Beginning Again--old, fat, with a kid and a bum knee.

[shesulsa]

Yes, I'd really like to echo this and reiterate - I'm certain I would have done far better with far fewer injuries if I'd lost the majority of my weight and spent about 6 months getting back into decent general physical condition before starting up again.

Chib, some gyms have personal trainers available at nominal fees ... like, you get a free consultation and setup for training when you join and a follow-up. Really, this could be all you need. Get evaluated and get a program outline - tell the trainer about your previous injury and your goals, they'll set a program up for you, follow up once and then you will likely be in better shape to start.

Keep us posted!

 

[Drac]

Yes, I'd really like to echo this and reiterate - I'm certain I would have done far better with far fewer injuries if I'd lost the majority of my weight and spent about 6 months getting back into decent general physical condition before starting up again.

Chib, some gyms have personal trainers available at nominal fees ... like, you get a free consultation and setup for training when you join and a follow-up. Really, this could be all you need. Get evaluated and get a program outline - tell the trainer about your previous injury and your goals, they'll set a program up for you, follow up once and then you will likely be in better shape to start.

Keep us posted!

Great post Shesulsa...When you hit the dojo, dojang etc..etc..Tell the teacher about you injuries..My first Sensei worked around mine...

 

[Steve]

Yes, I'd really like to echo this and reiterate - I'm certain I would have done far better with far fewer injuries if I'd lost the majority of my weight and spent about 6 months getting back into decent general physical condition before starting up again.

I just want to point out that everyone's different. Working out has never interested me, and if I was told I had to wait 6 months before starting what I was really interested in doing, I would NEVER have started. And I'm talking about a BJJ school, where conditioning is a big part of it. Had I waited until I looked like the guys at my school, most with 6 pack abs and under 10% body fat, I'd still be 40 lbs overweight, pre-diabetic and waiting on the couch for my first heart attack.

You CAN start training now, if you want. Just LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. The hardest thing for me, when I started, was to excuse myself from sparring and to rest. I didn't want to wimp out or be perceived as a quitter, but I realized in time that it didn't bother anybody. I just did what I could and tried to do a little more each class. I was tired and sore, but no more so than if I had worked out at a gym. Okay, I had a few more bruises.

The real difference is that I was doing what I enjoyed and wanted to go back. What happened was, over the first 6 months of my training, I lost 40 lbs. I also ate better, not to diet, but because I wanted to go to class and not feel heavy or sick. I think about what I eat now, not because I want to lose weight, but because I want to feel good and have energy at class.

So, if the idea of working out and getting into shape for 6 months doesn't appeal, don't let that stop you from joining a school. Do be up front with your instructor about injuries and challanges you'll have. By all means, listen to your body and take it slow. But if the school you've chosen is worth a hill of beans, the training will get you into shape, and the fun you're having will encourage you to examine what you're doing outside of class, too. It all works together.

 

[Gordon Nore]

OLD ... I have leather jackets older than you... I'm working on 24 too...FOR THE SECOND TIME!!!! :tantrum: You're not old you're still a kid for crying out loud

Old! You wanna talk old? I'm so old, I don't buy green bananas anymore.

Kidding. I'm forty-eght in June. Started my art at almost 35, graded for dan at 46.

Forty pounds surpluss is not the end of the world. The knee requires common sense care. The art, you do slowly. Some of those pounds are going to fall off fast and you'll feel like a million bucks.

I'm of the "train hard or don't bother" school of thought, so I'm really uninterested in doing one of those fitnessy faux-kickboxing classes, but it almost feels like I'm unready to play with the big kids anymore.

You may be, for a time, unready to play with the big kids, but you can sure as hell train and work your way up. Older, fatter people have done it. I'm one of them.

 

[Gordon Nore]

Chib, I started TKD when I was 55... six years ago. I passed my fairly severe first dan test this past autumn with strength in reserve. So my sentiments about your view of your age are the same as Xue's, except even more so!!

As me mum would say, you're still at the breakfast of life...

Ex,

You don't look a day over twelve.

 

[donald]

I am gonna chime in first by saying you are no where near to old, ie: Lee Wedlake has a student who began training with him at around 70yrs old, and is now at the blackbelt level. The thing to truly consider is your knee. As has already been stated get it checked out, and then make your decision. I had an Instructor who was 40ish, and tore her ACL, AND DID'NT MISS A BEAT. She came in, and trained as best she could with the brace on until it was off, and then resumed her training in full swing. I pray The Lord Jesus blesses you in all your endeavors.

PEACE
1stJohn1:9

 

[Nomad]

A key point he made (and I might be quoting it wrong) was to "get in shape before you get in shape". What he meant was, if you've never been involved in the gritty training, or maybe it's been some time since you've last stepped out onto the training floor, then it's probably in your best interest to get in some basic training with strength, flexiblity, and cardio. In both of our cases, we have prior injuries (a dislocated shoulder) that could take us out of the training again if we don't take the time to get those body parts ready to handle the rigors of training again.

While I agree with this in principle, I've also seen it hold many people back because they didn't want to start training "until they were in shape"; which coincidentally in most cases simply never happened. There is always a reason to put off doing something; IMHO it's better to get rid of the excuses and jump in, but do in a smart manner that isn't likely to cause the reinjury. Once you get started and get a taste for how much you enjoy it again, that can be a better motivator for some to do the less pleasant things (like eating better, hitting the gym, etc.)

One of the great things about many martial arts is that people in just about any physical condition can do them (ok, probably not the competitive cage-fighting stuff), and that the intensity can ramp up and down depending on the individual and what their capacity is.

 

[exile]

Ex,

You don't look a day over twelve.

:lol:

And Adrian, my son in the picture, isn't a day over 12—and won't be till April 26, the day after his b'day. Me, I'm still savoring the last little morsels of afternoon tea, shall we say...sigh...

 

[Bruno@MT]

While I agree with this in principle, I've also seen it hold many people back because they didn't want to start training "until they were in shape"; which coincidentally in most cases simply never happened. There is always a reason to put off doing something; IMHO it's better to get rid of the excuses and jump in, but do in a smart manner that isn't likely to cause the reinjury. Once you get started and get a taste for how much you enjoy it again, that can be a better motivator for some to do the less pleasant things (like eating better, hitting the gym, etc.)

I think it depends on the person and the situation, and how bad your physical shape is. Ninpo training is an hour and a half. In august last year, I was exhausted after 20 minutes on the ex. bike at low resistance.

You are right that the half year between starting cardio and starting ninpo would have had me back into shape as well. But it would have hurt really bad, and might have demotivated me.

Although to be honest, the drive to get back into MA only came after I was in good shape again. The reason I started exercising and changed my diet was because I was sick of my beginning pot belly, and the fact that I had become a couch potato. Especially since only 10 years ago, I looked more like bruce lee (minus the chinese looks .

Once I started getting back into shape, I felt itchy to do some kata again. And a short time later a traditional JMA dojo starts less than 5 minutes from where I live. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

[jonbey]

Maybe look for a new style, something that strains the knees less? Although struggling to think what would be suitable. Why not try wing chun or another "short/southern" kung-fu style. These use more upright fighting, with no high kicks (generally).

I sort of know how you feel. It is hard after injuries and weight gain. But get back to it and I am sure you will start to enjoy it again.

 

[Live True]

So many great posts on getting in shape for training and investing long term. I'll just go back to the training while pregnant topic...I started a thread about it when I first became pregnant, and the final post is my summary of my training..your training will change, but you can keep doing it...just "LISTEN TO YOUR BODY" as has been said so many times...the thread about this specific topic (to avoid thread drift here) is at this link.

 

[nitflegal]

Speaking as a near 40 year old guy with knee injuries and still carrying a couple (dozen) extra pounds, let me throw this out there. While style is important (Capoeira is probably a bad pick for me. . .) the teacher and atmosphere is more important, IMHO. If you've got a long term injury to work around you need to have a relationship with your teacher where he/she will push you to your limits but respect the physical limitation that you have. My knee is much worse than it could have been because I trained under people who pushed my knee way past rehabilitation into increased injury. Gutting through pain is fine, creating additional injury is flat out stupid. I'd suggest that if your prospective teascher can't give you an honest assesment of the effect on your training AND how he'll approach it so that your training isn't compromised then you should keep looking.

My $0.02.

Matt

 

[Stac3y]

I sweat just doing kata. That doesn't mean I don't give it all I have. I say if your doc says the knee is good, go for it.

Bill, anyone who doesn't sweat doing kata is doing kata WRONG.

 

[Stac3y]

I started at 39 (3 years ago) and just got my brown belt. I've got 2 bad knees (Osgood-Schlatter's Disease and chondromalacia), a bad back (broke 2 thoracic vertebrae as a child and have some low back problems that are too complicated to describe), some arthritis, flat feet, I tore the ligaments in my right ankle in December 2008, and have shin splints. I was 20 lbs overweight when I started; I'm not anymore, though I do have a shirt that says, "I may not be a size 2, but I can kick you in the face." I've got 2 kids (the youngest was 6 when I started.) There are days I wear more supports than Mae West. I might be the world's biggest individual consumer of elastic and neoprene.

My advice is to find out from your doc what kind of brace you can use to keep your knee stable, make sure your instructor knows you've got problems with it, and get your donkey into class, young lady! Doing something you love will help you get fit faster than plain vanilla exercising, IMO.

A lot of schools have the adult and kid's classes separate; you might like that better than working out with the juniors. Or you could join someplace that does combine the classes and put your 4 year old in training as well.

Whatever you decide, have fun!

 

[girlbug2]

If every MA student waited to get into shape before they trained...I doubt there'd be much of martial arts left by now.

 

[K-man]

My advice is to find out from your doc what kind of brace you can use to keep your knee stable, make sure your instructor knows you've got problems with it, and get your donkey into class, young lady! Doing something you love will help you get fit faster than plain vanilla exercising, IMO.

Whatever you decide, have fun!

As a purveyer of fine braces for many years, just a word of caution. The knee is meant to bend in one direction only. For a brace to stabelise a knee it really needs to be from thigh to ankle (like the one my wife used to use skiing), with long metal hinges on each side. Obviously this is totally unsuitable for what you want to do. Exercises to strengthen the knee would be no.1 in my book. If you want to, a neoprene type brace may be of assistance if there is swelling or if you find warmth helps. The other thing about a brace is that it serves as a reminder not to overdo things.

The important thing is to start now and, as quoted above, have fun.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I'm contemplating a return to martial arts. From ages 10-15, I studied Yuan Wa Ryu (although, I guess it was mostly Tae Kwon Do) and LOVED it. I was devoted, at the dojang for every class, and I based my life around learning martial arts.

At a national championship, I tore my ACL sparring, and after surgery and healing, my mother wouldn't allow me to continue. My plan was to get back into it on my own time and money during college, but things happened, I had a child and divorced, etc. before I was 20.

My question is, where do I go from here? I'm almost 24, about 40 lbs overweight post-childbirth, and my knee still gave me trouble when I tried out a class at some random dojang about 2 years back. I'm of the "train hard or don't bother" school of thought, so I'm really uninterested in doing one of those fitnessy faux-kickboxing classes, but it almost feels like I'm unready to play with the big kids anymore.

Should I wait to start training until I get back in shape?

Welcome to MT, Chib!

I must agree with others here. Twenty four is not old by any means. We have some other Youn Hwa Ryu folks here too, by the way.

Out of curiousity, why not just go back to YHR? From what I recall of they system, it was, as you say, pretty much taekwondo.

Wherever you train and whatever you train in, take it easy to start. The idea of train hard or don't bother is certainly good, but you need to do so within your own limits.

Anyway, seeing as how this thread is about a month and a half old, give us an update!

Daniel