Mississauga martial arts at any age or fitness level
We all have that friend that has wanted to get involved in martial arts or fitness training, but don’t pursue it in earlier in life for whatever reason.
Flash forward a couple years and the notion creeps back into their minds in their 30s, 40s, even 50s. Most let themselves be talked themselves out of it, citing reasons like
- “I’m too old to start a new activity”
- I’m a total beginner will i be able to fit in
- My body just can’t take what it used to
or my personal favorite “I have to get in better shape a bit more before i start training!?!?!?” Well, the reality of things is if you approach martial and fitness training properly it is never too late to start, propper training adds tremendously to your quality of life and the excuses above are easily worked around.
You could find no better example than our very own mississauga boxing coach richard lewis 63+ years old and going strong
Here are 3 tips for on how to approach taking up martial training at any stage of life even if you are not in peak physical fitness
1. Take it slow. You may be tempted to push as hard as you can when you first enter the academy, to try to keep up with more experienced students, to prove to yourself that you still have it in you. This is especially true for older students going back to martial arts training after having been away from it for years. Don’t do it. Training is about bettering yourself not defeating anyone else. The best approach to take is to let your body and mind adjust to the new routine gradually, doing less reps, moving more slowly, or taking breaks when necessary. Gradually build on your strength and stamina, pushing your self a little more each week as you feel comfortable so you don’t burn yourself out right at the start. No point in training “HARD” if you are doing things wrong.
2. Be patient. You may notice other younger students progressing faster than you over time. It can be frustrating. The truth is that muscle memory generally takes longer to develop as we age, so you may have to put in a few more reps to really develop a movement and make it your own. Try to focus on enjoying your training at the level you’re at without comparing yourself to others needlessly. Everything is a building process and with enough time doing the right things you will see results
3.Listen to your body. Just starting out don’t expect to be able to do everything the same as other students. Regardless of age or experience, different people have different pain tolerances, ranges of motion, and different histories of injury. If something feels painful or uncomfortable in any way, stop and ask the instructor for feedback. It could be something that your partner is doing wrong, something you’re doing wrong, or it could be the unique limitations of your body. Every motion has a “lite” version and a good coach can cater things to work within your ability until you develop a higher fitness or skill level
Remember
Martial arts and fitness is not a sprint, but rather very much a marathon. Training properly is a great tool to better your quality of life. Elite training centre has martial arts and fitness training for all experience levels and it is never too later to get started. Forget about going from zero to 100 and take the tactical approach to your training and you will see huge gains.
p.s
if any of you started training after a long layoff or later in life say past age 30 with little previous physical activity post your experience in the comments section below to help other thinking about making the move to towards training.
