# New here, let me introduce myself...



## Rybot (Oct 30, 2006)

Hi all,

I've lurked these forums for the past few days and found all the information very helpful and inspiring. I have been searching for an outlet for myself for quite some time, and I think muay thai is that outlet.

I found a club near where I live and it seems quite nice. I am planning to attend some classes in January when other areas in my life quiet down. Until then I've set myself some goals at the gym, like improving my cardio, strengthening my legs (and my overall muscle strength), and improving my flexibility. I think i've got a good base, I'm about 5'8 and 152 lbs. and I've been weight training for a while.

I felt like I had no goal, just drifting and training for no particular reason... I would like to eventually compete in muay thai. Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself, perhaps not. 

(I bet that since I've gone and written this, I'll end up checking out that gym in the very near future...) 

Anyway, cheers all, hope to learn from you all, and hopefully give something back when my time comes!


Ryan


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## dubljay (Oct 30, 2006)

Welcome to MT.  This is a great community, one that I'm proud to be a member of.  Congratulations on the start of your MA journey.  Again Welcome to MT, make good use of this resource, post often.


-Josh


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## bushidomartialarts (Oct 30, 2006)

welcome to mt and the arts


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## Rybot (Oct 30, 2006)

Thanks everyone! Maybe I should ask you a question then:

The reason I delay checking out the class is a fear that I'm not in shape to begin. To be quite frank my cardio is terrible, and i'm very inflexible. Should I just go and see how it goes?

Thanks!


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## dubljay (Oct 30, 2006)

Rybot said:


> Thanks everyone! Maybe I should ask you a question then:
> 
> The reason I delay checking out the class is a fear that I'm not in shape to begin. To be quite frank my cardio is terrible, and i'm very inflexible. Should I just go and see how it goes?
> 
> Thanks!




I would.  Mainly because I'm the type that if I put something off I'll never get around to it.  That and the conditioning of Muay Thai will get you into shape very quickly.  Just as a caution though dont push yourself too far and injuire yourself.  That and attending classes with quickly show what needs to be worked in the highest priority, whether its cardio, abs, ect.  

So my advice is jump in there and have at it.  Just pay attention to your body, if it hurts tone it down some.


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## Kacey (Oct 30, 2006)

Welcome, and happy posting!  :wavey:

I would suggest that you go ahead and start.  People who wait until they get in shape to start an activity frequently don't start.  If you want to compete in muay thai, then the best way to get in shape for that is to train in muay thai.  If there are other commitments in your life (work, family, etc.) that will keep you from training at a reasonable level (at least 2-3 classes/week, plus outside practice) then you might want to wait until those clear; that's a call only you can make.  Enjoy!


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## Rybot (Oct 30, 2006)

Ahh.. Nice. Thanks folks. I will check it out next week. I'll contact the club and ask if I can sit in on a lesson before I decide to join.

I'm super stoked my friends, you're right, the best time to start is now!

cheers!


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## dubljay (Oct 30, 2006)

Rybot said:


> Ahh.. Nice. Thanks folks. I will check it out next week. I'll contact the club and ask if I can sit in on a lesson before I decide to join.
> 
> I'm super stoked my friends, you're right, the best time to start is now!
> 
> cheers!




Awesome!  It's a good idea to sit in and see before comitting.  Congrats on your start on you MA journey.  Best of luck in your training.


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## Drac (Oct 30, 2006)

Greetings and Welcome to MT...


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## thaistyle (Oct 31, 2006)

Welcome.  You'll find much info and a bunch of good people in the martial arts community here to help.  Enjoy!  I was in the military when I started muay thai and I thought I was in shape.  That first class about killed me.  That's all I needed to get hooked on it.


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## Rybot (Nov 1, 2006)

Haha, yeah... I imagine I'll  be pretty gassed once I do the first class. I contacted the Kru and I'll be sitting in /joining a class to check it out next week. Has anyone ever heard of Kru Steve Witter or his gym "TKO Fighting Arts"? It's in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

Cheers


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## SFC JeffJ (Nov 1, 2006)

Welcome and enjoy!

Jeff


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## xjrrrdx (Nov 1, 2006)

I think thats the fun of it...the getting gassed your first week or so. First day we did the intro class which was just me and learning punches and how to properly stand and move. I thought man this is easy, next came the class which is a lot of technique but at a super high rate and then the 15mins of just conditioning. Almost puked, and I thought my heart was gonna explode, 6 weeks later I am in a little better shape and that keeps me going plus its just plain fun to do lol.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Nov 1, 2006)

Welcome to MartialTalk!


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## wee_blondie (Nov 11, 2006)

Hello! And welcome to the MT section of MT.....oh, my coffee's MT too now.....

If you can ignore the poor jokes, you'll find a lot of useful stuff here.  Good luck with your training, be careful though - its addictive!!!

See ya around,
H


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## bitesizemidgee (Dec 11, 2006)

I wasn't in the greatest of shape when I started three months ago, I was twenty pounds overweight, and couldn't run more than a few blocks without having to stop and catch my breath. Since then I've seen a remarkable improvement, the first few classes I was so gassed out after the hour was over, and had no hope of staying after class to spar w. the instructor and the others who take it more seriously. After getting into the routine however, I am able to go as many rounds w. the boys as they're willing, and although the class itself is an amazing workout of which is uncomparable, it has inspired me to commit to something and work out regularily outside of class as well to train for competition. In short, just going instead of worrying about getting in shape and then going was the best chopice i could make. Its like the age old gym attitude people who don't go often have, where they don't want to go and let the others see how much they struggle in the beginning, but if you don't go you'll never start. Good luck to you and any others who have the guts to, in the famous words of Nike Inc., "just do it."


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## exile (Dec 11, 2006)

Greetings, Rybot, welcome to MT---good to have you with us! One thing I'd suggest _strongly_: get a cardio checkup from your MD before taking on full MA training. Martial arts put intermittant severe stress on your heart and lungs: you get major spikes in demands on your cardiorespiratory systems, and that can get pretty serious fast if there's something going on internally that's not quite right---something that might well not have any external symptoms, eh? A stress EKG is the usual `green light' medical. It's a smart thing to do---you'll find that once you start training seriously, you're going to feel pretty blitzed at the end of a typical training session, no matter _how_ healthy you are. Good luck on your plans to get into a program you're happy with!


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