overweight, looking to learn muay thai.

The simple answer is this: If you enjoy Muay thai enough to regularly come to training, and then in your search to improve your muay thai try to improve other aspects of your lifestyle- diet etc. then Muay Thai is a great idea.

The plain fact is, people only try hard when they enjoy something. Go along to a muay thai class, and if you enjoy it, then losing a few pounds and getting fitter are just a matter of spending more time enjoying yourself.

If you don't enjoy it- go do something else. If not an MA, then how about basketball, football(soccer), athletics- whatever you enjoy.

Well a person can be overweight and still be in way better shape than a thin person. So it just depends if you've been active all this while. If you've never exercised your whole life then I'd say take some precautions and ease into the sport. But as a life time martial artist and founder of my own fight club, which has been going strong for four years. I hear alot of people say they want to get into shape before comming out to fight club. When in reality nothing but just going and doing it will get you into that shape. You know what I'm saying. So I'd just say go for it now and do it while you still have the motivation. No time like the present and all that Bull.. Good Luck

Check out this introduction article on Overweight:
http://www.articleworld.org/Overweight

Contents
* 1 Definition
* 2 Measurement
* 3 Health
* 4 Cause
* 5 Treatment

I started studying savate in January and am also a bit overweight. I'm 5'10 and at the time weighed about 228lbs - I weigh about 215 at the moment.

I didn't find it too bad -- a 2 hr class is pretty tiring and you will suffer if you're not too mobile. However, if your basic flexibility and cardio-vascular fitness isn't too bad I'd imagine you'll cope fine.

Overweight... Gym... anyone?

When I started MT I was a 39 year old ex smoker I wieghed exactly 237lbs at 5'11".( I wieghed myself the day I started, and kept a journal for the first year or so) I could almost get away with it when I was shootfighting, though my cardio sucked. I got by in shootfighting because I was mean enough to take a punch to land one, and too stuborn to stop going forward even if I got K.O.ed...and I could always hit hard. (I still can`t grapple very well but prefer to strike, as always)

I lost wieght very quickly with the MT, now I stay around 190/185 lbs. I have gone down to as light as 170 lbs to fight, but I did not feel good at that wieght and found I tired very quickly.

( I also had problems sleeping and went a little crazy at that wieght, you CAN over do it....the human metabolism has its limits, too high is NOT any healthier than too slow. Be very carefull with energy drinks, supplements, etc..... a chronic vitamin b overdose combined with metabolism boosters is NOT fun, its like going schizoprenic or something. I think I am all better now... really, I was always a little crazy any way )

I can honestly say though, now at 43 I am stronger,faster and have better cardio than I have had since my boxing days as a teen. My flexability is far better now than its ever been, I could not kick high at all when I started, now I kick more than I punch it seems. I can reach my own chin with my knee whle standing up strait, I had trouble hitting anything higher than a crotch with my knees to start with....

The biggest reward is I feel so much better and have so much more energy. ( though I do usually have some pain somewhere from sparring twice a week.... )

At first I got sick quite a bit, things I had never had problems with before, and I hurt all over...every muscle in my body would be hurting after a class, usually until about about half way through the next class.

After a 3 months or so I was down to 190-200 lbs and classes where startting to get a bit easier...I could almost keep up. ( I still have trouble keeping up with the other fighters, but they are mostly "smoke virgins" who are 15/20 years younger than me.)

Then I decided to fight in the ring (the year I trurned 40) , and they got real hard again. I had to start working out at home an hour a day to keep up....and running too, something I had not done in years, even during my MMA training I never ran. At first I could not run 1 block, now a 45 minute run includeing wind sprints is N.P. I actually ENJOY running in the woods with my dog now.

I have been splitting fire wood by hand the last few months, 3-4 cords a day, then going to a class afterwards. I never thought I could get this healthy at my age.
I must work very, very hard indeed now to make the muscles actually hurt from working them.

( I am also much, much more dangerous now, if I ever need to be....the old me would not stand a chance vs the guy I am now, and I was a "tough guy/street fighter" even back then. I am an ex sailor/biker/drugaddict )