Mixed Martial Arts Such as Judo are an Excellent for Cardiovascular Fitness

Judo is a relatively new martial art that began in the later part of the 19th century. Judo is a Japanese word meaning "gentle way" that stems from it's lack of focus on striking found in other martial arts and combat sports. Typically, Judo training involves learning different techniques to either throw an opponent to the ground or subdue them. Judo has found recent popularity by being one of the primary training areas of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Unlike traditional Greco-Roman Wrestling, Judo allows a fighter to subdue their opponent through many different grappling techniques that involve either choking an opponent or locking joints to the point of submission.

This article assumes your are just a hobbyist seeking general information regarding Judo training. Before you attempt this or any other fitness regimen you should consult your physician to help avoid any injuries or complications on your path to better fitness and health.

How can Judo Training be Used for Everyday Exercise?

Judo may not be as popular as boxing and other combat sports for fitness but Judo training can lead to many gains in fitness. One important aspect of Judo (and overall health and well being) is the importance of flexibility. It is widely accepted by fitness trainers and sports medicine experts that increased flexibility is not only beneficial for sport performance, but for overall health of the muscles, joints and bones of the body. Because Judo training focuses on grappling (gripping,handling and controlling) and various throwing techniques, it is essential that the participants constantly work on flexibility to increase performance while reducing the risk of injury.

Flexibility Exercises to Incorporate with Judo Training

In grade school, flexibility testing used to be focused on measuring how close a child could get their finger tips to their toes while seated with legs straight. Regardless of how flexible you may think you are (or aren't) these are some good general stretching exercises to incorporate into your everyday routine. Remember that stretching should be performed after an initial warm-up exercise so that muscles are warm and more pliable. Cardiovascular fitness and strength are also important factors in Judo training and competition.

Increasing Cardio Fitness for Judo Training

Because Judo involves periods of continued exertion and then brief periods of increased or explosive exertion, you should try and incorporate exercise techniques that will target endurance but also power and force. To increase your power and as a result increase explosive power it is recommended that you include interval workouts to your training. Interval training is the process of short periods of intense physical exertion followed by periods of rest. Intervals are performed at three different rates: 1) long, 2) medium and 3) short. Long intervals are performed for 2-5 minutes and target Aerobic (with oxygen-fitness). Medium and short intervals are performed over much shorter time spans and focus on anaerobic (without oxygen) power. Medium and short intervals require longer periods of resting between exertion due to the energy spent during the interval training. The actual activity done during interval training can be varied. Some people prefer to do running sprints and different intervals while others prefer to use stair climbing or hill running to perform interval training. It is usually the best idea to seek the advice of a fitness trainer to find a custom workout plan that will be best suited to your particular fitness goals.

Incorporating Judo Training Into Your Regular Routine

Fitness enthusiasts and professionals both agree that varying your workout routine can have numerous benefits. First, varying your exercising methods can help fight boredom or burnout associated with repetitive workout types. More importantly though, varying the exercises you do can also help the body resist reaching a plateau. Muscles have the ability to adapt to repetitive exercises and become more efficient which is good for daily work tasks, but bad for fitness improvements. Adding a martial art like Judo into your weekly fitness efforts can be a great way to stay interested while at the same time getting a great workout for the entire body.

Check your local area for either Judo specific Dojos (training place) or Fitness Clubs that offer multiple classes including martial arts like Judo.