Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Point fighting in tkd, some boxing, kick-boxing. I love all aspects of martial arts (forms, training, weapons), but sparring was always my favorite and the guys in my training center had a great variety of backgrounds. Nothing like getting punched in the nose by a muay-thai guy and fighting through the stars.

I'm doing pro-wrestling at the moment.

I'm taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes and last night I had to use a dummy that was made of leather for my class Has anyone heard of any jiu jitsu dummies that are vegan (lying flat with both arms raised up) ?

Hey,

I'm doing muay thay but I'm looking to get into K1max since í think i could my veganphysique would do quite well in k1...

Anyone here into K1 or K1max?

I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Ive been training for about 6 months. Before that i trained in Wing Chun Kung Fu for 2 1/2 years. I have dreams of going pro in mma fighting. For me that would be great.
When i started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I was a "meat eater." But for the past 2months ive been vegan. And im not sure if its just a placebo effect. But im pretty sure i have more energy and I feel great. I think my Jiu Jitsu has actual improved because of my veg diet.
Anyways im glad i went vegan. There was never a better choice in my life.

I've been vegan for 6 years now and have been training for about the same length of time. I started off in Tae Kwon Do my freshman year of college, then I got into ju-jitsu. We did striking, takedowns, ground fighting and self-defense. Since graduating I've done some bjj and muay thai, but I've been sidelined a bit lately with a torn labrum in my right hip. I'm going to be starting up again soon though.

Sensei David Meyer, a BJJ blackbelt is also vegan. He did a few seminars for us about 3 years ago and after class he gave all the students a mini-lecture on nutrition and advocated a vegan diet. I went up to him after the seminar and told him how cool it was to see tough vegans. It's reassuring and empowering to see strong athletes who don't harp on and on about the necessity of eating meat for building strong bodies, and who instead advocate veganism. When I told him this his response to these guys who hype up meat was, "Bullshit! I'll break their arm." He said it in a joking tone but it was funny because it's true.

Here's a website with some info on Sensei Meyer http://www.customflix.com/204643

anyone heard of Ridgley Abele? 8th degree black belt and winner of USKA World Championship in 1983 and 1985. he is a vegan, i heard about him when i was reading Diet for a New America.

As noted by the other thread, I do capoeira.

Overall, I've practiced capoeira, kendo, TKD, aikido and hap ki do. All of them serioussly, but none of those to any real degree of proficiency. (I have a bad habit of quitting into the second year)

Can you give us some comparative insights? Similarities, differences, advantages, disadvantages.. fitness levels, learning curve for new people etc ?

The two taht stand out the most for me are Aikido and capoeira

Aikido is the gentle art. More gentle than judo, juijitsu, but still packs a punch. There are few strikes of any kind (in some forms of Aikido there are none at all) and mostly focus on proper movement rather than strength. The whole point is to move from your center of energy so that you expend as little of your own energy as possible. If your energy is strong enough, you can throw without touching a person. (You're not throwing them through the air like telekenises, but you can make them fall. I once saw a demo where my sensei, George Simcox, R.I.P., drop an attacker by bowing at him). Strength is almost a detrement in training becuase if you get used to throwing without leverage, center, or ki if and when you lose that strength you've also lost your aboility to perform the art. It's "maturation" time is far longer than other martial arts and you can expect to gain [black belt] rank at a good school in about 10 to 15 years of study. It's a great compliment to many other martial arts out there.

Capoeira is a very interesting sport with a very rich history, and requires the most physical training of all the martial arts I've done. In play there is no contact and is very jovial. There is a great sense of community and the people are very freindly and inclusive. It's often said that capoeira isn't good for self defense but I'll attest that the claim is a load of hogwash. I've seen my maestre get into a fight and knock a guy out (at a party that went sour.) Also, in the 1970 gangs trained in capoeira so heavily that police members had a hard time against them trying to fight back against such well trained combatants. The police eventually had to start training themselves in capoeira to be able to fight back. This martial art is very romanticized for it's flips and acrobatics, which is what necesitates the heavy training. Expect to sweat and expect strong glutes. Train your upper body particularly your whole back, abs, sides, triceps and shoulders. You'll get proficient quickly, and will love playing, but getting higher in the ranks may take some time. Keep playing in the roda (sparring) and you'll do fine.

Kendo is very fun and is a sport/ competition art. About the only self defense you'll get out of it is learning to hit people quickly with a stick and a general combat sense (you won't blank out in the fight.) Heavy cardio if done right. A lot of emphasis on proper form. Lighting fast when done right.

Tae kwon Do has two versions. The McDojo version (one at every strip mall) and hardcore sport version. If the people practicing have floppy limbs, lose balance easily, look out of shape or breath while doing it, chances are you're in the McDojo (you'd you like fries with your blackbelt?) The harcore version trains you hard. Lot's of emphasis on form and are anything but sloppy. They bounce while sparring and when they kick you can tell they mean it. I used to practice with a Korean grandmaster and afterward some crazy Jamaican guys. (Jamaicans and Morrocans are intense in their martial arts.) You'll learn fast in this sport with a good instructor. 5 years to a black belt on average. Good for self defense after ALOT of practice. Many stunt actors and Wuxia actors are TKD trained.

I did Hap Ki Do before TKD. It's alot like aikido with short range kicks thrown in. Where it differs from aikido is that it's anything but gentle on the opponent. You'll see kicks, breaks, pins, strikes, holds, take downs throws and the like. It's been a while since I've done this so I've forgotten much of it.

In general, stretch ALOT for any martial art, learn to fall, and beware of white belts, their inexperience makes them more dangerous than black belts.

I hope this helped. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I just started training in boxing and Muay Thai last month. No real interest in competing, just thought it would be fun to learn.

Interesting BG.

I did go for aikido for a few months.. learnt some basics of falling, rolling, and how the joint and center of gravity manipulation can actually throw a person off. Interesting. Ofcours, never got to really spend time on it or anything else.

Saw Capoiera once and was fascinated by it.

I have a background in american Kenpo and am currently studying Aikido, ju-jitsu, ken-jitsu, and Atemi arnis under Grandmaster Dr. Philip Chenique.
I've always wanted to try Capoeira, though.
In addition to martial arts I go into very deep meditation.
I've been somewhat able to channel my body's energy into my attacks (Kundalini, chi (or ki), etc) and I'm getting better at it every day. I warn those who want to try it: it takes a long time to train your body to do this. For those who open there chakras, if done wrong you can create an imbalance in your body.
In short, meditation really helps when done right. If abused or done wrong. You can really mess yourself up.

www.atemi-ryu.com

BJJ for a few months and then switched to strictly MMA.