Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Before having my daughter (second child) I was beginning to train in hopes of maybe doing some women's physique competitions. I hadn't done much research about it and after going to an actual competition I decided that wasn't exactly what I wanted to aspire to. Big ups to women who do it - just not for me. My husband trains in MMA and I've had people tell me over the years (even before UFC started getting so big) that I should consider getting into it - but I always shrugged it off. Recently I decided it's really something I want to pursue. I have very recently taken up boxing. I have been told by my husband (who isn't the biggest compliment giver usually) that I'm "a natural". I also showed a video of me going at the heavy bag to a local boxer who said that he's really surprised I've only been doing it as long as I have and he also said what my husband did...that I'm "a natural".

So I'm really thinking all of this is something I want to seriously pursue.
The thing is that when it comes to training (working out at the gym as well as beginning to go to martial arts gyms) I have no clue where to begin with MMA. I've heard a few people on some other sites mention that they start training one thing (for me, this would be boxing) and then once they feel comfortable doing it they add in another thing (planning to either do BJJ at the gym my husband goes to or take Muay Thai classes) while still doing the first and so on and son on. Is this a good way to go about things? Start with one and then slowly add in more?

And when it comes to being in the gym (working on conditioning, etc etc) what things would be good for me...especially with currently working on boxing?

Hope that all made sense and hope that I can get some pointers, TIA

I took a trial Muay Thai and loved it. I plan to take it regularly soon. That is so great that you figured out what you want to do. It is such a great feeling to work hard at something you are passionate about rather than just because you have to. I don't have any advise for you but just wanted to give you props from one mom to another.

Hey SheThrowsDown,

MMA requires that you have the triumvirate of skills: Striking (boxing and Muay Thai), wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. I think training at a gym that offers a full MMA program is the best if you want to compete because you'll train specifically what you're going to do in the ring/cage. If you're going to train the disciplines separately, I would suggest getting into BJJ soon. You need a lot of mat time to get comfortable fighting off your back. The great thing about BJJ is that you'll roll in every class.

As far as striking, boxing is a great start. You should add in Muay Thai so you get used to throwing kicks and taking them, especially leg kicks. You may fight in promotions that allow elbow strikes, so it's good to get some experience with those too.

Whatever you do, make sure you spar a lot. Get used to getting hit. Remember, MMA gloves aren't the nice big 16oz pillows that you wear in boxing or kickboxing -they're 4oz hammers.

Ultimately, the best MMA fighters are well-rounded and can take the fight anywhere. That's what you want to aim for. I think BJJ takes the longest to learn, so the sooner you start that, the better. Your husband should be able to help you figure out your training if he's already training/fighting in mma events. Also, tournaments are good places to get competition experience: you can do kickboxing, pankration (which is almost mma), BJJ or submission wrestling.

Anyway, hope this helps you!

I know that the BJJ gym my husband goes to also does MMA on certain nights - I'll give them a call and see when they do that and how much it is (because it's cheaper paying by month rather than paying mat fees every time you go - obviously).

"Your husband should be able to help you figure out your training if he's already training/fighting in mma events."
Right now he only trains MMA here and there, his main focus is BJJ. He says that he's too old (27) to really get into MMA more, I think he's crazy. But he says that he can compete in BJJ tournaments for "forever" (as he puts it). But I know that he'll be able to at least help me some.

Thanks for all the advice

I totally agree with Trev's advice. Jump head into a comprehensive MMA school now; don't take one ability at a time. Also, like Trev said, spar as much as possible now to get used to getting hit and learning how to react when the fight isn't going your way. You can train hard everyday, but until you know how you're going to react under pressure it's not very practical.

I'm not sure where you're located, but see if there is a gym nearby that has some other women already enrolled. (From my experience, the females often get cheated out of proper training when *their* only sparring choice is male.)

Finally, tell your husband to keep at it. I'm 26 and compete frequently (I'm also in college). I took a year off to focus on academics, but got right back into the training groove. Keep him encouraged and make sure he knows it's absolutely possible. Too old at 27? Ridiculous!

Best of luck and keep us up-to-date with your progress!