light sweat, then I stretch lightly for about 5 mins. Then, I always stretch the shit out of a muscle after working it, and spend about 10 mins stretching post workout. Yes, granted, if I were to do a martial art workout right AFTER a hardcore session, my punches would be weak, but everythings weak after you lift. But I do it, and I teach martial arts for a living, and to me its a good thing. As long as you keep up on stretching so you stay flexible, keep working your punches and kicks so you stay fast, the lifting will only make your punches stronger. Lemme give you an example of my super stretch for after the lift. Like on chest, right after my last work set, I grab a pair of 50lb dumbells, drop into the bottom position of a flye and hold it for a minute. That will stretch the shit out of the muscle, and keep you flexible. My goal is to look like Chong Li from bloodsport. Remember that guy? He was in enter the dragon with bruce lee too, and he was huge and kicked ass.

There. See what a fucking sweet guy I am turning into? I deleted my initial post 'cause I was concerned it might come off sounding abrasive! I am so proud of myself! Anyway, trust me, brother, it ain't just flexibility - shit, I'm all about flexibility, you ought to see me in the bedroom. Any of us freaky big guys can tell you, truly, we are performance oriented - there ain't no fuckin sense in the world to look like this if you can't swing the lead, I mean, you GOTTA represent - there's enough misinformation out there the haters already got circulating about us muscle guys. I mean, really, if you ain't packin in the first place, why the fuck would ya want to blow your thighs up to 33"??? That's just gonna make things worse - then she's gonna be looking for a needle in a haystack, shit. Point is, I got all the bases covered, junior, and if I were to return to the ring, no way would I do it anywhere near this size.

[bobbymart]

There. See what a fucking sweet guy I am turning into? I deleted my initial post 'cause I was concerned it might come off sounding abrasive! I am so proud of myself! Anyway, trust me, brother, it ain't just flexibility - shit, I'm all about flexibility, you ought to see me in the bedroom. Any of us freaky big guys can tell you, truly, we are performance oriented - there ain't no fuckin sense in the world to look like this if you can't swing the lead, I mean, you GOTTA represent - there's enough misinformation out there the haters already got circulating about us muscle guys. I mean, really, if you ain't packin in the first place, why the fuck would ya want to blow your thighs up to 33"??? That's just gonna make things worse - then she's gonna be looking for a needle in a haystack, shit. Point is, I got all the bases covered, junior, and if I were to return to the ring, no way would I do it anywhere near this size.

tiny is right that is why you don't see 6'ft 300lb people in mma but If fighting is what you are about but you also love bodybuilding you can find a happy medium im 6'5 290 and I fight mma but when I cut up and get to 250 i'm allot better...lol

[Tiny]

tiny is right that is why you don't see 6'ft 300lb people in mma but If fighting is what you are about but you also love bodybuilding you can find a happy medium im 6'5 290 and I fight mma but when I cut up and get to 250 i'm allot better...lol

Case in point - 250 or 290, he is still 6' 5"! EVERYBODY anywhere near crushing the weight scale is WAY taller than my 5' 10" self. I would give up a lot in reach right off the top so I need to get inside without getting my bell rung to make the difference work for me BUT to do that effectively I need to be fast - how fast? Well the quicker I am, the better my odds so you ain't going to be ever finding yourself as "too fast." But even in close given as dense as I physically am, the taller, longer limbed guy could still ball me up. Anyway, off topic, as I said but I damned sure ain't dumb enough to want to fight in a class where every single guy has far greater reach then I do. Now if I drop down to 230 or 235 nice and lean (but NOT too lean) . . . the game and my opponents all change for the better.

[tmoneyr007]

I know that TKD is quite a bit different that most MMA, that said I don't see a problem with doing both AS long as you keep your flexibility, core strength and the most important in my opinion is your balance and joint strength.

You start to gain a lot of upper body mass with the twisting and spinning that is involved in some of the kicking in that martial art your knees may end up paying the price.

That said I don't think there are a better two sports than Martial Arts and lifting.

Good Luck!

[Pizzalamp]

Tiny
when u did your martial arts, what belt did you get up to?
And do u still remember your katas??

[ironshaolin]

when all is said and done, if you throw 2 fighters in a situation in or out of the ring, given an even match up as far as speed, stamina and skill goes, its usually the bigger guy that wins. I don't think its possible for me to get above 250 without some "alternative" supplementation, so for me, its how big can I get while maintaining proper form and technique.

Off topic, but somewhat relevant statement. Recently I finished learning my iron body form, Sam Sung Eng. Its kinda a hybrid of the sanchin form of goju ryu(japanese) and the iron wire form from hung gar(chinese). Anyway, the form is very short, only 3 steps forward, 3 steps back and finish, but the goal is dynamic tension, squeezing every muscle in the body as tight as possible while following some breathing excersises. It supposedly takes around 20 years to master, but will make your body so solid that punches don't hurt.
Anyway, working this form really reminds me of being a bodybuilder up on stage. Same kinda concept. You hit a pose, squeeze all your muscles as tight as possible and hold it. It was just kinda interesting how I saw that relationship between the 2.

[Pizzalamp]

hey ironshaolin, ive been teaching karate for about 10 years now how long have u been teaching??

i love it

[ironshaolin]

about 2. You teach? Awsome dude, I didn't know that. What style are you teaching?

[bobbymart]

i took kick boxing (mui thai) for about 4 years then took boxing for 2 years now i am into Brazilian jiu jitsu i really just want to refine everything into one mma style i never plan to compete i just like the sport and if the opportunity arises to apply my knowledge then so be it..lol but as far as bodybuilding it is a constant struggle to keep on any size I have since I am training martial arts 3 - 5 days a week.

[ironshaolin]

yo bobby, I wish I shared that same problem. Despite training martial arts several days a week, and eating at least 300 grams of protein a day, if not 400, I still manage to carry a good portion of my size in the gut.

[Pizzalamp]

about 2. You teach? Awsome dude, I didn't know that. What style are you teaching?

yep i teach
our style is shindo ryu karatedo

[Pizzalamp]

edit

[Dozer]

yep i teach
our style is shindo ryu karatedo

I studied Shito Ryu...weird..

[Tiny]

Tiny
when u did your martial arts, what belt did you get up to?
And do u still remember your katas??

Of course I remember them. I trained for 15 years without any break or lapse. I am a Sandan. The smaller you are the better technical fighter you need to be. I never felt any disadvantge fighting much bigger guys when I was small because I was an exceptional technician. From the time I was a 5th kyu I was besting most black belts from other schools in an open fight and knocking out grown men on the street. But that type of training largely does not exist anymore. I excelled in my martial art the same way and for the same reason I excell in the physique building dept.

[ironshaolin]

train strong to remain strong!!!

[Carpe Diem P.T]

I spent some quality time learning Capoeira from a master that spent 9 months in Australia. Didnt get to keep doing it but I throw bits of it in to my personal Training sessions.

Its a ton of cardio so it really kept the weight off. I spent a lot of time upside down on my hands though which really played havoc with my weak wrists when it came to lifting.

Which martial arts have you guys done and did it affect your lifting?

heres a video of capoeira here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8xxgFpK-NM

[BryanSmash!]

Hey wasn't there a movie with Brandon Lee a while ago featuring this discipline? Was pretty cool. For me, I dont have any particular martial art that has affected my lifting. I usually just picture a group of norse gods yelling at me to lift. Maybe I listen to too much viking death metal heheh.

[sanga]

I don`t do martial arts anymore and found heavy weight training to hinder it as I was stiff and sore most of the time, I did Wing Chun for 3 years.

[dyskee]

was a national level judoka before the accident now iam a lightweight rower and looking into boxing

[Tork]

I do white country boy from indiana. Best marial arts there is...

[MANABOLIC]

It is basically Karate but there are many throws involved, and all blows are allowed, except punches to the head or the groin, other than that, we used to beat the living shit out of each other,lool. I stopped doing that for a few reasons. I was not flexible like those young monkeys I used to train with, I can't deliver high kicks, so I had to settle for punching the day lights out of them and throwing them around ( I loved the throwing stuff ) Martial arts will make you lose muscle mass, no doubt about that. your big muscles will turn into a Bruce Lee type of muscles, you will be strong, but not big. your body starts to take the shape of the sport you are putting it into. running on sand for miles and doing endless crunches day in and day out are not what the doctor ordered for gaining mass; in addition to all the other frequent injuries you get from martial arts. I remember punching one of the dudes while forgetting to keep my thumb in (fist) and my thumb got caught in his clothes, can't tell you how painful that was, my arm was wrapped for 2 weeks, sucks bigtime ! all I do now is eat, sleep and lift, nothing else ! long live the iron !

[InkdMuscle]

Whats up fellas, I'm James from Erie, PA and I bodybuild and practice Tae Kwon Do. Lately, I've been debating whether or not Tae Kwon do would hinder my strength and mass gains. I hope not because Tae Kwon Do was what got me into bodybuilding. I'm a second degree black belt in the martial art& have been doing it for ten years. I've been bodybuilding for 3.5 years. I think that three 75 minute sessions of Tae Kwon Do is good cardio, hence I am able to stay lean in the offseason. Now this isn't 75 minutes non stop, there is sufficient rest time in there. The intensity is between middle and high. I think that when the onseason comes, I would only have to add two 30 minute sessions of cardio to those Tae Kwon Do classes. PRETTY MUCH, I WANT TO BOTH BODYBUILD AND DO MARTIAL ARTS. If anyone knows about cardio or martial arts, I'd apprectiate your insight. Thanks.

Well we are in the same boat partner. I am a 1st degree blackbelt in Judo. I have a brown in ju jitsu and blue in shodokan Karate. I also compete in MMA cage matches. Cardio for those arts are intense. granted I only do cardio on my training days it is still intense enough for me to body build. for your art you dont do a lot of ground work so to speak more attacks(kicks,punches) but even those you are doing maximum effort and execution(I am assuming you do balls out training for TKD). SO that right there is gonna pump ur your heart rate and start to burn calories. IMO as long as your training and sparring sessions are a maximum effort your cardio should be fine. I know when I train my sessions are exactly that and I havent had a problem at all. Hope that helps bro. PM me if you need anything else bro.

[Nihility]

its tough to do both intensly, cause after a leg workout, you cant even think of getting power behind anything the next few days, but i also have two blackbelts and a blue belt (tang soo do, muy thai blackbelts, blue in BJJ), i honestly have layed off the martial arts, i do love them, but its nothing im going to continue like i used to, its HARD to do both as much as i want, and i chose BB'ing over it.


the flexibility and stretching will greatly help you once you build more muscle and they tighten up (because you will be stretching so they wont!)


its tough, i know, but if you have the time/ability, do both. but in the end do what you love the most, because its tough to do both imo.


oh and on the thumb thing when u punched the guy, get this:


two guys i train with were sparring, open gloves (grappling gloves), he throws a right hook at his ribs, but keeps his thumb out like you did, cept his thumb went BETWEEN the guys ribs, and got STUCK

took us like.. 5 minutes to get it out and it was the weirdest thing ive ever seen.

[Gaunt Kilroy]

sup, I have been kickboxing coming up on a year and lifting at the same time. I have had to really load up on the carbs and meals to hold my wieght (classic hardgainer). But it is paying off been gaining 1 to 2 lb of muscle every week or so , and the kickboxing is a really agressive abdominal workout , as well as some great stretching , it is tiring but it is worth it. My energy levels and stamina are greatly improved as a result. But I definitly lift first then kickbox . later Tony

[Joseb]

tae kwon do [discontinued]
jiu jitsu [currently]
wrestling [currently]

and boxing as a hobby

[BrotherInArms]

I was involved with martial arts for several years, and started lifting around that time. The one thing I loved was that I continually had a six-pack--the minus was that I wanted to gain weight rapidly. At the time I wasn't eating enough or taking any shakes, so I didn't really gain much weight. If trying to bulk, you'll just need to take in more calories with very high protein and carbs. A friend of mine successfully did bodybuilding and martial arts at the same time--he's about 190, 195 right now, standing at around 5'11" and he's really lean...

Basically--if you're willing to eat more, it can be done. In fact, martial arts could very well add an element to bodybuilding that many people don't get--joint strength and flexibility, two things that aren't stressed as heavily as many other things in the BB world.

Agreed. For those looking to put on some size and expend a lot of energy doing martial arts or boxing, the food intake's gotta be there.

[thenothingthatis]

hello brothers. im new to lifting, and haven't done any martial arts in my life (except for taekwondo in college, yellow belt haha). I would appreciate any input. I'm really interested in doing some martial arts soon. I'm a pretty sedentary person and an endomorph, so I'm looking for an activity like martial arts to keep me lean. I've been lifting for 1.5 years, and my aim is to get strong first thru lifting before I start any martial art. By strong I mean I should at least be able to military press my bodyweight, deadlift 2x bw, squat 1.5 bw, benchpress bw, and pull up with an added weight of 1/2 bw. It might take me a full year before I can do those, but when I reach them, would this be good foundation before starting any martial art?

Also, what martial art is best for street fights? I mean, I want to learn enough martial art to at least protect my loved ones if ever someone tries to hurt them. I want a fighting chance at least.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

[violator]

hello brothers. im new to lifting, and haven't done any martial arts in my life (except for taekwondo in college, yellow belt haha). I would appreciate any input. I'm really interested in doing some martial arts soon. I'm a pretty sedentary person and an endomorph, so I'm looking for an activity like martial arts to keep me lean. I've been lifting for 1.5 years, and my aim is to get strong first thru lifting before I start any martial art. By strong I mean I should at least be able to military press my bodyweight, deadlift 2x bw, squat 1.5 bw, benchpress bw, and pull up with an added weight of 1/2 bw. It might take me a full year before I can do those, but when I reach them, would this be good foundation before starting any martial art?

Also, what martial art is best for street fights? I mean, I want to learn enough martial art to at least protect my loved ones if ever someone tries to hurt them. I want a fighting chance at least.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.


Brother, i hear what ur sayin about gettin strong b4 u start, but start now anyway, it takes a LONG time to build profecency in martial arts, by this i mean being able to use it in an everyday situation where it becomes ur instinct on how to defend or attack....so for the first year or 2 ull only be doing controlled sparring etc...so if u start gettin strong now, ull be able to really clean up when things start falling into place in a year or 2, instead of starting with a bunch of beginners who wont be able to keep up the pace u wanna train at, cause their unfit & have never done a pushup before....
time waits for no man, puttin off a whole years training while waiting to start is a waste..
as far as what techniques to use, theirs many to learn, but i think the key is gettin a solid instructor or master to learn from, someone thats been proven successful in competition(if u wanna compete)...and it also depends on whether u prefer striking or grappling...their are many systems, so research some before u make a decision..... & when choosing a school dont sign up straight away, ask the sifu/instuctor/master if u can sit in for a couple of lessons & then ull be able to judge the intensity, discipline and strength of the system& its instructor, often the junior classes are instructed by the masters senior pupils....for me the most important thing would be that the classes are well drilled, ie, there is little down time between instruction & completion of the exercise/ form, with motivation& direction from the instructor....if u go to a school & the workouts/drills are half assed, instructors are talking to each other instead of helping u, & everyones wandering around aimlessly, then find another school, often these things reflect the effectiveness of the system & the quality of the master who runs the school.
some of the most popular styles today are brazilian ju-jitsu, made famous by the legendary gracie family, this is a ground fighting/grappling style similar to wrestling, but with more flair & technique(no disrespect to all the wrestlers out there that can kick my ass...haha)
or if u prefer striking check out muai thai kickboxing which has emphasis on heavy elbows/fists/kness and also has clinch work as well..
ive done shaolin gung fu for 8 odd years now & love it for the grace & fluidity of the forms & the animal & internal styles as well as the weapons used...
but if u just wanna beat the shit outta people, go do boxing...haha...
hope this helps, man, im bored at work today....haha

[thenothingthatis]

thanks violator! very helpful! im leaning towards trying muay thai. I want a standing martial art. I'm thinking that can be used better in the streets than wrestling or grappling on the floor.

[InkdMuscle]

hello brothers. im new to lifting, and haven't done any martial arts in my life (except for taekwondo in college, yellow belt haha). I would appreciate any input. I'm really interested in doing some martial arts soon. I'm a pretty sedentary person and an endomorph, so I'm looking for an activity like martial arts to keep me lean. I've been lifting for 1.5 years, and my aim is to get strong first thru lifting before I start any martial art. By strong I mean I should at least be able to military press my bodyweight, deadlift 2x bw, squat 1.5 bw, benchpress bw, and pull up with an added weight of 1/2 bw. It might take me a full year before I can do those, but when I reach them, would this be good foundation before starting any martial art?

Also, what martial art is best for street fights? I mean, I want to learn enough martial art to at least protect my loved ones if ever someone tries to hurt them. I want a fighting chance at least.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

Well bro couple of things. there are many factors in chooseing the right marital art. for one IMO(strongly from expiernce) if you are looking for an art that well help in a street fight there is no one art dedicated to it. FOr instance I am a blackbelt in Judo. Which teaches throws, takedowns, and choakes. But it lacks striking. So I also take mui thai which is really good in kicks and strikes. But it lacks ground work. 90 percent of all street fights end up on the ground. So you have to look at it this way. If you can defend your self up to with strikes then look into an art that will help utilize mostly that. but for both a ground game and strikes. there is not an art that I have found that teaches both. Now the exception to the rule is MMA Schooling. There are a couple of schools around where I live that do have all that. but its group'd into the MMA catergorry not an art.

Now like u-rep said power and strenth can hinder the learning in any art. For me i noticed that I have been working for strenth in size with my lifting and dieting. I have noticed a decrease in range of motion for most of my martial art traning. So now becuause lifting is my first passion I have to do some serious stretching and warming up to stay par with my fighting game. Hope that helps bro.

[bobbymart]

thanks violator! very helpful! im leaning towards trying muay thai. I want a standing martial art. I'm thinking that can be used better in the streets than wrestling or grappling on the floor.

Standing is great I have many years of boxing and kick boxing under my belt... however I also do wrestling and jiu jitsu and there have been times recently where unfotrunatly I have had to defend myself and the jiu jitsu/ wrestling has prevaled above all else.

[thenothingthatis]

thanks guys. seems the best thing to do is learn jiu jitsu/wrestling AND muay thai? this seems like a hard thing to do for a regular working guy with only weekends free.

[bobbymart]

thanks guys. seems the best thing to do is learn jiu jitsu/wrestling AND muay thai? this seems like a hard thing to do for a regular working guy with only weekends free.

You can do it bro, really easy just find a place in you're area that teaches MMA they will have weekend classes, and unless you are extremely large you're size won't hinder you greatly I am a big dude and train 3-5 times a week.

[thenothingthatis]

thanks bobby. i will try scouting around soon.

[bobbymart]

no prob let me know if I can help with anything.

[bobbymart]

Alright So I Just Made An Mma Tribe In The Tribes Section If Anyone Is Interested

[ironjim87]

Alright guys, thanks for your insight. I think the main idea is that if you can and want to, doing both bodybuilding and a martial art should be no problem. With proper spacing of training sessions and good nutrition, great things can be accomplished in the gym, the dojang, and the ring. IF I AM TRULY ANIMAL, I SHOULD NOT QUIT WHAT LEAD ME TO THE IRON. MY FIRST TAEKWONDO SCHOOL HAD A LITTLE GYM IN THE BACK! I WAS LIFTING A LITTLE SINCE THE AGE OF 12 WHILE DOING TAEKWONDO!
Quiters never win. We shouldn't succumb to false perceptions. Why quit bodybuilding over martial arts? Why quit martial arts over bodybuilding? You will only lose both ways. HAS ANYONE SEEN THE DUDE FROM TEAM RYUOKO? THE DUDE IS A TANK AND CAN PULL OFF FUCKIN FLIPS AND FLYING KICKS. THAT IS TRULY LIMITLESS!!!