What my body feels like after a 4 year break ...

[Oldguy]

I decided to start a new thread. I am so happy to be on the mats after a 4 year break. I have been to 3 classes so far.

Thursday, Saturday, and Monday - regular class with warm ups, drilling, positional sparring, and then regular sparring. I did 2-3 rolls in the regular sparring each time. I tried to focus on rolling smart without strength.

As a quick backstory, I am 61 years old. Prior to starting BJJ again, I lifted weights 4-5 times a weeks and ran 4 times a week. I did abs every day for about 5-6 minutes. I stretched every day for 20-30 minutes.

Right now, I feel like I have been in an auto accident! Haha. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to stand up. It hurts to sit down. Getting out of bed or rolling over is pure agony. Yesterday, someone put me in their guard and I almost tapped as he squeezed. I sneezed last night. Big mistake. I don't want to do that again.

For what it is worth, it isn't the type of pain from an injury. It seems like "good' pain when you have done something hard. It is all muscle based. My rib cage feels every little twist and turn.

Funny thing. I don't mind it. I even like it. BJJ is worth the price. I think this will all go away in a couple weeks. It did last time I came back from a long break. One thing is for sure, it reminds me that there isn't any real way to prepare your body to smoothly get back into BJJ. I guess it is just a matter of doing it and accepting the pain while my body adapts.

No easy way to rip the band aid off.

 

[Flower2dPeople]

I decided to start a new thread. I am so happy to be on the mats after a 4 year break. I have been to 3 classes so far.

Thursday, Saturday, and Monday - regular class with warm ups, drilling, positional sparring, and then regular sparring. I did 2-3 rolls in the regular sparring each time. I tried to focus on rolling smart without strength.

As a quick backstory, I am 61 years old. Prior to starting BJJ again, I lifted weights 4-5 times a weeks and ran 4 times a week. I did abs every day for about 5-6 minutes. I stretched every day for 20-30 minutes.

Right now, I feel like I have been in an auto accident! Haha. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to stand up. It hurts to sit down. Getting out of bed or rolling over is pure agony. Yesterday, someone put me in their guard and I almost tapped as he squeezed. I sneezed last night. Big mistake. I don't want to do that again.

For what it is worth, it isn't the type of pain from an injury. It seems like "good' pain when you have done something hard. It is all muscle based. My rib cage feels every little twist and turn.

Funny thing. I don't mind it. I even like it. BJJ is worth the price. I think this will all go away in a couple weeks. It did last time I came back from a long break. One thing is for sure, it reminds me that there isn't any real way to prepare your body to smoothly get back into BJJ. I guess it is just a matter of doing it and accepting the pain while my body adapts.

No easy way to rip the band aid off.

It's good to be back, eh?

Got invited to train last night after 5 years off the mat due to change of jobs. The guys running the gym were my contemporaries who are now brown and black belts.

I weighed in at 138lbs on my last tournament and returned to practice at 185lbs. Man, I couldn't physically do the things I did before. I was sparring with the brown belt coach of mine and I tried to invert but my belly, busted lower back and inflexibility wouldn't allow me to. He LOL'd and shouted for everyone to hear "look! A middle aged man trying to invert! ". I lOL'd myself as the image of me struggling to invert was ridiculous and had to bail.

I embrace the body pains and would go back tonight. I'm in a happy place right now. I missed training so much.

 

[ahheadlock]

on the money about good pain and bad pain. I've recently returned to training properly after a knee injury and as beat up as i feel, it's 'good' pain and i like it.
better than the usual pain i feel when i'm not training lol.

 

[kjg1672]

Since I came back after being off for a year, I experience mostly "bad pain" if I roll more than 3 or 4 rounds. My knee and shoulder, both of which I've had surgery on, get really sore. You're the man for training at 61. I don't see myself training at that age.

 

[Einheri]

It's like going to the gym after a long time off. Your body has become unaccustomed to it.

 

[Oldguy]

Here is an update ...

All of October I continued to feel like an accident victim. It hurt so bad, I couldn't even turn my head to check for traffic on my left side driving my car. I would have to unbuckle my seatbelt. I don't think I was ever in this much continuous pain in my life. Around Nov 1st, I went to the school and told my instructor I didn't think I could do it because I was just too old (61).

I came home and my wife asked me, "So, did you quit." I said, "I tried." My instructors English is not perfect and I don't think he understood what I was trying to do. We talked and somehow all I know is I left agreeing to come back next week. I have no idea how that happened.

Then, after about 2 more weeks, everything felt normal. It literally changed overnight. I was not in pain anymore. I have been going to class 3 days a week and my body feels good. I feel just like I did in my 30s and 40s.

Coming back when you are old is a longer process than I imagined.

 

[ChickenBrother]

Here is an update ...

All of October I continued to feel like an accident victim. It hurt so bad, I couldn't even turn my head to check for traffic on my left side driving my car. I would have to unbuckle my seatbelt. I don't think I was ever in this much continuous pain in my life. Around Nov 1st, I went to the school and told my instructor I didn't think I could do it because I was just too old (61).

I came home and my wife asked me, "So, did you quit." I said, "I tried." My instructors English is not perfect and I don't think he understood what I was trying to do. We talked and somehow all I know is I left agreeing to come back next week. I have no idea how that happened.

Then, after about 2 more weeks, everything felt normal. It literally changed overnight. I was not in pain anymore. I have been going to class 3 days a week and my body feels good. I feel just like I did in my 30s and 40s.

Coming back when you are old is a longer process than I imagined.

Great to hear bro. And LMAO at your instructor "not speaking English" but somehow getting you to stay. That is some straight up Mr. MIyagi shit lol.

 

[TheMaster]

Here is an update ...

All of October I continued to feel like an accident victim. It hurt so bad, I couldn't even turn my head to check for traffic on my left side driving my car. I would have to unbuckle my seatbelt. I don't think I was ever in this much continuous pain in my life. Around Nov 1st, I went to the school and told my instructor I didn't think I could do it because I was just too old (61).

I came home and my wife asked me, "So, did you quit." I said, "I tried." My instructors English is not perfect and I don't think he understood what I was trying to do. We talked and somehow all I know is I left agreeing to come back next week. I have no idea how that happened.

Then, after about 2 more weeks, everything felt normal. It literally changed overnight. I was not in pain anymore. I have been going to class 3 days a week and my body feels good. I feel just like I did in my 30s and 40s.

Coming back when you are old is a longer process than I imagined.

Glad it seems to be working out thus far.
Kudos for the attempt at the Judos, but seriously why is it so hard for people to accept that grappling just really isn't an old man sport?
Most people start grappling when young, think wresting and Judo. The body is naturally more suited to all that rolling and throwing. Yes BJJ is usually started later or in adulthood but that doesn't mean the wear and tear is less.

Maybe it's all those clips of Helio Gracie in a gi, but they dont realize how many surgeries most all the Gracies had.
Past your 50's, grappling is generally a bad idea, with exeptions of course. Think of old people naturally having hip, knee, back and joint issues, then imagine taking up a sport which naturally tries to contort these areas in the wrong direction...injuries sometimes just won't heal at that age.

Taking up a striking art is the way to go as you age if you want to stay in Martial arts. You will appreciate this more and more with time as will your body. Consider even traditional Chinese Martial arts, which are rehabilitative not destructive as one ages due to the way the positions are practiced and body structure developed and allow a natural increase in power and maintenance of health.

 

[kjg1672]

Glad it seems to be working out thus far.
Kudos for the attempt at the Judos, but seriously why is it so hard for people to accept that grappling just really isn't an old man sport?
Most people start grappling when young, think wresting and Judo. The body is naturally more suited to all that rolling and throwing. Yes BJJ is usually started later or in adulthood but that doesn't mean the wear and tear is less.

Maybe it's all those clips of Helio Gracie in a gi, but they dont realize how many surgeries most all the Gracies had.
Past your 50's, grappling is generally a bad idea, with exeptions of course. Think of old people naturally having hip, knee, back and joint issues, then imagine taking up a sport which naturally tries to contort these areas in the wrong direction...injuries sometimes just won't heal at that age.

Taking up a striking art is the way to go as you age if you want to stay in Martial arts. You will appreciate this more and more with time as will your body. Consider even traditional Chinese Martial arts, which are rehabilitative not destructive as one ages due to the way the positions are practiced and body structure developed and allow a natural increase in power and maintenance of health.

It's tough to admit, but I mostly agree with this. I don't see myself training anymore after I get my black belt. My wife tells me I should keep training, but she's not the one running out there.

 

[maximus__]

Glad it seems to be working out thus far.
Kudos for the attempt at the Judos, but seriously why is it so hard for people to accept that grappling just really isn't an old man sport?
Most people start grappling when young, think wresting and Judo. The body is naturally more suited to all that rolling and throwing. Yes BJJ is usually started later or in adulthood but that doesn't mean the wear and tear is less.

Maybe it's all those clips of Helio Gracie in a gi, but they dont realize how many surgeries most all the Gracies had.
Past your 50's, grappling is generally a bad idea, with exeptions of course. Think of old people naturally having hip, knee, back and joint issues, then imagine taking up a sport which naturally tries to contort these areas in the wrong direction...injuries sometimes just won't heal at that age.

Taking up a striking art is the way to go as you age if you want to stay in Martial arts. You will appreciate this more and more with time as will your body. Consider even traditional Chinese Martial arts, which are rehabilitative not destructive as one ages due to the way the positions are practiced and body structure developed and allow a natural increase in power and maintenance of health.

You come across the same issues in striking and grappling if you regularly spar hard. If you just roll/spar light in either then you see plenty of people able to train both for years. The ability to go hard is still there, it's just the ability to recover from that is diminished as you get older.

@Oldguy sounds like maybe you have made that adjustment as your timing has come back on top of your body getting used to the positions again. Now you are rolling at a lower intensity that you can recover from.

 

[method115]

Love hearing that your in your 60's and still able to train. Your living the dream.

 

[Oldguy]

I do the 6:00am class. From an injury standpoint, I think an early morning class can be more risky. Here is what I do:

3:30 Wake up and have breakfast
4:00 Stretch
4:20 Sit ups
4:30 Exercise bike
5:00 Shower
5:30 Out the door

I feel like this is a good plan so that I am warm before I spar. I like our class warm ups, we do about 200-300 sit ups as part of the warm up. I really feel this prevents injuries.

 

[Tebowned]

I do the 6:00am class. From an injury standpoint, I think an early morning class can be more risky. Here is what I do:

3:30 Wake up and have breakfast
4:00 Stretch
4:20 Sit ups
4:30 Exercise bike
5:00 Shower
5:30 Out the door

I feel like this is a good plan so that I am warm before I spar. I like our class warm ups, we do about 200-300 sit ups as part of the warm up. I really feel this prevents injuries.

To each their own.

IMO:
Fuck waking up at 6, let alone 330a. That's when I go to bed.
Fuck paying to do warmups that are not technique related especially when it looks liek you already do situps free at home.

 

[Oldguy]

When you get older, you wake up earlier.

Jiu Jitsu has taught me to always ask "How can I use this?".

So, I do.

P.S. Rickson used to make us do a lot of situps before we started rolling. He said if our core was warm, we were less likely to get injured. It makes complete sense to me.