Beginner at Muay Thai any advice would be great!!

[TONGPO]

I work away a lot too mate. I tend to do bodyweight excercises

A typical example

25 press ups
25 lunges
50 sit ups
25 hindu press ups
50 leg raises
50 squats
50 back arm press
25 jump ups

if you go thru straight without stoppin it gives ya both a good muscle and cardio workout, maybe 3 sets like that
If there's a tree about (i'm mostly in a caravan) ill do some chin ups

bit of stretchin


You can always run,thats never wasted.

[HuSanYan]

If there's a tree about (i'm mostly in a caravan)

prime category A candidate for guesting on the Jerry Springer show

[TONGPO]

I may be trailer park, but ah shuwer aint trash


Its a works caravan, Im not pure pikey

[HuSanYan]

tongpong, i understand, it's a clear cut case of you wanting to be a tough outdoor guy like Grizzly Adams, but, in your case, to be outside closer to the pigeons

[TONGPO]

I'm never far from pigeons. I think its the feed stuck in me hair


Actually I'm like a northern version of one punch Mickey from Snatch.

[Infinite1]

Man you guys are brutal....hahahahah

[HuSanYan]

tong, seriously top film that snatch, also lock stock, both very good

[HtTKar]

Pistols work really well, and when starting most people are unable to do even 1 on each leg.

I do 5 pistols with each leg as often as possible throughout the day. Only takes a couple seconds, and I havent got caught doing them either.

[Infinite1]

Pistols? I'm not sure i understand? Please Explain...Thanks!!!

[HtTKar]

Unilateral Hack squats (didn't know the technical term until now.)

http://www.dolfzine.com/page427.htm

You don't need weights at first. In fact their nearly impossible without weights when you first begin. It's about the form. If you cant do a full pistol, start by doing half of one using a chair or bench. As you get stronger you can go lower and lower.

Think of the russian dance, only much slower.

Like one-armed pushups/pullups, they build strength very quickly, you cant do enough to injure yourself. and also increase balance/coordination.

[Infinite1]

Thanks HT!! You're right the are damn near impossible when you start out! This is a humbling experience! I always thought my legs were strong b/c i could squat about 180-230lbs. Now i know how weak i really am!!!

[HuSanYan]

ht, the problem with hack squats is that they can be a great strain on the knees, whats the matter with normal back squats?, aka. the king of exersises.
Plus when doing hack squats the natural curvature of the spine is out of sinc, my advice is stick to regular squats or leg presses.

[sanjiyan99]

If someone has not mentioned it already, nothing beats good old fashioned calisthenics (pushups, situps, pull-ups, etc). They are simple in movement, but alot more difficult than it may seem. But it is convenient, since you use your own body weight and therefore, can carry your "gym" with you wherever you go at all times. Mastering your own body weight will grant you many benefits in fighting due to developed "functional" strength.

[HtTKar]

HuSanYan
sanjiyan99 answered your question for me. Regular squats, pushup, situps, and pullups work fine, but you could do hundreds of them and still not be finished. Using only 1 hand or 1 leg is an intense workout. You can never do enough to damage yourself, and you get the maximum benefits with minimal work.

Infinite1 is a consultant, so I figured that most of the excercises he would want would be excercises that only take a couple minutes at most; something that he could do when noone is looking, and then continue with his day. One-legged hack squats are a perfect excercise for people on the go, and they provide many strength-training benefits.

I might be wrong here, but I do not feel that they put too much stress on the knees. Your muscles are doing all the work, you can feel it. You run the risk of damaging yourself when you do not take time to do perfect form. So at first you should use a chair/bench/stool to make sure that your form is perfect. Then as you get better you can extend your other leg straight out and begin going all the way to the ground.
This takes time and should not be rushed, as are all things that work.

[HuSanYan]

ht & all, I understand what you are saying, I guess I am coming from a bodyBuilding point of view, ie. lifting heavy with major weights, in which case I am right about the hacks being bad on the knees, any serious lifter will tell you that, but, however, when just doing the excercise without weight or only light weights, the knees should be fine.
fwiw, I lift heavyish (around 140kg, 5 sets of 6 - 8 reps) and have no problem with knees, so I must be doing it right, I only do normal back squats and leg presses and personally avoid Hack Squats.