The martial arts student spars with her
opponent. She keeps one fist up, at face
level, for defence and attacks with the
other — fast cross-body punches: right,
right, left, right, right, left. She knees her
opponent, hard. Then she delivers another
right cross-body blow, followed by a left
jab. She has a beautiful face with smiling
eyes, tasteful makeup, a crown of lovely
flaxen hair. She doesn’t have the face of
a fighter.
She is 72, after all.
Leslie Snitman is one of an increasing
number of women of all ages embracing
mixed martial arts (MMA) — the sport behind
the UFC phenomenon.
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Glam gladiators
If you’ve heard of ultimate fighting — the
newer, more violent incarnation of wrestling
also known as UFC — you probably
know it divides people. It presents MMA in
its rawest form: a violent combat sport
that pits two opponents against each other .
The fighters are skilled in two or more
disciplines that include boxing, wrestling,
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay thai kick-boxing,
karate, judo and tae kwon do. The goal?
To win the bout either by knocking out
one’s opponent or by using a submission
hold to force the opponent to “tap out,”
or admit defeat. Blood is a common sight
in its fenced octagonal ring.
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The sport, however, is hugely popular,
and interest continues to grow in Canada;
all 55,000 tickets for Toronto’s debut
UFC event last spring sold out in minutes.
And despite the perception that women
don’t get the appeal, about 35 percent of
UFC’s American audience is female.
But they’re not just watching from the
couch. More and more women are pulling
on fighting gloves and trying MMA with personal
trainers or as part of high-intensity interval circuits at the gym. And thankfully, unlike
UFC, this form of MMA is neither violent nor bloody. <
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br>
Leslie started the sport when she swapped
her aerobics class for one-on-one MMA sessions
with a personal trainer twice a week. “I needed
more of a workout. I’m a very active person, and
I travel a lot, so I need a lot of stamina,” she says.
Her typical session starts with a treadmill
warm-up, followed by short sequences of resistance
training and balance-board or Bosu-ball
exercises. Then she goes into a combination of
punches and knee strikes, with a few breaths
and a quick drink between sets, and stretches at
the end.
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A year later, Leslie says she’s a lot stronger. “I
can lift more, and I feel like I can take on anything!”
She’s also more coordinated, and she has
better muscle tone and more energy. For Leslie,
what keeps her coming back to her MMA-inspired
workout every week is the results.
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The kick-butt benefits
The workout is actually one of the best you can
have, say experts. The punching and kicking drills,
core-strengthening moves, upper- and lower-body
resistance training and short rest periods create
a form of high-intensity interval training (known,
appropriately enough, as HIT). It’s one of the most
effective workouts for improving coordination,
strength, cardiovascular health and endurance.
“HIT reduces your chances of developing cardiovascular
disease, type 2 diabetes and coronary
artery disease,” says Martin Gibala, professor and
chair of kinesiology at McMaster University in
Hamilton, Ont.
It also blasts calories. “A 150-pound woman
doing this type of training will burn about 450
calories per 45-minute workout,” says Gibala.
That’s on par with jogging on the treadmill — only
a lot less boring and a lot more cool.
The strength and endurance benefits are what made Susan Fine of Toronto another MMA
convert. The 58-year-old has been doing
a weekly MMA-based workout for the past
two years, following a second encounter
with breast cancer and a double mastectomy
and chemotherapy. Although the
treatment drained her mentally and physically,
two years after completing her last
round of chemotherapy, Susan started
working out to rebuild her strength and
energy. Then her trainer suggested she try
some MMA moves.
“I wasn’t initially that open to the martial
arts aspect. I thought, ‘I’m a kindergarten
teacher!’ and I was worried it would be too
violent,” says Susan. But now she’s hooked.
“I feel better. I’m stronger and I’ve lost body
fat. And it’s fun! You really don’t notice how
hard you’re working because you’re enjoying
yourself so much.”
Five tips for getting started
Does an MMA-inspired workout
sound like your cup of (extra-strong)
tea? Here’s what you need to know
1. Start by taking
an introductory
class — most gyms
offer one for free.
Don’t commit unless
you loved the workout,
trainer and gym.
2. Look for one-on-one
or semi-private
training. You’ll learn
the correct technique
and prep, which
are essential for
avoiding injury.
3. Make sure your
trainer shows you how
to wrap your hands,
so you’re protected
when you punch.
4. You can borrow
gloves from some
gyms for the first
session, but you’ll
want to invest in your
own pair after that.
5. Sign up with
a girlfriend, and keep
each other on track!
The beginner's guide
The fast and/or furious workout
Want to ease into
a mixed-martial-arts
workout? Try 30 Minute
Hit, a women-only
circuit-training program.
It puts you through your
paces via two-minute
intervals at 13 different
stations focusing on
boxing, kick-boxing and
core-stability training.
The classes, which are
available across the
country, have you do
the circuit on your own,
while a trainer is nearby to
correct form and technique.
They start at $49 a month
plus registration fee.
“Boxing and kick-boxing
are both great ways of
building up core strength
fast,” says the program’s
co-founder, Vancouverite
Deanna Loychuk.
But the benefits aren’t
just physical. Aggressive
workouts can be a great
way to shed stress. “Some
women have broken down
and cried after beating
up the gym’s training
mannequin, BOB [body
opponent bag]. It can be
very therapeutic to fight
back. There’s this sense
of release,” says Loychuk.
MMA-based training
pushes a lot of buttons
for women — in a good way,
says Rachelle Bronfman,
co-owner of Powerclub, the
personal-training gym in
Toronto where both Leslie
and Susan train. “We do
a lot of strength training —
including hitting tires with
a heavy sledgehammer.
You’re also punching,
ducking, moving from side
to side, and kicking and
knee striking using your
full body weight. It’s
something different. It’s
empowering. You can get
your aggression out, and
just let loose.”
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