Workout Suggestions for MT

**Tangent** · Posted On: 12/05/2007 9:30pm

I couldn't decide whether to put this in Strikeistan or the Physical Training forum, but decided on this one because it directly relates to my MT.

So, I'm hoping that some of you can give me some suggestions about what I can do to get ready for a MT fight.

Currently, I train MT 3 or 4 times a week for about an hour at a time. One of those times is sparring. In addition to that, I have between an hour to an hour and a half of additional workout time, 5 days a week. Currently, I'm using that time to lift weights and run.

When I run, I run 2.2 miles. When I lift weights, I alternate days between doing legs and abs one day, and upper body the next. All the weight lifting is circuit training.

I think I may be fighting my first MT fight in 4 or 5 months. My two main concerns are my shin conditioning and my muscle/cardio endurance. My shins hurt like hell when I block kicks and throw them, and after 3 or 4 rounds on the Thai pads, I'm tired as hell and my power drops dramatically.

So, any suggestions?

**Vector** · Posted On: 12/06/2007 6:31am

How old are you and how long have you been training a style (or styles) that use shins to kick and block. I ask because these questions can have a big impact on where you go next in your training.

For instance, if you have been doing MT for a couple of years and KK for three years before that, then I wouldn't really know what to suggest for the sensitive shins; ect....

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 12/06/2007 7:27am

If you train MT 3 or 4 times a week why is Tae Kwon Do in your style field? Who are you training with and why don't they have a clear plan for you?

**Tangent** · Posted On: 12/06/2007 8:37am

Originally Posted by Vector

How old are you and how long have you been training a style (or styles) that use shins to kick and block. I ask because these questions can have a big impact on where you go next in your training.

For instance, if you have been doing MT for a couple of years and KK for three years before that, then I wouldn't really know what to suggest for the sensitive shins; ect....

I'm 23 and I've been training MT for about 4 months now. The first 2 or 3 months, conditioning of the shins consisted of kicking the banana bag.

Originally Posted by Yukon Cornelius

If you train MT 3 or 4 times a week why is Tae Kwon Do in your style field? Who are you training with and why don't they have a clear plan for you?

TKD is in my style field because I feel like that's my primary art, and I only recently started MT (4 months ago, as previously mentioned). I'm training with Paul Metayo right now.

http://www.arizonamuaythai.com/

As far as a clear plan, I've told him what I currently do to workout, but I wasn't super-specific, and he basically told me that what I'm doing is fine, with a few minor pointers. I was just hoping to get some other ideas, or some more specific ideas.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 12/06/2007 9:12am

I ask because we sometimes get people who have only ever done TKD and take a Thai match and ask what to do without training in an MT gym. Looks like that is not you. Good for you!

Your gym looks good. Do what your coaches say and don't ask advice from idiots on the internet until you have a year of experience and can temper everything we say with your own experience.

As far as the shin thing goes. It will always hurt to some degree. You just get more used to it. Kicking the bottom part of the banana bag where it gets nice and hard is pretty much the best thing you can do. Rubbing and lineaments are largely psychosomatic.

PS - Review your gym in the dojo review section.

**Vector** · Posted On: 12/06/2007 9:30am

First, Yukon's comments about it always being somewhat uncomfortable are very true. With only 4 months of training on how to use your shin as a weapon and blocking device, I would expect that it is still very sore following a workout. Also per Yukon, the only things that will help are more work and minor first aid as he wrote.

By the way, you must be coming along very well if your coach feels comfortable putting you in the ring after only 7-8 months of training.

I can't comment on the weight training, but I know there are alot of contradictory opinions on the effectiveness of the various weight training programs as they apply to kickboxing, MT and the like.

From the cardio aspect, plyo seems to be helping me alot. I have added more sprinting, fast stairs, and the explosive plyo moves to my workout and things are looking up in the cardio arena.

**Tangent** · Posted On: 12/06/2007 1:17pm

Heh, gotcha.

As for the part about fighting with only 7-8 months of experience... I don't know. I started TKD 9 years ago, and about 3 years ago I wised up to how ineffective snapping my kicks are. From there, I started practicing proper technique off-and-on. Here we are, three years later, and my kicks are pretty good, and now that I'm in an actual MT gym, they're only getting better. In addition to that, my hands aren't too bad - I had some friends who taught me proper punching technique a few years back (though I never practiced it much) and I took a semester of kickboxing. About a year and a half ago, I started practicing punching more often, but I still need a lot of work.

**Vector** · Posted On: 12/06/2007 2:48pm

Sounds like quite a bit more work than I realized. Good luck with the match.

**selfcritical** · Posted On: 12/07/2007 9:11am

Well, the first thing I notice is you're doing long, slow distance cardio(running miles). Cut that as much as you can to doing interval training. Here are article info

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles...intervals.html

Over a 6 week period you should be able to ramp to doing one interval a day. Once you're comfortable with that, try stacked tabata intervals on top of that a few days a week.

**rw4th** · Posted On: 12/08/2007 9:51am

Originally Posted by selfcritical

Well, the first thing I notice is you're doing long, slow distance cardio(running miles). Cut that as much as you can to doing interval training. Here are article info

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles...intervals.html

Over a 6 week period you should be able to ramp to doing one interval a day. Once you're comfortable with that, try stacked tabata intervals on top of that a few days a week.

Speaking of Ross Enamait, get Infinite Intensity. Somebody would probably have already recommended it if this was posted in the Physical Training forum.