What routes have people taking to obtain this visa?

I'm thinking of the Muay Thai fighting gym route but I'm interested what else there is and what others have done

Being honest, I don't know if I could sustain that much training for five years

But I'm also confused about the five years. Can you stay ALL five years or do you have to leave for a fixed amount of time - like stay 180 days and leave 180 days before returning or can you return after 1 day, 30 days what ever?

I'm new to this so all and any info is helpful. Thanks!