Is MMA a good way to lose weight and gain muscle? Can we expect good results?
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jadelyndsey
Posts: 150 Member
Hi,
Well to cut to the chase, my partner and I have become slobs, and are fed up of our weights yo-yoing, so both of us have been looking into a sport we could do together which hopefully will be sustainable and help us keep the weight off long term doing something we enjoy. We both have gym memberships already, but running/using machines doesn't really excite us, so it's not often I feel motivated to use the gym. In high school I was really active and played a lot of sports competitively, and I have always wanted to learn some form of self defence too which is why I think I'd be more likely to stick to MMA. As a side note, we both play fight with each other a lot until the other "taps out" but with obviously no level of skill whatsoever but it's something we enjoy and makes us sweat like crazy! (I certainly sweat more doing this than a half assed jog on the treadmill!) There's an MMA gym round the corner from us and we really want to give it a go, I'm just sort of worried that both of us have no experience and both of us need to lose weight and wondering if MMA will be right for us? I googled before coming here and have read we should be in shape before attempting to learn MMA and that MMA is a difficult way to lose weight - is there any truth in this? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jade.
Well to cut to the chase, my partner and I have become slobs, and are fed up of our weights yo-yoing, so both of us have been looking into a sport we could do together which hopefully will be sustainable and help us keep the weight off long term doing something we enjoy. We both have gym memberships already, but running/using machines doesn't really excite us, so it's not often I feel motivated to use the gym. In high school I was really active and played a lot of sports competitively, and I have always wanted to learn some form of self defence too which is why I think I'd be more likely to stick to MMA. As a side note, we both play fight with each other a lot until the other "taps out" but with obviously no level of skill whatsoever but it's something we enjoy and makes us sweat like crazy! (I certainly sweat more doing this than a half assed jog on the treadmill!) There's an MMA gym round the corner from us and we really want to give it a go, I'm just sort of worried that both of us have no experience and both of us need to lose weight and wondering if MMA will be right for us? I googled before coming here and have read we should be in shape before attempting to learn MMA and that MMA is a difficult way to lose weight - is there any truth in this? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jade.
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Replies
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@jadelyndsey , My $0.02: I'm a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guy, not technically MMA (but we do striking, takedowns, and grappling i.e. "MMA" before it became MMA
).
"It depends."
It largely depends on the gym. If it's a bunch of "cage-fighters" and "wanna-be cage fighters" - it may not be the best place to start. If the place is more focused on teaching & learning, it may be a good place to start.
BJJ is a great workout for me - cardio, strength, & flexibility. I've lost 20+lbs since starting, gotten a lot stronger, and more flexible. That said, I'm a firm believer, but not the best practitioner, of "exercise for fitness/fun/function, eat right for weight-loss (I struggle with the eating right)."
RE: your title line question: Lose Weight - yes, I think so. Gain Muscle? - I don't think so. Get stronger, Yes, but in terms of adding muscle mass - I think No (need to lift heavy for that).
Recommend going to the MMA gym, looking around/watch a class or two, and if they offer a free class before signing a contract, take them up on the offer to see if y'all like it.
Hope that helps.
Matt2 -
It really depends on the club. I have just moved from a club that used mma style fitness classes and really catered to anyone to a club that is focused on training fighters, although they are super laid back and are happy to let you set your own pace. If you are there to train for cage fighting, they will expect something different from someone who is there to improve their fitness and lose weight. I haven't developed huge muscles, but once I dropped the excess weight, I got great definition (I have lost a lot of that thanks to injury lay off). I do focus on BJJ myself, but really enjoy the fitness classes as well and how they benefit my jui jitsu. But, for fun, I haven't found anything that matches BJJ, especially when you are with the right people!
Go and see what they offer and chat to them and try a class before you decide.1 -
Based on data from my Garmin heart rate monitor I burn 0.875 calories per Thai kick. Your results may vary, but it does seem that the workouts I'm already doing, which include 600-800 kicks, burn a fair amount of calories.1
