ID:182427
Jul 6 2008, 2:50 pm (Edited on Jul 6 2008, 3:39 pm)
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During January I have began to working out at my local Gym. It was one of those "New Years" resolution things that people almost never stick to. But it has been 7 months and still at it. I personally have seen some great results. Doing this made me wonder why did I wait so long to get in shape.
Being an avid byonder I would like to know your thoughts on the formation of a "Byond BodyBuilders" Guild. In this guild I would offer advice, training tips, show progress of me and fellow byonders and possible show Byond that it is possibly to be a very fit Geek.  -Genjura | |
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Jul 6 2008, 3:08 pm
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Mecha Destroyer JD
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It'd be a pretty decent idea. Although I can't hit the gym, I do lift weights at home so I'd appreciate some tips and would definitely join. I've seen some results, but it doesn't hurt seein even more.
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I find exercise the most criminally boring thing the world. I've tried to do sit ups and the like at home, but I get distracted after the first 5 seconds.
If any of you can relate to that, I recommend getting into a martial art or something similar- it's exercise without realising your exercising (it's also a lot more than that, but that's just one of the perks). | |
Martial arts, I'm sort of iffy about. The amount of injury you receive during training will phenomenally outweigh the likelihood that you will be injured because you couldn't defend yourself against injury that may or may not even happen. The exercise itself shouldn't be the reason to take a martial art, at least in my opinion (I'm sure some monks would disagree with me).
With exercise in general, the likelihood of you being injured versus the amount of health and fitness you get in exchange makes a much fairer trade. | |
You're not going to get injured during training* if there's control and restraint, which will be one of the central tenets of any martial art worth its salt.
The exercise definitely shouldn't be the *only* reason, but that doesn't mean it can't be one. You have to be strong and agile to become good at karate, so if you're looking to become strong and agile, why not take karate? My point was only really to suggest that if you find exercise as pointless (or rather, bland) as I do, take up something that involves exercise without exercise being the pure aim of it. If you love hiking up mountains but hate using a running machine in the gym, definitely do the former (how great would a hiking machine be? A treadmill at an angle with rocks and marshy bits for you to deal with). *real injuries of course. bloody noses and cracked ribs don't count :p No, but seriously: the safety depends on the martial art, of course, but there is massive emphasis on control and safety in the dojo. The worst I've ever had was a cracked finger (and a broken rib, but that's a WHOLE other story >_>)- and I'd much rather that than, say, potentially stabbed in the street or whatever other horrific hypothetical scenario you can dream up. Also: you've said it yourself, it's not quite as simple as just weighing up injuries to see if martial arts are worth it or not. The philosophical or mental benefits factor heavily into it: and hey, developing better dedication and mental constitution is a great thing when it comes to exercising more (it's probably the main reason why most people don't bother). | |
I prefer to do yard-work and/or house-work. That has been how I have been losing weight.
George Gough | |
Exercise? That requires REAL effort. Around here all you have to do is rip an anime game and you can edit your stats to make yourself as ripped as you want, without the effort!
 And you get to show off in tighty whiteys, too. I bet you can't do that at the gym! | |
The chance for physical injury isn't as great as you might think. I stopped practising Kung Fu after my school closed, but I got up to black belt with no serious injury. There are levels after black belt, so those may have killed me, but what I saw of it wasn't that dangerous. If you take things gradually and don't do something for which your not prepared, you should make in one piece.
I doubt the effectiveness of Kung Fu in combat, however. If a martial artist who has been putting all his points in agl and dex met a boxer who was putting his points in str and con, my money would be on the boxer. Size matters, after all. | |
I've been going to a local gym for the past 5 months. I think in those 5 months, I've lost 5 pounds (I'm skinny) and gained a bunch of muscle in my legs, arms, and stomach. What I do is 1 machine for each different body part. The main this I work out is:
1.Biceps 2.Triceps 3.Shoulders(Not sure what they're called) 4.Abdominal 5.Leg muscle(Not sure what they're called) And for an overall in-shape, I run on the treadmills for a good 30 minutes. Just make sure to warm up before starting your workout and make sure to eat a lot of health food and snacks. Good luck. | |
My research into the subject of unarmed personal combat has led me to believe that knowing a martial art is only useful within the first five to ten seconds anyway. Martial arts are first strike techniques. If combat lasts longer than that, and the combatants want to kill (whether by duty (like a soldier) or by rage (like a criminal)), it will degenerate into miscellaneous grappling, biting, gnashing, strikes, and clawing as each tries to grab the other person and do whatever they can to incapacitate the other person and then strangle them. Mortal personal combat is a brutal, brutal thing.
I remember reading on the Taleworlds.net forum about a marine who was in Kosovo. As he breached a doorway, one of the Bosnians? Serbs? pounced on him from the rafters. The first thing he did was remember his training and try to knee the person in the stomach, which proved totally ineffective. After that point, they were already on the ground, and it just turned into a feeble struggle. The foe kept slamming his arm into the man's groin while strangling him and he felt like he was going to die, until another marine pistol-whipped the enemy in the back of the head and saved him. I can't actually remember the circumstances of why the person attacked, but I considered the anecdote pretty trustworthy. | |
You can just do what I do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2REG3-Wb5gM ..and it's never failed me once! | |
Jtgibson wrote:
My research into the subject of unarmed personal combat has led me to believe that knowing a martial art is only useful within the first five to ten seconds anyway. Martial arts are first strike techniques. If combat lasts longer than that, and the combatants want to kill (whether by duty (like a soldier) or by rage (like a criminal)), it will degenerate into miscellaneous grappling, biting, gnashing, strikes, and clawing as each tries to grab the other person and do whatever they can to incapacitate the other person and then strangle them. Mortal personal combat is a brutal, brutal thing. From your research? Bull[stuffs]. Look at someone who has studied a Korean court art for 10 years, and tell me that their technique won't remain after 10 seconds. Namely Kuk Sul Do, anyways. I'd venture that 90% of martial arts in America are bastardized to a point that their original oriental version would recognize as simple street fighting. The court art I'm referring to is Kuk Sul Do, and one of the grandmasters from Korea up reaching his 10th degree black belt and studying for many years came to the US and opened his own branch. He oversees all 20 some locations that they have and keeps a high level of standards. Martial arts are not simply "first strike" techniques, they're combat techniques. Complete with responses to grabs, grappling techniques, blocking techniques, falling techniques, throwing techniques etc. If you're saying those things aren't martial arts, then you're mistaken. Just because it isn't elaborate or excessive, doesn't mean it's martial arts. One anecdote != to trustworthy, especially with the martial arts the marines are receiving. I can only imagine how unrelated to martial arts it truly is. Sorry for the rant, I've had a bad couple of days, nothing personal, mind you. | |
While I would say that is true of introductory close combat training, it is not true of many other close combat techniques. Sure, full extension strikes of the sort that are taught in karate and tae kwon do aren't all that useful if an opponent grapples you, but ground and wrestling techniques are highly useful. This is why mixed martial arts combatatnts have been forced to increasingly work on proficiency in these areas in addition to standard striking techniques. Additionally, the physical training continues to play an important role as the combat progresses, as does the training on focus and calm. A panicked fighter will be much more likely to waste energy on ineffective moves whereas an effectively trained one will conserve energy and land shots/holds/etc. that are more effective.
Of course nothing is fool proof and it is possible that a completely untrained individual could subdue a close combat master. I know where I would put my money. As to the anecdote, consider that one story is hardly definitive. Additionally, the soldier probably only had basic close combat training (though marines do tend to posses physical training superior to other line infantry) and was ambushed anyway (a huge advantage for the attacker). Yet superior tactics prevailed- the soldier was part of a functioning group which could overcome the single aggressor's superior position. Lucky attacker, though, that they didn't go ahead and finish him off. | |
A buddy of mine started going to the gym two months ago. He started at about 210, now he's around 155.
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That is really amazing, your friend lost 55lbs in 2 months?! He must have stopped eating altogether and lifted weights like a body builder would. ^_^
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Nope, when he isn't playing WoW he's either at work or smoking pot and eating ice cream.
You don't need to diet and work out like crazy. You just have to KEEP working out. Results aren't instant ya know. | |
Marines aren't that great at hand to hand. When I was 16 I used to grapple and hold my own against navy seals.
Granted, I'm a big kid, broad shoulders and I've been lifting since I was 13 years old(back then mostly girly stuff though), but I did. I love the adrenaline rush of combat sports. You feel so damn alive. | |
Jtgibson wrote:
My research into the subject of unarmed personal combat has led me to believe that knowing a martial art is only useful within the first five to ten seconds anyway. Martial arts are first strike techniques. Not always. For instance, Krav Maga is designed to teach one combat in the conditions that your life is at stake and you're already at a disadvantage (you're ambushed, a limb is unusable, you're protecting someone, etc.). The goal isn't usually to beat the opponent, but rather to neutralize the threat and escape. It's a fighting style that doesn't focus on respect for the opponent since, if your opponent's about to kill you, it's perfectly reasonable to gouge their eyes and leave. If combat lasts longer than that, and the combatants want to kill (whether by duty (like a soldier) or by rage (like a criminal)), it will degenerate into miscellaneous grappling, biting, gnashing, strikes, and clawing as each tries to grab the other person and do whatever they can to incapacitate the other person and then strangle them. One combatant might degenerate into this, but if someone is trained in, say, Judo, they will be well-equipped for forcing an opponent into and breaking out of all kinds of joint-locks, choke holds, and other "degenerate" forms of fighting. I remember reading on the Taleworlds.net forum about a marine who was in Kosovo. As he breached a doorway, one of the Bosnians? Serbs? pounced on him from the rafters. The first thing he did was remember his training and try to knee the person in the stomach, which proved totally ineffective. If he was pounced on and tried to knee the foe in the stomach, I'd hate to see what he was trained in. That's silly; I'd expect more from a marine training program. Anyways, I wouldn't count out martial arts because one doesn't work in every situation. I'd personally love to study Jeet Kune Do (the martial art developed by Bruce Lee), but haven't anywhere nearby to train at. I studied Karate when I was much younger, and I'm considering studying Kokondo Karate while in college. Jeet Kune Do is a possibility for when I'm living closer to a dojo. :) | |
