wingchun100
Senior Master
I say just jump in, the training alone should get you into better shape. I work out on a fairly regular basis with both weights and cardio, but the training in the dojo/dojang is something different. It hits different muscles and taxes you cardio wise that you don't normally get from other workouts.
That's right. There is a difference between the endurance type of cardio that you get with a marathon versus the stop-start/explosive cardio employed in martial arts. Running at a consistent speed won't prepare you as well for martial arts as would an intense game of basketball. Why? Because in basketball, you have that stop-start motion.