First off I did look around the forums to see if there were any sticky threads that already answered my question. If I missed them I apologize. But my first question is in regards to my foot. The top of my left foot specifically. I try my best to kick with the shin on my feet when doing round kicks (and I'm getting pretty decent) but I started sporting some bruising on the top of the foot a few weeks ago. At first I wasn't too concerned and figured it would heal pretty quickly. However it hasn't gone away in a few weeks. I figured (and this may be REALLY stupid) that I would just ignore it and kick away. Now I'm trying even harder to just use the shin but occasionally I'm still hitting the top of my foot w/ round kicks and its hurting like hell. Should I just grit my teeth and bare it or should I just lay off. It may be a dumb question to some but theres a lot of bad information out there and I just want to see if I continued use of it will build up the legs tolerance (to bruising specifically). My second question is in regards to upper body strength. Right now I'm only doing non-contact training (heavy bag, cardio), but recently I've been struggling with drills I've had very little trouble with. Constant punching with 5lbs wieghts I can't keep my hands up as long as I used to. Hell basic drills on the heavy bags make me have to rest my hands for a bit. I try to keep plenty of protein in my diet but It seems like my muscles aren't recovering fast enough. I normally only go 2-3 times a week (I'm not a fighter, just go to keep in shape) and I have a day in between every class. Any tips regarding that issue?
If the foot hurts then stop training on it especially with the kicks. You will just accrue more damage. The conditioning you are talking about will come with time and the idea is not to completely screw stuff up first. Take it to the pain level and then rest. After you will be fractionally tougher. To have shins like steel will take almost a decade. To have very tough ones will take a few years. Do not rush it. As for the upper body start doing some weights. I am not a great fan of weights but there is little better for intially gaining strength. Using the wrist weights will make you more tired. To get the most from the training you actually have to go less. 2 - 3 days rest inbetween will help your body recover and grant it more time to grow the necessary muscle. Do not get tempted by steroids for the love of god. Nothing but bad.
My schedule at work severly limits the times I can go to my gym. I currently go at night Tues, Thurs, and Sat. Should I do weights on Sat then let myself heal till my Tues class?
You want to work on your technique so you're kicking WITH your shin. (obv we all make mistakes) but often it's beacuse people think of the kick with their foot rather than the shin, and dont step enough - you hav to step in qutie deep sometimes to make contact with the shin... With your foot tho, if it's damaged and you keep putting force on it, you won't be doing yourself any favours. All I'm guna say about punchign with weights is you shouldn't do it. What drills are you diong that you're having trouble with. How long have you been going? Working the heavybag is a HUGE strain on your wrists / hands / etc so you might just need some time to get used to it. Dyou wrap them properly etc as well?
To me Tues/Thurs/Sat doesn't seem like too much. Are you doing any other type of training in between? i.e. weights or other sports on the non-kickboxing days? Are you getting enough sleep? In regards to your foot, I second the opinion to stop training kicks on that side. It's never going to heal if you keep hitting it every class.
We do shadow-boxing type punches with weights for like 3-5 minutes of constant punches. To make it easier to keep our hands up at all times. I.E. not on the bags. I've been going for 2 years with a 6 month hiatus in between due to a back injury. Its been about a year straight for now. I honestly have no idea if I'm wrapping my wrists correctly but the pain is in my shoulders not in my wrists. No other training in between. I normally get 6 hours of sleep or more. I'll try to stick w/ my right foot for now.
shoulder pain? Where more specifically. Did you mention that before and I just failed reading class? lol. Anywayyyyyyyys. Get to the doctor matey. And again, dont punch with weights in your hands. You should be used to holding your hands up from all the technique / sparring / heavy bag work you do. If that isn't enough work for them to stay in a good guard, train more. Or train with your hands higher than the guard should be, that way you can lower them slightly when you actually train and it'll feel a lot easier. I'd suggest eating well, relaxing, and getting more than 6 hours sleep, and also going to a doctor, as a starting point.
I'm sorry I explained it poorly. Its the soreness you get after you do a hard workout. Its in my shoulder muscles that lift my hands over my shoulder/head. Its just normal workout pain. My concern is that my muscles are getting sore too soon sometimes. Normally I'll go a whole week and not be sore at all. But lately I start to feel like I'm in my first class again. Mid-way through class I'll just struggle with basic boxing drills on the heavybag. I just think maybe my diets wrong or something. And we don't often do drills with wieghts. Sometimes we go weeks without doing it. Normally I can go the whole 3-5 mins but last night I kept having to let my hands rest and thats not normal for me. I guess I'm just trying to say my shoulders are getting gassed way too soon.
Do you drink at all? Drinking will waste your muscles away, and wear out your energy. What you can do to act against this, if you drink a lot, is the morning you get up from drinking the night before, start doing push-ups, leg lifts, and/or crunches. This will keep your muscles tightened and not loose, which what beer makes them do.
During the week I dont' drink but Friday and Saturday I might go out. I went out last... Saturday but would that affect me throughout the week?
If you moderate your drinking. If it's a lot, then it might. If you drink a little bit or whatever, probably not. In my opinion it's every time I drink the morning before I go out and PT, but I PT every morning anyways. You could try it out, it might not do anything to you. (The drinking I mean)
Definitely no weights when punching. It's just not necessary. Proper technique is. Get more sleep. 7+ hours. You can never go wrong with a solid 8. Drink lots of water. For me, I take several supplements, but the ones I'd recommend for you are creatine pre- and post- workout, MuscleMilk (done great for me) post-workout and before bed, and Glucosamine once daily. The first two help maintain and restore muscles while the third is for joints. Eat a balanced diet, of course. When you hurt, rest! It's what your body's asking for. I'm not talking about post-workout muscle fatigue. I'm talking sharp pains (including your foot). Take a week off, recover, then go back to it. If you still have problems, rest longer. If it doesn't improve at all, you'll need to see a doctor.
