Spring Condtioning

March 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Kickboxing MinneapolisConditioning is by far one of the most important aspects of training, and one of the most important attributes of a martial artist. While it’s important to spend time perfecting your technique, it’s equally important to develop and maintain your overall physical conditioning. Stamina and endurance are the primary benefits of good conditioning. Stamina is a natural response to training, or the ability to work over a period of time without getting fatigued. Endurance on the other hand, is how long you are able to sustain that work.

You don’t have to hurt in order to develop stamina.

We have a creed that we use in your training – Don’t Train Harder, Train Smarter. Always start your training slowly, learn how to develop stamina gradually. Whether you’re just starting your training or you’ve been training for years, it’s important to remember that it takes time to develop stamina and you can reach whatever fitness level you desire depending on your level of commitment and your consistency. It doesn’t happen overnight, so if you’re feeling discouraged or that you can’t keep up – just remember that it will get easier over time as you continue your training.

Doing the martial arts and “getting into shape” is thoroughly invigorating and fun when done right.

It will require some adjustments and some discomfort at times as your body adapts to the increased energy and work demands, but if you’re sore all the time, you’re not training smart. Remember, proper training is for the purpose of building your body and avoiding activities that will deteriorate or injure it.

The Cost and Demand of Training

Athletics/Martial Arts develops what it demands.

Development is precisely commensurate with demand. With no demand, there is no development; with small demand, small development; with improper demand, improper development.

Demand requires motive.

Without continual motivation to get you going, consistent training will be very difficult.

Motivation requires meaning.

The motivating factor corresponds to your goals; it must offer an improvement or benefit that you want.

Demand takes the form of progressive overload. 

By repeatedly and consistently asking yourself a little more than you’re comfortable with, a little more than you are capable of, you improve.

Progressive overload takes place in small increments within your comfort zone.

You need to stretch your comfort zone but not ignore it. By staying near the top end of your comfort zone, but within your comfort zone, you will improve at a nice progressive rate, and you will be able to continue training and improving for longer.

Development (through overload) require a tolerance for failure.

Development means there will be “little failures” along the way to your ultimate goal.

Tolerance for failure comes from understanding the natural process of development.

If your expectations are too high, you will become frustrated. Realistic goal setting develops patience. By being realistic, you will see failures and obstacles as stepping stones, not roadblocks to your progress.

So, as we get closer to summer, make sure your training program has a good balance of technique and conditioning so that you can shatter your goals!

Filed Under: Coaches Corner

Coaches Corner: Seven Qualities of a Champion

February 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

MN MMA News

The following 7 qualities we can improve to become Martial Arts champions. These same qualities can be related to our everyday pursuits. We all should keep this concept in mind when we are going about our everyday lives. Once we develop these 7 physical/human qualities we can improve the overall quality of our lives.

 

1. Quickness

As martial Artists we must be quick in kicking, punching, kneeing and elbowing, and in all of our defensive counters; this is essential for effective self-defense. In our lives we must be quick in thinking and making decisions, which means being alert so nothing passes you by. More over, in action, we need to get things done as soon as possible. It is important that we do not procrastinate by putting off til later what you should do today!

…be quick in thinking and
making decisions…being
alert…get things done…

2. Endurance

We must all be physically patient to continue our practice in the Martial Arts. The more we train the more our endurance and overall conditioning will climb. In life we, must be just as patient in pursuing our goals. We must develop a sense of perseverance and consistency in our pursuit of our martial art excellence and in every aspect of our lives. It is only with such discipline that we will succeed.

3. Timing

Good timing is crucial in executing our techniques and tools; it is necessary for all sports. In life, this translates into being punctual. Consistently being late is a bad habit that gets in the way of our true potential.

4. Power

Physical power and strength is a necessity in excelling as a Martial Artist. Understanding of power and how to apply it is the backbone of good self defense. In life, true power is found in knowledge and information. We have all heard that “Knowledge is power,” and this is for the most part true. However, just like power, understanding is not enough, you must be able to apply what you know. Without knowledge we are lost, with knowledge but no means to apply it we are still in a weak position. Only when we find out how to apply our knowledge do we have real power.

5. Balance

When we perform any movement we must be in good balance. This allows us to properly distribute our weight to ensure proper form and execution. In our everyday lives we must balance the wisdom and knowledge in our minds with the honesty in our hearts and the strength in our bodies. We must also balance our families, work, training, school,and personal lives. Power is found in knowledge and information.

6. Flexibility

We need to be flexible in order to perform more efficiently. We must also have flexibility of character. This means having tolerance for other’s opinions, being compassionate and humble.

7. Form

A technique with good form is a thing of beauty. In life, this is equal to having a good attitude and an upright and good heart. Strong in every area of life.

“A good man who is in the right and a keeps on a coming is a hard man to bring down”
     Unknown Texas Ranger

Filed Under: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Coaches Corner, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai

Teamwork Makes a Difference

February 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
MN MMA Team

MN MMA Team

Hey Team!

We’re already one month into the new year! This month’s topic is on teamwork. Here at The Academy, we know better than anyone, how important teamwork is to the success of our students, our fighters and to the legacy of this school.

Without a solid team to train with, it is very difficult to learn and progress to your full potential. It’s because of supportive teammates that we learn about our areas of weakness, we learn how to perfect our strengths, and we’re consistently held accountable for our progress.

After 20 years of business, we know that another key ingredient to a great team is quality students. Students that are dedicated, mentally strong, and have a genuine passion for the martial arts and fitness. We understand that not every that walks through our doors possess these qualities at first, but through their training here, it is our priority and hope that people gain these characteristics because of the teamwork they participate in every week.
So how does one become a good teammate?
This may seem like an easy question, but sometimes we can get so focused on our progress that we forget to help and contribute to the progress of our teammates at the same time. Sometimes it’s the other way around – we invest a lot in the progress of our teammates but don’t get constructive feedback in return. Other times we feel insecure about our skills, so we draw inward and feel apprehensive about training, and then we quit.

As coaches, we are here to tell you that being a part of a team starts with being a good team member yourself. Here are some words of wisdom to think about:

By pushing your teammates, you push yourself!
Whether you are holding pads, you’re sparring, or your doing a hard circuit in bootcamp, pushing your fellow teammates when they’re struggling is a great way to boost motivation and to help them get the most out of their class. It’s as simple as saying, “C’mon Jon, 2 more kicks!” Or “Let’s go Amy, you can do this!” These are simple words of encouragement, but when you feel like can’t muster the strength to do one more push up – and someone is there to encourage you, you usually push through and do it.

Accountability.

One of the major benefits of training with a team is that you consistently have people around you that can and will hold you accountable for your progress. One thing you can do to increase accountability is to make plans to train with fellow teammates outside of class. This not only increases morale and cohesion, but it betters your training and theirs.

Diverse training partners.

While it’s great to have people that you train with on a regular basis, it is also helpful to make an effort to introduce yourself and train with classmates that you haven’t met before, or with classmates that are newer to the program. Training with a diverse group of people allows you to receive feedback and suggestions from people who difference experience levels and different perspectives on training.

Regardless of where you’re at in your training, making it a priority to be a good team member as well as a good student is critical to not only your progress but to the progress of others. As you move forward in your training, keep this in mind at all times. You only have great things to gain from it.

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, The Academy Pulse

The What Wheres Whens & Whys

January 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

grennelsonpodcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, JKD Kali, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, podcast

Coaches Corner: Diet & Nutrition

January 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

diet-nutrition-health-energy

Hey Team! Now that you have the knowledge and tools to set goals and stay accountable to achieving those goals, it’s time to discuss nutrition and weight management. Eating a healthy diet is essential to your training whether your goal is to become a fighter or to simply lose weight and get in shape. Just because you’re training on a regular basis doesn’t mean you can eat pizza every night, more about this is discussed on page 2, so hang tight! Remember, there is no one way to lose weight. It’s easy to get discouraged when it comes to dieting and nutrition. Everyone’s body is different. You have to try multiple strategies to find out what works best for you.

1. Portion control

This is one of the most important tools to be aware of at all times. If you’re consuming large portions of food, but not burning all the calories, your body will store the excess calories as fat. Try to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day instead of 2-3 large meals, which will cause your energy levels to fluctuate too much. Eating small meals frequently will train your body to not feel hungry, and maintain steady blood sugar levels. Also avoid high calorie drinks like soda, high-sugar juices, and alcohol. Stay away from anything that contains high fructose corn syrup at all costs!

2. Control emotional eating

One common downfall people are met with is overeating when they’re stressed or tired. Instead of reaching for the potato chips at night, have a few baby carrots or an apple. Fruits and veggies contain lots of water and fiber, which help you feel full without adding extra calories. Additionally, fruits and veggies contain important vitamins and minerals that your body needs to repair and nourish itself. Training on a regular basis should help with managing your stress levels but properly refueling your body will help take care of fatigue and low energy.

3. Shop at the outer edges of the grocery store.

By shopping at the outer edges of the grocery store, you will find more fruits and veggies filling your cart. The foods you buy in the aisles typically have a shelf life of a few years, and that’s never a good sign. Because fresh food goes bad sooner, don’t buy in bulk. Buy what you need for a few days, and then head back to the grocery store and restock. If you’re thinking, “I don’t have time to go to the grocery store 3 times a week” then try to buy foods that last for about a week, such as carrots, apples, oranges, single serving yogurts, string cheese, and cottage cheese. If you want more detailed information check out the book Food Rules by Michael Pollen.

4. Start preparing your meals and cutting out pre-packaged, and processed foods.

Microwaveable lunches and dinners like Lean Cuisine are tempting because they’re fast and easy, but they contain lots of preservatives and are usually high in sodium. Try to eat foods that don’t come out of a box or need to be microwaved. Even though it’s more work, get in the habit of preparing your meals with real foods. For example, making a sandwich for lunch with whole grain bread, lettuce, a slice of turkey breast, and some cucumbers, is going to be way more nutritious that an instant, prepackaged meal.
Remember, if you have any questions or want more information about diet and nutrition talk to your coach. Never forget that we are here to help you!

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, Nutrition & Health Tagged With: , , , ,

Coach’s Corner: 5 Beliefs That Make You More Resilient

January 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

fitness_classes_MN

Happy New Year Team! We are so thankful to start another fantastic year with all of you. We’re looking forward to another year of pounds lost, muscle gained, and more victories!

Today’s Coach’s Corner comes to you today from Inc.com magazine’s article on 8 Beliefs That Make You More Resilient, for you sake we’ve only picked 5 that we think are pertinent to our students. We’ve also added our own personal caveats to make them relevant to you and your training.

“Today’s success can breed tomorrow’s failure if I let success make me complacent about staying motivated and moving forward.”

When you have a great class, or you get an A on your test at the end of the month – definitely pat yourself on your back and give yourself the credit you deserve, but DO NOT let it lead to you missing your next class because you worked super hard the day before. Before you know it you’ll be back on the couch eating Cheetos! We have a saying here at The Academy, “GOOD, BETTER, BEST – NEVER LET IT REST.” This is a mantra that has allowed so many of our fighters to become champions and so many of our students to lose weight and get into the best shape of their life.

“I learn more from failure than from success. Failure renews my humility, sharpens my objectivity, and makes me more resilient.”

Success is great, but failures are what help us learn and make us better. When you have a class or a training session where you feel awkward, or you’re just not getting the technique down right – don’t give up. If you can’t do 30 flutter kicks this month, don’t feel embarrassed, work on them each time you come to the gym. Try to do one more than you did the day before. Let it be the fuel you use to do 40 next month!

“Goals that contain, “I’ll try…” are self-defeating. If I want goals that truly motivate, I use phrases like “I will” and “I must”.”
Having goals that start out with I’ll try assumes that you’re giving yourself room for failure! Instead, make goals that sounds like, “By next month I WILL lose 5 pounds.” Then make your action plan around that. Don’t give your mind the slightest notion that you might slip up. When it comes to health goals, like losing weight and eating healthier – adopting a do or die mentality is not that dramatic. Training down to a healthy weight and eating well will significantly decrease your risk of disease and promote longevity.

“What holds most people back is fear of failure, but if I don’t take action, I’ll fail by default, so what have I got to lose?”
Fear will define the limits of your life, guaranteed. Don’t let it hold you back from doing the things you want to do and accomplish. If you’re thinking about doing your first competition, but have never competed before – don’t psyche yourself out! Come to us for support – we are here to help you push through that fear and achieve!

“What I say reinforces what I think, so if something is about to come out of my mouth that doesn’t serve my purpose, I should simply keep my mouth shut.”
It does you no good to put yourself down or to put others down when they’re having a hard time. When you feel frustrated with yourself, pause  for a moment and remember that there’s no such thing as perfection – but there is progress. Remind yourself that you are better than you were a month ago and you will be better a month from now. But the interim is a time of inevitable frustration, don’t let that get to you. Instead of telling yourself that you’re weak and you’ll never reach your goal, tell yourself that you are stronger than you ever have been and you are going to crush this goal into oblivion!

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, The Academy Pulse

Coaches Corner: Age Is Nothing But A Number

January 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

coachdick

 

Hey Team!

As mentioned in the previous issue, this month’s focus will be on the importance of fitness and martial arts in your life regardless of age. As coaches, we often hear, “I’m too old to do that.” Or, “I’m too out of shape to do that.” You are never too old to start taking care of your mind and body. Not matter what season of life you’re in, you can reap unthinkable benefits from working out, eating healthy, and achieving your goals.

Children:

Here at The Academy, we have students as young as 4 years old training in our Tiny Ninjas program. Children who get involved in martial arts at a young age learn important skills in discipline, respect, and team work that carry on into their adolescent and adult lives, while simultaneously burning off some of that energy that never seems to end. (Parents, you know what we’re talking about.)

Teens and Young Adults: While we don’t have a teen specific program, most of the teenagers and young adults that train here attend adult classes. Just like the Tiny Ninjas and Little Dragons programs, our adult program also emphasizes discipline, respect, and team work. By allowing this age group to train with adults, we expose them a variety of mature and hard working training partners that they can look up to and learn from. This is also a great age to start learning self defense skills that can be used to protect themselves in the event they find themselves in a situation where it is necessary to do so.

Adults:

If you’re between the ages of 25 and 50 then martial arts is a fantastic way to lose weight, become stronger and leaner, and to build mental fortitude. Training in the martial arts as an adult will give you a renewed sense of confidence that maybe you’ve never experienced before, or once experienced but lost it because of stress, work, family issues, etc. While its true that maybe at 50 you don’t feel as energetic or as flexible as a 25 year old, but training at your own pace and with good partners that are patient, will help you succeed in your training. The key to training safely is learning the balance between pushing yourself and knowing when to back off and take breaks. Don’t be discouraged if you have to start slow, or if you have to take breaks. This is normal if you haven’t worked out in a while. As you train more, the workouts will become easier as your body gets more used to training.

50 and over:

As people get into their fifties and into their sixties they write off exercise completely using the common excuse of, “I’m just too old,” or, “My joints hurt too much.” We’re here to tell you that this excuse is unacceptable. We are fortunate to have Coach Dick Kotasek, our Monday and Wednesday night Foundations BJJ coach, who is in his early seventies and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Pedro Sauer. He is living proof that no matter how old you are, training in martial arts is not just for the young and spry. Choosing to be active at this stage in life is key to potentially prolonging your life. We have a number of students in our programs that are in their late forties and early fifties and they’ve all said that their training has been extremely beneficial to not only their physical health, but their mental and emotional health as well. It’s never too late to start, better late than never, right? Just remember, start slow and take your time!
Coach Dick Kotasek 70 Years Old Still Competing in BJJ!

Filed Under: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Coaches Corner, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, The Academy Pulse Tagged With: , ,

Coaches Corner: Fall Check in

January 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

index

Hey Team! This month we want to check in with you about your goals. Have you achieved some or all of the goals that you’ve set for yourself? If so, send us an email at info@theacademymn.com , we want to hear about them! If you haven’t yet, don’t be discouraged! Talk to your coach, tell them what you’re struggling with, they want to help you and see you succeed. If you have achieved some of your goals, we would love to feature you in the upcoming newsletters, if you’re interested, shoot us an email or see Colleen at the front desk.

This month we want to give you some training and nutritional reminders so you can hit the ground running towards achieving your fall and winter goals.

CARDIO

Cardio isn’t everyone’s favorite, lets be honest. It doesn’t have to be your favorite part of training, but it is one of the most important. The fall is a great time to incorporate running into your workout regiment because not only is it more scenic as the leaves change colors, the weather is more tolerable. If you absolutely hate running, or can’t for some other reason (an injury or arthritis in the joints), invest in a bike and go for bike rides around your neighborhood, or if you live close to your job consider riding your bike to work. Treat biking like running by incorporating hills, increasing resistance by taking advantage of higher gears, do intervals (bike as fast as you can at a lower gear for 1 minute, then bike as fast as you can at a high gear (high resistance) for 2 minutes, do this for 5 or 10 minutes then recover by biking at an easy pace and resistance level. Another good way to incorporate cardio is to start jump roping. If you’ve never jumped rope for training purposes you might want to talk to your coach about the basics of jump roping efficiently and rhythmically. Regardless of what you chose to do for cardio, make sure your doing at least 45 minutes of hard and consistent cardio 3 times a week.


STRENGTH TRAINING

Strength training is just as important as cardio, and is essential for stripping away body fat, increasing lean muscle mass, and burning calories more efficiently. There are a variety of ways you can incorporate strength training into your training program. If the gym is closed and you don’t have weights at home you can use your own body weight by doings traditional exercises like push ups, pull ups, crunches, and squats. Another type of exercise that doesn’t involve investing in a home gym set up is resistance bands. They come in different resistance levels and you can use them for bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, etc. Then there are the standard and more common methods of strength training which incorporate the use of free weights and weight machines. You just have to try a bit of everything and see what works best for you. If you like watching dvd’s and working out at home, then something like P90x may be good for you to do to supplement your training here at The Academy. Regardless, if you want to lose weight and get strong, adding additional strength training to your workouts is going to give you better and faster results.

FLEXIBILITY/STRETCHING

Flexibility and stretching are sometimes put on the back burner behind cardio and strength training. First, lets be clear about the differences between the two. Flexibility refers to the range of motion for a given joint. The degree of flexibility that someone has in their hip joints for example, depends on the “stretchiness” of the muscles and connective tissues
(ligaments/tendons) surrounding the hip joints. People who can do the splits have muscles and connective tissues around their hip joints that have stretched to allow their legs to separate either horizontally (legs out on either side of body) or stretch front to back (one leg in front, one leg behind body). Stretching is a simply a form of exercise that is used to increase flexibility. There are a variety of different types of stretching and lots of debate as to which forms are beneficial or detrimental. As a general rule, if your muscles feel tight, stretch them, but not to the point where it is causing a lot of pain. The stretch should feel good and relaxing. If you have more questions look up the different types of stretching (ballistic, dynamic, static, passive, etc) and see what the experts have to say.

NUTRITION

This is arguably the most important part of training. You can be in the gym 5 times a week but if you’re eating McDonald’s for lunch and dinner every day and frozen pizzas, you’re not going to see any results. When the body works out and works out hard, it is starved for nutrients that can only be found in fresh foods (i.e. not found in a box or can). Here are 6 food tips/facts to think about:

$1,924
is the amount of money spent by the average American who buys lunch instead of making their own lunch at home and bringing it to work. (Source: Braun Research for Accounting Principals) Think of what you could buy for that much money!? Making your own lunches and/or dinners is a great way to save money and eat healthier because pre made foods typically have a lot of sodium, oils, and other artificial ingredients that you aren’t privy to that can lead to weight gain.

Plate size.
Measure your dinner plates. If they are more than 10 inches in diameter they are too big. Having large dinner plates sends a visual message to your brain saying “Fill me up”. Having a plate smaller than 10 inches will aid in portion control and hopefully prevent you from having eyes that are bigger than your stomach.
Eat slower. It takes the brain roughly 20 minutes to realize that it’s full. One way to slow down while eating is to eat with someone else and have a conversation. Having to talk to someone will cause you to take a bite, chew, talk for a bit and then take another bite. Taking that extra 30 seconds or so to talk will make a difference since you’re not able to just shovel food into your month without taking a breath.

Don’t skip breakfast.
This is a really important one. So many people think that a cup or two of coffee at 6am is breakfast. No. Make sure you are starting your day with some real breakfast like 2 scrambled eggs and a slice of whole grain toast. Or a cup of non or low fat Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of honey. Or better yet, a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with a little bit of brown sugar and fresh fruit (you can also use low fat milk or low fat yogurt). All of these are great meals to kickstart your day. Eggs and toast is a great protein and carb choice. Greek yogurt has a lot of protein and low in carbs.. Oatmeal has great heart benefits and will help you feel full for longer.

Pack healthy midday snacks for work.
Before you leave for work pack yourself a baggie of carrots, and/or a handful of raw almonds. These are great foods to munch on between brekkie and lunch and between lunch and dinner. This will also help speed up your metabolism, as it will give your stomach something to process while you wait for your next meal.

Food Apps. We live in a digital world and the advent of the smart phone and “apps” have allowed us to simplify our lives with one finger tap on a screen. Free apps like Fooducate is a great tool to have while grocery shopping. This application is available for iPhones and Android and allows you to scan the barcode of a product and will grade it based on its nutritional value. If the product you scan gets a bad grade it will automatically suggest better alternatives.

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, Nutrition & Health
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