Kick Max got me again

C

cheval

Cathlete
Is it just me that pulls her hamstrings during Kick Max? :( Ruined my workout for today. I think I managed to keep it from major damage (hope to be back to a different dvd tomorrow), but for some reason, I just can't do Kick Max. I bomb out before the warm-up is over.

I haven't tried Kick Max for well over a year because the last time I really hurt myself. Took several days before I was back then.

Next time I bring myself to try it, I'll do a warm up before even starting Kick Max. Maybe that will help. Guess I'll have to change my rotation to eliminate Kick Max for now.

Anybody else have problems with this or kick boxing in general? Maybe it's just the kick boxing my body doesn't like? Kick Max is the only kick-boxing stuff I've ever done.

Thanks,
April (feeling sorry for myself ;()
 
Hi April, I do find the KickMax very hard because of all the plyometric stuff. I teach a cardio kickboxing class and it is very important to stretch your hamstrings before working out. With all the kicks and stuff you do, proper stretching is vital. I love the Kick, Punch and Crunch DVD, you should try that before you give up kickboxing in general as kickboxing is the most awesome workout, especially for your core.
 
Thanks. I know it's important to warm up before a workout, but I thought that's what the warm up in the video was supposed to do. Not that I'm blaming the video. Totally me here! But it is tough and since I'm new at kick boxing stuff, maybe I just need a more thorough warm up and stretch than the average bear?

Hopefully, FitTV will play KPC so I can grab it.

Thanks,
April
 
If you are new to kickboxing, maybe you need a more intermediate, instructional video. (I'd list some of them but this isn't the forum to discuss other instructors). I like KPC more than KM also. I think kickboxing is a lot of fun, gets my heartrate up there, and is a good break from step. And it's easy to modify to either high or low impact. Dont' give up on kickboxing yet, try a different video first. Deb
 
Hi April,
Sorry if this is going to cause confusion but I actually prefer the warm up on Kickmax to the one on KPC. The KM one is longer and works better for me. JMO. (I prefer the KPC combos though as they are more intense than KMs, so I kind of mishmosh the 2 workouts).

The suggestion to try another instructor if you are new to kickboxing is excellent! For example, you may be snapping your leg too hard on the kicks and that could cause hamstring problems. Or, if you aren't pivoting the standing leg when doing roundhouse or sidekicks, that can tweak muscles too. If you want to PM me, I can suggest a couple workouts that can guide you through safe form for kickboxing, especially when warming up. Good luck--I hope you don't give up on kickboxing. It's so much fun and a great workout for your whole body.

Jonahnah
Chocolate IS the answer, regardless of the question.
 
Yep, I think I pick these workouts when I am especially frustrated with life. Someone I'd like to kick usually pops into my little brain and low and behold I've done the hamstring thing. Guess I deserve it for all my evil thoughts. Took 3 weeks the first time to feel better. The second time wasn't so bad.
 
These are all great responses, I'd like to add that possibly, you could be fully extendng your leg, which should never happen, except for a stretch. Always stop just short of full extension. It took me a while to get that, but now that I have, I don't have any difficulties with the kicks affecting my legs in a negative way.

Jerry
 
I have analyzed this further and I think I found the move that bothered me. The plie squat into a hammer lunge that's done in the warm-up. I watched the dvd again and noticed that was the last thing I did. I think I wasn't rotating my hips properly.

I'm still not back to working out fully, but I did do Total Muscle Sculpting yesterday (sans leg work) and a Total Body Stretch segment. Added some massage and this morning my leg feels better. Not better enough to do my scheduled cardio, but it's coming. I have a competition next week that I really need to be 100% for, so I'm taking it easy and being nice to my leg.

Kick Max is being put aside for now. I definitely have a goal to do that video, but I'm going to find some lower level kickboxing instructional videos to do before I come back to KM to try again. Advanced stepper does not equate to advanced kickboxer! ;)

Thanks to all who helped privately. Great people here.

April
 
Hi April,
I'm so glad you figured out which KM move did it! Good luck in your competition next week and I hope you're back to 100% soon.

Jonahnah
Chocolate IS the answer, regardless of the question.
 
Kickboxing is great - it would be a shame if you had to give it up. Some thoughts that might or might not help.

(1) regulate your own speed. When Cathe does two moves, you can do it slower so you are doing one. This will put less stress on you, particularly warming up. Also, maybe some of your own warm up first.

(2) beware of twisting torque. When I first started kickboxing, I had a lot of knee pain. It happened during round house kicks. When I got tired, I wasn't rotating hips quickly enough prior to kicking. Result? When I kicked, I was twisting the leg around strangely and in an uncontrolled manner.

(3) Kathy Smith has a good kickboxing DVD, not as demanding as Cathe's. She teaches with a martial artist, Keith Cooke, who gives really good explanations and demonstrations of form and hip movement. The Powerstrike Millenium 3 is good also.

(4) monitor your momentum. In the downward type movements, eg the plie hammer punch, your weight is moving down quickly which puts extra stress on the muscles. Sometimes you can forget and do it a little too fast, or go down too far, because you are focusing on something else, e.g. the punch. Think of your car losing braking power.

Good luck. Kick on.
 
The long-leg kick stretch in the warm-up could bother your hamstrings if you stretch beyond your capability. What Cathe and the crew show is an advanced range of motion. If you don't have their flexibility, don't try to emulate them.
 
My problem I have when I do KickMax is that the bottoms of my feet hurt after doing the leg drills, to the point, I don't like to do step for a few days. Does anyone else have that problem? My hamstrings can handle the kickboxing segments of it.
All 3 of them, Cathe, Lorraine, and Jai are all certified instructors in Kickboxing (info from a Blog update for new series) so keeping up with them on energy and skill is a challenge.
 
Re. bottom of foot travails.

A bunch of the things you do kickboxing involve one leg supporting the entire body weight while the other leg is kicking, lifting, swinging, etc. When doing these types of movements, there is a tendency to focus on the leg that is moving and forget about the supporting leg. But the supporting leg is forced to work hard and, at least in my case, it wobbles around in tiny increments to adjust balance as the other leg is moving. Another complication is that in some of the kicks, e.g roundhouse and side kick, the upper body moves sideways (leans) in opposition to the kicking leg. So this again has to be compensated for by the supported leg.

Don't know if this explains your issue. But if your body weight is shifting from one part of your foot to another, e.g. instep side to outside, from ball of foot to heel, it might.
Good luck.
 
re. "Yeah, don't worry, I won't try KM again for a good long time."

Have been doing kickboxing for a while. Missed a few weeks, then went back to it last week and noticed that it was really stressing my hamstrings. That's bad, in a way, but it's also good, because it was working them and stretching them.

Kickboxing does work the hams very intensely in a way that other types of work outs do not. The fact that it gives you so much difficulty might indicate a gap in your fitness that your other training is not hitting. I used to have this problem when I did a lot of running and insufficient stretching. The more running I did, the tighter I got, and the more tendonitis and muscle pulls I got. I notice also, that every time I do something different physically, I get sore. E.g., I weightlift, do kickboxing and jog. But if I go bike riding, I get sore. The fact that I do the other things makes bike riding easier than it would otherwise be, but since it is something different from what I usually do, my muscles have to work differently. So you might consider, instead of avoiding kickboxing entirely, just adjust the way you do it to ease into it.

One approach - in movements that involve hams, don't do as many reps as Cathe does, e.g. do 1, 3, 5, 7 and skip 2, 4, 6, 8.

Another approach, do just half the work out, then choose another Cathe cardio work out that you have no hamstring problem with, and do that for however much more cariod time you want to do that day.

Another approach, do very shallow movements. In the plies, squats, and any up and down movements, go just halfway down. In the kicks, kick 50% lower than you otherwise would. If you are doing a boxer's shuffle, shifting from one foot back to the other foot either sideways or front foot to back foot, stay on the floor, don't go airborne.

Good luck.
 
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