Rich67

Diet and cardio. You could probably get some good results within a couple months if you're disciplined. You wanna get one REAL fast? Watch Survivor and follow their eating habits: A small bowl of oats for breakfast, skip lunch, a couple grub beetles in a water stew for a snack, and a fish for dinner. All washed down with plenty of water. You'll get a six pack in about a month- of course, you'll also be thin as a rail and as weak as a new born baby, but hey....you'll be ripped!

Yes, you may!

There are so many contraptions out there that allege to build abs. Everyone wants that "six pack" look, and they think it can be achieved by doing massive amounts of crunches and buying all the devices they see on late-nite ad TV. We gotta stop this madness. We all have abs. We all have a "six pack" to a degree. The reason many can't see them is because their bodyfat levels are too high! And what is the only way to get your bodyfat levels down to see your abs? Diet and cardio work! That's it....mystery solved. Ab Cruncher 2000 and 15 minute abs are marketing scams. They lead people to believe by buying their video or wierd contraption they can look like the models on the advertisements. NOT!! I should know- I was suckered into the Ab Roller and a video abs-only workout. For a year I used these things with NO RESULTS. Ok, maybe not true- my abs did feel a little harder- but I still didn't have a six pack!! I started a routine of cardio and hanging leg raises- NO CRUNCHES or other ab exercises- and in 3 months I had a "four pack". I'm still going strong, and although I can't seem to coax out the last two pack, I have to laugh at these other programs and devices people are selling. They are a waste of money. Do your cardio 4-5 times a week, and do hanging leg raises. Invest in a chinup bar for your doorway or buy one of those dip/pullup stations for $99. That's the only device that is probably worth it's weight in gold.

This should actually be an eye-opening experience for you. Think about it this way- is this what would happen to you if you were in the street fighting the same guy? Would you let him clean your clock there, too? The object here is to fight smarter than him. I see some good advice, and I would agree with the defensive reaction tactic. If you see him move in, use your small size to get inside his area of control... you probably can move faster than him and if you are in closer, you may reduce the effectiveness of his punches and kicks. Move from side to side too. Note which leg he likes to kick with and which punches he likes to lead with. Parry them and move SIDEWAYS instead of straight back, then counter quickly and get to his back. Moving quick using your small size should frustrate him. Make it a goal to not let him score a shot to your face the next time you spar. Do whatyou can do...stuff him and get inside. Then hammer him with bodyshots and get out and to the side while he is backing up. Good luck! But don't be afraid to go up against this guy. I had guys I used to hate sparring for that very reason. Had my lip split open by one, too. But you gotta get in there and keep up- don't let a noob show you up!

Hudson, I don't think that's stupid at all. In fact, no surgery for the ACL is not an unusual occurence- as long as you use the brace. I was actually given that option, but I wanted to be able to function at peak without the brace due to my line of work...it wouldn't be feasible for me to wear a brace while working. The only thing you may have to be concerned with is long term repercussions for your choice. You are likely to have early onset arthritis and other problems with the knee, and you may have to go through a total knee replacement in your later years. Don't get me wrong, I may also be susceptible to the same pains as I get old too, but having a strong ACL will help reduce the grinding of the tib/fib conjunction and can save the meniscus as well. The surgery and rehab for it SUCKS. I was in a lot of pain. I am definitely going to take your advice and seek out a professional who can refer me to a good PT.

Well....I'm usually not wrong.....but this time I must concede...

Many young, novice lifters feel that the bench press is a true measure of strength and "machismo".It is this thought process that leads a lot of young lifters down the path of injuries and steroids. Get away from that thinking now! A one rep maximum is only something that should be done by powerlifters and maybe once every 4 months to see how you are progressing. It should never be done every workout. Yes, the pain you feel could be a rotator cuff telling you to "lighten up". If you continue to push it, you will seriously injure your shoulder to the point where you won't be able to bench ever again. Your benching program should never really go below 5 reps, and it should be optimally in the 8-12 rep range. If I were you, I'd take a small layoff from benching and concentrate on doing pushups to help build your smaller muscles to be able to handle future bench presses. It isn't worth it. The squat and deadlift are actually a much better measure of overall strength than the bench press.

Sevenstar, I think you are misinterpreting the original question. The poster didn't ask what makes a good/great fighter, he asks what makes a good/great martial artist. Naturally, my answer as far as promoting and Royce's example would not be appropriate if I was to point out what constitutes a great fighter. But my answer, IMO, does reflect what I think makes up a great martial artist. After all, the Gracies used UFC to bring BJJ into the spotlight and helped promote it so that it has become a common name in households today. Not only that, but the Gracies are indeed great martial artists not only because of the knowledge of their style but also because they have made it as popular as it is today. OK, I agree that Royce is "bound" by his style. But he is not bound to traditional tactics when he fights others with different styles. He is able to beat those other Martial Artists because he uses a style that is flexible and ever changing within his environment. He can change tactics depending on who he is fighting because he is so knowledgable. If he is fighting a striker, he takes the person to the ground so he can bring them into his environment. If he is fighting another grappler, he needs to be more technical and watch every move he makes so as to not give up a position. This makes him a great artist as well as fighter. The word "fighter" appeared nowhere in the original post.

I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus November of 2003. Here it is, a full year after my surgery, and my knee is far from being normal. I have a slight pain behind my kneecap doing lunges and squats, going down stairs, etc. Not only that, but I have a lot of popping when I flex my knee and shift my weight. I had the hamstring tendon replace my ACL, so I wonder if that's why. Any people out there have the same surgery and also have the same problems? I'm just wondering if this is typical, and I just have to "play with pain".

Sounds like a Matt Furey workout! Try Hindu pushups and squats too. Excellent. Also check out this guy's site for some ideas: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler57.htm The body blaster is a serious a## kicker.

Noob, you left out another type of resistance on your poll: BODYWEIGHT ONLY exercises. I have recently started doing a bodyweight/ mild weight routine that is working great for me. I'm 5'11", 195' with about 11% bodyfat. I was stagnating and having shoulder problems with my heavy weight regimen, so I tried something new. Here's my routine: 3 cycles of the following circuit: 25 pushups (close arm, wide arm, and narrow) 10 pullups (pullups and chins) 15 dips (occasionally weighted) 15-20 lunges (also mixed in with no-weight squats) 12 shoulder presses with dumbells 15 standing curls w/ dumbells 15 one-arm rown with dumbell 15 overhead tri extensions w/ dumbell No rest between sets- pump em out then rest for 1-2 mins with light stretching in between cycles. For abs I do hanging leg raises. 3x10-15 I had rotator cuff and lower back problems from heavy benching and squats. With this new program, my pain is almost gone, and I am more flexible.

Good point Shane. Many people are made nervous by the word "fear" and think that it is improper to feel fear. Fear actually provides an "edge" if used properly that can motivate and channel power.

I think the great can be separated from the good by how much they devote their lives to their art. Look at Bruce Lee, the Gracie Family, and some of the other great Martial Artists of our time. They all made martial arts mainstream by introducing their styles and art to the world through various forms of media. Not only did they do that, but they train(ed) hard through their lives to be the best they could be, and kept learning more on their own without being bound by the constraints of their particular style. A well-rounded martial artists will not say one style is the greatest- he would be turning a blind eye to all the other styles that afford tactical advantages. The truly great artist takes philosophies and techniques from many arts and improvises and adapts them to his style of fighting and can do so as he is fighting an opponent- be able to "flow" depending on who he is facing. As far as attributes go, he is aggressive yet reserved- humble yet knowledgeable, and flexible.

http://www.andylim.com/aikido/a-shomeniriminage.html Perhaps some Aikido students can input here... I know that the "CLOTHESLINE", a spin on the Aikido technique irimi nage(?) might be a viable technique here... I think that this type of scenario would be handled quite effectively by a practicioner of "redirection" techniques..

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/fitfolk/messages/44686.html I read the ad, and did some net serches for it. Not a lot of info, but I don't think (personally) it's worth the bucks. If they have a free trial or money back guarantee, I don't see the harm. Let us know what you decided.

http://www.weight-loss-institute.com/zone_diet.htm I follow a "modified" Zone diet plan. I believe Sears' philosophy when it comes to carbs and fats and reducing glycogen levels. I dont do the 40/30/30.... I am more like 50/30/20.

Complex carbs cannot be left out of your diet, providing you burn those carbs! Now, if you go out to lunch and have a piece of bread, pasta, and a soda, you're killing yourself with carbs. I am not a fan of Atkins, since I believe it is one of those "quick fix" diets that lends itself to yo-yo dieting and inevitable weight gain. You gotta eat your carbs! But try this: Whenever you eat complex carbs, mix proteins and fats in proportion to them. If I eat carbs, like a plate of baked ziti, I make sure I don't have a carb-loaded drink and make sure I eat protein with it. A piece of sliced chicken breast on your pasta is a good way to do this. Or even meatballs on the spaghetti. Even melted cheese can cut balance the carbs and add some fat and protein to your carb meal. But always remember- carbs will convert to sugar and be stored as fat if you don't use them! Eat a heavy carb meal about 24 hours prior to rigorous physical activity. When I say rigorous, I'm talking an hour or more of serious cardio and muscular output (grappling workouts, other MA workouts, triathlons, etc). If you just lift without sweating in a gym for 45 minutes (the majority of "lifters" in Gold's Gym on a given night), the carbs WILL become fat...you're not pushing them enough to burn. Otherwise, just keep the carb intake MINIMAL. Stay away from heaping plates of pasta- PORTION CONTROL is key- about the size of your fist is a good rule. Avoid eating more than 2 slices of bread a day, eat cereal for breakfast for energy, and eat lots of veggies for lunch and dinner. That way, you still get the healthy benefits of carbs without the excessive energy surplus if you don't burn them off fast enough. Regular soda and pasta are physique killers. Eliminate regular sodas and sport drinks- drink water, Crystal Light, and diet caffeine free sodas... eat pasta salads in moderation, and try to avoid the Italian restaurants all but a couple days a month. Furthermore, up the cardio to 40-50 minutes 5 or 6 times a week.

Heelhooks can cause damage to the achilles and other tendons and ligaments in the ankle and possibly the calf. I know that Ken Shamrock busted a guy's ankle applying a heelhook one time, so bones are also susceptible. To a lesser degree, the knee joint can be affected, depending on what position your opponent twists or moves while the hold is applied. Any hold that specifically targets the lower leg can cause knee damage, since the knee is not designed to shift from side to side thanks to the ACL and MCL, and hyperextension is also not its forte. Any of those lower leg holds can create those situations for the knee. I never heard of a "calf crush"...can you enlighten me?

^ good point.

You may have torn the meniscus in your knee (worst case scenario). But there isn't a way to tell until you get an MRI. Be careful on it until it feels 100%. Any hardcore exercise on it when it isn't fully recovered may result in damage to other parts of your knee. Rest, Ice and all that other good stuff.

Yeah, that's the way to do it. I mean, you don't necessarily have to reduce cals as long as you are upping your cardio regimen. Then you can still create a calorie deficit without eating less. But I still think the "starvation" thing can be a little extreme. Good luck!

Oh well. I guess some people aren't too interested in finding out where to train.

I used to do them, but I don't care for them. They mainly work the lower back and hamstrings, but I have found better "less back stress " exercises that do the same job. The main thing about stiff legged deads, is you back must be kept COMPLETELY STRAIGHT. Any bend in your back or arching will cause back issues. Your head must be up and looking slightly above straight ahead. I'd suggest doing the following exercises for those areas: 1) Lower lying back extensions 2) Hyperextensions on Roman Chair 3) Squats 4) Lying leg curls There are some others, if people have suggestions. I personally avoid the deadlifts like the plague after receiving some lower back pains. I didn't follow good form; that's why I got messed up. Rarely have any problems now, though.

As far as this goes, you may be misinterpreting: Cutting calories WILL cause you to lose weight, regardless. There is nothing wrong with cutting calories as long as you do it CONSISTENTLY. In order to do it right (with no ill effects to you or energy levels), you must determine your BMI. You have to also take into account your fitness goals and activity lever when determining your BMI. BMI tells you approx how many calories you need a day to MAINTAIN your weight. If you want to lose weight, you create a calorie deficit by reducing food intake or upping physical activity. The problem is, many people simply STARVE themselves. If their BMI says to take in 3,000 caloires a day, they drop to 1,500. Bad,bad,bad. You don't need to be so drastic. What happens then (in layman's terms), is people do this for a month or so, and do it on and off. But in between this type of calorie reduction, they resume or EXCEED what their normal BMI should be. When you reduce calories, your metabolism slows and more energy is stored in your fat cells to fuel your body during the day. Many people lose weight, but this is usually mainly due to muscle loss. Remember, the body's primary responsibility is to save itself-muscle mass is NOT a priority! Then, when normal/excessive coloric intake resumes, the metabolism stays low and more energy is stored in fat cells in case the body is again starved. This is the body's self preservation mechanism we have from centuries of evolution. Yo-Yo dieting is what it's called...check it out on the web. It's not good for you and it is no way to lose weight properly.

I never heard of this study, but I have some serious issues with the validity of Bruce's-or the biographer's claims. First of all, components needed to gain muscle include resistance, rest, and nutrients. Now, we know that Bruce had the resistance and quite possibly the rest. But if he was starving himself with NO nutrient uptake, his body would essentially have to "cannabalize" itself in order to rebuild and repair his muscles during the rest phase. However, Bruce was quite lean, and had very little fat stores to draw upon. This would then cause his muscles to break down and actually weaken instead of bulk. A good example of this would be the Ironman triathletes who are all so thin they almost look sickly. They cannot feed their bodies sufficiently and end up in a constant state of caloric depletion. Now if Bruce then loaded up on calories and carbs after this "phase", he may have been able to gain muscle and lose fat, but his timing would need to be right on, and the theory of "no food=muscle" is inaccurate. Also, HOW did he arrive at the conclusion he gained muscle? Was this based purely on how he looked and felt? If so, there is no way to prove that theory. The only way to tell would be by body composition testing to determine his lean body mass before and after the starvation mode. If he did in fact measure it in this manner (hydrostatic weighing being the most accurate way to measure this) those results should be in the book. Let me know if there was any scientific method used or indicated in the book- I'm just curious, but I disagree that it is possible to EFFECTIVELY gain lean muscle mass without feeding the machine.