You’re well on your way to your Karate yellow belt, but that spinning roundhouse kick still has you stumbling. A right footed Judo Ashi-Waza, knocks you down hard. Taekwando knife-hands leave you gasping for air.
Martial arts mastery takes patience and practice. If you’re just beginning, the chances are that you’ll be attending classes once, maybe twice a week to learn the basic moves and maneuvers. Even if you don’t practice outside of the school you’ll make progress, but don’t expect major strides forward.
To really improve and build stamina you need to practice every day. A powerful kick comes from two places, control and strength.
Subtle moves in any martial art, be it Judo or Ju-Jitsu require a great deal of physical effort. Building muscle doesn’t have to be limited to class time or even practice. Train at the bus stop or take your routine to the local park, keeping fit and working your abs will do you a world of whoop-ass good back in class.
A heart pounding warm up
In any martial art, every heartbeat is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss. Warm up and get your heart pounding with short 25 metre sprints. Time it. Run. Do it again. Keep it up for 5 minutes for effective cardio.
Push up and bench dip
The focus here is on the upper body. Alternate your exercise to work different muscles. Push-ups, then bench dips. In quick bursts, do 10-15 of each – keep it up for another 5 minutes.
The lightweights can get pretty heavy
Mix light weightlifting with full body exercises like Push-Ups, Pull-Ups and Squats. Alternate between exercises. Keep going for 5 minutes.
Jumping Jack
Move, stretch, and sweat to avoid cramps. Do a round of 10 Jumping Jacks and follow them up with 10 Fast High Knees. Alternate with 10 Mountain Climbers and 10 Split Lunges. Go for 5 minutes.
Full body resistance
Aerobics are vital. Do a series of full body weighted resistance from squats to overhead presses to shoulder circles and push-outs for a well-rounded, full body workout. Mini sessions of 5 minutes will be great for your overall shape.
Pull and snap down
Finish off with stretches. Use a resistance band to alternate between Band Pulls – 10 and Snap Downs – 10.
Work out like a pro and you’ll dominate your classes like Bruce Lee in Yip Man. The idea behind this workout routine comes from pro MMA champion Jens ¨Lil Evil¨ Pulver and is featured Men’s Fitness under MMA Workout.
