sydneyanaconda

Are you breathing properly? Sometimes, under the stress of sparring people start holding their breath or breathing too shallow. Maybe try to slow down and relax, get your sparring partner to do this too, just for a couple of rounds /sessions. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi y'all. I'm returning, intermediate boxer / Thai boxer and I've found a really handy gym right next to my office. The trainers and the timetable are really great and fits into my work and commute. The only trouble is, there is a lack of other intermediate women. Don't get me wrong, I like partnering up with someone I can give a few pointers to every know and again. But I've just realised, in the past 8 or so sessions, I haven't really got a sweat on improved my skills. Generally the other girls are still learning pads/footwork and don't train all that intensely. In a class of 8 to 10, there will be a bunch of guys and one or two other girls. There are a couple of guys who are pretty experienced and don't mind training with me. (I'm a tall, big female, so there's not a huge mismatch). A fair few of the guys really freak out at training with a girl. All the girls are really nice, and gravitate towards other girls when pairing up for pads or drills. I'm going to talk to a trainer this week and ask for some advice. Maybe they can help with pairings or just mixing the classes up a bit. But I guess I just wanted to have a bit of a whinge and see if any one out there can sympathise. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Barton. A couple of bits of info you missed out are crucial... How tall are you? I'm assuming you're a dude.. I'd say macros are pretty important. My fitness pal sets you at pretty high carbs unless you intervene. You'll perform better and feel more sane on 1600cal of good meats, veggies and a few carbs rather than 1600cal of cornflakes and diet soda. Watching your carbs is particularly important if you think you might have metabolic issues. Also... Watch the tiny cheat... A beer, and apple, a bite of something soon add up. Track them all on mfp and see the difference. Otherwise, sounds like you have a solid plan. Just keep plugging away...

Lost 2kg, lost cms (4) from waist, thigh measurements have stayed the same but I definitely feel like I've added muscle / changed shape. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi team, I'm a 35 yo female who's started doing some more serious weights at a cross fit gym. The coach has been encouraging me to go full depth, which has really helped activate my glutes, which is great. However, since training like this, it really seems to have bulked up my inner thighs and I'm getting some uncomfortable chaffing. (It's Sydney, it's hot and sticky) I have a feeling it's partly due to the wider stance and toes turning slightly out. Can anyone point me to a guide to squat stance and which muscles they target? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is truly awesome. OH squats are really technical. I had to do a workout (10x oh squat) with the small 10kg bar on Monday. I felt so puny! Keep at it!

Paleo is not necessarily low carb. Sweet potatoes, fruit, squashes , everyone agrees are great. People argue about white rice but it doesn't bother my digestion at all, so I'll eat it if I've been working out hard. I've never been bothered by white potatoes either, so I'd pick them over bread. Bread, pasta, dumplings and anything wheaty make me feel crappy so I avoid. I'm a cross fitter, not a runner, but I consciously eat more good carbs on big training days.

Hey all! I'm trying a moderately strict paleo diet. I guess it would be about 3 weeks now. Loosing the grains really seems to have helped my digestion and I now prefer my coffee black! I have one little sticking point. The mid afternoon energy slump. I have an office job and I just seem to get low energy, snacky or bored at around 3 or 4 pm. I'm craving a carb boost. I feel much better after a chocolate bar :-( I'm female, crossfit three times a week after work, lots of walking on other days. Trying to loose a couple of kilos of fat. I've been diagnosed at insulin resistance but I've got a much better handle on it after changing my diet. Diet. Breakfast is generally eggs and veggies and black coffee Lunch: dinner leftovers, casserole and veggies, or tuna and avocado salad. I might snack on nuts. I guess my initial thoughts are that it's possibly: me getting used to a lower carb diet. Not eating enough healthy fats Not eating enough calories total (I probably average 1500 to 2000) It's just a habit that I need to kick and it will get easier... Any thoughts or tips on how to get over the mid afternoon hump?

Looking great!

That's wonderful, wide eyes. I look forward to hearing about more improvements.

After a lazy 6 months, I started up at my crossfit gym about a month ago. I've been struggling a little with the below parallel squats and feeling like a bit of a newbie. But we did 1 rep max dead lifts today. The awesome coach talked me up to 90kgs... 90kgs! (75kg, 5'9 chick) How good is that feeling when you make it, and just drop that weight on the floor?!

Hi courtnie Marie! Well done on the weight loss so far, it's an amazing achievement. It's my first challenge too, good luck! With the after dinner snacking, could you try brushing your teeth/mouthwash straight after dinner? It kinda signals you are done eating for the day and makes snacking less appealing....

Over the past year, I've let things slip due to a bad work situation and a good love-life situation. I've found an awesome, local Muay Thai gym and its time to get my fight back. So goal 1. Is to go to MT classes at least twice a week so I get my skillz back for some very light sparring drills at the end if the challenge Goal 2. I've been doing a running plan at lunch times around the amazing parks and harbour of Sydney. I'll be running 3x30 mins a week to do a sub-30 5k by the end of the challenge. Yeah!

I've done lots boxing and Muay Thai training. They are generally male-centric classes and the fast push ups are a warm up for the fit guys. Even though I'm pretty strong, say 15 full push ups is a strength major work out for me not a warm up. So, save your good, controlled push ups for days you are strength training. In class, fake it or do what you need to do for it to be a warm up rather than killing you before you've even got into the fun stuff. Push ups on knees,don't go full depth etc. I bet if you look around, half the guys are doing crappy push ups to.

Congratulations on getting into Muay Thai! I've just been back to my first training session in years. *love* I think you're going to have to listen to your body on this one, it depends how hard the training is relative to your strength and fitness. If the Muay Thai class leaves gives you with muscle soreness the next day, don't do a bodyweight circuit/weights. Leave it a day for your muscles to recover. And vice-versa, is the squats leave you feeling a bit sore (DOMS) and tight, make sure you have a day to rest before you go to class, you need to feel like you can move easily for an MT class. But fitness work, like skipping, is definitely OK the next day, in fact it will help you work out the muscle stiffness Once you get a bit more conditioned, the classes will feel like interval training more than strength work. Then I'd do a MT class one day, weights the next , then rest a day. Repeat. Or ask your teacher for advice, they generally love keen newbies!