Beginners Exercise

[MARTIALSTUDANT]

I'm looking for simple or beginner exercises to incorporate in to my training for over all health. I would also like the exercises to help and not hinder martial art applications. Looking for exercise to work entire body from top to bottom (remember simple non straining). I would also like the exercise that may be recommended to be able to do in small space or even better using ones own body. Any good ideals?

[BoulderDawg]

I started about a year ago and I wasn't in as good of shape as I thought. I started with the basics: Push Ups, Sit Ups, Leg Lifts, Frog Jumps and lots and lots of stretching.

I'm sure there are tons of other exercises to do but for me the old standards work the best.

[Nick Forrer]

Heres a list of basic mainly grappling exercises which can be done in a small space and will help your training (but I would recommend you invest in 4 jigsaw mats and a punch bag)

Switching thai knees
Rotating on spot single thai knees
combinations (jab, jab cross, jab cross hook, jab cross hook uppercut, elbows etc etc)
Shadow pummelling
Square Sprawl
Angulated sprawl
Shoot
Sit through
Hip heist
Run around
Forward roll
Backward roll
Switch from sit out
Sit up in base
Stand up in base
Switch base
Bridge
Shrimp
Belly out
Shin circles
Hip twists
Hip raises (shadow armbar)
Knee on belly drills (use punch bag to switch from knee to knee, from side to side)

Any yoga postures e.g. sun salutations

[Nick Forrer]

BTW if you're not sure what these exercises are I recommend the excellent 'Morris method' dvd from the website in my signature

[Wood Dragon]

I'm looking for simple or beginner exercises to incorporate in to my training for over all health. I would also like the exercises to help and not hinder martial art applications. Looking for exercise to work entire body from top to bottom (remember simple non straining). I would also like the exercise that may be recommended to be able to do in small space or even better using ones own body. Any good ideals?

Pullups/Chinups.

[BoulderDawg]

BTW if you're not sure what these exercises are I recommend the excellent 'Morris method' dvd from the website in my signature

I'm not familiar with a lot of those myself. They don't seem very simple for a beginner.

*****

Anyway

To MARTIALSTUDANT:

I was wondering what you meant by "(remember simple non straining)'.

[MAC]

If your style does not encompass specific routines or drills why not do basic calesthentics ? Not much room or expense involved with those. Also perhaps some "dynamic strength" routines could work for you. Do you not have a teacher that offers guidance ?

[Nick Forrer]

I'm not familiar with a lot of those myself. They don't seem very simple for a beginner.
'.

If you dont know what they are how do you know how hard they are to perform

[BoulderDawg]

I do know that with the exercises that I mentioned and other basic ones that you don't have to buy a book, video or whatever to know how to do them...not to mention pads and a bag.

[MASTERforge]

Simple routines like regular long slow distance running increases your endurance during sparring and makes your kicking faster. Plus its free and requires only a good pair of trainers.

Finger press ups - increases your gripping strength for joint locking, makes your upper body stronger and punches faster.

Shadow box - Practicing combinations makes them automatic when sparring.

Stretching - full body stretching gives you increased movement, focusing particular on the legs makes your kicks higher and less effort. Also its great for massaging muscles.

Various exercises like sit-ups, leg raisers.

Chi-Gung - builds chi

Meditate - develops your focus

Most of these can be performed in a very limited space. With a bit of imagination there are loads of things you can practice with limited space/funds to improve your martial arts.

[Nick Forrer]

I do know that with the exercises that I mentioned and other basic ones that you don't have to buy a book, video or whatever to know how to do them...not to mention pads and a bag.

Well call me presumptious but im guessing it might have occured to the original poster already that they could do push ups and sit ups (your sage advise)

Besides:

• The original poster never said anything about not wanting to spend any money
  
• The punch bag would only be necessary for the knee on stomach drills and can be eliminated
  
• Mats are a good investment anyway and arent that expensive - especially the thin jigsaw ones
  
• If they dont like my advise they are free to disregard it
  
• I cant be bothered to explain the seperate drills (there are too many and they may not get the right idea anyway)...much better to see them on video or in person
  
• The things I list have martial applications and all relate to function movement unlike the exercises you list

[The Willow Sword]

(remember simple non straining).

There is no such thing as a non straining simple excersise. well unless you count Sleeping, in which case based on what you wrote that would be the excersise for you

no but seriously consider Yoga.
TWS

[BoulderDawg]

Well call me presumptious but im guessing it might have occured to the original poster already that they could do push ups and sit ups (your sage advise)

Well, this is the internet and I don't know who is posting....best to take at face value.

That said, the post is confusing. She said she was in training but then ask for some simple exercises. Should she not know this from her training?

In any case "Simple non straining" preplexed me too. The purpose of any exercise is to put a certain amount of strain on the body.

[5Animals1Path]

A good lot of the time, when people say non-stressing, they mean two things.

1. They don't want to feel the stress in the joints, as it's a hell of alot more "destructive painfull" then "excercise painfull". I think it's usually because they're doing the excercises wrong, or the excercise itself is ill-concieved.

2. They mean they don't want to really do any work, in which case, see above post from TWS about sleep.


More often then not, they're leaning towards choice number 2. Me? I like stress. It lets me know there's something to be working towards. A stress free environment is one I don't have to adapt to, aka, pointless.

[Mr Punch]

What a bizarre thread.

Good list from Nick.
Anyone who wants to start a good exercise plan seriously needs a good website, a personal trainer/teacher or some good advice from people who've done it before. Nick has done it before. If you're not sure who has and who hasn't, lurk some more and see whose posts make sense. If you don't want to look up what these basic exercises are I suggest your lack of curioisty into what you are asking will mean that any exercise you do may well be half-hearted and dangerous. You need to research any good exercise programme.

If you don't want to buy a video as nick suggested, you can probably find good explanations and pics of most of those drills on many grappling sites, which knowledgeable folk round here might post or even decribe for you.

Otherwise you could try searching the forums... for example the sticky threads at the top of this one

There's always trainforstrength.com if you want bodyweight exercises, and t-nation if you want some research into weights (but it's long and involved reading).

There are not many exercises that will hinder martial development, assuming that exercise is designed to improve speed, strength, endurance or any of the above, which are all necessary martial attributes. That is assuming you strectch and warm-down enough AFTER the exercise.

Beware of advice like this

Finger press ups - increases your gripping strength for joint locking, makes your upper body stronger and punches faster.

I've never seen any evidence that finger push ups improve grip strength: grip exercise with Captains of Crush gripper for example would. Finger press-ups may just give you greater risk of arthritis though. There is also little evidence that push-ups make your punches stronger and faster. A good punch is using your whole body, not just your upper body, and so an exercise like weighted squats (squats work all of the muscles used for pushing things) would work.

Push-ups will increase your endurance when you can do a lot of them, but they will not increase your strength over a certain level, as there is a limit to your own bodyweight especially when it is also supported by your feet. Sure, you can increase the resistance by inclining the push-ups, but again there are limits. Nor will they increase your speed above a very slight increase for complete beginners.

Weightlifting will increase your speed as it employs all the fast-twitch fibres in your muscles the instant you strain to pick up/move the weight. As will practising techniques quickly and with good form (ie employing your whole body).

I'd go with the ones on trainforstrength until they become easy (interspersing them with specific exercises like Nick's when the rountines become boring), then lift weights!