5 Things You Should Never Say To A Female MMA Fighter

“Punch her in the titties!” 

“Pull her top off and kiss her!” 

These are actual statements heard during my friend’s debut MMA bout. Sadly it’s not an isolated incident. It takes endless amounts of physical and mental prep in order to step in the cage, but many female fighters face stigma when competing. Training for a fight involves a minimum of training twice a day six days a week, healthy meal prepping, and no alcohol consumption or smoking. 

Many fighters do this while working and dealing with family obligations. When I’m in camp I’m balancing camp with working full-time as well as attending school full-time. It requires dedication and isn’t for the faint of heart, which is why the above statements are not only disrespectful, but infuriating.

I’ve been training and competing for over ten years. The adrenaline rush of being in the ring is a unique experience that not many ever encounter. I began training in Muay Thai in high school with my younger brother. We fought terribly as kids and my dad decided to put us into martial arts so we could channel that in a more positive manner. 

Black and blues are all in a day's training. 

Aside from my brother and me now being best friends, training has enriched my life in many other aspects. It has helped me not only physically, but mentally as well. It provides an amazing outlet for stress as well as gives me the courage to pursue other dreams. After being locked in a cage where someone is trying to beat you in front of a couple hundred people, it becomes tough to feel nervous. 

I truly believe everyone could benefit from martial arts, but if we keep treating women like they're just a sexy side to the "real" show, we are doing them a great disservice. Here are some of the most common phrases female fighters hear and why they’re bogus.

1) “But you’re too cute/pretty/beautiful to be a fighter.”

Ugh. 

This common statement made to female fighters is intended as a compliment, but frankly it’s obnoxious. You don’t see people telling Roger Huerta or GSP or any other of the gorgeous men in the MMA world that they are too pretty to fight. Insinuating that we’d be better off holding round cards strutting around the cage in a bikini rather than competing in it is a slap in the face to all the hard work we do. 

As to your concern about me ruining my pretty face, well that’s why I practice learning how to block and counter.

2) “So you like to fight? You must be really flexible and into rough sex.”

Now if you’re into rough sex and have a consenting partner, enjoy yourselves -- no judgement. However, this was said to me by a very drunk male acquaintance. Inappropriate doesn’t even begin to cover it. There are many reasons woman compete in martial arts, however last time I checked it wasn’t due to their very private sexual preferences. Any chance you had of seeing how flexible I am ended the minute that came out of your mouth buddy.

3) “Oh my God, doesn’t it hurt when you get hit?”

No. When we women get hit unlike our male counterparts in this sport it does not hurt. It feels like we are being hit by pillows, limb manipulation feels like a pleasant stretch, we never bleed, we never bruise and keep in mind we always look pretty while doing it. 

Of course it hurts. 

Soreness is the norm if you train often. It’s about learning to push past the pain and to become a better athlete. It takes heart to continue to train when you’re hurting, but that is what champions are made of.

4) “I can’t stand watching women fight.”

Society wants women to be pretty, docile little homemakers; fighting flies in the face of that and it makes many people uncomfortable. Women are supposed to be motherly, nurturing. It’s hard to feel that way when you’re seeing two people punch each other in the face. I can respect the fact that my hobby makes you uncomfortable. 

It is important to remember though both fighters are consenting adults; you don’t need to watch it if you don’t like it. I’m not a child though, so don’t tell me I can’t compete just because it gives you the heebie jeebies. For what it’s worth, being a female fighter and being an excellent mother are not mutually exclusive ideas. We have several such badass mommas in the gym I attend.

5) “You must be a super angry violent person that gets into bar fights all the time.”

Listen. Just because I hit people in a ring doesn’t mean I hit them outside of it. I have self-control, which I learned through my many years of Muay Thai training. People get on my nerves because I’m human, but unless my life is in immediate danger, I’m not getting in a fight. I don’t feel like having assault linked to my name and prison orange is not a good color on me. 

Martial artists are usually chill people. There’s no need to get in fights outside the dojo when we can train and be challenged by teammates within the gym.

You may wonder why some female fighters don’t say anything when confronted by such misogyny. There are many reasons. The desire to fit in, not appear weak, not appear overly sensitive, the frustration of being talked over or downright laughed at are all reasons why women don’t always speak up. These comments are usually made in good “fun”, but they’re actually very harmful. It’s important to watch how we speak. 

The emotional wounds from hearing these kinds of comments constantly take a lot longer to heal than any bruise. We have some little girls training at our gym. I want them to be able to focus on becoming ass kicking strong women, not vapid little sex pots in gis. 

orignally posted by xojane.com

How To Lose Weight And Keep It Off

All

you have to do is wheel your grocery cart into a checkout line to see the cautionary tales screaming at you from the tabloids:

Kirstie Alley regained the 70-plus pounds she lost on Jenny Craig. Maureen "Marcia Brady" McCormick got even heavier after she was on Celebrity Fit Club. Oprah—well, we all know about her weight lossstruggles. Janet Jackson, Kelly Clarkson...the list goes on and on.

It makes you wonder: If these rich, powerful women, with their personal trainers and private chefs, can't win the weight war, what chance do I have?

It doesn't help that the statistics are grim: By some estimates, more than 80 percent of people who have lost weight regain all of it, or more, after two years. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles analyzed 31 long-term diet studies and found that about two-thirds of dieters regained more weight within four or five years than they initially lost.

Women who want to lose weight know these painful numbers all too well. "I've been on a roller coaster for the past two years," says Leigh Moyer, 31, of Philadelphia. In 2003, she lost 25 of her 155 pounds by diligently counting calories and logging daily sweat sessions at the gym. Four years later, busy with graduate school and her job at a software company, Leigh blew off her workouts and stopped monitoring her portions...and shot up to 175. "It was so sad, so frustrating," she says. "I let myself down."



Along with the emotional toll is a physical one: Not only is the extra weight a health risk, but recent studies have linked the gain-lose-gain cycle to such potentially life-threatening conditions as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, depression, heart disease, and cancer.

Understanding Metabolic Math
While small fluctuations on the scale are normal, the unhealthy behavior that experts refer to as "weight cycling" is not. Cycling is defined as a significant increase or decrease of body weight (generally 10 pounds or more) that occurs multiple times.

Experts believe a yo-yo pattern is often the result of a diet that's too restrictive, and a study reported in the journal Obesity backs that up: It found that people who followed a very low-calorie diet regained significantly more weight than those on a more forgiving plan. Desperate for quick results in a culture of instant gratification, "women try to lose weight on diets with too few calories," says Judith Beck, Ph.D., director of the Beck Institute of Cognitive Therapy and author of The Beck Diet Solution. "If you lose weight on 1,200 calories a day, the minute you go up to 1,300 is the minute you start gaining weight."

It happened to Tracy Srail. The 24-year-old from Atlanta has watched the scale bounce between 130 and 160 pounds for the past four years. "At one point, I was eating only one or two meals a day and chugging Rockstar energy drinks because I heard that caffeine increases your metabolism. I lost 15 pounds, but it didn't stick," she says. "I weigh about 155 now."

Even on a sensible diet, your body sheds pounds reluctantly. "One reason it's difficult to keep weight off is because there is a metabolic overcompensation for weight loss," says Gary Foster, Ph.D., director of the Center of Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. "If you decrease your body mass by 10 percent, you would expect your metabolic rate to decrease by 10 percent, but it actually slows down more than that, by about 11 to 15 percent."

Why does your own metabolism thwart you? Simple, says Kelly Brownell, M.D., director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University: "The body may perceive dieting as a threat to its survival. It might not know the difference between Atkins and famine."

What's more, says Brownell, who coined the term "yo-yo dieting" in the 1980s, weight cycling can actually change your physiology. So the more diets you've been on, the harder it becomes to lose the weight. A hunger hormone called ghrelin increases, and a fullness hormone called leptin decreases, so you feel hungrier and less satiated.

Born to Rebound?
It's bad enough that your body fights you when you try to lose weight. Now there's compelling research to show that some people may be hardwired to yo-yo. 

David Kessler, M.D., former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner and author of The End of Overeating, and his team of researchers at the University of California at San Francisco and Yale University, looked into the biology of weight cycling. They found that the reward circuits in the brains of people Kessler calls "conditioned hypereaters" were excessively activated simply by the smell of food and stayed that way until those people finished eating whatever was on the plate in front of them.

In other words, when you have overactive neural circuitry, resisting temptation is not a question of willpower alone. "This is a biological cause of conditioned hypereating. It's the first time we can say 'It's not your fault,' " Kessler says. He estimates that 50 percent of obese people and 30 percent of overweight people are conditioned hypereaters.

Evidence shows, however, that this reaction is partially learned, and that through conditioning, you can rewire your brain. After all, the yen to yo-yo is not just physical; emotional triggers play a huge role too. A study at Brown University found that dieters who ate in response to emotions such as stress or loneliness—as opposed to external events, like overdoing it at happy hour—were more likely to regain weight.

When Darcie Schmidt of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was in her late twenties, she lost 75 pounds and then regained 120 over two years, largely because of emotional eating, she says. In her early thirties, she stuck to a strict diet-and-exercise regimen and shed 132 pounds. "I did not eat a single chip for 18 months," she says. But the stress of a divorce, a move, and a return to school knocked her off track, and she traded her three-mile, five-day-a-week runs for bags of those verboten chips—and regained 40 pounds.

Beck sees women like Schmidt all the time, who do well for a while, only to fall off the wagon. The problem, she believes, is that they never learned the skills needed for long-term behavior change. "They haven't been taught how to motivate themselves every day," Beck says, "or how to respond to negative thoughts and recognize a mistake as a one-time thing."

A study of 200 overweight and obese people, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, supports the importance of a behavior-change approach. Along with other weight-loss techniques, one group received an additional hour of therapy, in which they learned to change their behavior; the other group did an extra hour of low-intensity exercise. After a year, those in the therapy group had maintained their weight loss, while the other group's members hadn't. 

Risky Bigness
While watching the numbers on the scale fluctuate wildly is a blues inducer and clothes-budget buster, there are far more compelling reasons to hold steady. For one, your metabolism might be affected—and not in the way you probably hoped.

"If you go on a very strict diet and gain the weight back quickly, you might lose a lot of muscle and regain a lot of fat," says Keith Ayoob, M.D., R.D., an associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "Then your metabolism operates on a slower idle, which means it's going to be harder to lose weight as time goes on."

The more times you yo-yo, the theory goes, the more fat your body gains in each rebound. Because muscle burns 10 times more calories than fat does, your metabolism eventually will slow to a crawl.

"Losing and gaining regularly takes a huge toll on your body," Ayoob says. Beyond aesthetics, such as a loss of skin elasticity, regaining weight burdens your arteries and skeletal system, and may stress the liver, which can become covered in fat.

Yo-yoing also does a number on your ticker: A study in Clinical Cardiology found that women who weight cycle five times or more during their lifetimes may be damaging their hearts in the process.

But perhaps most startling is the dangerous and lasting effect weight cycling has on the immune system. According to the first study of the long-term impacts of yo-yo dieting, women who repeatedly lost and gained weight had lower immune function, particularly lower counts of natural killer cells. "These cells are important for fending off infections and are also vital in fighting the early stages of cancer," says Cornelia Ulrich, M.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Low killer-cell activity is associated with higher rates of cancer. In her study of more than a hundred overweight but otherwise healthy women, those who had yo-yoed most frequently—five times or more—decreased their natural killer-cell activity by a third.

With so many drawbacks, you might wonder if you'd be better off just accepting your belly rolls. But the perils of being overweight still outweigh the risks of yo-yoing. So how do you quit the cycle for good? Despite what you read in the tabloids, it is possible.

How Womens Fitness Differs From Men

Women can be just as fit as men, but that level of "fitness" will never quite be the same. Women's bodies are different from men's. Not only do men and women have different levels of hormones, but the amount of fat and muscle in their bodies is very different as well. Your goal should be to work out for you, according to your gender, body mass and target goals!

Where Men and Women DifferIt's not just the sex organs that are different among men and women, but there are a few marked differences:

• Testosterone -- Men have higher levels of testosterone than women, and women have higher levels of estrogen than men. Testosterone is the hormone that helps the human body to pack on muscle, while estrogen leads to the growth of fat cells, along with all of the other markers of female sexuality. Women have a harder time packing on the muscle due to higher levels of estrogen and lower levels of testosterone.
• Weight Loss -- What is the most effective way to burn fat and lose weight? Build muscle! The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn every day and the faster your metabolism will run. Seeing as men have an easier time building larger, more active muscle, it stands to reason that men will have an easier time losing weight as well. The same quality and amount of workout will often yield better results in men than in women.
• Flexibility -- This is one area where women always take the cake. Women are naturally more flexible than men, as their bones are shorter and have less pronounced corners. The female body tends to be more rounded, and the bones around the pelvis are more flexible than men's pelvic bones.
• Muscle Mass -- Men naturally pack on more muscle mass than women, due simply to their higher testosterone levels. If you measured the body mass index of the average man against an average woman of the same weight, the man will usually have a lower body mass index (indicating greater muscle mass).
• Body Mass Index -- The body mass index determines the ratio of fat to total body weight. Women tend to have a higher body mass index (meaning more fat), but a "healthy" BMI for women is about 5% higher than for men. This is because the fat on a woman's body is important for healthy reproductive function.

What does this mean?

Basically, it means that men have a slightly easier time getting in shape than women do. Men can build muscle more easily, which will in turn help them to lose weight and get in shape. Men also have more strength than women, and they can handle heavier loads more quickly.

That doesn't mean that women can't get in shape as well. It just means that they need to find a workout program that plays to their strengths, and they shouldn't try to compete with their fellow man. If you're not seeing the same amounts of gain as your boyfriend/husband/male friend, don't worry about it! Your bodies are designed differently, and what is "fit" to you is not the same as his definition of "fitness". 

originally posted by fitday.com

How Cardio Can Build Strength

For optimal fitness, you know you should do both cardio workouts for aerobic health and strength training for muscle building, metabolic benefits, and bone density. But if you're a cardio bunny who maybedoesn’t visit the weight room as often as you should, listen up: “Swimming, cycling, and running can all be used as mild to moderate ways of building strength,” says Lauren Jensen, head coach at Tri Faster, “as long as the amount of training stress is progressively increased over time.” In other words, as with weights, you have to increase the resistance or the number of reps as your muscles adapt.

While the cardio-strength combo suggestions below aren’t a perfect substitute for lifting heavy, they’ll definitely boost your strength, especially for the specific sport in question—though don’t be afraid to also cross-train by, for example, trying a swim workout if you’re a runner. Use one of these workouts in place of a shorter steady-state swim/ride/run (with a proper warm-up and cooldown), in addition to one more traditional weight-training workout per week for major muscle toning.

 Swimming

Water by nature creates resistance on the body as you move through it. “In simply overcoming the resistance, an athlete gains strength,” says Jensen. She suggests swimmers increase the “load” further by isolating the upper or lower body by doing kick-only laps holding a kickboard or pull-only laps wearing hand paddles. You can also wear a “drag” swimsuit (i.e., one that’s intentionally baggy).

Cycling

Anyone who’s taken a challenging cycling class knows that by upping the resistance on the bike, your leg muscles get a real burn. Outdoors, you can get the same effect by tackling hills, riding into the wind on a gusty day, and standing up while pedaling to vary how the muscles get activated. If you’re an indoors-only cycler, Jensen suggests this workout: Pedal for one minute at a resistance that forces you to work hard to sustain 60 to 70 RPMs (revolutions per minute), then rest for a minute and repeat. Work up to five minutes of hard pedaling.

Running

As with cycling, running up hills provides a solid leg-strength workout. Pick a hill outdoors with an incline that takes you 30 to 45 seconds to get up at a pretty hard clip. (On the treadmill, try a four-percent incline at a pace you can sustain for that amount of time.) Charge up your hill, using shorter strides and a faster step than you do on flat, then walk or lightly jog down (or reduce the treadmill's incline and speed for about triple your time on the "hill"), aiming to keep your timing the same for each uphill. Start with five reps and work your way up to 10. Another option?Run stairs or stadiums. For the harder core, try wearing a weight vest during an interval workout. One “strengthener" to skip: Holding weights in your hands while you run—it’s a shoulder injury waiting to happen.

Originally posted by womenshealthmag.com

Womens 4 Week Weight Training Program!

Are you cardio-ing yourself to death? Yes, running, cycling, and hitting the elliptical religiously can absolutely help you drop pounds—especially when you have a lot to lose. But, at some point, you’re going to hit a plateau, says Holly Perkins, CSCS, founder of Women’s Strength Nation and author of Lift to Get Lean.

To get past it—blast past it, really—you need strength training in your life. You can pick up the latest issue of SHAPE, on newsstands now, to learn more about how and why lifting weights helps to amp your metabolism for long after your gym-time ends, but here’s the gist: The more muscle you have, the more cals you torch when working out—and while sitting perfectly still.

If you’re new to weight training, don’t worry. Perkins created this four-week program to help you to build a solid foundation of strength training and shift your body into a new place after all that cardio. The really great news? You only have to do this routine twice a week. Each week, the moves will stay the same, but we'll make the routine harder by changing the program variables (like rest, sets, reps, or load).

Put at least two days of rest between strength training days, but you can do cardio on those rest days (to be clear: cardio is not bad—it’s just not the best method for long-term weight loss or maintenance!)

Now, stay with us: we're going to break down the weekly workouts for you. 

Week 1: Complete the exercises in each workout as Straight Sets. For example, you'll do one set of leg presses, rest for 30 seconds, do a second set, rest, do the third set. Then, move on to the next exercise. You'll complete all movements in both workouts this way. Complete 12 reps of all movements for 3 sets each, and rest for 30 seconds in between each set. Choose a weight load where the last two reps of every set are extra hard, where you wouldn't be able to do a 13th rep. You may find that you increase the weight load for each set while keeping the 12 reps for all three sets.

Week 2: This week, you'll continue with the Straight Set format for both workouts. But now, you'll complete 15 reps of all movements for 3 sets, and you will only rest for 15 seconds in between each set. Therefore, this week, you'll complete more work in less time. This is a great stimulus to take your fitness to the next level.

Week 3: We're going to mix it up this week! Instead of Straight Sets, you're going to complete your workout in a circuit style. This week, you'll complete 1 set of each exercise for 15 reps, then you'll immediately move on to the next movement with no rest in between. For example, on the Day 1 workout, you'll perform your first set of leg presses for 15 reps, then you'll immediately go to the goblet squat and perform 15 reps and then continue on to the next exercise with no rest in between movements. At the end of these four movements, you'll rest for one minute, then complete the circuit two more times.

Week 4: This week you're going to continue with the circuit-style sets; this time you'll perform only 12 reps of each movement, but there are two (tough!) changes: You'll complete a total of 4 full circuits (that's four sets of each exercise for both workouts) and there will be no rest in between each circuit. This week is all about keeping you moving! After you finish the last movement of either workout, you'll immediately return to the first movement and begin a new circuit!

Originally posted by shape.com

WNY MMA & Fitness: Strong is the New Sexy!

Strong is the new sexy in women’s workouts: Women's Fitness in Buffalo and Western New York

By Dorene Internicola

New York - Women's fitness in Buffalo and Western New York has come a long way since skinny defined the ideal body and a muscled arm was cause for alarm.

Fitness experts say that as strong becomes the new sexy, the gender divide has narrowed, if not closed.

From resistance training to power workouts such as barbell squats, medicine ball throws and kettlebell swings, a rigorous regime has become more popular with women.

“We want women who want to turn it up a little bit,” said Dean Hodgkin, a fitness writer and martial artist who co-authored the book Better Body Workouts For Women with fitness consultant and nutritionist Caroline Pearce.

“We specifically included heavy resistance and weight training formats because if women don't train heavy, they'll miss the opportunity to gain strength,” said Hodgkin, who is based in Leicestershire, England.

Along with advice on executing workouts from hula hooping to power hopping, the book also dispenses guidance on issues on Women's Fitness in Buffalo and Western New York, like training before, during and after pregnancy, eating issues and mind games that can undermine progress.

“These are times when women let it all fall apart,” he explains. “There's no question that self confidence is more of an issue for girls.”

Jessica Matthews, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise, doubts if a women's fitness book filled with power drills would exist 10 years ago.

“Now you see this all the time,” said Matthews, noting women are eager to embrace tough workouts like CrossFit.

Having a well-defined physique, she said, has replaced skinny as an ideal.

“A fellow yoga teacher mentioned to me the other day that she was excited and proud to be able to perform barbell squats (with the barbell positioned across the back of her shoulders) with great form using 225 pounds (102 kilos),” Matthews said.

When she started teaching group fitness 14 years ago, it was rare to have a man take a class.

“The shift in the industry is interesting to see,” she said. “(Today) there are no specific exercises for men or women. The type of exercise is based on person, not gender. I like to think we've moved on.”

Dr. Michele Olson, an expert with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), said women tend to be weaker than men because they are smaller and have less muscle mass.

But given the same strength-developing exercise programme, she said, women can become just as strong in the upper body and almost as strong, about 80 percent, as men in the lower body.

“The principles are the same whether you're a man or woman in terms of how exercise is prescribed and the results that are realised,” said Olson, a professor of exercise science at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama.

Give men and women the same exercise prescription for cardio fitness and they will improve to the same extent, she said, adding that heart disease is the number one killer for both sexes.

ACSM guidelines call for all adults to engage in cardio exercise at least three to five days a week, along with two to three days of strength training and two-to-three days of flexibility training.

For strength training, Olson said, both men and women should lift weights that are heavy enough to exhaust the exercised muscle in no more than 12 to 15 repetitions.

“This will make you stronger,” said Olson. “If you want to add muscle you need to lift heavier weights.”

Experts say the fear that women who weight train will suddenly sprout bulging muscles is unfounded.

“Women, and most men, have a terribly hard time bulking up,” Olson said. - Reuters

Women's fitness in Buffalo and Western New York program is a great start to strength training with our newly added women's only weight lifting class.

WNY MMA Conditioning & Womens Fitness

You can try to find a more well-rounded athlete in terms of overall fitness than a wny mixed martial arts fighter, but we doubt you’ll be able to.

A high level MMA fighter has the endurance to go five five-minute rounds with a little bit still left in the tank at the end; the power and strength to land lethal strikes and execute crippling submission holds; and the overall athleticism to master various fighting disciplines—from wrestling to karate to boxing. Not coincidentally, virtually all successful MMA fighters possess lean, athletic physiques to show for it. So if the WNY MMA & Fitness body type is what you’re after, why not train like a fighter?

“The types of workouts I do with my MMA athletes don’t require any running or aerobic work, because there’s no aerobic work done in a fight, only anaerobic,” says Corey Webster, head of strength and conditioning and kickboxing at WNY MMA and Fitness Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Buffalo, New York.

“We do sprint-based intervals, and by doing this, the guys respond faster to putting on muscle and losing body fat in addition to improving their cardio levels. But it’s not necessarily muscle mass they’re putting on—it’s more muscle density. Most of the exercises we do are big, compound, leg-based moves. In fighting, the guys are squatted down a lot and shooting in for takedowns, so these guys can’t afford to get tired legs.”

“[Websters] strength and conditioning program for me has been amazing,”. “I noticed results in my cardio after just one week—being able to spar longer and not be tired afterwards. I was also worried about having to cut weight, but I haven't had to do that at all, as the pounds just fell off naturally without having to change my diet, and I feel much stronger."

What does this tell you, come to WNY MMA and Fitness to get a heavy dose of MMA conditioning and get into incredible shape. Besides, who can say that they have the chance to train with pro fighters. 

Performance at WNY MMA

Performance is everywhere we turn. Interviewing for that next job. Going on that first date. Competing in your local fitness competition. In order to succeed at anything, you must be prepared to perform and compete.

In a perfect world, everyone should be afforded respect and equality. But in the real world, the harsh truth is that everything is a performance or a competition. Everything.

What Martial Arts Teaches Us About Peak Performance

The oft-used analogies when it comes to competition are that of both the warrior and the athlete. A martial artist is both. Furthermore, a martial artist is, of course, an artist. In addition to sport and combat, there is much to learn from the martial arts when it comes to finding your peak performance.

I grew up around the arts. My mother performed professionally as a ballet dancer for more than twenty years, my uncle fronted a jazz quartet for a living, and my dad ran a creative business as a marketer. I followed suit performing on stage as an actor and also became a martial artist in my adult life.

From the arts, I learned much about what it takes to compete in life. Of course, the typical correlations to performance always apply - hard work, preparation, and attitude all matter. But what brings these attributes about? Telling someone to work hard falls on deaf ears without the “why” behind the hard work. Telling someone “attitude is everything” accomplishes little without the key to unlocking the passion that brings about that attitude.

This is where the arts (WNY MMA and otherwise) tell us much about competition because the foundation of the arts is asking the “why.” Finding trust, authenticity, and your true competitive spirit is what the way of the artist is all about.

Nurture Your Instrument

Any performer knows that if his or her instrument isn’t in top condition, then the performance could be compromised. That means cleaning, treating, and maintaining your instrument. A skier sharpens his skis, a musician tunes her instrument, and a singer nurtures her vocal cords. In order to be at one with your instrument - be it your body, a musical instrument, or a presentation piece - you must take care of your instrument the way you would your own child.

For athletes, your instrument in competition is your body. In my kung fu days, we used to have three-hour Saturday classes. One hour was dedicated solely to stretching. That is, one third of the time in class was purely about nurturing our instrument in order to prepare it to optimally perform. Said another way, in order to perform at your peak, constant and thorough maintenance is required.

Where You Prepare Matters

To borrow a line from Christopher Walken on Saturday Night Live, when you rehearse you must “really explore the studio space.” The line is both spot on, as well as hilarious, because that is what we do when we rehearse – we explore the space. We try, we innovate, we fail. Your rehearsal space must allow for creativity, trying new things, and resolving conflict.

For the athlete, this proces starts with locating a space that allows you to do your best preparatory work. In the martial arts, WNY MMA, dojo, or dojan is sacred ground. Many gyms and schools have some sort of ritual upon entering, be it a bow or a momentary pause of respect. The idea is to immediately get your mind right when you show up to rehearse. Stepping into a rehearsal space should be like stepping in to a church or sanctuary. Your sole purpose is to find the present moment in order to listen and grow.

How You Rehearse Is How You Will Perform

There are many old adages to this effect - act as if or practice makes perfect. I recently attended a lecture by a former Navy SEAL who said they even have a saying: when in doubt, rehearse. While there is no substitute for a real competition - the bright lights, the adrenaline, and the live audience - rehearsal is the gateway to that moment.

One of the critical components of rehearsal is the concept of contingency. As an actor, I have practiced scenes by saying my lines backward or as fast as possible. I’ve rehearsed scenes blindfolded and I have done scenes without the lines. The idea is to have a plan for every possible scenario, but to end at the same destination.

I’ve done similar things in sparring in the martial arts. Sparring with only one hand, using only kicks, or throwing only punches. Sparring at WNY MMA might entail taller, heavier, or shorter opponents. The bottom line is that practice is not merely repetition, but preparation for the certainty of uncertainty.

Find Your Feet on the Floor

One of my teachers used to begin every class with this simple instruction: “Feel your feet on the floor.” Inevitably, a new student would roll his eyes as if to say, “What exactly is that supposed to mean?’ Feeling your feet on the floor has to do with being grounded and present, to actually feel your feet against the ground.

Starting at the ground, you can determine things like: What does the ground feel like? What do your feet feel like? Are you heavy or light? The answers to questions like this are a starting checklist to getting present.

Another way to feel your feet on the floor is to “see” your breath. Every breath connects you to your body and the ability to be whole and present. In order for an athlete, artist, or warrior to be at his or her peak, the performance must start with being present and the ability to find the feet on the floor.

Trust and Authenticity Trump All Other Values

Trusting others - teammates, partners, and so forth - is a given when it comes to peak performance. Anyone knows that to forge a successful relationship, trust matters. But what about trusting ourselves?

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Blink, asserted that our intuition is always right. Your intuition knows the correct next step to take, but is often blocked by a desired outcome - to get the job, find love, or win the competition. The key to trusting your intuition is self-awareness.

Bruce Lee, widely considered the greatest martial artist of all time, spoke volumes on the subject of self-awareness. “The possession of anything begins in the mind,” he stated. He also pointed out that the biggest obstacle a person can face in competition is our self.“Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better.”

This is what my teacher was driving at when telling us to find our feet on the floor. To know ourselves, to find that quiet spot in our mind in order to trust the process, and more than anything - to trust ourselves.

WNY MMA & Fitness: Benefits of Boxing and MMA for Women

 What are the benefits of boxing workouts or mixed martial arts training for women; Before I answer this question, I must give full disclosure: I'm a huge fan of mixed martial arts (MMA) and the techniques involved such as striking (kicks, knees, and punches) and grappling (holds, sweeps, and throws). Not only do I incorporate boxing and Jiu-Jitsu into my own weekly training plan, but I also work with MMA fighters on a regular basis at WNY MMA.

That being said, I think that every woman, regardless of age or athletic ability, can benefit tremendously from incorporating some boxing and/or martial arts into her training program. Whether you want to improve overall health and fitness, lose weight (fat), or simply boost your mood, martial arts can help you reach your goals and more. In terms of physical qualities, some of the benefits include:

1. Improved balance and coordination. You'll also be better at quickly shifting your weight and changing directions, a key to excel in sports.

2. Dynamic flexibility of joints, muscles, and ligaments. This not only promotes better posture, making you appear taller and leaner, but it will continue to improve your quality of life as you age, injury free.

3. Power. The two components of power are strength and speed so you'll improve your ability to perform explosive movements like jumping.

The benefits of MMA go beyond physical qualities. This type of training requires deep concentration and the ability to avoid distraction. Plus, it builds incredible confidence. And few (if any) people would disagree, confidence is very sexy!

Ready to Get Started?
If you're new to MMA, it's a good idea to take a few private lessons at WNY MMA & Fitness to learn the basics before joining a group class. But it's perfectly fine to jump right into a class setting if you prefer. WNY MMA offers boxing and kickboxing classes so just inquire at the front desk. Contrary to what you may think, you'll find that the athletes and instructors are extremely respectful of the women who train at their facility and will go to great lengths to make them feel comfortable.

WNY MMA VS Those Other Places

There's nothing like leaving the gym feeling like your entire body is on fire, its a good feeling. I'm not talking about scorching, I was the dummy to put on too much icy-hot and tiger balm. I mean the feeling that every muscle in your body has been thoroughly worked. It's one of the benefits of working out at Western New York MMA & Fitness. If we really took the time to compare your normal boring workout at "insert name here" fitness 180 degree twist, and that of a MMA gym; you would see that a MMA gym is the way to go for your fitness and strength goals.

1. At an mma gym, there aren't many chances to slack off. When you walk through that door, it's business. There is a goal that you want to attain and it requires balls to the wall effort, It's not pretty and there aren't any juice bars. At a fitness center with spa, it's not about the fitness. There is equipment that can be used to attain a fitter you, but with all the amenities available to you, you will forget what you are truly there for. 
2. There is someone in your face pushing you beyond the limits you set for yourself. Take the time to think about your normal fitness center with spa; when is anyone there who's soul purpose is to make you reevaluate your preconceptions of yourself, without having to wave money in his/her face for the daily service. At an mma gym, that is what you have 24/7.
3. You know how at the fitness center, you just go there to run on the treadmill for like 45 minutes; then go home when you feel you've been there long enough, not happening at an mma gym. What you put into your workout when you are at the gym, is exactly what you are getting out. So when you are there not pushing because you don't want to get sweaty or tired, you aren't getting any benefit from it. But the girl next to you who is going for one more rep, She will benefit. So don't sell yourself short. 

There are just some of the many things that you will realize, once you start coming to an mixed martial arts gym. So lets get the introductions out of the way and come on over to WNY MMA & Fitness, You'll be greeted with a smile!

Whats the difference between WNY MMA and those health clubs you like

What's the difference between WNY MMA and those health clubs you like?

The difference is that we are better. Here's the thing, you look at us and see scary looking stuff to the uninitiated; Heavy bags, cages, boxing rings, sledge hammers, kettle bells, tractor tires, etc. But here's the thing, I am going to give you things to think about when you are comparing WNY MMA and Fitness to those other places. See there, they already don't matter. 

I guarantee that more work is getting done here than at a spa!!!

• When you are at a gym, you are there to work: Look, I know the draw that these places have. There's a swimming pool, a sauna, there's a corner that does facials, oh and that juice bar is amazing. But lets stop and really think about what we are trying to get out of our gym time; when you made that new years resolution, did it include sitting around for an hour or so talking to other gym members about how you argued with your husband/boyfriend about painting the main bedroom fuchsia? No it wasn't, it was to get you butt in gear.

you thought I was joking about the conversation about fuchsia?

• Are you at the gym to run countless miles, or are you there to sweat and ache: You get up, go to the gym and run. Sound familiar? it should. That's because, countless people follow that very formula in the hopes of seeing the fabled body changes of legend. Let me guess, you also leave the gym having energy and a smile. If that's what you are looking for after working out everyday then you will be in for a very rude awakening training at WNY MMA and Fitness. Here you will be leaving sore and having aches in places you forgot even existed, and that's a good thing. 

• Working out getting boring, not here: Unless you have a private instructor to help you everyday, you will not be getting your times worth at a health club. There's a lot of stuff to get lost in, especially by yourself. Because of this, you revert back to what you know. There's just something different when someone is right next to you continuously lighting a fire under butt, you work harder than you would have otherwise. That means you will pass those plateaus that everyone else are stuck at. 

• Having other people working hard acts as motivation: Humans are competitive, that's how we survived for this long on this planet. It's hardwired in our brains, and for good reason. When you are doing something alone, you just don't push yourself as hard. Take a class here and have everyone doing the same exercise as you, now you feel like you're competing against these people; you try harder, this is very important. This is where growth comes from, not from just going through the motions. 

So let me stop being wordy here and just spell it out for you. If you really want to work, then come to WNY MMA and Fitness. Its plain and simple; if you want to chit chat and have a facial, then go to a health club. 

Easy does it

   If you are in the world on Women's fitness in Buffalo, NY you know that around this time of year you may get a little carried away with your diet. I tend to find my self saying "No big deal, the new year if coming, I will just take if off then" I am here to tell you that this is a very, very bad idea!
   A resolution is only made to use as a "show and tell" "look at me" device that is quickly broken as soon as the novelty runs out. This is an opportunity to prove to your self that you want a different life style. Fight urges to slam down a second piece of pie. Stay away from the damn cookie platter and for gods sake you do not need another drink! Take a stand and get it together Women!
   Of course a bit of this is exaggerated. Be relaxed this holiday season and DO have a piece of pie. Know your limits and play with in it (hahahaha). Know that the stress of the holiday is a larger culprit to weight gain then the actual crap you plan to ingest. Play it cool folks!