Just starting Muay Thai

[timje_2005]

Hi all

I have started Muay Thai and only been to 2 x 1 hour lessons, and had a few questions.

Does anyone here go to the gym aswell as doing the training? If so what training do you do? Do you do weight training or just cardio vascular?

To increase strength / speed with punches and kicks does this come with practice or is there anything else that can be done while at home?

Are there any excercises that can be done at home to increase flexibility of my legs? I can get my leg up to about rib height but not much higher.

Thanks

Tim

[Sohan]

Hi all

I have started Muay Thai and only been to 2 x 1 hour lessons, and had a few questions.

Does anyone here go to the gym aswell as doing the training? If so what training do you do? Do you do weight training or just cardio vascular?

To increase strength / speed with punches and kicks does this come with practice or is there anything else that can be done while at home?

Thanks

Tim

If you're just starting out, 3-4 times per week of skill training and heavy bag and sparring work will be enough for you. When you can make it through your sessions fairly easily, then put some energy into outside weight training. Weights are great for increasing speed and power, but a beginner needs to be working the skills they are learning more than trying to make up for their lack thereof with weight training.

I've recently cut back my weight training and have gone to the heavy bag much more, and my weight training is more functional and power oriented. I do more dumbbell clean and jerks, dumbbell snatches, burpees, lots of core, and less of the bodybuilding moves. As far as cardio, I limit it to 3x per week now for only 20-30 minutes each of 5-8 three minute intervals with 1 min slower running in between for recovery. No long slow stuff anymore.

Remember, conditioning outside the dojo or training hall is to make your boxing/karate/BJJ more effective, but does not substitute for your sport-specific training. A lot of guys become conditioning freaks who just don't have the skills because they don't put in the time. You need a balance of both gym work and conditioning training to be at your best.

With respect,

Sohan

[cathal]

That's good advice. BTW what do you think of MT so far?

[elbows_and_knees]

Does anyone here go to the gym aswell as doing the training? If so what training do you do? Do you do weight training or just cardio vascular?

I'm in the gym 5 days per week. I do strength training - O lifts, powerlifting movements, etc. I also do plyometrics and cardio.

To increase strength / speed with punches and kicks does this come with practice or is there anything else that can be done while at home?

it comes with time. relaxation, flexibility, technique and time on the bag all factor into it.

Are there any excercises that can be done at home to increase flexibility of my legs? I can get my leg up to about rib height but not much higher.

stretch everyday.

[timje_2005]

So far I'm really impressed. The teacher is sound and I seem to come away from the lessons thinking more of how I should be turning my body when kicking. Call me obsessed but I'll be driving to work twisting my body thinking I need to twist more with by torso.

I started to do less weights at the gym and more training with the bag and with more running. The running I'm doing is 1 min at 10km/h (fast for me) then 8km/h for 1 min, repeating for 12 minutes.

I have also started to do the warmups we do when training evrey day.

Thanks for the advice.

[bushido_man96]

Welcome to the forums, timje_2005!

Hope your training goes well. You have some good advise given in the above posts.