Des Moines MMA Striking Blog -Foot Work

Foot Work is Fighting

Footwork can beat any attack, and a properly maintained distance will baffle any skilled opponent – Bruce Lee

Check out this Clip of the the Greatest of all Time showcasing his phenomenal footwork

Notice how Ali uses his footwork to out maneuver his opponents, it looks like he is just moving his head but his footwork proceeds head movement.

Footwork is to striking what positioning is to grappling. If you have dominate position in grappling you are winning, you must use your striking footwork to put you in dominate position standing so you can win the striking battle.

When moving around the ring you Glide or slide, you do not run or trot, I see a lot of guys either hoping around too much or to flat footed.

So let’s get a little more in depth with how to use footwork to gain dominate position (gaining and breaking ground). Distance is a continually changing relationship depending on the speed, agility, and control of both persons. If you are flat footed you will not be able to react and change your distance quickly enough so you should never be flat footed. Mobility and speed of footwork precede speed of kicks and punches.

Think of being flat footed like putting your car in park, and think of being on the balls of your feet or “toes” as some call it as 2nd gear. If you need to rapidly accelerate your car it is much easier to do from 2nd gear than if you were in park right?

 

Points on proper foot position

  • Rear heel is slightly raised with the weight on the ball of the foot
  • Like a coiled spring you can release a lot of power pushing off the ground
  • You want balance and mobility, the rear heel is the piston of the fighting machine
  • Until balance is gained you are ineffective in both offense and defense
  • You can only develop an instinctive sense of distance if you are able to move about smoothly and speedily
  • Jumping rope is the best way to learn to handle your body agilely.

 

How to use footwork to remain in distance.

  1. Regulate footwork to your opponents but never let it develop into a large and ungainly stride. In other words control your movement never take jumping or wide steps.
  2. It should be under control, smooth, and rapid, never to drag the feet along the ground (especially the rear foot), nor develop the fault of jerky little jumps.
  3. Constantly be on the move to make your opponent misjudge distance, while being quite well aware of your own-constantly gaining and breaking in your effort to obtain the distance which suits you best.

 

Never lean forward to hit the target when you lean forward to hit something you place most of your weight on the front leg, when you do this you are not able to follow up with multiple strikes as well as leave yourself open to being timed by your opponent.

The skilled man always keeps himself just out of distance of the opponent’s attack and is constantly on the move to make the opponent misjudge his distance, while being quite sure of his own. In doing so he will obtain the distance that suits him best and when the opportunity arises he will close the distance or steal a march on the opponent’s move to close in.- Bruce Lee

5 Foods To Boost Energy and Weight Loss

Do you have trouble with weight loss Des Moines residents? Do you have trouble making it to the gym Des Moines residents? Is it because you just don’t have the energy you need to make it to the gym to lose that extra weight? Or would you just like to feel more energetic vibrant and alive? Caffeine is great for a short term boost, but wouldn’t it be great to have unlimited energy without having to depend on coffee or energy drinks.

As usual Mother Nature has the answer you are looking for; the true secret to lasting vibrant energy is eating whole nutritious foods that are full of Vitamins and minerals to keep you firing on all cylinders. The Following fab 5 Foods will help you Boost your energy, make it to the gym and lose weight.

1. Oatmeal: Oatmeal is one of the healthiest carbs you can find; don’t go for the instant kind either make sure you get good old fashioned steel cut oats (the ones with the big full grain). This breakfast staple will give you the boost you need to keep going all morning.
2. Coconut water: Coconut water has more electrolytes than Gatorade and is one of the best ways to hydrate yourself. You can find it at almost any grocery store and even some convenience stores.
3. Quinoa: Quinoa is one of the best whole grains you can get; it contains all the essential amino acids your body needs, which makes it a complete protein, as well as a source of great carbs.
4. Pumpkin Seeds: Pumpkin Seeds Contain magnesium, iron, Calcium, Vitamin K and protein. They are great for those days at the office when you have a deadline to meet and can’t get away from your desk and need a snack.
5. Celery: You can spread some peanut butter or hummus on for extra health benefits but even by itself Celery is amazing! So amazing I consider it to be a supplement, B vitamins for energy, fiber to regulate blood sugar, Vitamin C, also balances potassium and sodium levels as well as reduces inflammation in your body.

Fall asleep and Lose Weight Tonight

Importance of 8 Hours Sleep In Weight loss

While trying to lose weight, the importance of sleep has always been underestimated. For most of us, routine tasks have increased to such an extent that even 24 hours is not enough. It looks like people have completely forgotten the importance of sleep and move on with their lives only to start facing different health problems soon.

One among them is the negative effect on weight loss, but one of the best solutions available for Weight Loss Des Moines is Lean Body Boot Camp Des Moines, today we want to give you a better idea on the importance of sleep in your weight loss journey.

The advantages of a good 8 hours worth of sleep are so many that it is just not possible to analyze all of them in one article. However, let’s focus on some important ones, including things that you might not have heard before about weight loss and sleep.

One of the best ways of refreshing our body is when it is sleeping. During sleep, we reduce the level of energy that is discharged daily, our soft tissue and muscles are revitalized and repaired. Apart from this, our mind can absorb memories and things that we have learned during the day. Sleep will help in keeping a healthy heart by keeping the levels of blood pressure and cholesterol low.

It will make your immune system strong, and make your body generate additional protein molecules when you are sleeping, which help to fix the cellular level of your body.

When you join any weight-loss program like Lean Body Boot Camp, you will be told to get proper sleep during the night. When you get the proper amount of sleep, you will have more control over your appetite, energy and mood.

Sleep also helps in maintaining the maximum levels of the leptin hormone. This is a hormone that informs your brain and tells your brain when your body doesn’t need food anymore. Weight loss all starts when you are sleeping.

The standard time of sleep should be at least 8 hours. If you sleep any less than that, you could experience anxiety, irritability and weight gain. On an ending note, according to a recent study, a majority of deadly crashes are caused by people who do not get enough sleep.

There is no doubt that sleep provides you the balance and quality of life that you desire. It plays a major role in our life, so it is better to sleep more. When you don’t get a good sleep, you will have low energy and low motivation to go outside for a walk, run or a go to Lean Body Boot Camp Des Moines for some deep training. When the energy is low, naturally you will go to foods that provide energy. So, people who lack sleep are at higher risk of wanting high carbohydrate foods, which are unhealthy most of the time, such as sugary drinks, coffee and potato chips.

6 Foods That Speed Up Weight Loss

6 Foods That Can Speed Up Weight Loss

Are you already on a diet? If so, then you are more than likely counting those calories. When you are on a diet you are careful with what they eat and you want to make every calorie count. In order to increase the speed of your weight loss, you will need to increase your metabolism primarily through working out with a . In the paragraphs below, we are going to give you six important foods that can help speed up your weight loss. I am sure you already know that Lean Body Boot Camp can help you shed those pounds but these 6 metabolic enhancers can help give you a little extra help in your battle with weight loss in Des Moines.

1. Hot Sauce and Chile Peppers
Chile peppers like Habanero and Jalapeno pepper will help increase your metabolism. After you swallow them, your body temperature is going to increase. Tabasco sauce is good, but it cannot do what peppers can do for weight loss.

2. Fat free or Low fat milk
Milk is good for you and we all know this. However, what you may not know is that milk can help increase your metabolism. Regular milk includes a great deal of fat when compared to fat free milk Fat free milk contains calcium and gives your body the fat fighting power it needs. You should drink at least one glass of low fat milk or fat free milk every day.

3. Mustard
Mustard, believe it or not, will help increase your metabolism for many hours after you consume it. It increases the body temperature. We recommend hot or spicy mustard as it is more beneficial than yellow mustard.

4. Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of the best spices to add to a meal. Studies have indicated that cinnamon can do wonderful things for our body. Not only can it help prevent infections caused by bacteria and lower the blood-sugar level, but it can also help increase metabolism. Just don’t take it by the spoonful without water like this guy. Click this link to watch the video ->>>>>>> Too much cinnamon!

5. Red Meat
Some people are under the impression that red meat is no good for your body. This is simply not true…..some red meat is not good for you but if you eat red meat a couple of times each week, you can improve your metabolism. There are many delicious recipes for red meat.

6. Fruit and Vegetables
We all know that fruits and vegetables are important for our diet because of the minerals and vitamins they give us. Fruits and vegetables also enhance our metabolisms. The best vegetables to eat are cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce. The best fruits are berries, citrus and apples. Citrus fruits help block hunger, which is why they are known as the magic weight loss food.
In the morning, you should not skip breakfast. Your metabolism slows down during the night. Having breakfast is going to increase your metabolism again. Those individuals that skip out on breakfast each day may have a low metabolism. For the ultimate Des Moines weight loss, don’t forget to eat breakfast each morning.

One of our talented  personal trainer at Lean Body Boot Camp Des Moines can help you with the weight loss goal you have in mind. Lean Body Boot Camp is a Des Moines Weight Loss Boot Camp that you may be interested in.

Super Fitness and Weight loss Des Moines – Cardio Boxing

How to Perform Cardio-Boxing for Super Fitness
Today, sports scientists are in agreement that cardio boxing is one of the best exercises out there for super fitness.  This is because cardio boxing conditions the entire body. It provides a great overall cardiovascular and workout and builds strength.  It also has many other health benefits. Here’s everything you need to know!

Benefits – The most important benefits of cardio boxing are increased coordination, speed, strength, and stamina. However, it is also good for improving discipline. And who can forget that it’s a wonderful form of self-defense?  To get to peak condition, you need to take a very specific tactic.  Don’t try to cardio box for more than 10 minutes. Then, build up to 20 as you become more advanced.  Boxing can be very rough on the body and surprisingly taxing. Even if you don’t feel like you’re kicking your butt, it may all of a sudden dawn on you and it’ll be too late – resulting in injury, vomiting or fainting. Careful!

Cardio – One of the best ways to see how well you are doing with your cardio boxing exercise program is by checking your pulse.  To do so, place your index and middle finger on your wrist artery. Count your pulse for 15 seconds and then multiply that by 4.  Then, find out your weight. Go online to determine what your heart rate should be during a fat-burning cardio workout (normally 40% of your maximum heart rate) and see if you’re close to that. If you’re under, you may need to work harder. If you’re over, slow down! You’re doing well enough!

Form – Boxing is more than just punching a bag! You need to practice proper form. To do so, stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, and your left foot in front of the right foot.  Your heels should be raised a bit and the left foot on the floor, toes pointed straight ahead.  Bending your knees, balance your weight comfortably and evenly. Elbows need to be close to your body and the left fist balled and held about the height of your head.  The right fist is the one guarding your chin, and your elbows are protecting your body.  This should be how you are always standing, especially after throwing your punches (a lot of people forget about form after a punch).  Practicing this often will soon ingrain it in your memory.

Punching – Punches are used for offensive and defensive movements.  A straight right is also called the punching hand and utilizes a lot of physical force.  In this move, your arm moves forward from the chin, your weight is shifted to the front foot of the back leg, pushing forward to have lots of power.  The back of your hand is pointing up, and then the arm is immediately drawn back to protect yourself in the defensive position as well.

The left hook to the body and head is a very strong and effective punch for close range sparring.  The right uppercut is also used when at a close range with someone. For developing your speed, as well as endurance, use a heavy bag and practice punching the straight left and right combination hits.  Normally, you should practice this with a routine of 10 seconds exercising, and then 10 seconds resting.  Next, try 20 seconds exercising, and then 20 seconds resting.  As your conditioning improves, move up in minutes continously.

You will find that once you start performing cardio boxing on a regular basis, your cardiovascular fitness, strength, agility & speed will be greatly improved. What are you waiting for? Get to the gym now!

Tyro Mielton writes about fitness, finance & saving money at www.homeownersinsurance.org.

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Guest Post U

The University of Great Content

The Truth about Weight Loss

So I think I am about to go on a bit of a rant…..

The other day somebody asked me, “Joe how many lives you changed out at Lean Body Boot Camp?”  I said…..1…. Mine. See me or anyone else can’t change your life.

I can give you a good motivational talk, put together a great workout, make you a perfect diet and get you all the information you need but you won’t get anywhere unless you’re committed to changing yourself. I personally can’t change anyone no matter how much I would like to. Only you can change you.

I think a lot of people suffer from what Brian Tracy calls excuse-its, the inflammation of the excuse making gland. Excuse-its, as Brian says is invariably fatal to success in anything in life, especially your fitness.

Why do we like to make excuses and blame other people?  It’s very easy to look to outside forces to blame when you don’t achieve your desired outcome. Why? Because that way you don’t have to face the cold reality that the one person who is 100% in total control of your life and outcomes is….. wait for it…….wait for it……….YOU!!

Ouch that’s a tough pill to swallow I know…. but truth is all the failure and all the success is yours and yours alone. I would love to take credit for the hundreds of clients that have lost 20-50 lbs. working with us at Lean Body Boot Camp but I can’t.

I am not out there lifting the weights for you, I can’t make you do burpees when you would rather make excuses. Calvin can’t force those last few reps out of you when you would rather just give up. Aaron cant making your legs run as hard as you can when it’s time to do sprints. I am not there to slap junk food out of your hands and make the health choices for you when you are all alone and no one is watching.

I can send you emails and try to pump you up tell I am blue in the face but unless you are seriously committed to change and doing the necessary sacrifices it won’t help.

So what can I do? Well…. Below I put together a list for everyone in Des Moines of the 6 biggest reasons that people do not reach their weight loss goals. If you are not getting the results you want, see if you are making any of these mistakes and fix them…..or don’t the choice is yours! Enjoy!

 1.     You cannot out train a bad diet – If your diet is poor it does not matter how many calories you burn in the workout. Putting cookies in your mouth is a lot easier than working off the weight they will make you gain. So set the game up to win and stick to a healthy diet, like the one in our success manual. If you did not get your success manual than please come see one of our success coaches and they will get you one.

 2.     Being a 70 percenter  – By this I mean people who come in and only want to give 70%. When you come to the gym to work out the hour is going to pass by just as fast if you give it 50% or 100% so why not give it all you have! For instance Fridays workout I burned 750 calories and was totally drenched in sweat at the end of it, because I pushed myself to my limit did you? If you are not burning at least 350 -800 calories in a Lean Body Boot Camp session…..than the truth is you are not pushing yourself hard enough. In a 30 second interval for squats one person who is slacking off might get 5 reps in and another person who is pushing themselves might get in 30 reps! That is 600% difference!  Truth is you can do a lot in 30 seconds or very little …. the choice is yours.

 3.     Improper Form – If the proper form is not used the muscle will not be activated and fatigued correctly. This is a huge one, if you don’t do the exercise the right way it is almost as bad as not doing it at all.

 4.     Excuses –Excuses are easy to find, especially when it comes to doing things that are challenging. If you have a serious injury that is one thing but if you skip out on certain exercises that are hard or cause a little discomfort simply because they are hard that’s just a excuse to avoid things you don’t enjoy. But we don’t always call them excuses, a lot of times we tell ourselves they are reasons. If you go looking for reasons not to do something you will find one. So make up your mind that you are not going to find an excuse, and do what Nike suggests and “Just Do It”!

5.    Not Having a Plan – Have you ever tried to get somewhere you have never been without a map or a GPS? Not easy is it, just like getting your body to the place you want it without a proper plan can be very hard. A proper plan to lose weight put together by a qualified pro with a proven track record is critical. Of course you still have to follow the plan and that is all up to you.

 6.   Not following the Plan – The last reason can certainly derail your weight loss progress faster than anything else! Not sticking to the program is the absolute worst thing you can do for weight loss. If I put together a workout for a client that has been proven to have consistent weight loss results and they refuse to do it, who is to blame?

 

 I know no one likes burpees personally I despise them…..but in a good way. See me and burpees have a love hate relationship. Why do I hate them? Because they are really hard… why do I love them? Because they work…really well.

 

The plan we have laid out for weight loss at Lean Body Boot Camp in Des Moines works….. period. The results have been proven time and time again.I consult with some of the top fitness experts in the world for our workouts. I am smart enough to know that I don’t know everything  so I get help from some of my friends here at LBBC and personal trainer friends of mine around the country to put together the absolute best programs around, that’s what I am passionate about. That’s what gets me excited. I’m not here to toot my own horn or impress you, I say this to impress upon you that if you do follow the plan the results will follow.

 

I hope this helped and you can avoid any of these pitfalls.

 

I would like to leave you with a quote that’s posted on my desk from the great Yoda “Do or do not, There is no Try”. That’s it for me today god bless.

Committed to your Health and Fitness

Joe Brammer

Want to Focus on Weight Loss in Des Moines? Be Glad you don’t have to deal with this at Lean Body Boot Camp!

Hey Guys, hope your doing great. Today I thought it would be cool to do something a little different and fun. It has been a long time since I have been at a big box gym… so long that I almost forgot about some of the main reasons why I started Lean Body Boot Camp here in Des Moines. Besides weight loss and helping people was that the environment that you have to deal with a t a big box gym . Click here to check out this guest post from my friend Beth Orenstein. Click here to check it out. And although Beth makes some great suggestions I have a even better one,if you are looking for weight loss in Des Moines, skip the hassles of the big box gym all together and come to Lean Body Boot Camp!

 

Twelve Ways to Make Veggies Taste Great

Twelve Ways to Make Veggies Taste Great

Many kids do not like to eat their vegetables. Some adults don’t like to eat them either. This article is going to give you 12 ways to make veggies taste great. Experiment with these tips to find the ones that your picky eater or you yourself will like.

1)      Some people like a savory flavor. If this is the case, try adding onions or garlic to your vegetables. You can even add both if you like. This works very well for veggies like carrots, green beans, greens, and peas.

2)      Try combining a mixture of different vegetables, wrapping them in aluminum foil in individual portions, and cooking them in the oven or on the grill. You will want to lightly rub your aluminum foil with butter first. One tasty combination that works very well for this is potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, and onions with a nice thick slice of tomato on top. Jalapeños are also good with this mixture if you have a taste for spicy food. Season this with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like.

3)      Add fruit to salads. This gives a touch of sweetness to the greens and other salad veggies. Some fruits that are good to use in salads are apples, mandarin oranges, raisins and cherries.

4)      Use them in soups. A lot of people like soup and most times the other flavors from the soup mixed with the flavors of the veggies turn out to be something that even someone who is picky about vegetables will like. Chicken and beef noodle soups would both be good ones to try.

5)      Try making casseroles. Many casseroles are a combination of pasta, veggies, and meat. This would give you an all-in-one meal. If you prefer not to eat meat, there are also many casseroles that have only veggies and pasta or just veggies mixed with other ingredients. Carrot casserole, corn casserole, and green bean casserole are some very common veggie casseroles. None of these have meat in them and the carrot casserole is the only one that has pasta. Some of these have cream soups in them, which are sometimes a bit high in fat, but usually there is a low-fat version of these soups available also. The casserole idea is a good one because with all of the other flavors going on, the picky ones might not even notice the taste of the veggies as much, if at all.

6)      Experiment with different sauces and dressings on your cooked veggies. Try different flavors of pesto and low-fat salad dressings. You can even try using hot sauce if you or your picky eater likes food with a little kick.

7)      Try using different seasonings to find the combination that everyone likes. A few to try are oregano, dill, garlic powder, basil, chili powder, curry powder, lemon pepper, rosemary, cumin, and onion powder.

8)      Add some low-fat diced ham or turkey bacon to your greens or green beans. This gives the veggies a wonderful flavor.

9)      Add a touch of honey and low-fat butter to carrots, whether canned, frozen, or fresh. Just stir it in when the carrots are finished cooking.

10)  Raw veggies make a great snack. If you don’t really enjoy them, try eating them with different healthy dips like low-fat cream cheese, honey mustard, peanut butter, and low-fat salad dressing.

11)  Another thing you can do after your veggies are finished cooking, is squeeze a little juice of any citrus fruit over them. This will give them a nice little zing. Orange, lemon, and lime are all good options.

12)  Probably the most important tip to make your veggies taste great is to not overcook them. Overcooking takes away a lot of the vegetables’ flavor as well as removing most of their nutrients. It is best to cook your vegetables until they are tender crisp. If this is not cooked quite enough for you, add only 2-4 more minutes for best results.

 

There you go 12 ways to make Veggies taste great!

Please leave a comment if you like this blog post thanks!