How Foam Rolling can Improve Kickboxers flexibility

Kickboxing requires a great deal of flexibility.  Working out in this direction is, of course, very important.  Now, working out is great to increase your strength and agility, but when it comes to flexibility, a slightly different course of action might be taken.

If you want to increase flexibility, there are several exercises that you must add to your routine.  They will help you build up relaxed and toned muscles that will pretty much always be ready for action.  Now, all this working out and exercising has an impact on your muscles.  Sometimes, knots will form as a consequence of constant use and trauma.  This is where massage comes in.  A great massage goes a long way in relieving pain and soreness to the muscles and ligaments.

More and more athletes are finding out that a very effective way of getting a massage is using a foam roller.  Foam rolling provides amazing benefits for the sake of improving the effectiveness of those round kicks.   Foam rolling has amazing benefits to your body and it helps to keep those muscles in shape.

Roll before a routine

Foam rollers provide a great massage to the areas that matter the most.  In kickboxing, we use the calves, the quads, biceps, IT bands, and the upper back.  All you need to do is lie down over a good foam roller.  The time that this takes is not even that much but if you do it right before a training session or a fight, you will note the benefits.   Giving yourself a foam roll before action helps you be better prepared.  It is more than just warming up;  it is a preparation to have an increased flexibility and endurance in the ring.

Roll after a session

Due to strenuous exercising, the muscles and joints suffer due to trauma.  We are not talking about getting kicked during a fight only.  We mean all exercises that involve hard working will eventually take their toll on your muscles.  This is why a myofascial release is a blessing.  Fascia is the tissue that pretty much separates your organs from one another, it is like a lining.  During excess working out, this fascia in the muscle may accumulate and form what is known as “knots”.  These knots are pretty painful and will definitively decrease your performance.  The best way to do this myofascial release is through a foam roller.

It is suggested then that you roll over your affected areas (trigger points) where one of these knots has been detected.  Doing so every time after exercising or fighting will also have the effect of preventing the formation of such knots.  A trigger point grid foam roller will do the trick pretty great.

You can obtain amazing benefits from a foam roller.  The great news is that they are readily available and at a low cost.  Increase your kickboxing abilities and become a champion.

Organic Sulfur: An Athlete’s Best Supplement

Athletes all around the world are discovering the amazing benefits found in organic sulfur.  In case you have not heard of it, organic sulfur is a natural compound that your body needs and that you can get them in the form of sulfur crystals at a very competitive price.  This substance is present in many foods but, unfortunately, not in the amount that your body needs.  A good supply of organic sulfur to your body goes a long way on your athletic performance.

The most typical ways of getting a good supply of organic sulfur are as an additive to your food, to your shake, or to your smoothie.  You can also take it directly or dissolved in water.   You can get the best crystals and with a steady supply at OrganicSulfurCrystals.ca.

The great thing about this substance is that it is all natural.  Therefore, it does not qualify as an illegal enhancer in doping tests.  It is now known that organic sulfur has amazing benefits to your blood, muscles, and tissues.   This makes it an athlete’s best supplement.

How to take it?

Organic sulfur, also known as biological sulfur, is a white crystalline powder known as methylsulfonymethane (MSM).  It is odorless and highly soluble in water and in many organic solvents.  Therefore, once you have it in the form of powder, you can add it to your favorite beverage or shake.

MSM is also available in capsules that can be taken as regular pills.  It can also be obtained as a cream, gel, or lotion that can be applied directly to the skin.

When to take it?

The amount to take will depend on if the supplement is taken as routine or to counteract a condition.  The first recommendation is to take the capsules 20 minutes before food or any other supplement.  You should start with small amounts and gradually increase the dose as the body adjusts to the intake.  This is a recommended intake for a person of average weight:

  • 1/2 teaspoon of organic sulfur daily for four days.
  • 4 days later, increase to 1/2 teaspoon twice a day.
  • Increase to 1 teaspoon twice a day after four days
  • Continue with the proper daily amount appropriate for your weight

Some benefits

There are actually a lot of benefits found in organic sulfur.  The discovery of biological sulfur and its enormous benefits has been considered one of the most important breakthroughs in medicine in the last years.  Some of the benefits that have been proved are:

  • It reduces muscle and joint inflammation
  • It promotes a better blood circulation.  This provides a better oxygenation and nutrition of the cell.   Therefore, chances of getting cancer cells are reduced dramatically.
  • It helps for faster recovery of injuries and prevents them.
  • It has been used for the treatment of several diseases such as osteoporosis, migraines, cancer, diverticulitis, and many more.

What to Expect From a Boxing Gym

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My name is John, and I’m one of the contributors for Cannon Fights. I have some experience in mixed martial arts, but my passion is boxing. As someone who has moved around all over the country for work, I have had the opportunity to join many different boxing gyms and see a wide variety of what they all had to offer. In this article, I will answer some of the more commonly asked questions about boxing gyms, specifically about getting started.

Whether you’re completely new to MMA and boxing, or you’re an MMA fighter who hasn’t spent much time in a boxing club that focuses only on boxing, there are some things that can be helpful to know before signing up and spending money on a membership.

Probably the most common question I get asked is “Do I need to buy any equipment?” The answer is it depends on the gym. All boxing gyms will have the bags that you need to use, but personal items like boxing gloves and sparring gear may or may not be communal. If you are unsure, call ahead or visit the gym first and chat with a trainer, they’re often more than happy to help out. If you prefer to just keep your own gloves for sanitary and comfort reasons, they won’t have a problem with this at all, just make sure they’re good boxing gloves. Most gyms will prefer 16oz gloves for bag work (most common size anyway) and the majority of gyms require your gloves to have an attached thumb, especially if you’re sparring. If you want more information about boxing gloves, we find the site KO Boxing Gloves to be pretty useful. Other than that, cheaper items like a mouth guard, hand wraps, running shoes, and gym clothes are not usually supplied by the gyms, but this is easy enough to take care of yourself.

Another question I get asked a lot is what is the atmosphere like in a boxing gym and are you required to spar? Usually (but not always), trainers will be very hesitant to throw you into a program, and often times they won’t let you spar until you are both sure that it’s an appropriate step. Sometimes the first few training sessions will only include a warm up and no bag work at all (warm ups in boxing are often a workout in themselves). Then, you may work on shadow boxing with a trainer to learn some of the punching form and technique. It’s not until you have become comfortable with technique and the demands of the training that you will progress to bag work. This usually starts with the heavy bag, then progresses to the speed bags, and then a double-ended reflex bag. All gyms will have different training preferences; so again, it’s always a good idea to check out the gym in person before singing up.

Lastly, I sometimes get asked if boxing is dangerous. At the elite level, it could be considered more dangerous than some other sports for obvious reasons (the head is a target), but in regards to training and sparring, it’s actually very safe. Trainers don’t want their fighters to get hurt, and no one benefits from a royal rumble in training. Often times, if you think you’re ready for sparring and are excited to try, they will make you wait a little bit just to be sure. Even then, sparring sessions are heavily supervised and often interrupted for coaching reasons. In my experience, I’ve sustained worse injuries from hockey and football than I ever have during a boxing training session. AS long as you’re careful and practice good judgment, you will be ok.

At the end of the day, what it mainly comes down to is checking out a few different gyms in your area, talking with some of the trainers, and deciding for yourself which gym seems to be the best fit for you. As long as you don’t just jump into things without thinking, you will be well on your way to throwing some nice combos!

Nutrition in MMA

gly_ind_nut Like any other sport, proper nutrition is key in order to be adequately prepared for training and to recover as quickly as possible. If you are interested in MMA, you will quickly learn the benefits of a healthy diet, as well as the timing of various meals. It may sound like a hassle, but those who are new to MMA find themselves getting in the groove quite quickly, and before they know it, they’re following a dietary plan that is easy and healthy.

Unless you’re really serious about fighting and you’re at or near the professional level, then you have a bit a more flexibility with your nutrition. This can allow you to incorporate more convenient food into your diet without changing things up too much. In this article, we would like to focus on some tips and tricks to keep you properly fueled for your MMA training, and maybe even an upcoming fight!

Glycemic Index for Preparation

If you’re fueling up for a training session, one thing to consider is glycemic index(GI). This may sound a little advanced, but it’s actually quite simple and more info about the GI is readily available online. Essentially, the GI is a scale of 1-100+ whereby foods are rated in terms of how they affect your blood glucose (sugar) levels.

For example, things like baked potatoes or white bread, which both have really high GI values, will cause a sudden spike in blood glucose levels. If you’re going to performing some form of power or sprint training, then these types of food could be a good option (or you could select slightly healthier options than potatoes or white bread), as they will provide a good burst of energy before “crashing” quickly. On the other hand, things like el dente whole wheat pasta, brown rice, chick peas, and lots of fruit have GI values on the lower end of the scale. These will provide a slower, longer, rise in blood glucose levels, which will allow you to sustain a particular level of energy for a longer period of time. This is beneficial for longer training sessions that require good endurance.

So what if you don’t know, or your training involves a bit of both power and endurance (like most MMA training does)? In this case, look for low-mid range GI value foods that are healthy and familiar to you. This will provide a nice balance in terms of providing enough energy without crashing too quickly.

Carb to Protein Ratio for Recovery

One thing that stuck with me from a nutrition course is the benefit of optimizing your carb to protein ratio for recovery. Let’s say your training session consisted of a bit of everything, e.g. you were keeping your heart rate up with cardio, while also stressing various muscle groups through resistance training, discipline-specific exercises, or sparring. In this case, a 3:1 carb:protein ratio is excellent for recovery and getting you ready for your next training session.

A lot of people don’t believe it (I didn’t at first), but chocolate milk is actually an ideal beverage to consume after a workout, ideally within the first 45 minutes of when you stop. Usually, you can find about 7-10 grams of protein and 25-30 grams of carbs in 16oz of chocolate milk. Keeping this to the 1% variety or lower will also help cut down on the fat intake. A great way to reward yourself after a hard day in the gym! Another good way to try and achieve that 3:1 carb:protein ratio is with a peanut butter sandwich.

If you’re really training hard and have been doing so on a regular basis, then chances are you will need more than this, and sometimes drinking a gallon of chocolate milk just isn’t that appealing. You don’t need to be exactly precise or stick completely to the 3:1 ratio, but even 16oz of chocolate milk within 45 minutes after your workout can go a long way, and then from there you can enjoy a nice healthy meal. Furthermore, if your training session incorporated a lot more resistance training and muscle building, then you may want to increase your post-workout protein intake as well.

Summary

At the end of the day, these are simply a couple tips that we found benefited our training and isn’t too complicated to follow. You can find a lot more information online, or talk to your trainer and see what they think. The fact that you’re thinking of nutrition is already a great step in the right direction, but the more informed you are in terms of performance benefits and convenient food choices, the easier it will be to stick with an effective nutrition plan.

MMA and Boxing – Changing of the Guard

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It seem like ever since the UFC became popular, one of the biggest debates in sports is MMA versus boxing, and more specifically, which one is “better”. With all due respect to those who enjoy debating this topic, we don’t think it’s even a question that can be answered, mainly due to the fact that they are two completely different sports.

Is there overlap? Of course. You can knock someone out with the exact same punch or combo in both sports, and the result is the same. However, the training, culture, rules, and regulations of each sport are so different that it would be like debating what is better between baseball and cricket. Therefore, we won’t dive into the “what is better” debate, but rather, we think a more appropriate question would be what is more popular, and what are the reasons?

From Boxing to MMA

Boxing and MMA have both been around forever. Each were present in the Ancient Olympic Games (BC times), where pankration was the equivalent of MMA, and both were much more ruthless than what we see today. In terms of recent history, it’s clear that boxing was extremely popular up until the last decade or so when MMA began to take over. But if MMA has been around forever, why the switch in popularity?

Fall of Boxing

Don’t get us wrong, we love boxing. It’s a sport that requires incredible conditioning, and these guys are by far the best strikers on the planet, which makes sense given that’s their niche. Boxing is rich in history, iconic athletes and trainers, and epic battles between some of the most influential athletes to have ever lived.

So why doesn’t it seem as popular now? In our opinion, this is because of multiple factors, but two stand out among the rest:

  1. A heavy focus on defense in the judging means that you can earn the same amount of winnings by being aggressive in the early rounds and being highly conservative the rest of the way. Furthermore, you usually need to win in a clear fashion in order for the judges to award you a win, especially in a title match, so conservative defense often favors the returning champion. If the judging system changed to so that offense was more highly rewarded, then the boxers will adapt to do whatever they can to win. More KO’s means more entertainment for the spectators.
  2. No heavyweights in boxing. Well, there’s lots, some of which are great to watch, but you don’t see anyone even close to as exciting as icons like Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Sonny Liston, Evander Holyfield, etc. The welterweight division is usually a strong one to keep track of, but when the #1 fighter in that division is so technically sound that it hurts to watch (Floyd Mayweather Jr), it’s easy to get pissed off when you spend $100 renting a PPV for one of the most boring matches in history.

Rise of MMA

It’s no surprise that the rise in popularity of MMA coincided with the gradual fall of boxing. Boxing fans looking for more excitement were drawn to the original cage matches, and since then have been delighted with the increased formality and multi-discipline nature of the sport. MMA came to the rescue when boxing fans (and sports fans in general) needed it the most, and boxing just hasn’t responded.

While stemming from deeply traditional roots, MMA still isn’t as “stuck” in tradition as much as boxing. MMA, in particular UFC as an organization, are constantly considering what the fans want, what helps with popularity, and constantly adapts to the market.

Now add in the factor that many disciplines in MMA are unfamiliar to many people, but fights still draw interest, you have a great recipe for a new fan hopping on the train and learning more about the sport. Many of these fans turn into fighters, further fueling the sport by showcasing their impressively versatile athletic ability.

Conclusion

While there is no easy fix to the drop in popularity of boxing, we feel that this sport would benefit tremendously from an adjustment of the judged scoring, as well as various organizations like the WBO and IBF promoting there boxers and upcoming matches outside of a PPV setting. MMA is cruising, and for good reason, it’s simply…well….awesome. But like we said, both sports are so different that they cannot be directly compared, which is why it is our hope, one day, to see both sports highly popular among North Americans, as well as the rest of the world.