MT updates
Had a great Muay Thai session last night. Yes, I’m practicing 3x a week now. As for the rest of my weekly training regimen, I’ve completely dropped lifting altogether and instead am concentrating on endurance. I run twice a week, and that seems to be enough to elicit progress every week, stamina-wise. I’m now able to box six whole minutes or more non-stop — that would be two rounds already in a standard Muay Thai bout. However, I still get a bit winded when I need to throw combos with kicks and/or knees included — my general stamina’s still improving, but I want to be able to last at least nine minutes non-stop without getting too tired. Hopefully I can get to that point within the next couple of weeks.
I also brought my two 5-pound Everlast ankle weights to the gym last night. Everybody — and I mean everybody! the Yaw Yan guys and the boxing guys, and whoever else was there — started gawking at them when I put them on and started doing kicks. Putting on ankle weights is a bit controversial — some experts like Martina Sprague don’t recommend it — but I’m inclined to agree with most instructors that doing this will make your kicks stronger and faster. The direction of the resistance is opposite enough from the direction of a kick, such that the right muscles will be strengthened by the practice. Unlike if you strap on weights on your wrists, you don’t really lift your arms upwards at all when you punch, and instead thrust them forward, and therefore, the wrong muscles will be stressed by the weights and your punching power won’t increase. Anyway, everybody at the gym seemed to like my ankle weights, almost to the point of drooling over them. Heh.
Speaking of ankle weights, I’m thinking of adding them to my regular weekly training program. Instead of doing regular lifts, I’ll just do an all-kicking program at home, with those little 5-lb monsters strapped to my ankles. The only problem now is time — what day do I put it? I go MT practice every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Fridays and Mondays, I’d be too wiped out from the previous night’s session that I won’t be able to get up early enough to do any kind of exercise. And I run Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So where does that leave me? Maybe I’ll just do that kicking workout Saturday and Sunday morning? Ah, whatever, I’ll figure something out….
Oh, and as for diet… The Yaw Yan guys, my instructor, the boxing instructors, the gym owner — all of them recommended I go on a corn diet. They say it helps with making the body hard and strong. I’m sure they meant it has enough carbohydrates to fuel the body through a prolonged period of fighting, such as in x-number of 3- or 5-minute rounds. Actually, corn kind of works for me. At least I can stay vegetarian — I was afraid they’d recommend meat or fish or something!
If you’re wondering why all this fuss over Muay Thai — the short answer is: it feels liberating. To be weak all your life, then to suddenly feel strong, and fast, and… well, I’m not saying I’m stronger or faster than everbody else; only stronger and faster than I was before. Its intoxicating. The long answer, however… is something I’ll blog about some other time. 
