Physical Fitness

Warm-ups should not be taken for granted. Without proper warm-ups, one could easily injure oneself during training. The effects of inadequate warm-ups may not be apparent in the immediate future. During my years of training, I sometimes put in extra effort by going jogging or just going through certain techniques outside class hours. This was when I was still in Singapore Polytechnic (1987-91). During these times I was of course unsupervised, so I sometimes skipped warming up or doing inadequate warm-ups because to me it's so boring. At the time I was younger, so I didn't feel any problems then. Only now that I'm in my late 20's that I'm beginning to feel the effects, such as pains on my both of my knees after a long distance jog, on my right elbow, on the right side of my hips, my right ankle, the list goes on. Anyway, when I'm in Singapore I would visit the Sports Medicine and Research Center, a clinic for athletes run by the Singapore Sports Council, just to get rid of the pain on my hips. It helped, but only temporary. I guess my condition is irreversible. Therefore, I sincerely hope that no one makes the same mistake that I did, for in all practicality prevention is better than cure.

Stretching consists of two types: Static stretching and dynamic stretching. What's the difference? Well static stretching is when, for example, you do a leg split on the floor and hold that position for anywhere between 5 to 30 seconds. Dynamic stretching is when you, for example, swing your legs as high as you can without bending your knee.

It is said somewhere by somebody that one should do static stretching before doing any jogging or running. This is because exercises like jogging or running can actually reduce your flexibility. By doing static stretching you are actually preventing any reduction to your flexibility. One should do static stretching first before dynamic stretching much for the same reason. So the rule is; Static stretching first, Dynamic stretching second.

Incidentally, there are some stretching exercises that I simply cannot do, no matter how much I try. It's just too painful. Not the stretching kind of pain but the sharp pain that tells me I've reached my limit. The reason? Improper warm-ups in my younger years. Just so you know.

Anyway, I found this site explaining some aspects of stretching that the reader may want to explore if he is interested in learning more about stretching. It is prepared by a guy by the name of Bradford D. Appleton. This site has no pictures, but the descriptions given are good enough. The URL is given below. Too bad there's no pictures.

You can have the page on the site printed. But be careful of copyright laws.
Stretching and Flexibility-everything you never wanted to know.

Cardiovascular endurance is when you run out of breath in the middle of a fight. When you see a fighter breathing heavily or clutching his chest and keep bending forward, that means he needs to do more cardiovascular endurance training. Muscular endurance is when you can still breathe properly but can't throw another kick because you're legs are too tired. Observe some fighters as they fight, the first rounds their kicks are snappy. By the third rounds all they can do is punch. That shows a lack of muscular endurance training.

Cardiovascular endurance is achieved by doing activities like running and jogging. Muscular endurance is best achieved by going to the gym or doing bodybuilding. However, it is worth noting that the two forms or endurance complement each other. Cardiovascular endurance training will help increase muscle training to a certain degree. Muscular endurance training will also helps increase cardiovascular endurance, but again this is limited. That is why one needs to go through both to obtain maximum benefits.

Anyway, it is worth mentioning that people run and jog to increase cardiovascular endurance (did I spell that right?). So, let me inform on what I found out about the subject.

Well, I found out that the traditional way of jogging, running continuously for a certain time period, is good. But a better way is, for example, to do sprinting (running as fast as you can) for 2 minutes and walk for 1 minute, then sprint again. The trainee is to repeat this 6 to 7 times. And when you feel that this is too easy, you increase the time from 2 minutes to 3 minutes. This technique is better, as it really works the lungs. Traditional jogging seems to work the leg muscles more.

There are other ways to improve cardiovascular endurance, I'm sure. I leave it to the reader to find out more about the subject. For myself, this is sufficient. Of course if one is to research the cardiovascular endurance training of some professional athletes, one will discover that their training is much more complicated and difficult than this. It's just that if you are like me, having limited time for extra training, then one routine like the one I describe above is good enough. Doing the above exercise 3 times a week for 3 months should produce acceptable results.

I often went to the gym to get myself in shape. The gymnasium that I went to is the one at the National Stadium, Singapore. This is because the facilities there are excellent. They have machines with illustrations that tell you which muscles you are working out if you use that machine. And the way they arranged the machines made it easier for me to do some kind of circuit training. After going through the machines, I feel assured that I've worked on all of the major muscle groups. And because of the way the machines are constructed, I also feel safer using them than using free weights.

Anyway, for Wiralaga it is important to pay attention to exercises pertaining to some muscles. One of them is the calf. A strong calf means that it is harder to sweep you off your feet. In some martial arts competition, sweeps are not allowed. But in wiralaga it is, so one should consider this fact when doing exercises in bodybuilding. A strong ankle is not a bad idea, either. And so is a strong wrist and knee (I mean the muscles around the knee).

Anyway, I honestly do not have enough confidence nor knowledge to talk about bodybuilding. The best thing I should do is to refer to another site that deals with this subject. One that I know of is at www.Truelyhuge.com. There is a forum on bodybuilding on this site, but in terms of training and exercise illustrations and routines you'll still have to buy the products that they have on sale. Still, there's a lot that can be learnt from the forum where bodybuilders share their experiences.

The best way to learn more about bodybuilding is to visit a gym and see if you want to join their classes. But do bear in mind that big muscles are not the only thing that can help you win. Other factors, such as techniques, strategies, and focus, all come into play when you fight. Bodybuilding only gives you an advantage. And do restrict your time in the gym. Gym workout should be at the most 3 times per week, and not everyday! If you do it everyday you'll only injure yourself, plus you won't hasten your muscle developments. Human muscles can grow only so fast, extra training will make you tired.

Sorry that I cannot provide more information on the subject. I have to admit; I don't know everything.