Skipping training out of laziness

[Gerry Seymour]

I don't worry until 2 weeks go by. I try to build bonds with people so that they have other reasons to show up for martial arts. The company that we keep plays a deep role as to who comes back after a long time.

If those relationships aren't there then it's easier to walk away. When I go missing people ask about me. When they go missing and come back always tell them it's good to see them again.

poetically speaking, warriors on the same path is a good feeling to be around.

This is very true. The places that have a sense of community make it more likely folks come back - they miss the people more. My primary instructor really wanted a sense of community, but wasn't very good at fostering it. I know another NGA guy who has cookouts and gatherings for his folks. His retention was always better.

 

[isshinryuronin]

At 72 years old I have discovered every reason (read, "excuse") there is to not work out. I've even made some up myself. Yes, it is perfectly normal to slack off and just be lazy. For example, I skipped jogging today. I've gone thru numerous such periods since starting my training almost 60 years ago. What brings me back to it?

The answer is below and could not have been better expressed:

this is part of my core identity

It's more than habit or self-discipline. That will take you only so far. It's who you are. Maybe since you're young this identity isn't yet fully imprinted into your DNA, but from what I've seen from you, it will be. I hate going to the gym and pump weights - it's WORK! But I go 3 times/wk for an hour torturing my ancient body. I can't go more than a couple of days without going thru a few kata. I'm just drawn to it.

I AM a martial artist, and working out is what martial artists do. It's that simple. To not work out is to deny my "core identity." So, my advice to you is to keep affirming who you are. See yourself as martial artist or even just someone dedicated to physical fitness, a professional in that field. Working out is part of your job description. If that is really you, you have little to worry about. Take a lazy day, or week, or even month. Before too long you'll be back to working out, being who you are. Who else can you be?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

MA training is like sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you will retreat.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

At 72 years old I have discovered every reason (read, "excuse") there is to not work out.

When you have reached to 75, the word laziness will no longer have meaning to you. You will find out that you have 2 options:

- Still work out as usual. You will feel good mentally as you were still in your 20. But physically your body feel tire. Even when you wake up next day, your body still feel tired.
- Reduce your workout. You will feel like an old man (very sad feeling indeed QAQ). But your body feel fresh next day when you wake up.

 

[HighKick]

When you have reached to 75, the word laziness will no longer have meaning to you. You will find out that you have 2 options:

- Still work out as usual. You will feel good mentally as you were still in your 20. But physically your body feel tire. Even when you wake up next day, your body still feel tired.
- Reduce your workout. You will feel like an old man (very sad feeling indeed QAQ). But your body feel fresh next day when you wake up.

Well crap, I am already feeling that way at 60!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Hello everyone. As you all know I consider myself very dedicated to my training. I take pride in being the guy who doesn’t take days off training, unless necessary, and this is part of my core identity. However, I have recently been getting a bit too complacent and lazy and have skipped over more sessions than I’d like to admit, purely out of laziness.

I was wondering whether you had any advice on how to return to my usual dedicated and disciplined self. How do you overcome laziness and how do you cope with the guilt of being lazy? Thanks.

Injuries could be your bodies way of telling you..... it wants time off or a different type of training

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Injuries could be your bodies way of telling you..... it wants time off or a different type of training

It absolutely can be. I didn’t rest enough from work, and have RSI from my first 2 years that still haven’t healed, and a torn tendon from almost 2 years ago that is just now almost back to normal.

 

[Xue Sheng]

It absolutely can be. I didn’t rest enough from work, and have RSI from my first 2 years that still haven’t healed, and a torn tendon from almost 2 years ago that is just now almost back to normal.

And I can tell you from experience...if you don't listen to what your body is trying to tell you...it WILL shut you down sooner or later

 

[gyoja]

And I can tell you from experience...if you don't listen to what your body is trying to tell you...it WILL shut you down sooner or later

Absolutely! If I don’t listen to my body and rest, I can’t keep up the training program for my students.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Absolutely! If I don’t listen to my body and rest, I can’t keep up the training program for my students.

It knocked me right out of training for a while when I refused to listen

 

[gyoja]

It knocked me right out of training for a while when I refused to listen

I understand. I’m still pushing to find my limits with my injuries. So far, I have been able to work around them. I just have to force myself to rest!

 

[HighKick]

And I can tell you from experience...if you don't listen to what your body is trying to tell you...it WILL shut you down sooner or later

At some point this is true. But there is Great value in learning/being able to push through adversities. Yes, that includeds injury.
At the '88 Trials, I had to get through three matches with one fully broken rib, one cracked, and a heck of a lot of soft tissue injury. Taped up the ribcage and sucked it up.
Looking back, I don't think I could have done much better than I did, ending my run 1-1/2 matches away from the Olympics. I feel very good about my performance. In hindsight, this worked to my advantage since my competitors did not expect me to fight the way I did.

Yes, the recovery sucked, but I don't think I exacerbated the injuries in the last three matches. It did change my fighting style, however.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I understand. I’m still pushing to find my limits with my injuries. So far, I have been able to work around them. I just have to force myself to rest!

Arthritis and bad knees win every time....Believe me, I know

 

[Xue Sheng]

At some point this is true. But there is Great value in learning/being able to push through adversities. Yes, that includeds injury.
At the '88 Trials, I had to get through three matches with one fully broken rib, one cracked, and a heck of a lot of soft tissue injury. Taped up the ribcage and sucked it up.
Looking back, I don't think I could have done much better than I did, ending my run 1-1/2 matches away from the Olympics. I feel very good about my performance. In hindsight, this worked to my advantage since my competitors did not expect me to fight the way I did.

Yes, the recovery sucked, but I don't think I exacerbated the injuries in the last three matches. It did change my fighting style, however.

I have trained with a broken ankle (with and without a cast), hurt rips, sprained ankle, hip injuries, in knee braces, elbow braces, ankle braces, wrist braces, etc..... but take it from me...there comes a point when your body will simply refuse to do it..... when I hit my early 50s it started to fight back (joint pain) ... the 2nd retina detachment (combined with arthritis), when the MD told me getting hit in the head lessons might not be a good idea for me..... I started to listen to the Doctors.

 

[gyoja]

I have trained with a broken ankle (with and without a cast), hurt rips, sprained ankle, hip injuries, in knee braces, elbow braces, ankle braces, wrist braces, etc..... but take it from me...there comes a point when your body will simply refuse to do it..... when I hit my early 50s it started to fight back (joint pain) ... the 2nd retina detachment (combined with arthritis), when the MD told me getting hit in the head lessons might not be a good idea for me..... I started to listen to the Doctors.

After my 13th traumatic brain injury, the Doc just started rolling his eyes when I came around!

 

[Taiji Rebel]

At some point this is true. But there is Great value in learning/being able to push through adversities. Yes, that includeds injury.
At the '88 Trials, I had to get through three matches with one fully broken rib, one cracked, and a heck of a lot of soft tissue injury. Taped up the ribcage and sucked it up.
Looking back, I don't think I could have done much better than I did, ending my run 1-1/2 matches away from the Olympics. I feel very good about my performance. In hindsight, this worked to my advantage since my competitors did not expect me to fight the way I did.

Yes, the recovery sucked, but I don't think I exacerbated the injuries in the last three matches. It did change my fighting style, however.

This kind of approach is painful in the long run. Unfortunately, we live in a culture which encourages us (men especially) to soldier on. Remember that old motto "No Pain, No Gain" still gets plenty of airplay. The thing is pain is a signal to let us know something is wrong. Earlier today I posted about some guys I know in their mid 50s who are suffering from all kinds of joint issues due to going hard with their martial arts... youngsters can get away with pushing on when the going gets tough, but unless they change their attitude and adapt as they age those injuries will come back to haunt them.

 

[Glaeken]

we live in a culture which encourages us (men especially) to soldier on.

That's a good thing. Sex doesn't matter either.

You don't want to live in a culture of slackers.

"Pain is a signal something is wrong".

That is wrong. If I pinch you, what's wrong? Nothing. Pain is just signals in your brain. Its purpose is indeterminate.

"No pain no gain" has nothing to do with training through injury. It's an old weightlifting adage. The pump, the gain. It always hurts.

And 50 year olds are sore and broken all over whether they do martial arts or not. The ones who make it the furthest are the ones who learn to "soldier on".

 

[Gerry Seymour]

And I can tell you from experience...if you don't listen to what your body is trying to tell you...it WILL shut you down sooner or later

Yes, it will. Both of the aforementioned injuries led to time off work, because I didn't listen.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

That's a good thing. Sex doesn't matter either.

You don't want to live in a culture of slackers.

"Pain is a signal something is wrong".

That is wrong. If I pinch you, what's wrong? Nothing. Pain is just signals in your brain. Its purpose is indeterminate.

"No pain no gain" has nothing to do with training through injury. It's an old weightlifting adage. The pump, the gain. It always hurts.

And 50 year olds are sore and broken all over whether they do martial arts or not. The ones who make it the furthest are the ones who learn to "soldier on".

Pain is signaling something is wrong. But that's not a binary condition. If you pinch hard enough to cause pain, there's likely actual damage happening, it's just very minor. That's what the pain is telling you. If you pinched hard enough for it to hurt a lot, you've either hit a nerve bundle (so the signal is amplified), or you're pinching hard enough to do real damage to the tissue (bruising, etc.).

Just because the damage is minor, that doesn't mean the signal is indeterminate.

The problem with "no pain, no gain" is that there shouldn't be pain when lifting. Discomfort, sure. And afterwards, sure - muscle pain during recovery is usually just a signal your body needs more time.

The problem with "soldiering on" is that it gets taken too far - encouraged by our social pressures, especially on men (though more and more on women, as well). Keeping at it while injured is one thing. Keeping at it while injured, as if you weren't injured (not altering the activity to prevent exacerbating it, and not allowing it to heal) leads to worse and longer-term injuries.

 

[HighKick]

This kind of approach is painful in the long run. Unfortunately, we live in a culture which encourages us (men especially) to soldier on. Remember that old motto "No Pain, No Gain" still gets plenty of airplay. The thing is pain is a signal to let us know something is wrong. Earlier today I posted about some guys I know in their mid 50s who are suffering from all kinds of joint issues due to going hard with their martial arts... youngsters can get away with pushing on when the going gets tough, but unless they change their attitude and adapt as they age those injuries will come back to haunt them.

I definitely fall into that category, along with a list of previous sports related injuries. And my lifestyle and work can get rough.

But I would not take anything for my life and the memories. Thanks to medicine/medical support/repair, there is not a lot I can't do now that I did in my 20's. But there is a lot I choose not to do unless I really, really have to, just to avoid the pain associated.

Think of it this way, the peoples(s) you mention who avoid working in the extremes never really learn what they can do on an individual basis. Never learn what they are capable of. So, the scope of what they 'do' in their old age is going to hurt them just as much as someone who has a much greater scope. For example, it will hurt them just as much to do a 130° split versus a practiced person to do a 160° split. It is all relative.