5 Reasons Martial Arts Beats the Gym For Fitness

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Category : Fitness★Martial Arts

It is a common occurrence for people to attend the gym with the sole purpose of weight training. Not only will they be able to do so in order to tone their muscles but to stay fit and attain the ideal weight. One thing you need to note is that attending the gym is not bad. But there is a much better option that eliminates the need of lifting heavy weights – martial art.

Martial art has been found to impart benefits to the mind and body. Not only are people able to gain self discipline and learn self protection but they get to improve their stamina too. It is very common to find people signing up for gym workouts only to decline attending the sessions. While this may be attributed partly to one being busy, it may also be attributed to lack of satisfaction among people.

Here are 5 ways martial arts is way better for fitness than gym workouts.

Total body workout

When you attend the gym, you will be met by different machines and weights. You will find kettle bells, treadmills and barbells among others. In order to attain fitness, users will be given a 3 day, 4 day, 5 day or 6 day workout plan. For example, on Monday one will be required to concentrate on the chest, biceps, back and shoulder muscles. On Tuesday, one will be advised to concentrate on the triceps, quads, hamstring and glutes. On Wednesday, one will be asked to repeat Monday’s routine as well as incorporate cardio workout for 10 minutes. Basically what you will be doing is interchanging between lower body workout, upper body workout and core muscles.

In martial arts, you don’t have to create such a workout. From the first day, you will learn basic movements and commands. For example, before starting any session, you will bow. This is the same when combating an opponent in the dojo. Unlike in the gym where you only concentrate on a particular part of your body on a single day, martial arts allows you to use full range of motion each day.

Thanks to sparring in martial arts sessions, not only will you learn how to defend or combat an opponent but you will become fit. As a result, martial arts offers total body workout.

Mental gain

If you have attended the gym, you will notice that many people spend much of the session talking. On other occasions, they will spend more time trying to check out female gym attendees as they workout. Apart from that, majority of weight lifters at the gym spend so much time flexing in front of the mirror. They will lift barbells or bench press for a few minutes before spending more time flexing in front of the mirror. If you were to calculate the amount of time wasted talking and flexing, you will realize that gym workouts are less beneficial especially for people who are focused in life.

When you turn to martial arts, the opposite happens. You will find attendees learning new movements as instructed by the master. Furthermore, non will be talking during the session, flexing in front of a mirror or have friends take selfies. There are strict rules that govern the dojo unlike in the gym. In the dojo, participants follow every single command issued by the master. They follow the teachings provided which mean they have no time to chat or flex. As a result, martial art is the best workout for anyone who wants to become fit and eliminate chances of wasting time.

Improves your emotional health

At the gym, it’s quite easy to call it quits. Why? You started the session on a high note but as time goes by; your muscles are used to the weights and movements. As a result, your body is not experiencing the tremendous growth you anticipated. So what happens? You hit the plateau stage of physical limitations finally resulting in you quitting. On the other hand, many people end up injecting steroids in order to improve their momentum and attain the muscle mass they have been craving for.

In martial arts, you can forget about hitting the plateau stage when it comes to learning. Each day, you will learn something new. This will go a long way in improving self discipline, your strength, muscles, knowledge of techniques as well as skills. Martial art gives you a chance of becoming better every day. Thanks to the belt system, you are able to move up according to your accomplishments. Furthermore, you will learn how to manage your emotions as well as keeping them under check. This will help to calm your mind and strengthen your spirit.

Encourages you to lead a healthy lifestyle

Gym attendees are encouraged to consume healthy foods where protein takes a large percentage. This is because protein is a muscle building nutrient. During the first months, it is common to find people consuming 6 meals in a day. The goal is simple – to provide the body with the much needed nutrition. As a result, one’s metabolism is heightened leading to fat burning and weight loss. Problem is healthy foods cannot provide fast muscle growth which is what gym participants expect. This results in them using steroids.

When it comes to martial arts, participants don’t need muscle growth shakes or foods in large quantities. Why? Martial art helps to make the muscles fit naturally. Furthermore, the different movements results in the burning of calories which promotes fat burning and weight loss. As a result, one’s natural eating habits are regulated much better thus eliminating food cravings. This results in one consuming a balanced meal each day.

Social gain

While gyms advertise that there are trainers available, you will find out that this is not true to some extent. Yes, there are gym trainers present but the problem is there are several attendees who need help. These strains the time gym trainers allocate each participant which ultimately results in poor learning. On the other hand, gym attendees are required to perform the same movements’ day in, day out. Within a short time, one will run out of motivation. Furthermore, their focus will also waver.

Martial art is totally different. Instead of having several trainers, only one trainer is required. He or she imparts training to all attendees from one point. This ensures that students are able to learn every movement. Furthermore, one is allowed plenty of time to practice. In a martial arts dojo, you will feel that you belong to a community. You will get to make new friends and form a stronger bond that will extend even outside the dojo. When you meet on the streets, you will recognize each other as companions and not competitors.

Final Thoughts

Martial art has so many advantages over gyms. For starters, martial art offers a safer environment unlike in the gym where you are required to lift heavy weights. The chances of you getting injured are too high. In martial arts, competition is healthy while in the gym, everyone wants to outdo each other especially when it comes to how much one can lift or their muscular size.

That is not all:

Martial art sparring is dynamic since it’s done under the watchful eye of the master. This lessens the chances of injury.

Bottom line:

Martial art is better than a gym workout.

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