"Martial arts" for fitness?

[021411]

Couldn't decide to put this here on or GD. Well I guess it's fitness related so I guess it belongs. I couldn't find a duplicate post either (didn't search too hard).

Anyone here do any forms of martial arts to stay in shape? I'm two months into brazilian jiu jitsu (non-MMA) and it kicks my ass every class. My cardio is getting much better though since I started two months ago.

[Campbell]

I've practiced judo/ju jitsu since the mid 80s....ground work is a super cardio supplement. Stick with it.

[Vendetta]

I agree, rolling with jui jitsu was some of the best conditioning I had when I was real big into Muay Thai and fighting.

Just make sure you don't get staff!

[JimP]

Staff...???

Reason for asking, is that I am doing the very same thing. Very out of shape and trying to get back into it. Rolling as often as I can (I"m 52) and its kicking my ass. I am also going to a "hot Yoga" class early in the am before work to work the kinks out. It's helping to really get the knots out and muscle pulls stretched from the beatings.

Also - lifting on off-days and trying to get the occasional run in.

Lesson?: Don't let yourself get out of shape.

[021411]

He meant staph (infection).

I used to run quite often but fell off the running bandwagon this year after doing a half in January. I'm way out of shape now. I can't get myself to do any cardio to supplement the training and it shows when I roll with someone who's in better shape than I am. I really need to kick it into overdrive.

[Smash]

I transitioned from a BJJ only gym after a year to a MMA geared gym and stayed there for a year and a half until I graduated college. 3 hours 2 days a week. 1st hour was cardio workout with heavy bags an rollers push ups leg workouts and other fighting based cardio workouts. Hour 2 was Muay Thai and kick boxing. Hour 3 was BJJ. Usuall had 15 minutes of an work after all that. It was a complete ass kicker. Wish I had the time to start that up again.

[TheJRK]

Just keep going to class and push yourself... you'll be in decent shape in no time. We have classes 4 days a week (Thursday is no gi) and we had guys come in at 5'9" 270 lbs that are now down to around 220 after 3 months.

[bp7178]

I look at it like this...things like doing MMA, other sports even yoga etc are activities...things you can engage in to stay in shape and get some benefit from.

Where this contradicts typical training, be it weight training, running etc, is that with those types of training there can be measured improvement.

After three months you added X weight to your deadlift, or cut X time from your 5K pace etc.

On the activity side, its hard to have an established metric for improvement. This isn't to say such activities aren't important or valuable, just that they need to be a portion of an overall regime.

[TheJRK]

I look at it like this...things like doing MMA, other sports even yoga etc are activities...things you can engage in to stay in shape and get some benefit from.

Where this contradicts typical training, be it weight training, running etc, is that with those types of training there can be measured improvement.

After three months you added X weight to your deadlift, or cut X time from your 5K pace etc.

On the activity side, its hard to have an established metric for improvement. This isn't to say such activities aren't important or valuable, just that they need to be a portion of an overall regime.

Yeah, I was going to add that at some point in almost all MA's you will reach a point that you need to do some additional activity in order to improve/maintain some level of cardio.

But in today's world with time constraints (family, work, etc.) I feel like practicing a MA that gives you some sort of cardiovascular workout WHILE also teaching you some sort of valuable self defense technique is preferred to just running etc.

[bp7178]

There is so much more to cardio training than just getting your heart rate elevated.

Maximum aerobic benefit occurs from about 125-145 BPM, age will kind of change it slightly. The only way to do this, aerobic training that is, is time in this range.

So MA is sort of cardio training, but not really in the right way to be truly beneficial.

Your training should have a clearly stated purpose. In the beginning stages of training multiple benefits can be had, but as you progress you'll have to become more purpose minded to keep extracting the same benefit.