Hi Guys,
I'm a 21 year old male, been weight lifting for the past 6 years and have become fairly accomplished at that. I'm not the largest framed person; I'm 5'9, 191lbs, around 12% body fat.
I've always been aware that weightlifting/bodybuilding does little for cardiovascular endurance and conditioning, but I didn't realise how out of shape I was, and still am, until after my first time at an open Kickboxing class.
So last night was my first time entering a martial arts class - or any group class for that matter - so I was fairly apprehensive. The first worrying sign was the fact I was out of breath just walking to the place!
There was no introduction, straight in - "everyone grab a rope.." for 1 minute of steady skipping. Luckily I've dabble at home with a bit of skipping so I could maintain a steady, albeit slower compared to everyone else, pace for the minute. Followed by shadow boxing for a minute, followed by 1,2,1,2 for a full minute at max pace, then 30 seconds of max pace situps, then 30 seconds pressups. This was repeated 3 times with 30 seconds in between. I was fu**** by this point!
Looking up from my keeled-over-what-am-I-even-doing-here position, I look up and everyone is busy chatting away, a slight shine on their heads but not even out of breathe that much.
After this, and about a full minutes rest after the final circuit, I am paired up with another new (a few months in) guy, and we are instructed to practice a movement drill where the pad holder walks back at a constant pace to one end of the room, while the puncher practices moving forward and striking whilst maintaining proper foot position and seemless movement. This was far from seemless for me; I hadn't even been shown the fundamentals, such as stance or how to strike. I figure this is my first time, the more I show up and show my worth the more they will dedicate themselves to teaching me these fundamentals.
After this was a similar drill, though this time the pad holder pivoted on his still lead leg, rotating clockwise and anticlockwise, whilst the puncher strikes the pads, again trying to remain in position - never crossing feet over for example.
My shoulders at this point are burning beyond belief. 6/8 rep shoulder press, lateral raises and heavy bench don't do anything to prepare you for this, and if anything, it only seemed to cause them to burn out much faster.
The last drill we practiced was front kick, with the instructor emphasising that the point of this particular exercise is to ensure we have the proper foot and toe position when striking - foot pointed down, toes curled up. We repeated this for 3 minutes each turn, switching between lead and back leg.
Strangely, I found the pad holding one of the most awkward parts. I felt a nuisance for my partner when I kept messing up the pad positions for the combos we were instructed to drill. I'm guessing this will get easier over time. A way overlooked skill, in my opinion, is being a decent pad holder.
So, a "warm-up" that could have served as a full workout for me, a LOT of pad work, and not much instruction on technique sums up my first class.
Does this sound normal to you guys? My main goal and ambition remains bodybuilding (natural and lean. Not over bulky and rigid). I plan on doing Kickboxing twice a week to start, I'm not looking to ever compete, and bodybuilding will remain my top priority after all these years. I don't believe it has to be one or the other at this level.
Thanks for reading.
I'm a 21 year old male, been weight lifting for the past 6 years and have become fairly accomplished at that. I'm not the largest framed person; I'm 5'9, 191lbs, around 12% body fat.
I've always been aware that weightlifting/bodybuilding does little for cardiovascular endurance and conditioning, but I didn't realise how out of shape I was, and still am, until after my first time at an open Kickboxing class.
So last night was my first time entering a martial arts class - or any group class for that matter - so I was fairly apprehensive. The first worrying sign was the fact I was out of breath just walking to the place!
There was no introduction, straight in - "everyone grab a rope.." for 1 minute of steady skipping. Luckily I've dabble at home with a bit of skipping so I could maintain a steady, albeit slower compared to everyone else, pace for the minute. Followed by shadow boxing for a minute, followed by 1,2,1,2 for a full minute at max pace, then 30 seconds of max pace situps, then 30 seconds pressups. This was repeated 3 times with 30 seconds in between. I was fu**** by this point!
Looking up from my keeled-over-what-am-I-even-doing-here position, I look up and everyone is busy chatting away, a slight shine on their heads but not even out of breathe that much.
After this, and about a full minutes rest after the final circuit, I am paired up with another new (a few months in) guy, and we are instructed to practice a movement drill where the pad holder walks back at a constant pace to one end of the room, while the puncher practices moving forward and striking whilst maintaining proper foot position and seemless movement. This was far from seemless for me; I hadn't even been shown the fundamentals, such as stance or how to strike. I figure this is my first time, the more I show up and show my worth the more they will dedicate themselves to teaching me these fundamentals.
After this was a similar drill, though this time the pad holder pivoted on his still lead leg, rotating clockwise and anticlockwise, whilst the puncher strikes the pads, again trying to remain in position - never crossing feet over for example.
My shoulders at this point are burning beyond belief. 6/8 rep shoulder press, lateral raises and heavy bench don't do anything to prepare you for this, and if anything, it only seemed to cause them to burn out much faster.
The last drill we practiced was front kick, with the instructor emphasising that the point of this particular exercise is to ensure we have the proper foot and toe position when striking - foot pointed down, toes curled up. We repeated this for 3 minutes each turn, switching between lead and back leg.
Strangely, I found the pad holding one of the most awkward parts. I felt a nuisance for my partner when I kept messing up the pad positions for the combos we were instructed to drill. I'm guessing this will get easier over time. A way overlooked skill, in my opinion, is being a decent pad holder.
So, a "warm-up" that could have served as a full workout for me, a LOT of pad work, and not much instruction on technique sums up my first class.
Does this sound normal to you guys? My main goal and ambition remains bodybuilding (natural and lean. Not over bulky and rigid). I plan on doing Kickboxing twice a week to start, I'm not looking to ever compete, and bodybuilding will remain my top priority after all these years. I don't believe it has to be one or the other at this level.
Thanks for reading.
. You must be in the US? So you join a gym, you pay them to teach you and instead of teaching you, you are teaching your partner.
