Mixed Martial Arts and Over Training
“Are you ready? Are you ready? Lets get it on! “ These are the words by Bruce Buffer in the matches of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The UFC has been the leader in mixed martial arts (MMA) sports events which features the world’s finest fighters using their own styles. Viewers of these events satisfy themselves as they they watch fighters of different martial arts disciplines slug it out with each other. We see a variety of punches, kicks, and take downs during a fight. These fights feature disciplines like Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, Boxing and Wrestling. There is a tremendous amount of training involved in these matches.
In the early days of UFC, there were limited rules and it was considered as no holds barred fighting. There were no rounds or scoring in went on until one man was left standing or actually tapping. Most of its matches were considered violent and brutal and were not accepted in national television. The organization was forced by its opponents to go underground because of accusations of brutality and violence. Today, UFC has reformed its rules, having stricter rules, and is sanctioned by athletic commissions. The organization is currently enjoying popularity worldwide along with high demands for media coverage. The advent of UFC paved way for the birth of other Mixed Martial Art organizations like Pride Fighting Championships (PFC) and International Fight League (IFL), and they paved the way for Strikeforce, WEC and now Bellator.
MMA is here and it is here to stay. With the rise of Mixed Martial Arts a lot of people have been going “crazy” over it. Wanting to be a part of this sports industry. Before it was Ali, Jordan, now people have been raving about Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, and other mixed martial artists. People nowadays want to be fighters, training to get into their fighting form. MMA gyms are popping up everywhere. Many athletes involved in this craft have been involved in serious, rigid training trying hard to reach the peak of their fighting forms. A lot of them are over-training on purpose—training till they’re drained and burned out. They use up all their body’s reserved energy and train more. Some believe that extra training will be beneficial for their body and for a fight. If you watched episode 6 of Bellator’s Fight Masters a couple of years backyou saw Joe “Diesel” Riggs drop over 20 pounds in a week to meet weight. Now the UFC and certain fight camps are hiring full time nutritionists for the fighters.
Over-training according to specialists takes place when an individual spends too much time training and not enough time resting and eating the right food to rebuild muscle tissues and other components during exercise. There is a difference between “good” soreness and fatigue. Although some kinds of discomfort may mean injury, others are just signals which means that one’s muscles are growing stronger and fitter. Individuals are advised to give their body time to heal rather than using muscle relaxants.
Specialists claim that the resting period is as important as the training period. The human body needs to rest and recuperate after training. Other factors that may lead to over-training are too much training, frequent competition, and heavy travel schedule. Over-training according health experts may lead to delayed progress, injuries, and other illness. That is the reason while some boxers or mixed martial artists break down with injuries and other illness before competition. People who over-train may also experience depression, loss of appetite, weight loss, muscle soreness, and insomnia.
Over-training may lead to injuries and in the long run may lead to the development of arthritis due to wear and tear of the muscles, joints, and other body parts. Though there are many anti-inflammatory drugs out in the market that are able to give arthritis pain relief , proper training, exercise, food intake may slow down or prevent the development of arthritis.
Exercising is necessary for a healthy lifestyle. Health experts believe that too much of a good thing may do more harm than good. The point here is rest a good nights sleep and a healthy diet will help you from over-training issues. The keyword is REST, giving your body a chance to heal and recuperate is number one. Always listen to your body, in MMA you must be in top physical condition to succeed and to get there you can not over train to the point of risking injury.