New Concern with Age

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by BigRed389, Feb 26, 2006.

  1. BigRed389

    BigRed389 Valued Member

    So after working over a heavy back with kicks, mostly roundhouse kicks, full power, the next day I feel really achy and tight at the instep joint area. I've done heavy bag work before, but it was a spry high school kid and I'd usually feel fine the next day. Now I'm 23 and considerably heavier and slower... And I'm also taking the training much more seriously(high intensity all the way) as I want to begin competing.

    Now I know feeling sore is in general quite normal, but for safety's sake, I'm wondering if it's anything to be concerned about...I'm a bit paranoid about injuries after a knee injury crept up on me slowly when I used to run.

    Another issue is that from the mechanics of roundhouse kicks, my "shin muscle" whatever the muscle is at the front of the shin, gets incredibly tight. I'd like to think my kick mechanics are pretty good, but I'm wondering what's a good way to loosen those muscles up? I think dropping pounds would help but I'd like an interim solution.

    Thanks!
     
  2. Maverick

    Maverick New Member

    I can't comment on your instep problem but I will say that I think 23 is nowhere near old enough to start worrying about lower recovery from exercise. You're still in your peak.
     
  3. hux

    hux ya, whatever.

    23 is still pretty young - but if it's been a few years since you'd done heavy bag drills you might want to consider easing into it a bit - maybe hit it at 50% and work your way up from there as opposed to just bashing it full power on day one.

    I really think this would apply whether you were 13 or 23 or 53..shrug.
     
  4. BigRed389

    BigRed389 Valued Member

    Sounds great. Thanks for the tips.

    And hux that's a great quote.
     
  5. hux

    hux ya, whatever.

    thanks, but Yohan said it...I just just quoted it :)
     
  6. paradoks

    paradoks New Member

    us poor old 20 something yr olds! wheres my walking stick :p

    hi big red,

    I was going to say 'dont use your age as a reason for being sore, unfit, etc.' as i have done so and was quickly ...well, not flamed, but .....'adressed' on this matter :p (i'm tryna be politically correct guys! :) )

    I am 30 in several months, and also have come back to training after a long break (12 years) and have found the road back to where i was a long, and very painful one.
    In a sense i do agree that 23, or in my case, 29 is still young, and that is very true. On the other hand i think some people might be overlooking the fact that becoming elite is a young mans game. I hear all the fellas saying "23! and 29! thats young!" and as i said, it is, but if you think about it, you'll realise most elite athletes do retire around the 30 year mark. I remember the Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe (a swimming legend by the way! :p) retired recently, and he would be around the 30 yr old mark.

    Even if you do not aspire to becoming elite, the simple fact that your last recollection of training was doing two hundred push ups, 300 star jumps, leaping a tall building in a single bound! and alla that!.
    So even though young, the fact that we come back and feel as though our bodies are so much less flexible, and less resistant to pain and fatigue makes us feel aged.

    As for your leg pain, i would'nt worry, i had the exact same experience a few weeks ago. After doing my first strenous class in years i had extreme pain and cramping in the calves, and shin area. I never pretend to know things i dont, so i wont fake knowing exactly why this happens, but i can say it does subside soon (or at least it did in my case). Perhaps ask Ad mcg, he seems to know a little bit more then most about the theorey behind muscular training, and thus muscle fatique.
    I can suggest using a product such as radox (bath salts) to assist recovery and help disperse those god awful lactic acids. Also gentle stretching, and massage of the sore areas helps me. If after this you still feel a considerable pain, i would recommend using something like Nurofen gel(anti inflamatory), or industrial strength red tiger balm.

    A part of my thinking is saying "good lord! you are 23! thats your prime! how dare you!!!!! :p" but in the same sense...i complain about feeling old and im 29, i have no doubt there are 40 year olds who thought that exact thought when i complained of my age. :p So i've come to this conclusion

    "pain, age, and fitness is relative to each individual" what feels old to you is young to me, and what feels old to me feels young to someone such as...ummmm Hux perhaps! (sorry huxy boy! :p)

    In all seriousness, 23 really is a great age to be for M.A. I doubt it will take more then 6-12 months max of dilligent training before you are in peak physical condition, and perhaps the best you will have been, or ever will be(if you train dilligently of course). At 23 you are stronger and more coordinated then in your teens, but still young enough to train hard and not take a week before you can walk again! :D
    I would'nt dispair red, you'll get there, just be patient, train hard, and the rewards will come.

    all the best, and be well.

    Paradoks " i allways lie!" (the verbal paradox)
     
  7. aml01_ph

    aml01_ph Urrgggh...

    Bit off more than you can chew?

    When I read your thread title I thought that you would be 50+. But since you're not I think any soreness you feel is just a case of taking on too much too soon. Maybe you have to focus once more on the basics before doing any further. Especially when you say that you laid off for quite awhile then came back and took up a regimen that was more strenuous than the one you were used to before the hiatus.
     
  8. hux

    hux ya, whatever.

    LOL I hear ya man - I'm 34 and got started in this game really late. I ache and pain every day, trust me. It doesn't stop me from sparring with 19 year olds, though, or rolling with 23 year olds. I find that my heart > their speed most times.

    I know I'm never gonna be champion of anything, don't get me wrong, but I train hard and until I am debilitated by father time I plan to bang hard every step of the way ;)

    Age is a number. Really. A few pics fer you guys:

    George Foreman

    [​IMG]


    Randy Couture

    [​IMG]

    Mike McDonald

    [​IMG]

    All late 30's/early 40's. Not typical, but certainly not impossible unless you believe it to be so.
     
  9. paradoks

    paradoks New Member

    you're only 34 hux!

    The way you've spoken in some posts i thought you were at least 40 somethin!! i think you're about as guilty as i am of using age as a reason to complain of pain and fatigue! :p

    In all seriousness though, my elder brother decided to to up M.A as a means of spending time with me when i was a child (ten yrs old). And he found M.A to be his new passion, and addiction :p he was 30 something, i think 32, 33 maybe when he took his first lesson. Today he is a Shodan, and a very deadly boxer.
    He's like an italian Mike Tyson! (but i decent guy!:p) he drives into his opponants like a tank, or a bull, and when he starts drivin, theres no pushin him back! evasion is your best hope at not gettin run over!.
    He'd be in his mid 40s now, and still training strong!

    We should remember guys like him when us mid 20 guys feel like were aged and frail. even you hux! you're a yudansha right? and 34...no excuses for you either son!!!! :D

    take care all you oldies! :p

    Para-D
     
  10. KickChick

    KickChick Valued Member

    Move over kiddies ... let the old lady through :D ;)

    You're freakin 23 years old! Suck it up! (ok sorry but I just got back from a grueling class where all the "kids" were huffing & puffing and moaning about how out of breath,sweaty and how sore they were -- and I just :rolleyes: ) -- sorry about the rant! ;)


    As you said you are approaching your training with high intensity so you are going to pay for it by being sore afterwards ... no way around that.

    Do be sure you are warming up those muscles sufficiently before training (even if you need to before you get to class) Stretch daily!!

    I would suggest also having your instructor check your form on those roundhouses. Usually pain in the shins/knees is do to improper technique and you may not be aware of it but your instructor can !

    Dropping weight is definitely a good suggestion as well.--- do cardio which will provide some fat loss and endurance training for when you begin to compete!
     
  11. NaughtyKnight

    NaughtyKnight Has yellow fever!

    LOL!

    Quit bitching man, your 23 yrs old. You have a long time left in you.

    Just look at Ken Shamrock. He was still fighting at 41yrs old.

    Quit punching and kicking full power and practise technique while you build up intensity slowly. No point injuring yourself and having to take a few weeks off to recover.

    Your sore because you've just started and you trained hard.
     
  12. zenpokaiten

    zenpokaiten Valued Member

    I would have to tell this individual take this advise. Just try to get a good sweat going before stretching, or it will be a static stretch, and you wont benefit as much from it. Also like she said have your instructor watch for improper technique! Try not snapping your roundhouse unless you are kicking at a bob or sparring. It can cause alot of knee damage. I used to snap out my kicks with ankle weights , and now my left knee is paying for it.
     
  13. BigRed389

    BigRed389 Valued Member

    Thanks for all the advice and verbal kicks in the butt. :cry:

    I'm feeling much better now. :D

    I definitely haven't done any dynamic stretching...our class uses static or ballistic stretches, I'll try to get them in during pre class warmups.

    On not snapping the roundhouses, do you mean throw it with the leg straight out? I was actually practicing both the MT and TKD roundhouses...I mix in the MT kick as it just feels "good," and it actually works to knock down some opponents during sparring when they kick, even if they block. Under this TKD league's rules getting knocked down twice results in a point deduction for my opponent.

    But again, thanks.
     
  14. NaughtyKnight

    NaughtyKnight Has yellow fever!

    IF you can use MT roundhouse kicks in your comps, dont even bother with roundhouse TKD kicks.

    Also, DONT do ballistic stretches, no matter what. If your instructor makes you, find a new gym.
     
  15. zenpokaiten

    zenpokaiten Valued Member

    When you are sparring definitely snap them out. Just as long as your kicks are contacting something like a body, heavybag,focus pad, or a BOB you are going to be ok as far as injuring your knee. What Im telling you to watch out for is say you guys are in your lines and your going down the floor doing roundhouses side to side. Dont snap your kick as hard as you can. If you are at home and practicing with ankle weights dont snap it out. Using those ankle weights will definitely help add some speed, so I definitely encourage you to add this to your freetime training, it can only help you out in the long run at the dojang
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2006
  16. Ad McG

    Ad McG Troll-killer Supporter

    Concern with age - LOL. Nobody should have a concern for age until they are at least 40. What should be of concern is your lack of activity, and if you take this into account then you should make progress. Don't jump in with both feet, take your time and work up slowly. At your age, it will come back in no time, it just takes one thing - HARD WORK :)
     

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