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!

So .. an update. I bought some cool new running shoes with minimal cushioning and a flat heel. http://www.mizuno.com.au/running/products/wave-musha-5-w So lightweight and comfy.. and encourage a midfoot landing. I'm in love with them. I'm also sucking it up and starting a couch to 10k program. I'm not going to cheat and I'll do all the weeks, even though it feels easy at the moment. Wish me luck, I'll report back.

I've just looked up the NF running guide. Makes sense. Although it's hard work, I actually prefer the thought of running barefoot in hard sand (I live by the beach :-) )than in my squashy trainers. I might get me some new shoes.

Depends what sort of boxing you want to learn. Amateur boxing is a different beast to professional boxing. It will take you a good while to work up to full contact sparring. (I would suggest at least a year) As you're sparring with your gym-mates, you don't really want to smash their nose in. You will wear a mouthguard, head protection and spar with 16oz gloves. There isn't actually a lot of room left to hit you clean in the face. Getting a hit around the head, even with all the protection does smart and can leave you a pretty dizzy, but you quickly learn. With amateur rules, there isn't really much of an advantage in hitting someone really, really hard. It about skill, speed and tactics. I wouldn't recommend trying pro, unless you don't have a day job and want to go pro! You will get smashed in the face.

Hey Team, I've a question that's been bugging me most of my adult life. I'm pretty fit and active. 5 rounds of boxing, no problem. 40 minute basketball game, bring it on. 60 min hardcore spin class, I'm smashing it. But when I try to run or jog, I try my best to go reeeealy slow and steady but within a couple of minutes my heart rate has shot up to the 170/180s.. I feel like I have no energy. It's a slog. A couple of years ago, I trained for a 10km run. I was running up to 8kms in training. It didn't feel good. I would love to be able to get a good workout out of a 5k run. It's cheap, convenient and a great way to get outdoors. But I find it so discouraging, it's not like I'm not fit! I have a couple of theories.. 1. I'm fit for intervals, not for endurance. 2. My running style is not good for longer distances. (I did a some sprinting at school, I tend to run on my toes.) 3. Bad biomechanics. I know I have lazy glutes and tight hip flexors. 4. I just need to suck it up and run. (Although I tried this, it didn't really get any easier) Any thoughts? (Me - 34, female, 175cms, 70kg, heavy weights x 2 per week, boxing/spin x 3, low GI diet, insulin resistant. I want to replace the gym classes with running)

Hey all. I usually do pretty well on a paleo-ish diet for most of my meals. Eggs and veggies for breakie, meat and veggies for lunch and dinner. Nuts and fruit as snacks. But I still really struggle mid afternoon. I just get kinda snacky. I'm not exactly hungry, I have an office job so it's a bit of boredom plus a bit of an energy low. Chocolate is always close to hand in the office unfortunately. I'm trying to loose maybe 4lbs and I'm pretty active. I swim/paddle/lift most days. Oh, and I have a sweet tooth.. Any ideas? I think i'd have a sugar problem if i ate much more fruit. I used to have yoghurt but now I'm avoiding dairy. What's you're favourite snack?

I've tweaked a muscle in my groin doing sand sprints, just as I was really enjoying my beach training. I think I'm going to have to take half a week off. Grrr

Hmm, honey is just mostly sugar and will make your blood sugar peak and crash just the same, which is what the paleo diet is trying to avoid. It's hard but if you force yourself to go cold turkey on all sweet tastes (non cal sweetner included) your taste buds do change. But still, good luck, small changes are great and paleo has really worked for me.

Good luck deansy! I'm oz too but originally from the I'm from the uk. We are very lucky here that we have amazing seasonal fruit and veg. You can down load the paleo solution podcasts, they're pretty entertaining. Can you fit a work out into your lung break?

When I squat in my running shoes they are too squashy and offer no lateral support. My feet can start to roll over and it puts extra pressure on my knees. Sometime I squat in my socks. I think I'm going to start wearing the wrestling shoes I got for boxing. They feel like awesome, supportive socks with grips. They are quite cheap in the U.S. Cons fit me really badly.

Sunscreen Sleep Massages