MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

MMA is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the us of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground (Wikipedia). I am hopelessly addicted to watching the UFC and WEC. I started watching it a few years ago and was amazed at the fighters styles and techniques. Then I discovered what they do to get in shape for a fight. Just by looking at any MMA fighter you can tell that they are in good shape, ripped muscles, little body fat, and incredible abilities. But what is behind it all, what do they actually do when they workout? 

Watching an episode of The Ultimate Fighter will give you just a glimpse. But watch this video of Brock Lesnar a former Wrestling champion now MMA champion's workout. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbeFz07nFPg

Some common exercises include:

• Single-leg step push-off
• Single-leg dumbbell or kettle bell dead lift
• Pull ups
  
• Medicine ball throws and tosses
  
• Boxing
  
• Grappling
  
• Wrestling
  
• Running uphill
  
• Specialized push ups
  
• Heavy bag tosses
  
• Wind resistant bike
  
• Sledge hammer exercise
  
• Bear crawls
  
• Tire pushes
  
• Wood chop
  
• Snorkel training
  
• And countless others
  

Loss of motivation?

 TO EXERCISE!
For the past couple of months I have not been able to drag myself to the gym. I used to be the person who was there five days a week, what happened? I can not get myself motivated to go even though my pants do not fit. Why do some of us loose our momentum or motivation? Over half of people who start an exercise program stop, so there are a large number of people who have this problem. The most common causes of people not continuing are having a busy schedule, they claim to have better things to do, and get bored. Well here are some things to help you get it back (if you are one of us who has lost our motivation):

• Mix up you workout or do something you like.
  
• Focus on the benefits and we all know there are many of those. 
  
• If you miss a day do not think about it just go the next time and forget it.
  
• Make exercise mean something to you, more then gaining muscle or loosing weight.           It can be making yourself happy, having more energy, or reducing stress. The last one is something we all need as the semester comes to a close!
  
• For some people setting goals (long and short term) help them. 
  
• Get a workout partner.
  
• Take before and after picture or measurements of yourself.
  
• Bring your workout out side! Go for a walk, run, hike, or anything else you like to do.
  
• Personal time, no studying or homework.
  
• Read a book or get some new music to listen to while you workout.
  
• Other people find magazines, movies, or pictures of jacked/ripped people or with your ideal body  helpful.
  
• Read success stories of others who have changed their lives through exercise.
  
• And anything else that will help you.
  

Obesity Epidemic

I am currently writing an essay for one of my classes on obesity and how psychological problems play a part in it. People do not become obese solely by their genetics. But because of lack of exercise, eating too much, and eating unhealthy foods. Why do people do this to themselves? I have found that there is usually an underlying psychological problem and they use food to treat it. 

Gastric bypass surgery is good for some people but does not cure the root of the problem. Patients are not re educated on how to eat right, serving sizes, nutrition, healthy foods, and to exercise more. This surgery is being done more and more at a younger age, under 18. I do not think that this is a good idea at all. Many patients gain the weight back after a few years because the psychological problem was not taken care of. Food is used to treat the problem in most cases, it becomes like an addiction. What do you think? What can we do to stop the growing problem of obesity? 

I recently read an article about a woman who brought her 13 year old daughter to Mexico to have gastric bypass. Her daughter weight over 200lbs and no doctor in the United States would perform the surgery because of her age. I was shocked that anyone would want to do this to their child, at 13 years old. This is getting out of hand, but how do we stop it?  

Why you should be strength training!

Many people, especially women, shy away from strength training. They do not want to bulk up, are intimidated, think it is not useful to them, and many other reasons that are common for not doing it. But here are some reasons you should pick up the weights next time you go to the gym (if you already don't):

• It prevents muscle loss. This becomes more important the older we get.
• Increases your metabolism, which makes your body burn more fat. This can help greatly when one is trying to loose weight.
• Increases the speed of digestion. This lowers your risk of colon cancer because waste does not sit in your body for extended periods of time.
• Decreases risk of injury. Especially the risk of lower back injury, which is very common.
• Decreases risk of heart disease and diabetes.
• Makes you happier!
• It is fun and rewarding to see the results of your efforts.

Schwingen

Schwingen is German for swinging, a sport in Switzerland. It is a form of folk wrestling that dates back to the 15th century. Originally mountain farmers used this to test their strength and skills. It is still prominent in the mountains but since the 1800s it has been brought into the cities where it is widely practiced by many. In this sport the participants wear knee high shorts with belts over their clothes. The idea is to swing your opponent onto their back pinning their shoulders to the ground by holding onto their shorts. One hand must be on the opponents shorts at all times. The matches usually take place outside in a circular area of saw dust. During a Schwingen festival each person faces six to eight opponents, each round lasts five minutes. Men or women can compete in this sport, sometimes even against one another. There are no weight classes, opponents are paired by referees. It is similar to greco roman wrestling and includes some techniques from judo. 

BMI is it really accurate?

We were discussing BMI also known as the Quetelet Body Mass Index in class the other day. It is usually found on a chart. This was developed by a mathematician named Lambert Quetelet (1796-1874). I have to say that I have always hated this measurement, because I weigh 200lbs give or take a few and have a height of 5'7". So according to my the BMI measurement, 31.3 I am obese! 

 Well I need to loose a few pounds but obese I do not agree. 

BMI Categories:

• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
• Overweight = 25-29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
  

When I was younger at my yearly physical the doctor would tell me, after finding my BMI, that my weight was putting me in danger, that I was extremely overweight. My whole life this measurement has haunted me, am I really that big? I wonder how many other people out there are misclassified by this unfair method. But thankfully doctors and people in general are starting to realize that this method does not work for everyone. Yes it can give a general idea but BMI alone should not be the only thing used to decide if a person is at a healthy weight or not.  You can have your BMI calculated for you at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Some reasons for BMI not always being an accurate measurement of body fat is that it does not take into account muscle mass. It also used the same equation for everyone, whether you are old, young, male, female, athletic, and everything else. Two interesting studies that have been done are one on college students and another on NFL players. Each of these found that for the majority of the participants BMI did not correctly represent their weight and fat ratio or body fat percentage. So do you think BMI is an accurate measurement, does it work for you?

Sources: Department of Health and Human Services 

thepaleodiet.com

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/64577.php

Heart Rate Monitors

I used to use the heart rate monitors on the cardio machines but I stopped when they started reading out 220. How can that possibly be? For a lab in one of my classes recently I used a more accurate heart rate monitor, one with a strap that goes around the chest and a watch that reads out your result. I was much relieved to find out my heart rate only went up to 193. So why should you try one out? 

Here are some reasons: 

• They are more accurate then the ones on the machines most of the time.
  
• Help you work out more efficiently, make sure you are not slacking off or pushing yourself too hard.
  
• Easy to use and not uncomfortable.
  
• Make exercising safer by alerting you if your heart rate becomes too high. 
  

Kettlebells

Kettlebells are a cast iron ball with a handle attached to the top and come in many different weights. They were developed in Russia and have been around for hundreds of years. But they are fairly new to North America and most gyms do not yet carry them. One of the benefits of using a kettlebell is that they improve strength, balance, endurance, and agility. Using one in your fitness routine can cut down your time at the gym because a kettlebell works multiple muscle groups at one time. The number of exercises that use them are endless. They were made famous by Russian weightlifters, wrestlers, and Olympic athletes. 

Some simple exercises can be found at:

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/kettlebell-exercises.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR9KNdpen1g

Shin Splints

Anyone who has ever had shin splints knows that they can be extremely painful. Here is what they actually are, "the muscles swell and puts pressure on the fascia that covers the muscles in the lower leg leading to pressure and pain."(http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/leg_injuries/a/leg2.htm). If shin splints go untreated and the activity that caused them is continuously repeated it can lead to stress fractures. I have them for the second time now and was researching what I could do to help them. Here is what I found from a variety websites:

New shoes with shock support

Stretching

Strengthening exercises

Icing the shins before and after exercise

If you have any other suggestions for how to improve them let me know. 

Crossfit

If you want to check out a really neat website go to http://www.crossfit.com/. Crossfit is a world wide "principal strength and conditioning program" used by everyone from the military to regular people. The site includes videos of different exercises and links to specific Crossfit establishments.