Best Martial art for cardio/weight loss.

[Maddogkull]

What would be the best martial art to get REAL good into shape? Any martial art is allowed to be named. anyone know what kind. War dances/arts like Capoeria can be named as well. Anyone know the best martial arts to get the best into shape?

 

[Omar B]

Any martial art with a good teacher will get you in shape, after all, it is about getting stronger and faster. Anything more specific you are looking for?

 

[David43515]

To an extent it is about getting stronger and faster, but it`s also about being able to do things with less effort because you do them more efficiently.

Getting into better shape is really a side effect of martial arts training, not the primary goal for, for alot of us. If getting into shape is your main goal, I`d say focus on that end of it and goto a gym. Push some weights, run or swim, and stretch. Boom you`re in shape. But that`s just me I suppose.

What do you mean by "in shape"? Fat loss? Building muscle? Cardiovascular fitness? Flexability? Different arts are going to focus on different things.
Boxing and Muay Thai both produce very ripped up fighters but I don`t know if that`s what you`re looking for. For that matter I`ve seen guys that do Tai Chi Chuan like it`s going out of style, and they have thighs like solid tree trunks and blast-furnace metabolisms.

 

[Omar B]

To an extent it is about getting stronger and faster, but it`s also about being able to do things with less effort because you do them more efficiently.
Getting into better shape is really a side effect of martial arts training, not the primary goal for, for alot of us. If getting into shape is your main goal, I`d say focus on that end of it and goto a gym. Push some weights, run or swim, and stretch. Boom you`re in shape. But that`s just me I suppose.
What do you mean by "in shape"? Fat loss? Building muscle? Cardiovascular fitness? Flexability? Different arts are going to focus on different things.
Boxing and Muay Thai both produce very ripped up fighters but I don`t know if that`s what you`re looking for. For that matter I`ve seen guys that do Tai Chi Chuan like it`s going out of style, and they have thighs like solid tree trunks and blast-furnace metabolisms.

What he said. How does one like yourself define fitness is always a good place to start.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Isshin-Ryu is the best martial art for cardio and fitness.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Im sure the instructor plays just as big a part as the art itself. I am a member of a large club with about 30-50 instructors spanning across about 60 venues. I have trained with instructors where I barely break into a sweat and I have trained under instructors where I couldnt move the next day , and yet they both came under the banner of "tkd" and were both members of the same club. Thats not to talk down the instructors where I wasnt worked hard from a cardio point of view , I just found some instructors focus very heavily on the technical side while other instructors want to see you in pain at the end of class , and then theres everything in between.

 

[Carol]

There really isn't any magic to cardio and weight loss. If MA training is to be the primary source of exercise, the best art is going to be the one you can do the most often.

If you can work out for 8 hours a week, that is going to get you in a lot better shape than if you work out for 2 hours a week.

If "School A" is open 6 or 7 days a week, that is likely going to get you in better shape than "School B" which only has 1 hour classes...providing you are enthusiastic enough about the class to train a lot.

Also take a look at how the class is run, and how much you as an individual can do to increase your fitness during class. If you and your classmates are taking turns doing something, can you jog in place to keep your heart rate up while you are waiting? Or are you expected to sit or stand quietly?

 

[Steve]

The best style for you is the one that you will look forward to doing several times each week.

If you sign up and then don't go, it's not going to work for you. Same thing goes for the gym. It might be the most efficient place to get into shape in theory, but in application, if you don't go, it won't help YOU.

To get to what I think you're asking, though, are what the more cardio/fitness intensive styles are. In answer to that, I'd agree that some styles will have a wide range. I can't say which is the best, because I haven't trained in them all. I do know that the MMA guys at my school work very, very hard and are in really good shape. I think that most MMA schools are the same. While you might see similar work ethics at other schools, I don't think you can go wrong conditioning-wise, at an MMA school.

 

[CoryKS]

I read a book, I think it was one of Loren Christenson's, that had a chart with average caloric burn by style. IIRC they were all well within the range of 550-700 per hour with the exception of tai chi, which was somewhere in the 200's.

 

[Steve]

I don't know how accurate this is or what kind of data it's based upon, but it's pretty interesting:

http://www.pad-up.com/g/11003/Martial%20Arts%20Calorie%20Burn%20Calculator.htm

 

[Joab]

I don't think it is the style so much as the teacher. If the teacher runs a high tempo workout style class that moves very quickly with lots of calisthenics you will get a good work out. If the teacher talks a lot while you stand there and listen, you won't get a very good work out. I got the best workout from a Wing Chun school, but there all different. Checked them out and see which ones in your area give the best work out.

 

[Big Don]

Nike-do or Schwinn jitsu

 

[xJOHNx]

Any martial art. It's up to the teacher to get everyone fit, as well as the student himself.

Like my sensei puts it: "When I'm fit and at the top of my game, my taijutsu form is good. If I were a fat blob and would just train on the days I went to the dojo, my form would be bad. Being fit gives me the focus I need to grow."

He's more direct in his choice of words than I am. But he's damn right.

And if you don't have enough time: pick up a book from Pavel, Steve Cotter or ross Enamiat. Or even Bruce lee for that matter.

 

[Phoenix44]

With the possible...possible...exception of tai chi, any martial art that you're willing to do on a regular basis is the best martial art for cardio/weight loss.

 

[pete]

Cardio: how much blood can the heart pump
Vascular: how much blood can the circulatory system carry

Tai Chi practice will have bigger impact on Vascular Health, while Aerobic exercises (within contect of a martial art or not) will have a bigger impact on the Cardio.

Seems like both would be important, and as a Tai Chi guy: to keep in balance!

Best martial art for weight loss is stop eating!

Pete.

 

[Blade96]

Interesting about this topic....lol

I was training with Bruce, my nidan, on tuesday and when we took break we were talking about MA and how some MA and martial artists are in such crazy shape....and we started talking about Capoeira and I said to him...Have you SEEN some of those Capoeiristas?! Oh dear God, what crazy shape they're in! and he's like, Oh yah.

Of course my nidan also said well shotokan will get you into shape too. But.....he's gonna say that. He's obviously biased. =]

 

[Franc0]

As mentioned before, the more you train & the more you sweat, the quicker you'll get in shape. Pretty much all the MA's will enhance physical fitness, but it's the intensity & frequency of the training that differentiates results.
My personal opinion for cardio/weight loss?
Find a reliable partner - go to the park - put on a t-shirt, slip on a plastic garbage bag over that, then put a sweat shirt on over that - warm up with some stretches & 30 jumping jacks, then put on some gloves and leg gear and light spar with your partner to the point of exhaustion - take a couple mins break then spar again - when your cooked, take another min break then do as many crunches or sit-ups as you can, then max out as many push-ups as you can. At first, this is about a 30 min workout. After awhile, you'll last longer in sparring, you'll be doing more pushups & crunches etc. Do this 3 times a week and you'll be amazed at the progressions. No dojo fees, uniforms or bowing needed!:ultracool
Keep in mind that your diet is just as important. Eating junk foods, high fat content foods and drinking soda pop or high sugar drinks can cut the progression in half.

Franco

 

[Blade96]

As mentioned before, the more you train & the more you sweat, the quicker you'll get in shape. Pretty much all the MA's will enhance physical fitness, but it's the intensity & frequency of the training that differentiates results

When our sensei has us in the dojo he makes us work so hard that by the end of it we're all sweating like hockey players (and grinning like darn fools because we all love shotokan but thats beside the point.)