Right Perspective on Martial Arts?

[Lynne]

I'm trying to get the right perspective on Martial Arts.

When I think of "working out," I think of recovery time. Time for the muscles to recover so they can grow.

I realize Martial Arts is about so much more than physical conditioning - strengthening the mind, realizing our potential, and ????

I saw that my daughter was sore for 5 days after some classes. All I could think of was, "That's insane, that's counterproductive. She'll just tear down muscle instead of build it up." I think I was missing something?

So, what about working out when you are sore? What about those who train every day? How does this affect the body? Does it matter? Are we training our minds as we work through the pain? Is that what's really important?

 

[Carol]

Hey Lynne, welcome to Martial Talk! It's great having you here. Read your Judo story (grrrr) and am soooo glad you gave the arts a try again!

Depends on the exercise and how sore the person is. If its muscle pains due to lactic acid buildup, those are generally alleviated by mild exercise. Plus if she's at a good school (and what you've described sounds like she is) her instructor should encourage her to reach for what she can but to not push herself too far. An MA student can actually do a lot when they have the freedom to pace themselves and work within the restrictions of their own body.

Martial Arts are weight-bearing exercises but are generally not weight-training exercise. I don't think she's much at risk for issues unless she's pumping iron every day.

 

[Lynne]

Hi Carol,

Thank you for your insightful answer. I think too much sometimes

That's good news about pushing and reaching potential. You made that click for me. That's one of the things I love about the academy my daughter and I are attending - the instructors and the master get every drop of potential out of us. But the whole perspective of pushing the body to it's potential didn't click until you made it clear. I couldn't see the trees for the forest kind-of-thing.

That one clarification will help me and my daughter tremendously in our training.

 

[tshadowchaser]

If a pain persists for 5 days then possibly a torn muscle or pulled tendon may be involved. If the pain is there for a day or maybe two then possibly the person is just not used to that exercise or that much exercise.
Pushing oneself beyond the pain threshold is something that is done in many schools because it teaches one to never give up and also teaches one that they can do things while in pain.
Being able to fight in the street while in pain is one thing when survival is concerned, but putting yourself in danger of further injuring a muscle or ligament just to prove you can do it is another

 

[kidswarrior]

An MA student can actually do a lot when they have the freedom to pace themselves and work within the restrictions of their own body.

Martial Arts are weight-bearing exercises but are generally not weight-training exercise. I don't think she's much at risk for issues unless she's pumping iron every day.

Excellent advice! :ultracool

If a pain persists for 5 days then possibly a torn muscle or pulled tendon may be involved. If the pain is there for a day or maybe two then possibly the person is just not used to that exercise or that much exercise.
Pushing oneself beyond the pain threshold is something that is done in many schools because it teaches one to never give up and also teaches one that they can do things while in pain.
Being able to fight in the street while in pain is one thing when survival is concerned, but putting yourself in danger of further injuring a muscle or ligament just to prove you can do it is another

Also excellent advice. :ultracool

Taken together, these two posts make a great framework for helping to evaluate what is OK and when it's not OK to continue. But as always, if in doubt consult a Dr.

 

[Carol]

Hi Carol,

Thank you for your insightful answer. I think too much sometimes

That's good news about pushing and reaching potential. You made that click for me. That's one of the things I love about the academy my daughter and I are attending - the instructors and the master get every drop of potential out of us. But the whole perspective of pushing the body to it's potential didn't click until you made it clear. I couldn't see the trees for the forest kind-of-thing.

That one clarification will help me and my daughter tremendously in our training.

We've all been there. You're getting a lot of information all at once. It will take awhile before it all sinks in.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Martial Arts are weight-bearing exercises but are generally not weight-training exercise. I don't think she's much at risk for issues unless she's pumping iron every day.

Exactly. To my knowledge, muscles only need to *rest* when you're weight training.

If a pain persists for 5 days then possibly a torn muscle or pulled tendon may be involved. If the pain is there for a day or maybe two then possibly the person is just not used to that exercise or that much exercise.
Pushing oneself beyond the pain threshold is something that is done in many schools because it teaches one to never give up and also teaches one that they can do things while in pain.
Being able to fight in the street while in pain is one thing when survival is concerned, but putting yourself in danger of further injuring a muscle or ligament just to prove you can do it is another

Good points t. Typically soreness occurs because you're working muscles that aren't used to being worked and you soon find, after continuing to work them, that they are no longer sore. Think of horseback riding, people who ride horses all the time don't have sore legs. People who don't ride horses, then go for an hour ride, find their legs are so sore they can barely walk the next day. Same with sit-ups. If you do them regularly your abs aren't sore, if you don't, and you pump out some good sit-ups, you're likely to have very sore abs the next day. It's part of a new training program is all. Except in the case t pointed out about muscle or ligament injury. But generally that's a different type of soreness.

 

[terryl965]

Lynne I believe tshadowchaser sadi it best if the pain continue longer than five days it could be a pulled mudcle or tendents. Also in Martial arts you are using all your muscle and they do get quit the workout inside the right school. Don't stress or panic but watch closely.

 

[stickarts]

I'm trying to get the right perspective on Martial Arts.

When I think of "working out," I think of recovery time. Time for the muscles to recover so they can grow.

I realize Martial Arts is about so much more than physical conditioning - strengthening the mind, realizing our potential, and ????

I saw that my daughter was sore for 5 days after some classes. All I could think of was, "That's insane, that's counterproductive. She'll just tear down muscle instead of build it up." I think I was missing something?

So, what about working out when you are sore? What about those who train every day? How does this affect the body? Does it matter? Are we training our minds as we work through the pain? Is that what's really important?

I hit a point in my training where I was sore all of the time and I realized I was over training.
I started mixing up my routine so that some days I did hard workouts and others days I kept it light. I benefited more from this type of routine.
its normal to have some soreness, But I think working out should make you stronger and have more energy. If you start feeling sore or depleted ALL of the time then its important to take a look at the training routine and adjust it.

 

[10,000 Hit Combo]

I'm no expert but I find I need at least 45 minutes to warm up. Dynamic moves put connective tissues at risk when moving from a static position to full, immediate tension. Remeber, it's not how strong the muscle is, it's how well it's attached.

 

[jdinca]

It usually takes me at least 20 minutes to get warmed up. If there's more than a 20 minute break during a workout, then my stretch is gone. I used to get very sore the second day after a workout, now I'm at a point that I get sore if I don't work out for several days.

Youth is wasted on the young. :uhyeah: