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Cheap Boxing Archive Page
Monday, August 27, 2007
By Larry Goldberg Quickness isn’t just pure speed, quickness is speed personified. The quicker your muscles can contract, the quicker of an athlete you will be. Whether you are aiming for overall foot quickness when you kick box or hand quickness for your punches, you should aim for quick, strong efforts. But how do you train for this? Speed bags, obviously, have been the staple for training hand quickness in boxers, and it works quite effectively, but what else can be done? A newer type of training out there, known as isometric training, is one of the most efficient means of speed training practiced today. The training concentrates on muscle contraction and keeping your hands, feet and core leg muscles constantly on edge. Isometric training can be done with the help of resistant elastic bands and only a short amount of training time. Programs that exceed 30 minutes tend to work the endurance muscles more prominently then the fast twitch fibers so speed training should always be fast. In fact, most of the isometric workouts take only fifteen to twenty minutes, include no formal weight training and are fairly easy to perform. Why is quickness important? As an athlete quickness should always be on your mind. Throw a quick punch here, a quick kick there. Quickness when combined with overall core strength can be an extremely effective tool in competition. Quickness not only allows you to perform basic actions at a faster speed but it allows you to react faster to what your opponents throw at you.
by: Cheap Boxing
Thursday, August 23, 2007
By Larry Goldberg There are many supplements that have omega 3 fatty acids which come from fish oils. Overall there are several benefits from fish oils and not just for athletes. One of the main benefits of fish oils, especially with athletes, is that they lead to less inflammation and pain. Fish oils can be great for after working out to aid in muscle recovery and reducing inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids have a positive effect on a person's response to inflammation. These fatty acids can keep in check the body's inflammation cycle. Most afflictions that end in “itis”, such as arthritis, can be relieved by the use of Omega 3 fatty acids. Any athlete that has inflammation and pain in the muscles and joints can use these fish oils and they can help with the pain. There are many supplements on the market that have these Omega 3 fish oils as athletes should check with a physician before choosing one. Fish oils can also help with health of the cardiovascular system. This can be important for athletes considering that cardiovascular health is very important when working out and for athletic performance. It has been proved that Omega 3 fatty acids are beneficial for the heart and the arteries that the cardiovascular system is made up of. Omega 3 fatty acids can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides and LDL’s. The fatty acids also can prolong a person’s life with all the health benefits. Along the same lines fish oils can help prevent both heart attacks and strokes. Thrombosis, a clot, occurs when the build up of plaque in the walls of the arteries breaks up. If the clot travels to the brain it will cause a stroke and if it travels to the heart it will cause a heart attack. There has been research that has shown Omega 3 fatty acids can break up the clots, therefore reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. One of the long-term benefits of fish oils is that they reduce the chances of breast, colon, and prostate cancer. These types of cancer are the three most common types and Omega 3 fatty acids can help prevent them. The fatty acids accomplish this three ways: Halt the change from healthy cell to a cancerous mass Keep unwanted cellular growth from occurring Keep apoptosis, death of cells, from happening Omega 3 fatty acids are not only beneficial physically but mentally as well. The fatty acids can help with such mental activities as memory, the ability to recall, and staying focused. Omega 3 fatty acids can clear up the mind for better mental health. This aspect can be great for athletes who are having a hard time staying focused on their workout goals. Along with making a person feel smarter by clearing the mind Omega 3 fatty acids have also been known to alleviate the symptoms associated with depression, psychosis, and bipolar disorder. Overall, eating cold-water oily fish and taking Omega 3 fish oil supplements can have both physical and mental benefits.
by: Cheap Boxing
By Larry Goldberg For a strength athlete such as a kick boxer or a martial arts athlete, leg strength is a very important factor in overall performance. The legs have to be strong enough to kick and spar with strength but quick enough to react in lightning fast times. For an athlete such as this there must be a proper blend of strength and speed training to fully receive all the proper performance benefits. The Pro Muay Thai Leg Kick Pad (which can be bought at http://www.cheapboxing.com/) is one of the most accepted pieces of training equipment because it flat out works. The leg kick pad is useful because it gives an athlete a real time ‘opponent’ which will stand still while they work on their technique and leg strength. Here’s how it works: The spotter, which can be a fellow athlete, a coach or pretty much anyone, holds the thick kick pad up. The athlete practicing then uses the pad to simulate real-time kicks against competitors. The pad it thick enough to absorb pretty powerful kicks and if the spotter wants, they can move the pad in various ways and angles to give the kicker a more versatile opponent. Kick pads help a mixed martial arts athlete improve leg strength because fight simulations are easily done on them. If your sport is mixed martial arts then you have the option of using the kick pad for punches as well so you have a pretty large array of weapons you can unleash upon it.
by: Cheap Boxing
Headgear allows an athlete to go all out in practice- giving them perfect preparation when competition arises What better preparation could an athlete have then real life fighting? The best way a fighter can prepare for an actual competition is to well, fight! These simulations allow athletes to perform at their peak to see not only what type of shape they are in, but to test out their strategies in a low-risk, easy format. Going all out in practice is great for boxers; kick boxers and martial arts athletes because it fine tunes their skill levels. Facing actual competitors instead of training only against oneself (such as shadow boxing and strength workouts) will enhance the way an athlete thinks about themselves and how they approach their fight day. An athlete must take on a number of different training techniques in order to be fully prepared for fight day and sparring is one of the most important. Sparring is a fighter’s equivalent of fight simulation and most fighters look forward to this opportunity. Boxing and mixed martial arts can be a loner’s sport for many and the chance to face real live people is an opportunity not too many athletes will pass up. However, because many athletes look forward to it and approach it like a real fight, it is important to fight with protection, even if the actual competition doesn’t require it. Headgear is the protective padding that a boxer wears during these sparring sessions to ensure there isn’t any harsh repercussions. Since real punches are being thrown at real life speed and strength it is important that both sparring partners take advantage of headgear. Headgear is the padding that allows those in these technical, contact sports to practice at high levels of performance, with little risk involved.
by: Cheap Boxing
Fancy footwork and quick hands are two of the first qualities most trainers would utter if asked for qualities that make up a great boxer. While power and strength make great boxers better, it will mean very little if the boxer is not agile enough to avoid punches or have quick enough hands to land a powerful punch themselves. To better prepare themselves for a fight, boxers should undergo several footwork drills that combine agility techniques with boxing motions. One of the most popular fitness drills is known as rope ducking. Rope ducking is where a boxer simulates punching an opponent while ducking back and forth under a rope that is around shoulder height. The boxer must be agile enough to move back and forth, front and backwards without stumbling and have quick enough hands to shadow box simultaneously. The eyes should remain up at all times, as if focused on a potential opponent and punches should be thrown in various combinations as if the fight were actually happening. When rope ducking a boxer generally doesn’t wear professional boxing gloves (unless for resistance reasons) but instead wears hand wraps. Hand wraps keep the hands snug and secure, with a similar feeling as gloves but without the added weight or padding. Using hand wraps allow a boxer to rope duck quicker and more efficiently, which is what training is all about. To improve upon both agility and hand quickness a boxer should rope duck several rounds (two to three minutes a piece).
by: Cheap Boxing
Thursday, August 16, 2007
By Larry Goldberg For a strength athlete such as a kick boxer or a martial arts athlete, leg strength is a very important factor in overall performance. The legs have to be strong enough to kick and spar with strength but quick enough to react in lightning fast times. For an athlete such as this there must be a proper blend of strength and speed training to fully receive all the proper performance benefits. The Pro Muay Thai Leg Kick Pad (which can be bought at www.cheapboxing.com) is one of the most accepted pieces of training equipment because it flat out works. The leg kick pad is useful because it gives an athlete a real time ‘opponent’ which will stand still while they work on their technique and leg strength. Here’s how it works: The spotter, which can be a fellow athlete, a coach or pretty much anyone, holds the thick kick pad up. The athlete practicing then uses the pad to simulate real-time kicks against competitors. The pad it thick enough to absorb pretty powerful kicks and if the spotter wants, they can move the pad in various ways and angles to give the kicker a more versatile opponent. Kick pads help a mixed martial arts athlete improve leg strength because fight simulations are easily done on them. If your sport is mixed martial arts then you have the option of using the kick pad for punches as well so you have a pretty large array of weapons you can unleash upon it. Improve your strength in both your legs and core with a thick kick pad.
by: Cheap Boxing
By Larry Goldberg Your total energy intake is the most important nutritional factor to give you the best muscle enhancement and health. The high rate of tissue turnover all depends on the high energy you put out when you exercise. When you regenerate muscle tissue, you will be working out very hard and expending a lot of energy. Because of this, you need extra calories to maintain your workout and to contribute to more muscle tissue turnover. The time that you spend in the gym will expend your energy, as well as the hyper-metabolism and muscle repair after you work out. If there is not enough of the energy supply in your body, you will not be able to have an optimal workout, repair your muscles fully, or experience muscle regeneration. Your muscle tissue turnover will be the first system that will not work properly with the lack of energy. If you are lacking in the calories needed to give you the required energy, you will slow down. Because of this, the energy that is usually needed in order to maintain your workout is then given by your muscle tissue break down. This also has to do with how your body is made up in the composition of your body and your body fat. Losing weight is not a clear-cut sign that you have a balanced intake of calories. When you do not eat enough and do not get the calories needed, especially for working out, the muscle tissue will slow down. Considering this muscle tissue turnover takes a lot of energy and the energy your body needs is lessened and your weight remains the same. But your muscles will suffer because of it. Increasing calories in your diet will increase your muscle turnover. Because of this you will also need to consume more calories in order for your muscles to regenerate. You will end up losing weight, stay the same weight, or your muscle rate will increase, as it all depends on how many calories you consume and how hard you work out. The beneficial aspect of this is when your muscle tissue cycling rates are high your body is functioning in a positive and healthy way. This is the case if you are losing or remaining the same weight. The key to the whole process is having enough calories to maintain and regenerate your muscle tissue. When you know how many calories to consume to facilitate muscle maintenance and regeneration there are a couple things you can incorporate into your workout to aid in muscle recovery. 1. The first thing you should do is make sure to stay hydrated. You can do this by replenishing the water and electrolytes in your system that you lose when working out. This is not only done during the workout but after it as well. 2. You also need to make sure that you replenish your glycogen stores. You can do this by consuming carbohydrates after you work out. This will stimulate insulin in your system, which will transport glucose to the muscle cells and stimulates the enzymes that will turn glucose to glycogen.
by: Cheap Boxing
Monday, August 13, 2007
By Larry Goldberg When working out the goal is to burn as many calories as possible. Because of this, you can get a lean and muscular body and lose the unwanted fat from areas in the body. In order to reach the ultimate goal when working out, you have to maximize the fat amount that your body burns every single day. Resting when you work out can help accomplish these goals. While it is a fact that constant cardiovascular workouts can help you burn fat quickly, rest periods when working out are extremely beneficial. Research shows that resting in between working out can help the fat burning process. By resting for one minute when working out, you can get a metabolic burn that will last more than 24 hours. This is not a new idea, but many people think that resting actually hinders the fat burning process, but in reality, it helps it. The metabolic rate using one-minute rest periods is almost double that of the same workout having three-minute rest periods. Basically both of these workouts burned the exact same amount of calories, but shorter rest periods gave the body around twice the metabolic rate, as well as extra calorie burning, over the next day. Athletes need rest not only in good amounts after workouts but during them as well. The body, especially the muscles, needs time to regenerate after being used so strenuously. Basically the metabolic rate has to do with a faster heart rate, more hormones being released, and faster turnover of energy in the body. There are a few ways to easily implement this rest and regeneration period in your existing workout. All you have to do is to simply reduce the rest periods in your workout. The more strenuous the workout the less the rest periods should be but you can take more of them. Another factor to consider is fatigue. Working out with shorter rest periods can be very difficult on the body. Make sure you rest when you are finished with the workout so your body regenerates and gets used to the difficult program. With a shorter rest period training regimen, it will take a while to get used to it, so do not push yourself, as over time you will get acclimated to it. Keep in mind that it will be beneficial once you do get used to it as it will burn more calories, and you will get lean and lose weight quicker. Lactic acid levels will build up quickly, and your body will adapt in order to get rid of fatigue metabolite. This process should take around 6 – 8 weeks. While you are getting used to the shorter rest period workout regimen, you may feel a little nauseous or dizzy. If this is the case, you have shortened the rest periods too far. You need to gradually get to the desired shorter rest periods, as you cannot do it right away.
by: Cheap Boxing
Friday, August 10, 2007
By Larry Goldberg There are three components to working your abs to get that sculpted look—nutrition, aerobic exercise and abdominal training. Truth is, you won’t have a washboard stomach with a 6-inch layer of fat over it, no matter how many crunches you do. In order to get a good six-pack, you have to remove the fat that covers your abdominal muscles, and that takes a nutritionally balanced weight-loss diet and aerobic exercise. You can, however, strengthen your abs even before you lose the fat; the abdominals are core muscles and strong abs stabilize your spine, give you good posture and balance and help you move smoothly and gracefully. Anatomy There are three layers of abdominal muscles, and they run in three different directions. The outermost layer contains the outer oblique muscles, which run diagonally along the sides of your abdomen, connecting the posterior ribs, spine and pelvis. The next layer contains the internal obliques, which run just under the external ones, and the rectus abdominus. The rectus is a broad, flat muscle that runs vertically down the front of your abdomen from the ribs to your pelvis. It is crossed by several horizontal tendons, which is what gives you that six-pack look. The bottom layer contains the transverse abdominus, which runs horizontally across your abdomen from side to side. It’s helpful to know what the function of each of the muscles is: • The rectus flexes your spine. • The transverse abdominus is primarily used for abdominal breathing. • The external obliques rotate your body toward the opposite side (contracting the left external obliques causes you to rotate toward the right.) • The internal obliques rotate your body toward the same side. Protect Your SpineWhen you’re doing ab training, remember that these muscles attach to your spine. It’s important to make sure you are doing exercises correctly; consult with a trainer if you’re not sure how to perform them. Full sit ups are not recommended anymore by anyone because they 1)aren’t necessary for exercising your abs and 2)can injure your spine. We do crunches instead. Whenever you are doing ab training, place your hands behind your neck and press your back toward the floor. Keep your knees bent. This protects the natural curves of your spine. IMPORTANT: If you have osteoporosis or a previous back injury, check with your doctor before attempting any ab training exercises. Crunches All ab training exercises are a variation on the basic crunch. You can raise your hips or your shoulders, but the object is to contract the abdominal muscles. Here are a few crunch pointers: • Save crunches for the end of your workout. Remember, the abdominal muscles are involved in respiration, and you don’t want to fatigue them early in the workout. • Pull your stomach in—press your belly button into your back—to contract the transverse muscle. Remember not to hold your breath while you’re doing this. • Keep your abdominals tightened throughout a series of reps. Make your movements slow and controlled, and pause briefly at the top of each rep. • Don’t raise your hips or shoulders more than 4-6 inches off the floor—that’s all you need for full contraction of the muscles. • Do lateral crunches to work the obliques—pointing your left shoulder at your right knee. Crunches are the key to strong abs—regular crunches, oblique crunches, hip raises, crunches with added weight. Keep crunching and soon you’ll have great abs.
by: Cheap Boxing
Saturday, August 4, 2007
By Larry Goldberg It’s one of the simplest forms of workouts that can be done by anyone in nearly any sport. While boxers tend to receive the publicity for this type of training, athletes in sports such as martial arts, kick boxing and even football utilize shadow boxing to improve their quickness and reaction time. Its main function is to prepare an athlete’s muscle fibers before a tougher, more physical battle, often mimicking the actions expected in competition. The exercise looks silly from an outsider’s perspective because it looks as if the athlete is fighting no one in particular, and it’s true. An athlete shadow boxing is punching the air, not a person, but it is for a reason. Shadow boxing is a preparation tool, a warm up exercise, a cool down exercise and a technique critic. It works for preparation before a big fight because fighter’s often want to envision themselves against their future opponents. It works as a warm up/ cool down exercise because it gets the joints and muscles of an athlete ready without the resistance of gloves or other equipment, and it works as a technique critic because when shadow boxing there is no getting away from the way you look. Your technique cannot be blamed on an opponent nor can it be blamed on heavier gloves. When a boxer or martial arts athlete shadow boxes they are not only getting the full benefit of working the core muscles most important to them, they are working on technique and style as well.
by: Cheap Boxing
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
By: Larry Goldberg The past decade or so has seen an explosion of research about nutrition, exercise and the human body. Some of this research has confirmed what we already knew—things like, a healthy diet and regular exercise make you live long and prosper. Some research, however, has proven that some “common wisdom” about exercise is just plain wrong. Here are ten myths that you don’t want to buy into. 1. Lifting weights makes you bulk up. Actually, this is true—if you are male. Women don’t have the biochemistry necessary to develop big, bulky muscles. They will get stronger, but not bulkier. 2. It’s inevitable to gain weight as you age. False. People gain weight as they age because they become more sedentary and their metabolic rate drops. Weight gain is not inevitable. 3. Fat people are not fit, so you have to lose weight before you can get in shape. False again. Fitness has to do with flexibility, muscle strength and endurance and cardiovascular endurance, not with how fat you are. Fat people may not look fit, but some are in pretty good shape. Getting in shape will also help you lose weight faster because it makes your body burn calories faster. 4. No pain, no gain. Absolutely not. You should not hurt before, during or after exercise. Some mild, transient muscle soreness may occur the first few times you work out, but it should not persist. 5. If you don’t exercise regularly, there’s no point in exercising at all. Nope, not true. Of course, it’s ideal to exercise regularly, but anything at all is better than nothing at all. 6. Old people can’t exercise. Exercise has definite benefits for older people. If you have health problems or haven’t exercised in a while, though, you should check with your doctor and discuss what kind of exercise will be most beneficial for you. There may be some kinds of exercise you should avoid. 7. You can get a flat tummy (or butt or firm thighs, etc) by working those muscles. This one is true—sort of. If you are lean and trim, you can improve the appearance of your tummy or tush with resistance training. If, however, you have a thick layer of fat over your abs and gluts, your tummy won’t get flat. It will, however, get strong, and that will help your posture and prevent back injuries. 8. Always stretch before exercising. Recent research indicates that stretching before a workout doesn’t do any good, and may even limit your performance slightly. 9. Everybody benefits from exercise. True, in some ways. Everybody does get some benefit from exercise. But not everybody gets the same benefit. People have a range of different responses to exercise; Mr. Universe may be able to build big, sculpted muscles while Mr. Milquetoast may never be able to lift more than 50 pounds and just gets “wiry.” 10. You can’t exercise if….. Just about everybody can do some kind of exercise. They do passive exercises on people who are unconscious and on breathing machines in the hospital, for pete’s sake. Many people have exercise limitations, but everybody benefits from moving about a little bit.
by: Cheap Boxing
By: Larry Goldberg It’s important to drink enough water when you’re exercising. Your body is about 65% water, and that water is important. It is found in your cells, between your cells, in your organs and in your bloodstream. Your body cannot function without enough water. One important function of water is regulation of body temperature. When you need to get rid of excess heat, you sweat. As your sweat evaporates, it cools your body and keeps your temperature from rising. We get water from the food we eat and fluids we drink; it enters our bodies through our mouths (unless you have an intravenous fluid line in place and get fluids through that). We get rid of water mostly in urine, sweat and the water vapor we breathe out. We can lose water through the gastrointestinal tract, too (vomiting or watery diarrhea). When we exercise, we lose more water than normal; we lose it by sweating and by breathing faster, which causes to lose more water vapor. And that’s why it’s important to drink plenty of water when you are exercising. You need to replace the water you lose so that you can continue to maintain your body temperature and function normally. If you don’t drink enough, you can get dehydrated and can suffer heat exhaustion. People who run marathons and similar duration events can run into another problem, especially when it’s hot: water intoxication. Water intoxication happens because sweat contains water and salt (or sodium). Our bodies have sodium reserves, so this is not a problem for most people. Marathoners, however, can lose enough sodium to deplete their reserves. Low sodium levels cause fluid to move out of the bloodstream into the muscles (causing cramps), the gastrointestinal system (causing nausea and vomiting), the brain (causing brain swelling with confusion, agitation, seizures, coma and even death) and other organs. The problem is compounded if they are drinking plenty of water—plain water—to replace what they lose by sweating. The extra water dilutes your body fluids, decreasing the sodium concentration even more. People are just beginning to be aware of the possible of water intoxication in endurance exercisers, and they are developing recommendations to prevent it. Those recommendations include: • Avoiding overhydration by slightly decreasing water consumption. The current recommendation is to drink no more than about a quart an hour while exercising. Athletes should continue to hydrate themselves before a race. • Use thirst as a guide for the need for hydration. Previously, athletes were advised to prevent thirst; now the recommendation is to drink in response to thirst. • Eat salty foods for a day or two before an endurance activity and have a salty snack just before the activity. • Replace fluids with electrolyte-containing sports drinks, not plain water. • Avoid taking aspirin, acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications or pain medications for several days before an event; they may make water intoxication worse. • Discuss your prescription medications with a sports medicine physician; some medications make water intoxication worse. Most people don’t have to worry about drinking too much water. If you are an endurance athlete, however, check with your physician or trainer to see what current recommendations are.
by: Cheap Boxing
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