What is fitness?When I think of fitness I conjure up images of super elite olympic athletes and long distance runners. This image of fitness is quiet different to the image of a fighter. When I think about a fighter,
I think about big burley guys throwing boxing style punches at each other. What if you could combine the two…
True fitnessI believe true fitness is a combination of aerobic conditioning, power, strength and suppleness. Amazingly, all three attributes are perfectly combined into one incredible discipline called Martial Arts.
Martial arts fitness is probably the single most complete fitness training you will ever see. Not only do top martial artists have superior strength and speed, they are able to demonstrate these skills for hours on end. This is to me is true fitness. These people are not only fit, they are confident, balanced and a actually a little bit scary.
Professional fightersThere is no better public demonstration of this level of fitness than the professional fighting sport called Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Mixed Martial Arts is a combination of Karate, Grappling, Wrestling, Boxing, Jujitsu and Tae Kwon Do all rolled in one. While people like Bruce Lee may have shone a spot light on this mysterious art, I think it’s really the rise and popularity of the MMA competition that displays just how fit, brutal and powerful martial arts can be.
It’s no surprise that the people who practice MMA are elite athletes. However this is not the only benefit they enjoy. While many think of martial arts as violent, in the mainstream it is used as self defence. It actually does not encourage violence but teaches people how to control themselves.
Can I get fit even if I don’t want to fight?Absolutely. There are even home training programs you can follow to build up your fitness. Home training programs can be done in the comfort and safety of your own home. In fact what’s so great about this style of training is that you don’t need any real equipment to work on your self-defence fitness.
What about the Dojo?Sure yes, if you want to learn Mixed Martial Arts so you can throw punches and do some kicks then yes you will need to train in a Dojo. However that’s not really required if all you want to do is work on your fitness.
It’s all about the fitness
While you don’t need to know the exact moves, just doing the intense exercise will significantly improve your fitness. You don’t need to do perfect blocks, kicks or punches. If you follow the intense workout tips and diet suggestions you’ll start to see why this style of training is so effective. MMA fighters all have powerful fitness programs they follow. They want to build muscle but not to much, they want to be fast, but too thin, they want to powerful not to bulky.
It’s this fine balance that makes these guys the perfect model to copy when it comes to elite fitness.
