Aodhan

The tibia is the main weight bearing bone of the lower leg, so if it was broken you wouldn't be able to walk. Since you say it was the knee as well, what you may have done is burst the bursa sac around the knee, and the lump is the leaky fluid. If that is the case, it should go down on it's own in a few days to a week. If it persists, turns funky red streaky colors, or interferes with walking, get thee to a doctor! Aodhan

Not a lot, but there is transferrence effect. This basically means that if you do a exercise/movement with the left side, there is some benefit to the right side as well, even if you don't use it. There isn't a lot you can do exercise wise, since the wrist is such a stabilizer. I'd do a lot of shadow boxing, and gross motor movements without resistance or weights. You won't lose too much in the time it takes a wrist to heal unless it was a really bad break with a lot of downtime and surgery/intervention. Aodhan

The longest I've taken creatine continuously is 9 months, but I've been using it for about 6 years, and I haven't seen any ill effects. As far as the formaldehyde, yes, part of the breakdown process does produce formaldehyde, but so does the breakdown process of quite a number of foods, including organic fruits and vegetables. The actual amount produced is quite minimal, and gets converted to formic acid in the body, which is a normal waste product of the human system. Aodhan

It's possible it will go away. Most likely, it is either the femur slightly displacing at the extreme end of a movement (Kick or stretch), or intensive stretching has loosened the ligaments slightly. It's also possible that it is a tendon or ligament passing over a joint and back again. I get a popping in my lower back when I do reverse crunches. Had it for years, and no ill effects. Talk to a doc or PT, and go from there. Aodhan

"Sharpening your reflexes" is a little bit of a misconception. Reflexes are nerve pathways that you are born with for self protection, such as the burn/heat reflex (Yank the hand away), or the knee reflex (Tendon stretch reflex, you have them at just about every major joint.) Since you are born with them, and they are "hardwired", or dedicated to that one thing only, they are the fastest nerve impulses in the body. When you train something over and over (Such as a high block, or a reverese punch), the nerves and muscles get used to the motion, and kind of "groove" the motion into your body. (Yet another reason to practice it correctly the first time! ) These motions can approach the speed of a reflex, but will not ever get there, although the difference can't usually be measured objectively. It's faster than a non practiced motion, but not quite as fast as a reflex. And yes, I have also noticed heightened sensory, but I think that is more due to me paying more attention than anything else. Aodhan

I like the hamilton beach line of products, they're fairly solid and reliable. Aodhan

It depends on what you want out of your abdominals. Since they are a core muscle used in just about every single movement the body does, they are used to a high workload. If you are trying to build large, ravioli looking abs, then you are going to want to do high intensity, high weight, low repetition type exercises (Isolation crunches with weights, hanging body curls, etc). If you do this, then the abs are definitely going to need a recovery day, and probably should only do 3, possibly 4 days in a week. If you are going after endurance and tone, then lower intensity, higher rep workouts are the way to go. If you choose this, then you can probably safely work the abs every day. Aodhan

Creatine basically makes more energy available to the muscles, and also helps retain fluid in the muscle for a bigger "pump" look. Proper usage of creatine is one of the few supplements that has been proven to work in many different studies. The biggest thing is to stay hydrated, as has been said, and stick with the dosage recommendataions. Way overdoing creatine and/or being dehydrated puts a hell of a strain on the kidneys trying to filter it out. I've added a monograph I wrote a little while ago about the basics of creatine. Aodhan First up is Creatine, or more properly, creatine monohydrate. In the muscles, there exists a compound called ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate). It is basically a molecule in the cells that has three phosphate bonds "trailing" along behind it. When instructed by an enzyme, the last phosphate bond "breaks" off, releasing energy that can be used by muscles to rebuild, contract, whatever. Then you have a molecule of ADP (Adenosine DiPhosphate) floating around that will need to have a phosphate reattached before it can be used again. This is where creatine comes in. Creatine is stored in the muscles in a form called creatine phosphate. When ATP is converted to ADP, creatine phosphate can donate a phosphate to convert it back quicker, thus providing more energy faster. It is generally beneficial in short term, high intensity type workouts (Sparring, weightlifting, sprinting, etc.) It also helps by "bloating" the muscle with creatine rich fluid. Creatine occurs naturally in food, at approximately the rate of 4 grams per kilogram of protein. (A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, a gram is about a paper clip in weight.), and the body makes another gram up on it's own. The IOC and other governing bodies classify creatine as a food, so it is not an illegal substance under any classification. The basic usage of creatine is to "load" the muscles by consuming 10-20 grams a day for the first 4 days (Depending on bodyweight, do a google search and you can find a lot of charts), and then maintenance of 5-15 grams per day. The best way to take it is to mix the powder with water. Citrus juices will actually break the creatine down before you can drink it, so you'll be drinking waste product, not creatine. Creatine has been shown in numerous studies to be effective, although trainers are split on their opinions. Many dismiss the effects and will not allow their athletes/clients to use it. If you do decide to try it, make SURE that you drink extra water while you do. Creatine pulls water from elsewhere in the body to help "swell" the muscle. Also, creatine waste is broken down in the kidneys. Many of the early users of creatine that had problems massively overused it (If some is good, more is better, right?), and didn't drink enough fluids, leading to renal (kidney) overload and failure. As with anything, consult a doctor before using, and use in moderation and accordance with the instructions. Anything can be abused. I don't know how many of you use creatine, but it is immensely popular in junior and high school athletics, and I'd be willing to bet a year's salary that you have at least one or two people in your dojang that are using it currently.

Nose, groin, ears, knees. Use things on your body that won't get hurt much (Such as knees and elbows.) Don't give any advance warning of your intentions if you can. Still, better to talk or arrange for a witness to the abuse if possible first. Aodhan

I disagree. While not anything like a jitsu art would be, it does teach releases and counters for a lot of basic holds that you might encounter in the street. I wrestled for a couple years in junior high, and when I took some grappling classes, a lot of the basics were the same. But, YMMV. Aodhan

Caffeine will not stunt your growth. This has been a popular myth for a long time. Your growth is determined by epiphyseal plates at the end of each bone. These are "soft" tissue areas in the bone , and as they lay down new permament bone, the length of the bone increases, thus increasing height. Fractures near/through the plate can impair growth, certain prolonged vitamin deficiencies, genetic diseases or some hormonal treatments can cause early closure of the plates, but caffeine won't do it. There are also studies underway to determine of premature musculature development can * growth (Such as very young bodybuilders, etc), but that's about it. That's how a doc can also tell if you've stopped growing. They take an x-ray (Usually of the arm), and see if the plate has closed. If so, you've stopped growing. If not, you still have some to go. Aodhan

Mostly rest and ice/heat therapy. If you look around on the net you can find specific athletic taping methods for PF. I had it for a bit, it can be a bugger to get rid of. Aodhan

Actually a pound of fat is about 2500 calories not 1000. The rest of this quote is DEAD on. Many folks try to lose weight too fast and it only back fires. One reason it's so hard to lose fat is that it's very easy to eat 1000, 2000 or more calories and not think about it. Just go to a mall and have a Cinnebun (sp?) or similar "treat". Even a large fry is over 800 calories! You're absolutely right. Don't know where the 1000 came from....oh, wait. Sorry. 1000 calories is about the max your body can handle in a single meal before excess over that gets converted to fat primarily. It's scalable for individuals, but that's a good generality. Sheesh. Gotta reread before I hit send Aodhan

Unless you are training in a garage or backyard, probably 99% of dojangs (dojo's, etc) that you go to will have testing fees. These cover the cost of the belts, instructor/class time, fees to national governing bodies, etc. It also ensures that if you move, you can go to the same style at a different school, present your rank certificates and have them honored (Barring any long downtimes.) $30 and $50 are about average for what I know of various styles. For my style, my midterms (Once you get the BB rank in the ATA, you have midterms between your belt tests to test progress in the rank), cost $25 per, and belt tests start at $100 for 1st degree and go up slightly each rank. (My 2nd degree was $150, I think my third degree will be around $200). Aodhan

Your best bet is to have great form and execution. I was never the fastest swimmer on our team, but because I had nearly flawless technique, I could keep up with sloppier, more talented swimmers. Once you have the basics absolutely grounded (Should take a few years, hehehehe), then you can start adding the weight workouts, and specific drills to hone everything. Aodhan

Get a degree in Exercise Physiology from your nearest university. You'll absorb a million different facts that have not much use in real life except the odd internet post every now and again. :D Aodhan

Bodyfat won't be affected by scars or muscles underneath. Basically, bodyfat is storage of calories for when the body can't get food on a regular basis. If you want to lose bodyfat, you need to know how much you are using in dailiy activity, your basal metabolic rate, and how much you eat. For a week or so, keep track of everything you take in (Even if you stop at the water fountain for a quick sip), and record everything you do for activity. Take that on the web to a site like fitday, and figure out how much you expended each day in activity, and what your basal rate (The amount of food to sustain your body without activity), and that should give you your daily caloric needs, just to maintain body weight. Compare that to how much you are expending. I'm guessing that most days, you're pretty close to balanced, otherwise you would have already lost the weight. 1000 extra calories is roughly equivalent to a pound of body fat, so if you can cut 1000 calories a week from your diet, you should start losing the body fat. 1-4 pounds a month is a pretty safe rate for PERMANENT weight loss/gain. Often in the beginning of a diet you will gain/lose more than that as your body adjusts. Look at it this way as well...the average candy bar is around 250-300 calories. Three a week is an extra 900 calories. You do that for an entire year, and you can gain 12-15 pounds just from the candy bars. I went through this about 6 years ago when I first started programming. I would drink 2-3 20 oz Pepsi's each day, and couldn't figure out how I gained 10 pounds in 5 months. Aodhan

For straight overall body, I put swimming. It is a whole body exercise, is very aerobic intensive, and can be driven into anaerobic as well. However, it doesn't do a lot for building muscle size. Running is absolute anathema if you are seriously trying to build muscle, as the pounding you take when running can cause muscle breakdown. As others have said, a sensible cross traning program with several different types of activity is the best bet. Aodhan

There are a lot of myths about alcohol, so the best thing to do is get education on the subject. Beer or glass of wine a day? No problem. Actually, there have been a lot of studies that have shown a moderate glass of wine a day has a lot of health benefits. (The biggest theory is that it is related to the grapes used to make wine). As has been said, while not a direct diuretic, alcohol does cause dehydration. It also lowers the level of CSF (Cerebrospinal fluid), which gives you that lovely banging headache the next morning. Your brain floats in CSF, and when you drink heavily, the level of CSF goes down, allowing your brain to lower as well. This places stress on the brainstem, and makes it easier for the brain to bump into the skull, both of which pretty much hurt. It also can produce vitamin deficiencies, although this is more often seen in long term abusers than once or twice abusers. Aodhan

It's...English? Anyway, it's equivalent to 14 lbs, or a little over 6.5 kilos. So, since he weighs 18 stone, he is 252 US pounds, or 114.55 kilos. Aodhan

They are the names of the Songahm style, used solely by the ATA (American TKD Assn.) EGM Lee created them in the early 80's, and we have used them since. Aodhan

Our (ATA) white belt form is 18 moves, our upper color belt forms average around the mid-high 40's, and once you get to black belt, it's 81+ Aodhan

That's Chong Li. He's my favorite too. Chong Li is Bolo's character name in Bloodsport. Tong Po from Kickboxer is also one of the French Foreign Legionnaires that chases JCVD in the movie Lionheart, and he also played Parades in Bloodsport. My fav martial arts bad guy would have to be Dae Han from Best of the Best. The final fight between him and Tommy Lee (his real life brother, actually) is one of my favorite all time martial arts scenes. Aodhan

Used to know all the Palgwe forms, but it's been about a decade, doubt I could remember them. Songahm 1 through 5 In Wha 1 and 2 Choong Jung 1 and 2 Shim Jun (1st degree form) Jung Yul (2nd degree form) So....11? Aodhan

Also, if your sensei is limiting you to wrist and ankle weights, I would not use them too much. Too much weight at the end of a limb like that can really cause havoc with the muscles, and can lead to injury. Also, (in my opinion), while they may help build slightly, the weight really is pretty negligible compared to what is needed to build/tone muscle. Also, if you work with the weights on a lot, you get used to balancing to offset the weights, then when you take them off, your balance is a little off. I personally don't recommend ankle/wrist weights at all for martial arts. Aodhan