BlackBeauty

um....?

Thanks for the welcomes everyone!! @Kickchick: Thanks and great to hear about the modelling. I haven't done much more modelling in the last 18 months. I'm afraid that I no longer fit into the 'plus-size' measurements anymore. But I still do some photo shoots for nightclub promos etc.... @John G: Makes you wanna...Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi oi oi! Well, last night at MT training I made some small progress. I helped a new guy with his hand wraps and another guy with his grappling technique. One of my trainers then used me as a good example in front of the class of my kneeing techniques....he said I was showing all the guys up and they should have more attitude when they do it like me. Well, at least now I know I'm not completely hopeless at this!

I maintain a high protein diet to complement my weight-training. My bench press maximum is about 40kg.

I have chondromalatia patella (CMP) in both knees and take a Glucosamine Sulfate complex called 'Arthrocine' 3 times a day. It has helped with my knee but not so far as making it better, but keeping the pain under control. I also ice my knees for 15 minutes after MT training which I attend 3 times a week and after any other knee-joint intensive activity like roadwork, lower-body weights or aerobics. As far as other supplements, I take a whole heap of other stuff from BCAA to women's toning protein, Cell-Tech (creatine supplement), Chromium, Gotu Kola and a whole range of other vitamins and minerals.

I think you'll be fine will56 From reading what you've read and monkeygirl's helpful tips, you'll be ready to go for it in March. All the best!

very inspiring to hear that Laurie! congratulations on your triumph and thankyou for the welcome

welcome - this site is really an excellent resource!

hi there and welcome - i'm new here too

not famous but well-known around the music circles in Melbourne and have done some modelling in the newspaper: http://www.2roads.com.au/MediaHeraldSun040501.htm

A pure-bred labrador who's 4 years old. 'Mikey's' website is here: http://www.geocities.com/mikeless_2000 And a 1 and a half year old Australian Kelpie X Border Collie. A picture of 'Bear' as a puppy is here: http://members.optushome.com.au/anthlil/BB/bear.jpg They get on very well together and love hunting cats

yeah, just do it! i still have another 15kg or so to lose but have lost 30kg in the last 18 months. i recently started MT training 3 months ago. just get right into it Kirby and the training will help you cut down the fat

first class was just a few months ago. i felt great. it was the 2nd and 3rd classes where i was getting the 'i can't do this' feelings....now, about 3 months on and i'm still getting those feelings

i started off to a similar situation to you. 18 months ago i decided to lose weight - i'm now 25 yo and at 5'2", 30kg's lighter (currently 69kg). i started muay thai training 2 months ago and have had no prior martial arts experience (or understanding)... i used to smoke cigarettes too but now only smoke pot and have been a daily user for the past 3 years...i still drink now and then (a couple of beers a week) but try to make it on an off day when i'm not eating too much junk food. i also drink 2-3L of water a day (used to hate water when i was bigger) and now do some form of training 5-6 days a week. during the 18 months, i concentrated on fat loss and muscle tone. only way to do it is eat well, input should be less than output and regular weight-training. the other important thing that allowed me to reach the turning point (where i realised that my diet/exercise program is actually going to work) was through a long process of self-acceptance and learning to love myself no matter what size i am. also, I was always uncoordinated, not flexible and always terribly favoured my right side over my left. through a combination of the weight-training and yoga, i'm now working through this and my coordination and LR balance is now very much improved. good luck with your efforts Inquisitive!

lol@unknown For me, it's a bit of everything: Jap import cars my car (http://members.optushome.com.au/anthlil/galant) weed weight training yoga warez p r 0 n internet and computers web design music (flute, piccolo, conducting, musical direction and singing) listening to music (Incubus, Faith No More, Dre, Cube, Snoop, Hoobastank, Bungle, Bizet, Hindemith) travelling squash basketball languages (German, Tamil, Malay/Indonesian) playing XBox taking my 2 dogs to the beach (a labrador and a border collie x Kelpie)

cool - i'll have to check it out! i'm a muso and also have a demo mp3 on my website.... thanks for the heads up

* being short, i have a habit of running into my sparring partner's attacks * fighting in a linear fashion * having my back foot on an angle, rather than toe pointing forward * not keeping my lead hand up * not keeping a square stance to my opponent - i often find myself turned side on to my sparring partner * not keeping my stance 'solid' in terms of isometric tension i'm pretty new to muay thai so my main problem is not knowing any combinations. i know a few but haven't yet worked out when's the best time to use them!

will do - thanks KickChick :)will do - thanks KickChick

Hi everyone, I've been reading these boards for a while but have only just recently registered and started posting. You'll find me mainly in the Muay Thai and Health, Training and Fitness forums as I've just started Muay Thai training in the last few months. I attend 3 classes a week, 2 classes where I am on the only female and the other class is a women's MT class so there's usually about 2-4 of us there. I have never had any other martial arts training. In fact, never was interested in sport or fitness of any kind until 18 months ago when I decided to try again to lose weight. Since then, I've gone from 98kg to my current 69kg (I stand at 5'3"). I also cross-train with yoga, aerobics, basketball, stationary bike, weight training and some roadwork. Also, I have recently consulted a sports doctor and have been diagnosed with CMP in both knees (chondromalatiapattela) and have been told to not do step-aerobics or roadwork on slopes/hills/uneven surfaces. The doc also said he wouldn't reccomend I keep going with Muay Thai but the decision's up to me. I'll stick with it. After training, I elevate and ice both my knees and have an anti-inflammatory. So far, things are going well and my knees are holding up well. I also take a lot of supplements, vitamins and minerals for both my knees and for training support and recovery from the Muay Thai training... At this stage of my training, I'm still trying to master the basics and often feel a bit behind all the ranked ppl in my class. We have rankings in about 3 months and I'm nervous as hell. This is all completely new to me but I am really enjoying MT! The hardest thing I am finding is that I don't get much positive feedback or encouragement from my trainers. I might be doing something well, but instead of being told that, I'm told to improve something else. Fair enough, I'll live with it and learn to use it to spur me on, but right now I'm still very much a beginner. Cheers and see you all around! Oh, and I'm from Melbourne, Australia.

it is? never was a natural reaction for me...i had to learn it.

yep, i often have bruises on my arms, thighs and shins (but not as many since i started wearing shin guards).....the sparring we do during training is supposed to be no contact but at times there is light contact....the only other injuries i get is a sore wrist (right now my right hand is strapped up and it's hard to use the mouse - bad for an IT professional like myself!).....i also have Chondromalacia Patella and have to ice my knees after every training session or they swell up...

I'm in the same boat as Bretty. Being a female standing at barely 5'3", i need to be very quick, light and fast on my feet. But having only been training in Muay Thai for about 2 months, my footwork still sucks and I feel very slow.....

keep going with cardio - i've lost over 30kg in the last 19 months and greatly improved my cardio fitness with heaps of aerobics, stationery bike, jumping rope and some road work (i also have chondromalacia patella which prevents me from doing too much roadwork).....good luck!

Hi there - I'm new here... In my muay thai classes, I'm the only girl in my class with 3-5 guys. We also have women's muay thai classes where another 3 girls attend that class, but I'm happy to attend the mixed class with the guys. Toughens me up hehehe