mr_obvious

At the end of the day -- does it matter? Find a place you like / want to train at, and do just that, "train." The color belt around your waist doesn't change your knowledge or capability, does it?

Not necessarily what I was referring to, but anyway..... I strive to gain at least a little bit, beyond my previous mark in *whatever* I do (be it a certain kick, punch, cardio, strength exercise, etc.) Even a small step forward, is the right direction!

"Pillow Fight" tournament, heh, heh

Yuppers. Barring any mechanical limitations.....no reason you can't improve flexibility. Very easy over the years to lose flexibility in the lower extremities, as most daily living activities simply don't require an extended range of motion. The good news -- again, barring any mechanical limitations -- flexibility can be restored. You just gots to work on it. Something else to consider....depending on your stature, you might not need ultimate flexibility to kick high.

It will help as the body becomes more cardiovascularly efficient (and potent); thus reducing cardio loads at idle. BP and pulse rate all go down, as the subject becomes more conditioned, generally speaking. I'd say cardio first, weight training 2nd....and watch the salt (drink a gallon of water a day, too).

Not exactly on topic, but I'd say PCPs aren't usually qualified to make such diagnoses.

With my specific medical conditions, my Docs gave me pills which simulate the endorphine rush......but without all that sweaty "work stuff." I can't say that, at the end of my workout, not feeling it -- is not a disappointment though, rather, a bonus.

IMHO, you should lift like you train in the Dojo. Inhale on the eccentric phase, exhale on the concentric phase, while tensing the pelvic floor. Might help to audibly kiai when doing each rep to practice -- just to start. Some of the people around you.....might not understand, heh DON'T hold your breath, unless your goal is and you're experienced training in an oxygen-lean condition. I've seen dudes passout / drop weight bars on their chest after passing out doing that. Not fun!

Rule #1 of fat weight loss: there is no such thing as spot reduction. Rule #2: you don't have to starve yourself, or even go hungry to lose weight. Through proper eating (I call it fueling strategy) your body recalibrates it's internal hunger pang threshold setpoint. What this means, is that no matter how much you target a given area (with crunches, for instance) it won't matter. Your body burns fat from it's source of least resistance. The catch is, that source varies from person-to-person. It may very well be your belly, or it may not. In theory, a person could do 100,000 crunches everyday, lose their butt, and have nothing come off their belly. Their internal wiring "said I'm buring a ton of calories, where Should I take em? The butt....." The universally accepted, and most healthy way to trim up, is moderate to intense cardio 3-5 times a week; and resistance training to maintain / augment muscle mass. All various depending on what and how you train in MAs, of course. Also, make sure you get plenty of high-quality lean protein (with the sole exception of Salmon, which is high in Omega-3 fatty acids), veggies and complex carbos. And keep your calorie intake in a slight deficit everyday. For instance -- in the last 10 months, I've dropped a net 65lbs (offset by ~20lbs muscle gain) by following the above diet and exercise schedule. And I am a card-carrying member of the big-butt, big-gut fanclub; so I know where you're coming from. True.....it's the last thing to come off; but if you look at it from strictly a BMI perspective -- it's all fat, and it will all go away if you stick to it.

I used to be of this opinion, until I had several discs blown out (not while training). Takeway being -- not everyone can do these exercises. I'm fortunate enough to train at a facility with excellent crunch and loaded torso rotation equipment. Another innovative way to load your core muscles, oddly enough, is the lat tower. Pull the bar down behind your head, resting on the posterior delts, and crunch downward. Those who have access to an inversion equipment -- and regularly use it -- can build decent core strength purely as a byproduct of your decompression exercises. Just a couple more cents

A couple things to remember: 1) You're going to be "bad at it," at first. Everyone starts at the beginning. Just show up and absorb. 2) As is usually the case, should any higher belts give you stig -- heh, heh -- they're going to owe Sensei pushups! Respect is paramount in most MAs.

Sounds like it was fun. G/J on working through it!

^^^ x2. Almost looks as if he has an advantage. Fewer distractions. Vid didn't show any physical problems.... I do not envy my Sensei / Sempai's position in teaching the kids / beginner classes (which make up the majority of our dojo's student base). That's some SERIOUS attention issues to work through, lol.

So, a friend was channel surfing (something I don't have much time to do, these days) found and told me about this new show... http://www.aetv.com/steven-seagal-lawman/ Apparently, when Mr. Seagal isn't filming movies, or practicing Aikido, he's arresting people IRL.

"Pocketfuls of Fly" now that's an awesome expression

Heck yeah! Just be sure to check in from time-to-time. There's a lot of single-digit posters on this forum... Strange how many go through the registration process, then only make like "4" posts and disappear, lol.

Heh....taking that a step further -- setup a "lazy jar." Anytime she punks out of a workout, she's gotta put $1,000 in the kitty. Unless she's a multi-millionaire, you can bet she'll be there!!!

I understand where you're coming from. Those who've run across my other posts know I'm in a similar boat. I probably could've used the handle "mr_stenosis," heh, heh. Anyway after many, many months of barely getting around with a cane, doctor visits, physical therapy, and keeping the pharmaceutical industry in business......I scratched and clawed myself into the dojo and back into pretty amazing shape. IMHO, even if you are or remain wheelchair bound....there is a ton to learn and train just with upper body. When selecting a dojo, come in with full honesty. If they can't or don't want to accommodate your limitations, it will be apparent and you don't want train there anyway. So, ideally you'll find a place run by Sensei / Sempai who not only can work around your limitations -- but welcome the challenge. Oh, and kudos on deciding to start your MA journey. It's never too late!

Congrats....sounds like it was a marathon.

Me too. Especially my right ankle. Seems I roll that sucker bad, at least a couple times a year. When I say "bad," I mean swelling up to the size of a small cantaloupe, can't put on socks, shoes or sandals bad. Other than that, and my screwed-up back, I've been pretty lucky.

Small tangent, but this is why I weight train in the morning. First, I can stack the majority of my protein and calories in the front half of the day, in support of muscle fiber repair. Secondly, cardio or MA in the evenings burns off any excess glycogen which might be converted to fat during hibernation. But, yeah....the metabolism drops off significantly during sleep, which includes any synthesis from muscle protein to glycogen.

Well, uh.....Martial Arts training certainly could help

^^^ X2. Inquiring minds want to know! That's crazy! I'm looking at two, maybe three disc replacements in the not-too-distant future. The new technology and techniques available these days are amazing. Plus the consensus seems to be that post-op, subjects are mechanically stronger and flexible than "perfect" human discs could ever hope to be.

Get some Xanax, heh. Ok....maybe that wasn't the most productive suggestion. Just make sure to imagine you're actually fighting / applying the forms.

I agree (on the gun stuff too). Even if the lesson is wasted on some students -- and I'm afraid there are some who train at my dojo -- the lesson should still be taught. Going 360 back to the OP.... For instance would I claim my style superior or inferior to any other? Nope. Competence, opponent competence and environmental factors are all continuously and too widely variable to predict any potential superiority in a given conflict. ......and if all else fails, just get the Mossberg outta the trunk