Martial Arts for a fat Bastid

C

Charles Gallo

Joined
Oct 13, 2000
Messages
549
Hi Guys,
OK, I'm a big, VERY fat guy (I have to loose more than some of you weigh), but I'm working on that, slowly. Part of what I have to do to loose weight is work out. Right now I walk 2.5 miles/day (2x 1.25 miles).

I'd LIKE to take up some sort of art, but I'd have to start slow. My MD has cleared me to excercise, in fact he is encouraging it

Any sugestions
 
I run very short sprints back and forth that involes my car, taking out the garbage, chasing the local wildlife, etc.
Waiting for you food to nuke? Lean with you back to the with your hands on kicken counters, put most of your weight on your arms, and lift up and down until your food is done.
Watching TV? During a ad break, do some push ups and situps.
Sitting down, paying the bills and Uncle Sam? Play with something that will stregthen your weak hand.

Any time you're laying or standing around doing nothing or just waiting, think of something to do that involes movement. Never let yourself idle.


For you, this might sound bit odd, but I shadow box while I'm in the shower.

Also try eating those Create-a-Meals with the meat, if you don't like cooking (or waiting for) a good meal. It's what my mom buys for me while I'm visting.
Bit pricy, but they are quick to make and worth the money, IMO.
 
Holy crap! I thought I was the only weirdo who shadow boxed in the shower: :) You might try just starting out with aikido. It teaches good timing and distance skills. The classes are generally slow paced, not too aerobic. Lots of big guys do it. If you can fall down and get back up you can do aikido. The rest will come naturally. Aikido (like most martial arts) actually gets easier as your skill increases. I believe the term is economy of movement. Whatever you choose just find something that appeals to you. This will insure dedication to your chosen art.
 
Originally posted by D7reamers
...snip...
Any time you're laying or standing around doing nothing or just waiting, think of something to do that involes movement. Never let yourself idle.


...snip...Also try eating those Create-a-Meals with the meat, if you don't like cooking (or waiting for) a good meal. It's what my mom buys for me while I'm visting.
Bit pricy, but they are quick to make and worth the money, IMO.
Click to expand...

D7,
Part of the problem is that I sit all day for work (computer programmer). I also do all the cooking for the family.

Weight problems run on my Mom's side - won't find a skinny one, and everyone tries - even with a medically controlled diet - we seem to have some sort of metabloic problem
 
Hi Charles,

You might want to add in a bit of weightlifting, worked well for me, I had to lose about 40 pounds. Also, pay attention to the protein, fat, carb ratios, 40%-30-30 works well for most people. I also added a few protein drinks in place of snacks, etc...

Hope this helps :D!!!
 
I'm also packing some extra pounds. I find that the Filipino Martial Arts still work well for me. My opinion was strongly reinforced when I met the amazing Tuhon Chris Sayoc. He's also a big boy, but an incredible martial artist. Check out Sayoc Kali, which I'm sure is available in your area.
 
You can try the no food after 8pm rule. The logic lies in the fact that if you work normal hours (day), the food you consume at that time will not be "worked/burned" off as you are about to go to sleep (BML- basal metabolic rate)meaning storage time, usually as fats. This will only work if you keep regular meal times (eat less, eat enough) and do some exercise( the walking is a good start). I do practice Aikido too (KI NO Kenyukai) and the rate of injury is minimal, its is a "soft" art as compared to "hard" ones like Taekwondo or Karate. Try to snack on fruits and fresh fruit or vegetable juices, instead of chips, nachos or other fried goodies.

Regards Bernard
 
As for a martial art - try anything that you can find as long as the instructor will let you proceed at your own pace. If the school is all-out or nothing, you will find problems with that.

Congratulations on the walking. Keep that up and you will definitely see a difference. If you are more than 50 pounds overweight, it is just about the best exercise you will find.

Since we are giving diet advice, here's my 2 cents:

- eat as much fruit as you want in the mornings but only fruit
- have your large meal of the day at lunch
- eat mainly a large salad w/ lots of raw veggies for dinner. Having a little something else is OK but keep the portions small.
- take your vitamins. As a minimum, a multivitamin, A, C and E.

(I think I am preaching to myself) Good luck.
 
A few years back i was a little overweight and out of shape, i recommend if you cant do anything else drink only water, and try to drop all junk food, you will soon forget the taste of chips, cookies and other foods that are really bad for you, this will help in you not having cravings for junk food. Also try to make it so you dont have time to sit and pig out in front of the TV.(Get a bunch of hobbies, and you will soon forget about Televison) The biggest piece of advice i can give is remember this "Even if you can only get a little bit of exercise in a day it is still better than doing nothing"
You will soon be addicted to exercise like me, i cant go to sleep without my body aching and my muscles exhausted. Remember you CAN loose weigh and get into shape. THE MORE YOU SWEAT IN PRACTICE, THE LESS YOU WILL BLEED IN BATTLE.
 
I'm a big dude, too. I have studied kung fu for 25 years. My style at this point is very grappling oriented. You may find some of the grappling arts will work great for you, and help develop flexibility and range of motion.
 
Aikido will teach you how to fall gently, in a controlled scenario.

Whatever art you choose, be sure it includes some effective offense techniques such as punching and possibly kicking. Just in case you get into a real fight.

Grappeling & choking are obvious choices for a big fat slow guy, so don't ignore them, but it's easier to defend against familiar techniques, so punch away. After months of stretching, you will be amazed how flexible you can become.

An enjoyable art will keep you coming back, and that's the main thing.
There is no "wrong" martial art, unless it prevents you from cross-training in the other essentials (striking vs grappling, etc).

The hardest part will be finding a compatible instructor in a convenient location, affordable, with the right schedule, and suitable training partners.

When I walk, I seek seclusion and shadow box, quick draw my Spydercos, attack things with my cane, take evasive action, seek cover. I don't think I have been observed going beserk in the woods.
 
The trick to MA is not just finding an art, its finding an art that YOU ENJOY. Pick your goals. Talk to instructors of different schools and see how that art will help you reach your goals. Then take advantage of the free (usually) first lessons and look at as many as you care to, see if its something you enjoy. My only advice is staying away from schools that seem real business oriented. Good luck, with both choosing and your regimen. Let us know what you decide on. NW
 
What helps me keep weight down is to minimize my carbos. That's right, bread, bagels, tortillas, pasta, rice, potatoes, beer, etc. are very fattening if you have a certain sensitivity to them like I do. It's not your metobolic rate as much as you are eating too much of the wrong food. Eat more protein and fresh fruit and veggies, but don't over-do it. BTW, those "low-fat" foods are a joke since they are often full of sugar and starch. If you don't believe me go to a grocery store and observe what foods "large people" buy.

Someone mentioned grappling for big guys and that is probably your best bet. Good luck.
 
Hi Charles-

I don't know where in NY you live, but I spent most of the summer training in NYC at various clubs. Some of them were sub-standard but there are some excellent places to train.

Before I throw some links out:- the traditional advice regarding 'it's not necessarily the style, it's the quailty of instructor' etc. have been mentioned above and of course also as had been said it's vital that you actually enjoy what you're doing. There's not much point in putting yourself through a gruelling self-defense art if in fact you want a sporty art where you can lose a few pounds and meet people.

Anyway, some great places to train in NYC:-

www.shazbot.com/renzo/ - Renzo Gracie's gym 37th & 8th ave. The best Brazillian Jiu-Jutsu in NY? Heard the conditioning is very hard.

www.sayoc.com has details for James Berkley and his Tacical Studies studio on the upper westside. You can find some articles of his on various websites. Teaches a blend of reality-based things.

www.divinewarriorhall.org - Train in central park come rain or shine. Josh Polier is an excellent instructor. Not so great for conditioning, because the emphasis is on drills and techniques in class, conditioning regarded as something you should be doing on your own time.

Outside NYC:-

www.livingvalues.com -Jack Hoban & the Bujinkan in NJ. I think he's still on the USMC hand-to-hand-combat board. One of the best martial artists I've ever seen.

www.bkronline.org - Also Bujinkan. Sean Askew, fresh from Tokyo. Was also a student of Enson Inoue (sp?) and shootfighter. Check out the clips.
 
Being fairly ignorant of the topic, although presently losing weight myself, I suggest stop doing the exercises most fat people do- wel, not stopping, but altering them. Instead of the alternating doughnut curls, try substituting glasses of water. They are a little heavier than the doughnuts and have the added resistance of the glass when returning to the starting position. If you have built yourself up to maybe six doughnuts a set, two or three times a day,try beginning your set with one doughnut, then finish the reps with the glasses of water. This works equally well withh Pizza lifts and candy curls also. During meals, Eat one plate of food. Stack it rediculously high if you want, but no more than one plate. Find a sensible desert, and have that. When you walk, have a goal.every week, increase the distance to half of what you think you can do, an extra quarter mile instead of an extra half mile more. And really, as extra motivation, as far as motivation goes, chicks dig men they can put their arms around.
As far as martial arts goes, I know less than about weight loss. So here is my opinion on that. You are already practicing the basic premise of walking away from a fight, Excellent! AS I am losing weight, I have noticed my strength is decreasing, but my endurance is increasing. My flexibility is poor. If I were leaning towards a martial art, I would select a school, and ask them which exercises for flexibility they would suggest and then set a goal as to what weight I would hit before actually starting lessons. Two reasons- not taking on to much at one time, and rewards for the smaller efforts made. I found that charging full bore into diet, exercise and added activites ends in overload. ultimately into failure.
You will do well, enjoy it while it happens.
 
I second the Sayoc recommendation by DancesWithKnives. In Sayoc you start off slow and then progress into more physical activities plus you get to train with knives!

I would caution you about taking BJJ as recommended by Slip. I have trained with the Gracies and the work out is intense. You might want to start with something slower and then do the BJJ once you get into shape. Otherwise you will be hurting...

Good luck,

S.
 
Originally posted by Sidewinder

I would caution you about taking BJJ as recommended by Slip. I have trained with the Gracies and the work out is intense. You might want to start with something slower and then do the BJJ once you get into shape. Otherwise you will be hurting...

S.
Click to expand...

Yes, in hindsight, Renzo's probably wouldn't be the best place to start out with. In an infamous catch wrestling gym in England called the Wiggan 'snake pit' the conditioning sessions were so hard that the result was frequently for newcomers to :barf: which is not a nice thing.

For fitness and conditioning (not the reason I study martial arts) I feel that arts like BJJ, Judo and Muay Thai are the best choice, but I appreciate that in starting out slow maybe Charles' best choice could be a local YMCA Judo class taught by some obscure nidan rather than walking into a Gracie gym full of competitors.
 
Running is the best conditioning exercise out there that SHEDS pounds! However, you have to be smart about doing it. Otherwise you will end up with overuse injuries in short order - stress fractures, tendonitis, etc.

Get yourself comfortable at walking a mile every other day for 3 to four days a week. Then get to where you can walk a mile every day without being winded. Then try speed walking. Speed walking is a great bridge exercise to running and no slouch cardiovascularly. Once you get to where you are running, for the first two weeks run only 3 days per week (MWF). Make certain that you STRETCH always... even on the days you don't run. Take the third week off from running. Do anything else (bike swim lift) but don't run. This gives your joints and bones time to recover from the new shock of having to endure running. Not taking this week off puts you at serious risk for an overuse injury.

Listen to your body as you exercise. If you experience discomfort that is normal. Work through it. But if you experience pain like you are damaging something, STOP! Stretch and reevaluate. The goal is to be able to constantly exercise and not injur yourself so you can't at all.

I strongly suggest doing this as an addition to your MA training. There are a lot of schools out there (most I would say) that do NOT have any emphasis at all on physical conditioning. I've trained in a number of styles and taught one. I trained Aikido for a number of years and I'm here to tell you that unless you get into a remarkable school, it will be nothing more than a mystical tumbling class and not overly aerobic. Realize that just because you break a sweat doesn't mean that you are getting a good cardio workout. Aikido works against the concept of using or building strength. It is all about reading the movement of center and using it to your opponent's detriment. It's great stuff. But it is not a really taxing workout.

I have not had the pleasure of training in a filipino MA yet. But from what I've seen, they WOULD be very aerobic. Definitely look into them. But what whatever you do, you will probably have to do extra cardio on the side. But be smart about it and consult your physician. Good luck to you.
 
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