Snow on the roof!!

Hi all,

I recently watched a vid of a guy in his late sixties undergoing a rigorous MMA training session. No hint of his age in his performance and he was comfortably living with guys half his age,

It got me to thinking... how has your training changed over the years? How do you see your training sessions develop as you get older? What attributes have you seen diminish in your training and which have you seen increase?

Do we first have to accept the harsh reality that as our skills and abilities diminish with age the reality of violence does not and so we need to maintain a training regime as close to the training we carried out in our twenties and thirties?

thoughts on gettng older??

interesting post Chris,

personally speaking,from an old git's point of view,i now train a bit less...but i try to train smarter.i try to work on the techniques that have  been of use in the past when fan and shit collide - no new tricks for this old dog,just repetition of the old ones.

regarding strength training (which i am returning to shortly following recent knee surgery). Less quantity more quality...squat,push,and pull for low reps twice weekly (in the most pain free style i can find)

It also helps to be totally in denial about growing older...this pic was taken last week,just after some air (still aches a bit,but go big or go home as they say )

I thought this was about the odd weather we've been having.


Yes returning to training in my mid 30's though isn't half as hard as I thought it would be... though I can't do a back walkover anymore I think I can learn to do it again.

I know I'm not that old actually I just keep thinking I'm past my prime, I have to force myslf to be positive and do the stuff I did ten years ago

Gray Hair & Black Iron is a great book about strength training for old gits. if you're shipping it to Europe, buy another book or two from the same website to make it worthwhile...

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

Good question...

All sorts of modifications, not so much due to age but due to injuries.  I had a motorcycle wreck back in 01 and ruptured two discs, tore my back muscles (trying to pick the bike up to throw at the car ) and found out I have spinal stenosis as well.  According to the doctor one more good whack and I'll probably be paralyzed (so I have that going for me).

I've got the onset of athritis in one hip (a lot of old time martial artists I'm aware of now needing hip surgery) and torn rotator cuff in one shoulder.

To cap it all off I have both brady cardia and tachy with a heart rate that fluctuates between 27 beats per minute all the way up to 187.

As a result of all of the above I lift weights but stick mostly to machines due to my back, due a lot of stretching and avoid cardio until I get the a-fib sorted.  I also pay a lot more attention to my diet now that I can't run.

I would also add being around people who are fifteen to twenty years younger than me all the time (due to tattooing and martial arts) really helps keeps one young.  You can see that same new lease of life when you have an old dog and you get a puppy.  All of a sudden the old guy is cavorting with the puppy and looks years younger.

PS: Old age and treachery will always beat youth and vigor.

I have been watching FIGHT FACTORY in youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pnttq-iByE

One of the big names in UFC,Phil Barony tries his comeback at 36 years old.
He can't keep with young guys,even at training so you can see the diference in recovery a guy in his twenties has.

I'm mid 40's now and I lift heavier than ever but I am very careful about what exercises I do and don't do. My cardio is not great but it was never that great to begin with.

My anaerobic fitness has decreased, which is evident when I'm working pads or the bag. So I've shortened the amount of rounds I spend on them but keep the workrate high. 

What I have noticed is the increase in the amount of rest and recuperation I need between training sessions. Oh, and the niggling injuries I get that I never seemed to get before. Like someone has already mentioned training smarter is the way forward.

Interesting piece on Baroni. With that in mind it's not hard to see many of the top rank MMA/UFC fighters in their mid to late thirties and even forties. They aren't just making up the numbers, these guys are competitive and winning.

I'm currently fighting cognitive dissonance with the idea that I should probably cut road work from my training regime. Focus instead on high intensity interval training. It's a hard leap for me as running for distance has been the staple of my CV fitness for twenty five years or more.

I'm also feeling the love with some kettlebell workouts I have been getting into. Well... love may be too strong a word!!

Kettlebells are a love/hate relationship Chris.

Kettlebell coach and BJJ black belt (first american black belt) Steve Maxwell.
He is 61 one years young.

http://www.maxwellsc.com/

Steve Maxwell is a legend. He comes highly recommended.

well I am 65 in a few weeks, done just short of 54 years in the martial arts, and am still teaching and training... cant see me stopping JUST yet

You are a legend too Dave.