# Just started practicing again... need some health advice!



## MidnightBlue (May 22, 2011)

Hi, everyone!  About two weeks ago, I rejoined martial arts after almost seven years of NOT training and not really doing any sort of work out besides some occasional horseback riding or leisure activites.  I'm 26... almost 27, and female... just in case that affects some advice you might be able to give.

I'm really trying to get back in shape, but I clearly had not realized just how out of shape I've gotten!  I'm struggling most with, and desperately seeking advice with, the following:



*Balance*--I used to have amazing balance, naturally, so I never had to work at it.  Now, when I try to pivot with one leg up on certain techniques, I just about fall over.  HELP!  Can anyone please share tips with me to help me regain good balance quickly?
*My knees*--years ago, I dislocated my right knee very badly... twice.  Now that I'm back in MA, BOTH of my knees hurt rather awfully.  Both are swollen right now, and I've been icing them off and on since last night.  When I walk, they feel like they need to pop or crack.  Also, the back of my right knee feels almost hyper-extended.  I have no idea what to do.  I've picked up braces from the local pharmacy that are supposed to help my knee not go out side to side, but they're bulky and uncomfortable, so I don't wear them.  Is this sort of pain normal for some people?  Can I just work through this, or should I be treating them a certain way?
*Flexibility*--My flexibility seems to have gone the way of my balance.  I'm pretty good at working on this on my own, know how to stretch, etc.  My question lies here--I'm thinking of buying a PVC leg stretcher (like this one: http://www.martialartsequipmentdire...-p/flex-a-tron-pvc-leg-stretcher.htm?CartID=1).  I used one years ago when I was a teen, but don't have it anymore.  Does anyone have feedback on this type of stretcher?  My biggest fear is that this could hurt my knees more.  What do you all think?
*Endurance*--Years ago, I just had endurance.  I never thought about building it!  Now, after a few basic techniques, it's about all I can do to catch my breath.  Does anyone have advice for quickly building endurance back up?
Thanks, everyone!  That's it for now.  Sorry if these same questions have been over-posted before, but it seemed easier to combine them and ask them this way.  Any feedback you can offer to help me would be dearly appreciated!


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## K-man (May 22, 2011)

MidnightBlue said:


> Hi, everyone! About two weeks ago, I rejoined martial arts after almost seven years of NOT training and not really doing any sort of work out besides some occasional horseback riding or leisure activites. I'm 26... almost 27, and female... just in case that affects some advice you might be able to give.
> 
> I'm really trying to get back in shape, but I clearly had not realized just how out of shape I've gotten! I'm struggling most with, and desperately seeking advice with, the following:
> 
> ...


Sounds to me that you may have tried to regain what you had, too quickly. That would explain the perceived lack of balance and the knee problem.

I'll start with the last first. _Endurance_ to me is cardio fitness. At 27, assuming you don't smoke and are not grossly overweight, your level of fitness should gradually build with regular training. If you want more than that, you could do as I do and either join a gym or devise your own cardio circuit and work on it for about an hour a day three or four times a week, allowing time for your body to recover between sessions.

_Flexibility_ is a problem for all of us as we get older but at 27 that too should return with ongoing training. Just remember to stretch at the *end* of the training session, not the beginning and allow time between hard stretching sessions for the muscle to rebuild. 

Your knees seem to be the biggest problem and the return to snap kicks is probably the cause of the soreness. Thermo knee supports will help with swelling and recovery, but *no* normal knee supports from pharmacies or sports stores do anything to prevent lateral movement. (Proper braces go from lower calf to upper thigh and are fine for skiing but totally unsuitable for martial arts.) Rest is the only answer to this problem, then ease back in to kicking, *slowly*.

Balance is the least of the problems. That should return as you train normally.

Oh! I forgot the pain. Years ago we had a maxim "To train without pain is to train in vain". That is total BS. If you have pain, it is the body saying, "slow down and let me recover".

Good luck. A break from training doesn't hurt and sometimes it can fuel a desire to get to an even higher level. Take your time and enjoy the journey. :asian:


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## Nomad (May 23, 2011)

K-man already gave some of the best advice.  My advice echoes his and is to slow down.  It can be difficult when looking around the class at people that are doing deep stances and strong, high kicks, but keep in mind that they probably didn't look like that when they got started.

I think you're expecting too much from yourself too fast, and that your ego is getting in the way (since you feel you _should_ be able to do it!)  This is a pretty sure route to injury, especially if you have a history of bad knees.

Ease up on them.  It may mean higher stances, it may mean not kicking hard (but still try to use good technique), or it may mean that after half a class, you can't do certain techniques anymore.  That's ok.  Let your instructor know, and he/she should encourage you to do what you can, but not to push so hard that you're sore for days afterward, or worse; injured and unable to train for weeks.

Endurance, balance, and flexibility will come, but you need to be patient (slowly increasing your intensity over weeks and months as your body adapts to it's new activity schedule and you build muscles you didn't know you had) and _listen_ to what your body is telling you.

There is good pain and bad pain when training.  "Good" pain is a general ache in the muscles, often 1-2 days after the workout, that lets you know that you pushed your body a bit, and that you're getting stronger.  Bad pain is anything sharp, especially in the joints, or pain that lingers past 3 days, which is an indicator that you strained or pulled something.  This is to be avoided, and the easiest way to do this is to slow down your training.

If your knees are bothering you constantly, go to a good physiotherapist and get some exercises that can help strengthen and stabilize around the problem areas.  This can be very helpful, but only if you keep it up on your own.


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## jks9199 (May 23, 2011)

You may wish to try a glucosamine/chondritin supplement.  It may help your knees and other joints.

Flexibility, balance, and endurance are different sides of the same problem:  years of inactivity catching up with you.  When we're young, we're active.  We're moving, using our bodies in a variety of ways, naturally maintaining our endurance, our kinesic awareness, and our flexibility.  As we get older (and this is happening younger & younger!), we spend more time sitting around and less time moving.  Our endurance, our flexibility, even our balance slips away as we don't use it.

Training and pain...  Pain is a part of training and growth -- but that doesn't mean you should be hurt.  Learn the difference between the pain of growth and development and the pain of injury.  Because the line is easier to see, I'm going to use weight lifting as an example.  Lift a heavy weight, say in a squat, and it hurts.  The pressure of the bar on your shoulders hurts, your feet hurt from being pushed into the ground, your legs hurt as you push, your knees may protest the demands your putting on them...  Then, as your muscles recover from the effort over the next few days, they hurt and ache, too.  That's from growth.  But, if you go too heavy, you're in PAIN right away.  Your knees may buckle and collapse, with sharp pain, maybe even swelling.  That's bad pain...  and that's what you want to avoid.


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## Thesemindz (May 23, 2011)

You mention that you just started two weeks ago. You're going to have to be patient and give it time. I just got back into a school about six months ago after training on my own for five years, and it's a whole different monster. It will all come back, in time, but you're going to have to go slow and let your body adjust now in order to get back to that point. Drink a lot of water. All the time. Water. Water. Water. You're body will be burning fat, flushing toxins, rebuilding tissue. You are literally remaking your body, and it needs hydration and fuel in order to do that. Lean protein. Fruits and veggies. Diet plays a big role.

Be careful with those knees. I had a major knee injury a year ago and I'm not even close to whole. You can't be too cautious. Don't risk knee injury, ever, for anything. If they are weak, go lighter. They'll get stronger in time. But if you injure them now you'll be sidelined for _months_. If you're lucky. Just take it easy on your joints and go slow and you'll naturally regain your strength and balance. Keep the kicks low for now, don't force it and they'll naturally rise over time as you build muscle and flexibility.

I know it's frustrating. You used to be a badass. Now you can barely keep up. But if you train safely and regularly and take care of your body you'll be back there soon enough. And you'll feel so much better for having overcome that challenge.

It gets better. Keep training.


-Rob


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## Sensei Payne (May 23, 2011)

Also if you go to a GNC or some place like that, tell them what you want and need, and they should hook you up.

Just..thats whats what I would do.


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## WC_lun (May 23, 2011)

Speaking from experience, when you take some time off, the coming back is a painful experience.  If it is something you are worried about, see a doctor.  While no one here would give you advice meant to hurt you, your own doctor's advice will be much more valuable.  Afterwards you'll know if it is just pushing yourself too hard or something else.


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## MidnightBlue (May 23, 2011)

Thanks, everyone!  It sounds like my best route is to get some joint supplements, and keep stretching out.  Also, it makes sense that maybe I've been pushing a little too hard... probably without sufficient stretching and warm-ups.  If that doesn't work, I'll check with a doctor or maybe go to a physical therapist to get some activities to build support for my knees.


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## yak sao (May 24, 2011)

I see it all the time : People who used to train, returning after a layoff, sometimes of several years, trying to pick up where they left off.
The advice I always give them is start slow. Go back to the basics and rebuild the structure. Because it is wired into the brain at least on some level, it will return much faster than when originally learned, plus you will recondition the body for the activity. 
Conditioning is selective. You may be world class in one activity but you are not necessarily conditioned for another.

PS, GNC sells _Bromelain_....it is pineapple extract and very good for swelling.


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## Kemposhot (May 25, 2011)

Start slow, everything will come back to you faster than you think.


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