Are Martial Arts effective for fat loss and general fitness? If so, which type of Martial Art is best?
I am 25 years old and interested in getting into better shape. Martial Arts have always interested me, but I don’t want to commit to something that isn’t going to help me meet my goals. Is it too late for me to start a Martial Art? I don’t want to be in a class with a bunch of kids!! Thanks in advance for answering.
March 5th, 2011 at 1:57 am
Any of them are better than nothing to get in shape. I take BJJ and it’s physically demanding. After a couple hours of rolling you get real tired. It has tremendously helped my cardio, strength and endurance.
March 5th, 2011 at 2:05 am
Most martial arts in one way or another promotes fat loss since any physical activity will as long as you do it constantly. There really is no age limit as far as joining a martial arts school is concerned, age will only be a factor if you are planning to fight professionally in sports competitions, but if you’re only in it for fitness or to learn basic self defense, then age is not an issue.
My suggestion would be Capoeira since as you say, physical fitness is your primary goal. I’m sure other arts are just as effective, but Capoeira’s method of training with music and the dancing nature of it’s techniques are guaranteed to not only give you a great whole body workout, but also makes it more fun to train.
March 5th, 2011 at 2:58 am
It really depends on you. Most martial art school/gym will give you a good physical workout some more then others. If you like striking things then I would recommend Karate or Kung Fu if you like a more formal atmosphere. If you prefer something not so formal then I would recommend Muay Thai. If you prefer grappling then I recommend Judo or Brazilian Jujitsu for the more formal training. Informal then Greco-Roman or Free style wrestling. If you want both striking and grappling then MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) might be the thing for you.
March 5th, 2011 at 3:11 am
if you want to lose weight and stay in shape find a gym that offers jiu jitsu, and a kickboxing class. jiu jitsu you will gain strength and endurance, and the kickboxing will be your cardio which is needed to lose weight, most kickboxing are high paced, and keep your heart rate up for the entire class.
March 5th, 2011 at 3:21 am
join a kids class for tae kwon do or karate or somethign… lol kids are insane
March 5th, 2011 at 3:41 am
Most schools have classes for begining adults. I started at 19 and re-started at 36. If they stick you in a class with kids, find another school.
Just about any martial art will get you in good shape IF you work at it. The only one that might not promote as much fat loss would be Tai Chi, but that’s because it does not have the aerobic exercise. The key is that you have to be the one who does the work. If you just go two hours a week and are lazy, nothing will help. If you go three or more times a week, put all of your effort into it, and practice an hour a day at home, then you’ll be feeling the effects in the first few weeks.
March 5th, 2011 at 4:35 am
When I started Aikido (admittedly a poor art for weight loss) I lost 25 pounds and felt much better. Eventually I hit a wall in my fitness goals with that art (and Girl Scout cookie season started) so it only served to maintain my weight rather than lose any more. To further that goal I started taking Capoeira – which is one of the more physically demanding arts.
An interesting point to martial arts though isn’t how much the class itself makes you get into shape – but how much being in poor shape during class inspires you to get into shape on your own. Having a distinct goal like – actually making it though a full class without almost passing out – is easier to attain than a vague goal like getting into shape. You may not do 500 squats in class (though some classes may do that) but 500 squats at home makes more sense when you have real motivation to do so.
If you will be in a class with kids or not depends on the class that you attend. One class that I take has older adults (20-40’s), and another has “kids” as young as 15. Each class motivates me differently. The older group makes me think – if they can do it, so can I. The other makes me think – I’ll be damned if I let a 15 year old beat me 🙂
March 5th, 2011 at 4:36 am
I am on the dark side of 40, far into the shadows at that. When I started studying at the Chinese Shaolin Center in Los Angeles, I couldn’t even lift my upper body off the floor. Three months later, I was doing push-ups from my knees. (That included a month or more of absence because I pulled something in my neck trying to do a sit up.)
I now weigh about 400 pounds, by the way. I never lost much weight with martial arts, but I got much stronger very quickly. As to your question, that all depends on what those goals are.
You can practice the internal arts all of your life, by the way, and it’s never too late to start one of them.
March 5th, 2011 at 5:34 am
Ya it will defiantly get you in shape, but it is not all the art, you have to work! I do judo, grappling, and wrestling, since i started i got very much in shape. I lost some fat, gained some muscle, and my cardio has greatly improved. Don’t worry about being with kids, most of the kids in our classes are experienced wrestlers who are looking to expand there range of moves and get into better shape, so they will give you a run for your money. And no you are not to old to start, there are many mma fighters that have started later than you.