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Kenpo used interchangeably with Kempo has possibly been made most popular in the US as American Kenpo or Kenpo Karate. Kenpo's roots and lineage are traced back to Hawaii and Okinawa. The most common Kenpo today normally has been passed down from Hawaii, although reportedly there are still several Okinawan Kenpo masters living within the US.

A recent surge in interest of studying Kenpo no doubt comes from the fact that it is the core martial art style associated with UFC legend Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell. Certainly Chuck has put it to awesome use and has earned a formidable reputation of one of, if not the best fighter to ever step into the octagon. Chuck Liddell picked up his Kenpo training at the 'Pit' training center in California, which has now spawned several other MMA fighters.

Kenpo is distinguished as a striking/ stand up martial art even though in training elements of wrestling and Jiu Jitsu are practised. So for those of you who love stand up slugging away and amazing KOs, this is definitely a style you want to look into. Kenpo is far from limited and is said to feature over 700 techniques plus 72 kicks! That's a lot of learning and not something that can be mastered overnight. Definitely not a black belt in 6 months type deal. Still this should be evidence that much development and thought has gone into perfecting Kenpo's fighting style and that it has been constantly updated to meet a changing environment.

While Kenpo can be found around the world and across the US, the main concentration of the best schools appear to be in California. So next time you are on the West Coast make time for a stop at the Pit in Arroyo Grande. There is also a Kenpo seminar being put on by the Tracey brothers in Sacramento in July of 2010.

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Wait! Keep reading. Yoga and pilates may not sound like the type of gym rage, throwing weights around, blowing through whole stacks on machines or concrete block smashing workouts that you love so much and keep you pumped all day. However they still may offer that missing something you have been looking for to give you the edge and take you to the next level in your mixed martial arts training.

Firstly, unless you have actually tried yoga or pilates you shouldn't knock them. These forms of exercise are far from new fads and definitely have years of science and development behind them. You must avoid plateaus in your martial arts training and MMA workouts. Once you have been training for a while, there are really only so many combinations of routine you can perform in the gym and you must look elsewhere. Certainly picking up an extra class or two of a totally different kind is one of the best solutions and you may even be surprised to find your martial arts instructors or personal trainers there taking part as well. If you are hell bent on a serious workout then go for the harder forms of these exercises.

Power yoga is certainly not the weak. Power yoga sessions are performed in sweltering 80 degree heat and are practiced at a much more challenging pace than other forms. Expect to leave your first few sessions sore and sweaty, though you can definitely expect to be developing much stronger core, arm and leg muscles, develop a superior level of balance that is crucial in the octagon and be further on your way to getting ripped.

Pilates also offers a range of levels of difficulty when it comes to training and is used by many successful athletes and martial artists to build a stronger core and foundation for faster and bigger growth for the rest of the body. Women will love the sexier abs they can build and the guys will love the gains they see coming faster in the gym. Don't think it's hardcore enough? Try the 'killer' level workouts and once you can hold the plank position for 5 minutes and crank through a set of 25 upside down push ups then you can say it's easy.

Certainly you can pick up a couple classes for free, so try it out. You ought to find you are certainly adding more power and balance which will directly transfer to better performance in the octagon and any MMA competitions.