KickChick

I agree ...for MA "training" one shouldn't keep up with a high bpm...but for sparring purposes its ok...Music to forms is also done at demos and looks very fluid. If you keep the bpm low (128-135) for fitness kickboxing you shouldn't sacrifice technique and still get a good workout. (Most people don't keep to the beat anyway ) Deby

There isn't a study that shows that weight training stunts growth. Progressive training improves bone growth and adds muscle, rather than hindering growth.A training program for teens should include more than just weight lifting. Weight together with a fun type of exercise even sports count!.... about 20 minutes of exercise and 15 minutes of weight training. I am a mom of a 16 yr old son....and around 13-15 he was a "chunky monkey" ...but I think that has alot to do with hormones. He has been lifting since 15 and is getting slimmer with more definition. I hafta keep getting him off the computer and playstation...I think that is the downfall of all teenage boys physiques!! Deby

Karateka very true about the adults! I see that too!... We always say to the "kids"... "Step in with your left...no no no your OTHER left!" ... Every child is different as every adult is different too. Who is to say a child is too young to train or for that matter....too old??? Deby

We have a program at our school called Little Dragons for kids as young as age 5 ... assuming they do know their left & right they can advance to a regular white belt class in future. I find that when they start this early they do advance too quickly to black belt rank at too early of an age. All of my own children began at age 5 and one has earned her black belt at age 12. Deby _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) It is when the student approaches black belt that the serious student discovers that he has only just begun his study of Karate [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-10-01 10:35 ]

Found this in my email this morning! SPECIAL DIET FOR STRESS This is a specially formulated diet designed to help women cope with the stress that builds during the day. BREAKFAST 1 grapefruit 1 slice whole-wheat toast 1 cup skim milk LUNCH 1 small portion lean, steamed chicken with a cup of spinach 1 cup herbal tea 1 Hershey's Kiss AFTERNOON TEA The rest of the Hershey Kisses in the bag 1 tub of Hagen-Daaz ice cream with chocolate-chip topping DINNER 4 glasses of wine (red or white) 2 loaves garlic bread 1 family size Supreme pizza 3 Snickers bars LATE NIGHT SNACK 1 whole Sarah Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from the freezer) REMEMBER: "Stressed" spelled backward is "desserts" Send this to four women and you will lose two pounds. Send this to all the women you know (or ever knew), and you will lose 10 pounds. If you delete this message,you will gain 10 pounds immediately. That's why I had to pass this on -- I didn't want to risk it. Deby

Actually at our school way back we used to spar with music...("MachineHead" by Bush was my favorite and also "Welcome to the Jungle" G&R)....we don't any longer but would love to suggest bringing it back however, because of different ages and tastes in music it is a little difficult to please everyone! I (like you all know by now) teach fitness kickboxing to real loud beat driven music...really gets the adrenaline rushing. But when I warm up or cool down I do pick tunes with a good constant beat (something uplifting too ) I love mixing my own tunes for class purposes and do take suggestions! Deby

Oh man!!.. Patrick you really DO take your job seriously!!! Deby

ok Moobrack....then what did you mean exactly?? Maybe if you rephrase the question .... Sounds to me like you want to eat while you are exercising....just seems a bit messy to me Deby

I have a ****er spaniel named Cindy (after Cindy Crawford...she has a black freckle on the side of her cheek like her), and a himalayan cat named Oliver. And yes, they do get along! Deby

OH MY! Deby

This type of shin tempering is typical to muay thai training wherein kicks and blocks are often executed using the shins. Just imagine slamming a cross shin block into an incoming roundhouse kick. You better have strong shin bones! Deby

Hey thanks babysteffee...! I'm always trying to watch what I eat ...(it's not that I'm fat or anything by no means) but you know us girls! anyway, before I began teaching this high intensity kickboxing class I was on the Atkins diet...(yeah real stupid!) In case you're not aware of it...this is the one where carbs are restricted. Well to tell an Italian she can't eat pasta is bad enuff!...I was a miserable "SOB" to say the least (not very good for your mood swings!) and as far as working out....I nearly passed oout on several occassions. So duh!!!! You live and learn and truly smarten up...(at least one hopes to when they follow these fad diets) I just thought maybe I could lose the extra "wigglies" by burning more fat on this particular diet. If you train hard you need carbs! I eat a light breakfast/ big lunch and a very small serving of complex carb before workout in evening and it truly sustains me ....I come home and that is it...nothing until next morning! Deby _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) It is when the student approaches black belt that the serious student discovers that he has only just begun his study of Karate [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-09-27 07:38 ]

Sorry Moobrack...All I can picture in my mind right now is seeing someone with a big cheeseburger in one hand and pumping iron with the other! I think what you're asking is whether to eat before or after you work out and pssibly what are the guidlines....which is better? Most people will feel dizzy, nauseated and/or exhausted while exercising on an empty stomach. This is due to low blood sugar levels, especially first thing in the morning. To counteract this, eat a snack (not a meal) before your workout regardless of the time of day. Some examples of appropriate snacks would be a slice of bread with peanut butter or a cup of lowfat yogurt. It is a myth that "a lot of fat burning" takes place during the hour immediately following a workout. There IS a slight increase in metabolism but only enough to burn an extra 10-20 calories in that post-exercise hour. The most important thing is the total number of calories ... not the percentage of fat ... you burn during a workout. If you eat before exercising, make sure you allow your body some time to digest and absorb the food. During digestion, our bodies send blood to the stomach to help out with this process. When we exercise, our muscles need the blood flow, so our stomach becomes a second class citizen and digestion is slowed. If too much food is in the stomach while we're exercising, most likely we won't be too comfortable. Also take into account the type of food you consume and the activities you perform. Some people tolerate liquids more easily because they leave the stomach quicker than solid food. However, some exercisers, such as runners, don't like the internal "sloshing" around that liquids may cause. The general guidelines for eating before exercising are: Three or four hours before exercising, a large meal is fine (600 calories or more) Two or three hours beforehand, a smaller meal is suitable (400 - 500 calories) One or two hours before, a liquid meal is appropriate (300 - 400 calories) With less than one hour, a small snack will do. (200 - 300 calories) In addition, people tolerate foods differently, and the composition of the food matters. Fats stay in the stomach longest, followed by protein and high fiber carbohydrate, then low fiber complex carbohydrates, and finally simple sugars, which are absorbed fastest. Avoid sugary foods, including juice, an hour before exercise. Bodies absorb the sugar in these foods quickly, and you may feel lightheaded and tired during your exercise as a result. If you feel you absolutely must have juice or some sugary snack before exercise, have it only five or ten minutes before you begin. This way, there isn't enough time for your body to secrete insulin, a hormone which lowers blood sugar and can cause fatiguing symptoms. Since everyone reacts a little differently, try various strategies to determine what helps you the most. No matter what, drink water before, during, and after exercise. And, have breakfast afterwards, especially if you haven't had anything to eat earlier, since this will replace glycogen stores and keep you going all morning long. I do believe it's lunch time now.... Hope this answers your question ! Deby

I have 3 of my own!...I guess you can say I work with kids too!....We have a great bunch of youngens' here!... nice to see some level of maturity within this forum too! Deby

Posting time for me is always 3 hours ahead...I just posted someting at 5:56am and really it was 8:56 am ...I am (EST) here in the U.S. northeast. I am hardly ever on in evening...my kids monopolize the phone lines with their computers. I am down to a 2 day work week (travel business) so you'll see me on more during course of the day! Deby

Correct me if I am wrong ..(and I'm sure you muay thai paractitioners will if I am!) but this is an old practice that is now obsolete and hard shins can now be developed through the use of modern equipment..heavy bag and pads. Thai Boxers train by kicking trees is based on fact. Thai boxers are known for their rigourous physical conditioning, and in particular, their extremely hard shins. However, Thai boxers have not always had access to such equipmnt such as heavy bags/pads so kicking trees was common especially the banana tree. A banana tree is not hardwood like most trees found. (hard to come by in the States!)Banana trees have a softer, more plant-like trunk which will give a little when kicked. Thai boxers would not start off by kicking a tree with full force, rather they would start kicking slowly without much power until the shins would eventually toughen to withstand the punishment. (Much like you would if you began heavy bag conditioning as I mentioned above. Trees are sometimes still used today for training. Thai boxers kick them with minimal power in order to improve speed and accuracy. There are those who are capable of kicking trees without any real harm to themselves but FEW ... DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME! Deby

When you start kicking the bag, start kicking lightly at first. Gradually increase the power so that you are kicking full power. Don't forget to stop every so often to massage your shins! Massage the shins vigourously to get the blood flowing back into them. This promotes faster healing of the bruised flesh and any damage to the bone. You might also like to invest in Boxing Liniment (basically it's Ben Gay). Massage your shins with that before and after you kick. Do not "tap" or "beat" your shins with sticks, boards, bottles, etc. This causes bruises, knots, etc to form on the shin. These painful little areas may stick with you for quite some time. As you mentioned... find a cylindrical object such as a rolling pin or bottle, and roll it lightly up and down the full length of the shin. Do this for at least 20 min's per shin. Just remember to kick the heavy bag and/or Thai pads. You should kick over 100 times each day....gradually increasing. Good Luck! Deby _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) It is when the student approaches black belt that the serious student discovers that he has only just begun his study of Karate [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-09-26 04:46 ]

Hi grahamcoleman! ... I think we covered this topic pretty well in the "General Karate Forum" under the thread "Upper body strength"....check it out! I mention a bunch of push ups you can do besides the ones that Bon mentioned. Good tips Bon...and thank you ! Very good site Slim...thank you for referring it! If you can't or don't wanna bench press then push ups will suffice! Good luck! Just remember to be consistent! Check back with us! Deby

Yikes! iamrushman, need help babysitting? ... maybe we should start a Senior Forum LOL ...nah Deby

The thing is Jack that now viruses are being transmitted to you from people that you do know...however they have no idea that they sent it to you. Somehow it attacks the affected user's address book and then sends it out to all the addresses in the email program! Just be careful what you open...scan it first with a good virus protection! Deby

Sounds to me F-S-K like you didn't warm upa and stretch properly before kicking ...let alone for kicking to the head! Looks like you need to take it easy for a few days...really you should not work out with the pain. You should have immediately put an ice pack on pulled muscle. YEOW!! ....really it will help to reduce the swelling and inflammation of your groin strain. You might also take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or acetaminophen to relieve pain. Rest the affected muscle until the swelling and inflammation subside. Later — after 48 hours or more — you can apply a warm compress to relax the damaged muscle tissue and encourage the body's natural healing processes. Stretch longer next time...actually now you will need to favor that area until you can stretch it out with no pain! Hope you're kicking high soon! Deby

I agree with both of you, Chris & Lori ... Here is something I ran across and I would like to share...(kinda expreses my thoughts on this matter.....) "In this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest." -- Henry Miller, American author 1891-1980. The recent fall of the dot.com economy and its get-rich-quick mindset has given way to a more traditional way of doing business, where the "old ways" of gaining profits and servicing customers have returned. In the same way, there's a backlash against the get-a-blackbelt-quick mindset in the martial arts. The true value of the martial arts can't be discovered in a weekend seminar, or in a few months at a McDojo. You gain the real benefits only through hard training and dedication. They also say that the belt doesn't make the man (or woman)--- the man (or woman) makes the belt! Deby

Good Job Moobrack....maybe we can "end" this thread here! Jack...Good Luck on the weight training.....just remember to be consistent! I am always telling my son (rather reminding him!) to lift after school...and when it starts to get easy ---add more weight & more reps! Deby _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) "A woman does not practice martial arts so that she can fight like a man. She does so in order to be free to be a woman." [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-09-25 12:14 ]

Oh my!....this looks like we need a new forum here! True Jerry!... and remember -- wouldn't you rather go through life wanting something you do not have, rather than having something you do not want. Deby

Might I suggest that you visit the gym and watch each of the classes and decide which style best fits you. It seems that you are limited to those specific styles and the place of instruction so your decision really should be fairly easy. Good Luck... and Welcome to KarateForums! Deby