KickChick

No disrespect taken! To each his own!....I like to cross train myself so I do a little of everything so as not do get bored with my workouts! Whatever works for you...continue to do Deby

Exercises that build your shoulders, triceps, and trapezius muscles are the most effective for increasing your speed and power for forward/backward flips. Handstand push-ups are one the best exercises if you can't do military/shoulder presses. For splits, at the mininum, you should stretch 6-7 times a week, (at least once per day) for at least 15 minutes each session if you want to improve your static flexibility (2-4 times a week if you just want to maintain your flexibility). You should hold each stretch for at least 15+ (preferably 30-60+)seconds of slightpain/pressure(you should push against the ground or other resistance--similar to way you push against the resistance provided by a partner in PNF stretching (after a while, it won't seem painful anymore and you'll just feel a nice tightness/stretching sensation) and then relax for a 30 seconds to minute and then repeat the 15+ seconds of pressure on the muscle you are stretching. Remember, the more, the better so stretch/drop into your splits while watching T.V. (especially during commericals since they're perfect for 2-minute quickie stretches), studying, doing your homework,postin here on the forum,reading, or any other activity that you can do while sitting (find a spot that gives you good visual stimuli so it'll give you something to focus on to distract you from the pain--good places are the beach (it has beautiful scenery ... warm sunlight dancing on your skin, the roar of crashing waves, soaring seagulls, nice bikinis For the dynamic flexibility used in high kicks and drop splits (which is separate from static flexibility), you will just have to practice quick/fast/ stretches/kicks that involve a quick burst of power (such as high kicks/drop splits/etc.) at least 6-7 times a week for 15 minutes at a minimum. Good Luck flipping!!! Deby

Kickbutt...actually they are great for emergencies! We get lots of snow up here in the north east! I have teenagers (which are just dying for their own cos' everyone else has one)...which will probably get one when they start driving so as they have no excuse for not calling home! Just remember to turn off in movie theaters...so annoying!! Actually mine rang right in the middle of Venus Williams serving at the tennis match this past weekend! ooops Love the vibration mode!!! :brow: Deby

Yeah and men...all they care about is our..... Hey....we all need to work on one certain area of our bodies it seems...and for most women it is the thigh area...(usually those women are perfect everywheres else) Deby

Among the most important benefits offered by the Martial Arts are respect and discipline. Respect is not limited to saying "yes, Sir" or "Yes,Ma'am." It involves sensitivity to other people and their feelings and beliefs. It involves empathy. It involves the recognition of worth and truth in each person. And it also involves the recognition that each person is just one part of the whole of humanity, the whole of US. We are all one, complete only by our interdependence on each other, yin and yang together. And discipline is not limited to obedience and a rigorously adhered to workout schedule. Self-discipline must also include disciplined language which can, in turn, lead to a disciplined mind and spirit. Without respect and discipline, we will never be martial artists no matter how hard we can punch! And we will never be adequate role models to our students. Deby

Hey babysteffee... I was actually feeling the same way last year and got involved with this fitness kickboxing that our TKD school offers which I enjoy teaching and keeps me in shape. I plan on going back to TKD to finish my required lessons for 2nd deg. in next month or so. I tried Aikido...wasn't much into it. Tried Krav Maga...YIKES! way too brutal for me ... took some weapons workshops and learned some great stuff. Workshops are great if they are offered in your area. I agree with iamrushman...there are so many choices out there...depending what is offered in your area. As women, we bring a vastly different experience to our Martial Arts training than men do. We are from a different place, with a different set of values, different skills, different strengths and weaknesses, different expectations of ourselves and others, but mostly a different consciousness. Deby

ok...here's another too - Plie Squats!! Begin with feet apart in plie position First Position Squat down and scoop the body forward as you come up on a slight tilt; really squeezing the inner thighs and glute. Second Position Perform the same move as in first position, but when you come up in your scoop, point the toes and lift both heels off the floor. Really squeeze as you come up again using your inner thighs and glute. Third Position Perform the same move as in first position, but when you come up in your scoop, flex your toes upwards leaving heels on the floor. Really scoop and squeeze forward with your inner thighs and glute. Perform at least 8 reps of each move and really begin to change your inner thighs (hard to reach) area. Deby

No More Thunder Thighs with this one babysteffee...my class really feels these. I actually asked my class what target areas they want to work on and its always the inner thighs that seem to be numero uno! Roll onto your back with the soles of your feet together. This will allow this hips to release and relax. Press the soles of feet together. You should feel your inner thighs awaken. Typically the pelvis is tilted up slightly, but this is not an excercise for the tush...its for INNER THIGHS I usually push 16-20 times holding the last one for a 25-30 count, release, and start again. To test it to see if you have worked those legs, put your legs in the air (with arms down at the side for back support) and open and close your legs typically starting with easy open/close. The last 2-4 close in 8 counts...feel the burn, baby!! Deby

...no offense taken! Deby

OK OK OK!!!! Here ya go! http://hometown.aol.com/muthrof3gr8kidz/myhomepage/health.html Deby

Oh, and wavematers are just heavy bags filled with either water or sand that are freestanding. We get ours from Century products...we have over 30 in our school and yes, we do have to replace now and again because we do kick the crap out of them! But I have one in my gym at home and use it everyday! I end every one of my classes with anaerobic routine for 15 minutes. My class time has now been extended to one hour (from 45 min) so I may increase that for 20 min. Deby

Anaerobic exercise involves short bursts of exercise followed by periods of rest. Your body will develop stronger muscles as a result of anaerobic exercise. This exercisse does not burn fat. Its muscle building benefits are good with the benefits of aerobic exercise. People with different metabolic rates and different body shapes need to workout differently. A person who tends to gain weight or fat easily needs more aerobics than a person who cannot gain a pound no matter what! (we HATE those people!) Aerobic Exercise is essential for weight loss, cardio vascular fitness and body-shaping. Anaerobic exercise is essential for strength building & muscle gain. Anaerobic exercises are activities in which the body cannot process enough oxygen to continue. The literal definition of anaerobic is "without oxygen." Anaerobic exercises can only be done for short periods of time. Some examples of anaerobic exercises include strength training and running sprints,weight training or power lifting. Calisthenics... exercises against the resistance of your own body weight, pushups, chin-ups, parallel dips and abdominal crunches. Interval training such as wind sprints. Any other exercise that will fatigue you or the muscle group in 30 seconds to a minute and a half. Sports that usually include short bursts of energy (sprinting and then resting), like baseball, hockey, football or volleyball are anaerobic. These are good for fitness, coordination and timing. However, they do not use the same muscle building response as weight training and callisthenics. Deby :pony: _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-08-28 11:59 ]

GEEZ....you guys take a view and/or opinion and BLOW it up to proportions! I took a simple analagy... to what "I FEEL" being a black belt means. I am DAMN PROUD OF THE FACT THAT I AM A BLACK BELT AND I WILL STRUT MY STUFF WHILE WEARING IT THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND DESERVE THE RESPECT THAT SPORTING THAT SIMPLE PIECE OF CLOTH BRINGS. (at least it should). But I guess I am living in a dream world where black belts are respected and so is the instituion of marriage. "my point being that wearing things that symbolize something does not make the persons character..only that person can make that happen.." Who said it did? What happened to pride in one's accomplishments?? If wearing a certain color belt does that for that individual then that person has made it happen. Nuff said on this thank you very much guys! Deby

Why do we wear wedding rings?? It makes the discipline, hard work and struggles concrete to us. It "signifies" to the wearer of his/her accomplishments. You have given yourself fully to someone or something --->your martial art... and you better be faithful to it! And when someone sees the belt or ring....one knows not to fool around with that person! ...wow do I have a way at lookings at things or what?? Deby

I am sure that if someone inquires about these classes they are told they are "aerobic" or "fitness" kickboxing classes. Seems to me false advertising for someone to get into thinking its "sport" kickboxing. I hate the term aerobic....all I can picture is Jane Fonda and her sweater half leggings! I prefer fitness kickboxing or cardio kickboxing...taught by someone with MA exp. so that you get an awesome workout with proper technique! There are soooo many programs out there called many different things...boxaerobics, TaeBo, cardio Karate,aerobic kickboxing etc. etc. Read what the program truly is...they are designed for different clientele...the YMCA group, the gym or fitness club or the dojo. I prefer the dojo! Deby

Weight Lifting!!!!!!! Bone is made of calcium phosphate and collagen. There are hundreds of concentric rings called haversian canals within each bone. When you lift a weight, your muscles react--they do work. Because muscles are attached to bones, pressure and tension are put upon the bone as well. Blood flows through both the muscle and the bone, carrying nutrients to the bone-building cells. At the same time an electrical charge shoots through the haversian canals-stimulating bone growth. This process is triggered by weight lifting. Increase muscle mass...build bone. Reduce muscle mas...reduce bone density. You can also add calcium and ipriflavone to your nutritional regimen. Deby

Frog Kicks: Drop... squat down so legs are wide and palms of hands are on the floor centered in between your legs. Almost like a frog jump. Lean to the left and kick right leg out to the side / hip level / maintaining the squat position Alternate right and left side kicks. ...noticed I missed resistance sit ups at the end of my post too. These are full sit ups - up in one down in eight counts. You'll want to rip your right arm off and beat yourself in the head after doing about 4 sets of 20!!! Deby

Hey Javier.......BABALOOOO!!!! Deby

Thanks Ken!! Gonna go surf now...jump later!....(let's hope!)..thanks Deby

What happened to defenestration_girl's posting??? ...just a little curious as to what it was?? Deby

Basically...to have no regrets. Live for today! I never want to say "I should have...". Remember, no effort that we make to attain something is ever lost. - Helen Keller Deby

Thanks Blade for the tips...I will check them out! BlueDragon...I need to work on jump kicks basically for form and breaking and not much really for fighting...although if quick enough...jump kick would be effective for sure! Ken, I see you had some tips, however, had posting probs a couple days ago. ?????? Could you maybe remember what it was you posted and repost for me?...you do seem to have some great advice and I would appreciate it! Question: Can anyone be a better jumper...or is it a matter of either you can or can't. See I think no matter what I do...I'll never be able to jump....I'm just not good acrobatically...now dancing - that's another thing! Deby

Well, the best way to speed up your metabolism is through cardiovascular (using the heart exercises). It is best to do cardio on an empty stomach. Here's why: Overnight during sleep, calories (mostly complex carbohydrates) are burned slowly. By morning, blood sugar and carb levels low. This empty stomach training forces the body to look for an alternate energy source. If carbs and blood sugar levels are low, the body moves to its alternate source of energy which is fat. Run on a treadmill or jump rope in the morning. I, on occasion, take a metabolic surge supplement (Ma Huang) only because I do have a very sluggish metabo...and no time in the morning to workout. I workout in afternoon but mostly at night. During rest of day,the best way to speed up the metabolism is by increasing meal frequency. Instead of eating 2 - 3 meals per day, try eating 4 - 5 small meals per day, or 3 meals and 2 healthy snack meals. Good Luck! Deby

The reason you put your hands just above your butt and the small of your backside is to raise your pelvis (tilting it forward) so as not to put strain on back muscles by using them to do the crunch. This also isolates the ab muscles enabling you to lift and crunch using the proper muscles. Yes, Angus ...Leg raises are also an awesome workout for the abs. They were an integral part of Bruce Lees workout and is how he kept his abs so cut.He also did: Waist Twists, Sit up Twists, Leaning Twists and Frog Kicks. Deby Resistance Sit Ups