Mixed martial arts (reposting because of holiday)

Recently I mentioned on my other blog something I often call "guilty pleasures". It usually consists of a comfort food that you love, or a television show that you sneak and watch. One of the ones I didn't mention in that post is Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). I like to watch this and have for quite some time. I have utmost respect for the training and preparation that goes into being an athlete, especially a UFC fighter. The program showcases fighters that are proficient in various types of martial arts. Initially when I started watching, there was a strong underlying element of what I suppose would be called street fighting. Over the years this has since been toned down quite a bit and is now considered a much more respectable sport. I am not a physical person really, but there is something empowering about watching the athletes execute some of these moves. You start to think...."man, I'll bet I could do that".

Being from the old school, to me, martial arts was considered self defense. I mean, even Elvis had a passion for martial arts and who wasn't done their version of a karate kick (or two). I never got around to studying any martial arts, but it's probably not too late. All this being said, recently, out of the blue, I was contacted by Alexia Krause. She came across my blog while researching blogs on fitness and weight loss. She is affiliated with MMA Industries and they are trying to gain some new exposure for mixed martial arts. I told her that my blog isn't for commercial purposes, but more for promoting healthy living for the every day person. She was quite understanding and respectful of my stance on this. After several e-mails, and getting to know each other better I have decided to include excerpts from an article that she has written regarding the MMA industry.

Average People Can Enhance Their Overall Strength and Endurance by Adding Aspects of an MMA Workout Routine into Their Daily Fitness Regimen

By Alexia Krause

It’s pretty obvious that the workout regimen and strength training of a mixed martial artist is gravely different than that of your average day-to-day gym goers. A MMA fighter has to build a body that can both take and outlast the punishment of the sport. This is much different than average gym goers who are usually looking for a healthy workout just to maintain their physique. However, this doesn’t mean that a MMA workout can’t fit in with the workout routine of an average person.

One of the biggest differences in a fighter's workout routine is that it focuses on the whole body in one session rather than the different sets of muscle groups. Most people workout legs and back one day and arms and chest the other. Fighters, on the other hand, need their bodies to work as one complete unit.

An exercise you don’t always see in the gym is jumping rope. Based on this fact, it would seem that most people don’t consider that jumping rope requires all aspects of the body to be moving in order be done correctly. Mixing this exercise into a workout routine adds enormous value to your level of endurance while sharpening reflexes and reaction time.

This doesn’t mean that average gym-goers can’t maximize their own workout. By adding aspects of the MMA fighter routine into their workout 2 or 3 times a week, an average person can build up a higher level of endurance and strength than they would normally be accustomed to achieving. This may not get them ready for the cage anytime soon, but it will definitely make their workout more effective.

I personally like the part about jumping rope, as you may remember. I also like the thought that you can workout your entire body as a complete unit.

At the risk of sounding like a commercial, which I hope I don't, I have always thought that anything worth doing was worth doing right. I know that I'm much more motivated to work out if I have my good shoes on and my workout clothes. For this reason, I'm linking Alexia's website MMA Industries, because MMA gear isn't just a fashion statement. It's the real deal.

If you are interested in learning more about mixed martial arts, or want to add some elements of MMA to your workout, why not do some research. There are several local studios listed in my yellow pages and I'll bet there are in yours also.