Combining a martial art and a functional training?

[The Great Duck]

I'm 24 (soon to be 25) years old, am cca 184 cm tall and weigh cca 100 kg.
I never did sports in my life, but recently got fed up with being overweight and in bad shape in general, and five weeks ago I started attending this functional training at a gym (90 minutes on tuesday and thursdays) - and so far it's been pretty good. I already feel a slight improvement in my endurance, strength and balance.

OTOH, I'm also interested in martial arts, and have been considering starting training one of them.
The same gym offers boxing, MT; BJJ, kenpo, wrestling and taekwondo - now, as wrestling and boxing trainings are held on mondays, wednesdays and fridays, for now I'm mostly interested in these two arts - boxing being the more attractive one.
However, I'm concerned about the possibility of training 5 days in a row being too much and possibly causing certain health issues; I've also seen advice that a beginner should just pick a single art and just stick to it, and forget about training any other arts or sports; then there's also advice that one should train one art more frequently rather than combine two of them - which makes sense - however, most of the gyms don't seem to offer programmes with more than 3 trainings per week.
So, my question is: do you think combining boxing and a functional training and training 5 days in a row that way is a good idea - or should I just stick to the functional training for now and possibly add boxing once I get in better shape?

 

[jobo]

I'm 24 (soon to be 25) years old, am cca 184 cm tall and weigh cca 100 kg.
I never did sports in my life, but recently got fed up with being overweight and in bad shape in general, and five weeks ago I started attending this functional training at a gym (90 minutes on tuesday and thursdays) - and so far it's been pretty good. I already feel a slight improvement in my endurance, strength and balance.

OTOH, I'm also interested in martial arts, and have been considering starting training one of them.
The same gym offers boxing, MT; BJJ, kenpo, wrestling and taekwondo - now, as wrestling and boxing trainings are held on mondays, wednesdays and fridays, for now I'm mostly interested in these two arts - boxing being the more attractive one.
However, I'm concerned about the possibility of training 5 days in a row being too much and possibly causing certain health issues; I've also seen advice that a beginner should just pick a single art and just stick to it, and forget about training any other arts or sports; then there's also advice that one should train one art more frequently rather than combine two of them - which makes sense - however, most of the gyms don't seem to offer programmes with more than 3 trainings per week.
So, my question is: do you think combining boxing and a functional training and training 5 days in a row that way is a good idea - or should I just stick to the functional training for now and possibly add boxing once I get in better shape?

is functional strenth traing where you stand on a beach ball and ballance a goldfish bowl on you head? if so scrap that and go and do some proper strengh training.

no one knows what your physical condition is better than you or how intensive the training is 7ntill you go, so go and make an inform decision on how often you can train, when you stop aching you can train again. after a few weeks youl stop aching sooner
yes pick one ma at least for now and boxing or wrestling should get you very,very fit fairly quickly after 5 weeks of either youl notice more than a slight improvement in your fitness

 

[drop bear]

Are the people who gave you that advice elite fighters who are exceptional at their craft?

 

[drop bear]

I think the issue with over training is two fold at your level.

1. its a bit hard until you get used to it.

2. You won't look as cool if you are training against fresh guys who are doing half as much.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I'm 24 (soon to be 25) years old, am cca 184 cm tall and weigh cca 100 kg.
I never did sports in my life, but recently got fed up with being overweight and in bad shape in general, and five weeks ago I started attending this functional training at a gym (90 minutes on tuesday and thursdays) - and so far it's been pretty good. I already feel a slight improvement in my endurance, strength and balance.

OTOH, I'm also interested in martial arts, and have been considering starting training one of them.
The same gym offers boxing, MT; BJJ, kenpo, wrestling and taekwondo - now, as wrestling and boxing trainings are held on mondays, wednesdays and fridays, for now I'm mostly interested in these two arts - boxing being the more attractive one.
However, I'm concerned about the possibility of training 5 days in a row being too much and possibly causing certain health issues; I've also seen advice that a beginner should just pick a single art and just stick to it, and forget about training any other arts or sports; then there's also advice that one should train one art more frequently rather than combine two of them - which makes sense - however, most of the gyms don't seem to offer programmes with more than 3 trainings per week.
So, my question is: do you think combining boxing and a functional training and training 5 days in a row that way is a good idea - or should I just stick to the functional training for now and possibly add boxing once I get in better shape?

I'm less concerned than others about whether you start with a single art or not. In my opinion and experience, the instructors' ability to work with that matters. MMA folks do this all the time, and seem to not suffer dramatically. Surely some of their fundamentals in one area are delayed by the shared focus with another area, but they make that up with a better understanding of the range of options - and probably make faster progress once the foundation is laid. So, if multiple styles are offered in the same place, there's probably not an issue. (If you took MT at that gym and Judo from someone who didn't understand MT or had no interest in helping integrate them, you'd probably have difficulty.)

As to the functional fitness, it's questionable how "functional" it is. But it does get you sweating, develops strength (probably not as well as simply doing good strength training, but I think it's more fun), and sometimes gets better cardio benefit than strength training alone. It'll also help develop the support muscles early on (which is harder to do with some strength training, though it does get there). As with the martial arts training, the quality of the instructor matters more than the style of training chosen.

EDIT: I forgot the overtraining question. Listen to your body. If your muscles are really tight from training the day before, you're probably at more risk for an injury, so go slower and warm up longer. Don't overdo things, and you'll be okay. As a beginner, you may need to back off a bit to let your body adapt, but many of us have trained 5+ days per week without problems. Start a little slow, and ramp it up until you find where you're a bit sore the next workout, but able to loosen up and get some intensity without injury. Try to live in that area as much as you can.

 

[DocWard]

I had to look up the term "functional fitness." With that in mind, I'm not a personal trainer, so you can take the advice I'm about to give for what it is worth to you.

I will assume you've already checked in with your primary healthcare provider. If not, I would recommend it.

You will likely make quicker gains across the board if you are working out in some manner five days per week. The concern, at least initially, is that the musculoskeletal system, particularly those seldom used supporting muscles and connective tissue will be weak and subject to injury from overuse. This is alleviated by doing different types of exercise from one day to the next. Strength training one day, aerobic the next, for example. It appears the "functional fitness" concept is intended to limit some of these injury concerns, and may make a reasonable starting point for more.

You will lose weight quicker, and keep it off, if you decide on a healthy sustainable diet. By sustainable, I mean one that you can realistically see yourself following for years to come. This means not depriving yourself. You didn't gain the weight in one week, you shouldn't expect to lose it and keep it off in one week.

As for working across multiple disciplines at once, I would say look at your schedule. If you are wanting to be in the gym five days per week, and that means you need to work in a couple of different disciplines, then accept that you will probably not make gains in the art as quickly as those who dedicate themselves to a single art. You will make gains though.

You're in this life for the long haul. It's the journey, not the destination.

Good luck!

 

[Buka]

Welcome to Martial Talk, Great Duck.

Brother, if you can spend three or four days a week at a decent boxing gym you won't need anything else to get in pretty good shape.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

my question is: do you think combining boxing and a functional training and training 5 days in a row that way is a good idea - or should I just stick to the functional training for now and possibly add boxing once I get in better shape?

To start from

1. functional training and add on MA training afterward is called forward search method.
2. MA training and add on functional training afterward is called backward search method.

I prefer 2 over 1. When I train functional, I will know exactly which MA technique that I am trying to "enhance". In other words, I like to set up my goal first. I then try to find a path to reach it

 

[Gerry Seymour]

To start from

1. functional training and add on MA training afterward is called forward search method.
2. MA training and add on functional training afterward is called backward search method.

I prefer 2 over 1. When I train functional, I will know exactly which MA technique that I am trying to "enhance". In other words, I like to set up my goal first. I then try to find a path to reach it

That approach is a good one, if MA is the focus of your functional (I'd call it "good strength") training. If the functional training is for overall health benefits, and so is the MA training, then the MA isn't the goal for the functional training.

Even with as much as I focus on my MA in many areas of life, I only occasionally think specifically about it in my fitness training. I don't use cardio training specifically to improve my sparring performance - that's a nice side benefit.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I only occasionally think specifically about it in my fitness training. I don't use cardio training specifically to improve my sparring performance - that's a nice side benefit.

My Chinese wrestling teacher told me that both running and rope jumping can raise my gravity center and make my body float, which is bad for my wrestling training. I still feel guilty about my running even today.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

My Chinese wrestling teacher told me that both running and rope jumping can raise my gravity center and bad for my wrestling training. I still feel guilty about my running even today.

I think he was incorrect. I have trained beside and grappled with guys who did both, and they managed to root pretty well, and were as skilled as anyone else at getting underside.

 

[drop bear]

I think he was incorrect. I have trained beside and grappled with guys who did both, and they managed to root pretty well, and were as skilled as anyone else at getting underside.

Rooting isn't being flat footed. That is almost the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Rooting isn't being flat footed. That is almost the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

How would jump rope make you flatfooted?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Rooting isn't being flat footed. That is almost the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

Agreed. I've known a couple of guys who, when rooted, seemed flat-footed...until they moved. Everyone else, when rooted, looked more supple.

 

[drop bear]

How would jump rope make you flatfooted?

It wouldn't.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

It wouldn't.

I don't think I understand what you're trying to say then.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

It wouldn't.

It just occurred to me that you're probably just agreeing with @gpseymour . I'm so used to the two of you disagreeing, the idea didn't enter my head.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I don't think I understand what you're trying to say then.

He was agreeing that running and jumprope don't hinder "rooting" development.

 

[jobo]

I'm less concerned than others about whether you start with a single art or not. In my opinion and experience, the instructors' ability to work with that matters. MMA folks do this all the time, and seem to not suffer dramatically. Surely some of their fundamentals in one area are delayed by the shared focus with another area, but they make that up with a better understanding of the range of options - and probably make faster progress once the foundation is laid. So, if multiple styles are offered in the same place, there's probably not an issue. (If you took MT at that gym and Judo from someone who didn't understand MT or had no interest in helping integrate them, you'd probably have difficulty.)

As to the functional fitness, it's questionable how "functional" it is. But it does get you sweating, develops strength (probably not as well as simply doing good strength training, but I think it's more fun), and sometimes gets better cardio benefit than strength training alone. It'll also help develop the support muscles early on (which is harder to do with some strength training, though it does get there). As with the martial arts training, the quality of the instructor matters more than the style of training chosen.

EDIT: I forgot the overtraining question. Listen to your body. If your muscles are really tight from training the day before, you're probably at more risk for an injury, so go slower and warm up longer. Don't overdo things, and you'll be okay. As a beginner, you may need to back off a bit to let your body adapt, but many of us have trained 5+ days per week without problems. Start a little slow, and ramp it up until you find where you're a bit sore the next workout, but able to loosen up and get some intensity without injury. Try to live in that area as much as you can.

hmm, theres an old adage, that theres no such thing as over training, just under recovery, 2hich has a certain truth in it, it always has to be a ballance between intensity and freqency

if your training for fitness, as opposed to skill development, its crucial that your training is intense enough to trigger adaptation or plainly you wont adapt. much, quickly or even at all

. if that is so, then training 5 consecutive days is impossible on an ongoing basis, if your doing that then the 8ntensity of any given session wasnt sufficient or your going to collapse with exhaustion .

however you may well develop the ability to exercis to a very low intensity often, that not generally what people are seeking to achieve in a sporting context, though useful if you are going on a walking holiday etc

 

[Gerry Seymour]

hmm, theres an old adage, that theres no such thing as over training, just under recovery, 2hich has a certain truth in it, it always has to be a ballance between intensity and freqency

if your training for fitness, as opposed to skill development, its crucial that your training is intense enough to trigger adaptation or plainly you wont adapt. much, quickly or even at all

. if that is so, then training 5 consecutive days is impossible on an ongoing basis, if your doing that then the 8ntensity of any given session wasnt sufficient or your going to collapse with exhaustion .

however you may well develop the ability to exercis to a very low intensity often, that not generally what people are seeking to achieve in a sporting context, though useful if you are going on a walking holiday etc

If all 5 days are that intense and have significant overlap, yes. Not all of the things the OP is talking about require that level of training. Hence my advice to listen to his body. Soreness makes a decent indicator. If you're not sore, there's usually no real added risk of injury. If you're pretty sore, you have to feel it out a bit to avoid injury, as the soreness might or might not indicate higher risk. Most of us have at one time or another in our lives been active enough in MA that we trained several days in a row at pretty high intensity, because we'd trained so that wasn't our maximum intensity. If not in MA, most have done it in other areas of sports.