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Going back to the gym after 2 years lay off

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Sensei Student

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Hey guys I used to be a gym rat training 2x a day 3-5x a week. Then life got in the way and I got fat and unhealthy. So after 2 years I'm finally fed up with myself and going back to the gym next week. First Muay Thai class in 2 years. What should I expect?

I'm honestly afraid I won't even make it pass the jump rope warm up stage. Should I pace myself hoping to last the night or go hard like I used to and just suck it up? I want to get back into shape ASAP but also being able to finish the class. I remember when I first started I couldn't even finish the class and was sore for days. I'm really afraid of this especially after telling them I used to train lol.

tldr: Any tips for an out of shape middle age fatty going back to the gym in 2 years?
 
Start out real slow then you can work your way up as appropriate. If you try going full on right away you’ll end up getting injured
 
Sensei Student said:
Hey guys I used to be a gym rat training 2x a day 3-5x a week. Then life got in the way and I got fat and unhealthy. So after 2 years I'm finally fed up with myself and going back to the gym next week. First Muay Thai class in 2 years. What should I expect?

I'm honestly afraid I won't even make it pass the jump rope warm up stage. Should I pace myself hoping to last the night or go hard like I used to and just suck it up? I want to get back into shape ASAP but also being able to finish the class. I remember when I first started I couldn't even finish the class and was sore for days. I'm really afraid of this especially after telling them I used to train lol.

tldr: Any tips for an out of shape middle age fatty going back to the gym in 2 years?
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just show up and work your way back to it gradually.
 
tdluxon said:
Start out real slow then you can work your way up as appropriate. If you try going full on right away you’ll end up getting injured
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Never even thought about this.
SandisLL said:
For how long timeframe you did this? Looks impressive.


Health is good? If yes, extra fat might even help: fat when burn out is good energy source.
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About a year of going 2-3x a week then I started going to their morning class as well. Sometimes after morning class I'd goto the 6pm cardio n strength class then 7pm muay thai class. 3 class a day.

I guess my health is fine. My stomach is gigantic. A ton of fat there. Can't wait to burn them all.

I seriously don't understand how fighters especially MMA (RRR) let themselves go then train 3 months and get back into shape. I'd be in fight shape year round if I was a fighter. I feel like absolute shit right now.
 
Any tip?

Yeah.. start training. There is nothing more.
 
Sensei Student said:
tldr: Any tips for an out of shape middle age fatty going back to the gym in 2 years?
Click to expand...

My tip: Watch a George Foreman documentary if you haven’t already.

He came back to boxing as a 38 year old middle aged fat guy, 7 years later he was legitimately the linear heavyweight champion of the world.

He said he had 10 years off without so much as shadow boxing.
 
3 years off the mat with surgery so....

Enjoy the return but start at 40% of your old routine.

You are straining your knees, hips and ankles plus your lower back carrying around that extra 40lbs.

Your knees will probably bear the brunt of the stress and be prone to injury first.

Long experience says, take it slow and enjoy the ride!
 
Just went to my first class and thought I'd share with everyone.

Did 3 rounds of jump rope and after the first minute I can already feel it. I knew this was going to happen so I paced myself but still got tired; I was still able to power through all 3 rounds but was sweating like a waterfall already.

Then we did drills and this is where I fucked up guys. My partner was the one holding pads and I'm the one hitting. I'm always used to switching roles after every round and this is where I majorly fucked up. In this gym, we go through all 3 rounds as the hitter or padder before switching. I usually catch my breathe holding pads so I went kind of all out on the first round of hitting pads. 2nd round and third round of hitting pads was a fucking nightmare. My legs was starting to cramp, specifically the glutes. I was out of breathe. IDK if the beep is indicating 30 seconds or a whole minute because it was the longest 30 second of my life.

Then it was my turn to hold pads and time just flew right pass. I had no trouble holding pads especially since my partner was kind of a newbie so his kicks had no power. The water fountain was extremely far away and I didn't bring my water bottle so I was supremely dehydrated. Last thing we did before calling it a night was doing a few rounds of ab exercise. Half way through I can feel my abs cramping. I have never felt this before. I think it's because I was dehydrated. So I had to stop and just lay there. I felt so bad. After class I was at the water fountain for at least a minute. Felt much better and started kicking the bags again.

Next time, I'll be more prepared. I'll bring 1-2 water bottles with me and pace myself even more now that I know I'll be hitting the pads for at least 3 rounds straight. Their bags are also very weird, feels like they fill it with air instead of sand. Kicking the bags did not feel good.

I miss having bruise on my shins. I miss being sore. I felt so energized after class!!! I can't wait to go to my next class and who knows, I might even join their next sparring session. Thank you everyone!
 
Sensei Student said:
Then it was my turn to hold pads and time just flew right pass. I had no trouble holding pads especially since my partner was kind of a newbie so his kicks had no power.
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That's really good for you.
 
Just show up and work hard, and go to the gym often, and everything will be back to how it used to be in a couple of months :)!
 
Sensei Student said:
Just went to my first class and thought I'd share with everyone.

Did 3 rounds of jump rope and after the first minute I can already feel it. I knew this was going to happen so I paced myself but still got tired; I was still able to power through all 3 rounds but was sweating like a waterfall already.

Then we did drills and this is where I fucked up guys. My partner was the one holding pads and I'm the one hitting. I'm always used to switching roles after every round and this is where I majorly fucked up. In this gym, we go through all 3 rounds as the hitter or padder before switching. I usually catch my breathe holding pads so I went kind of all out on the first round of hitting pads. 2nd round and third round of hitting pads was a fucking nightmare. My legs was starting to cramp, specifically the glutes. I was out of breathe. IDK if the beep is indicating 30 seconds or a whole minute because it was the longest 30 second of my life.

Then it was my turn to hold pads and time just flew right pass. I had no trouble holding pads especially since my partner was kind of a newbie so his kicks had no power. The water fountain was extremely far away and I didn't bring my water bottle so I was supremely dehydrated. Last thing we did before calling it a night was doing a few rounds of ab exercise. Half way through I can feel my abs cramping. I have never felt this before. I think it's because I was dehydrated. So I had to stop and just lay there. I felt so bad. After class I was at the water fountain for at least a minute. Felt much better and started kicking the bags again.

Next time, I'll be more prepared. I'll bring 1-2 water bottles with me and pace myself even more now that I know I'll be hitting the pads for at least 3 rounds straight. Their bags are also very weird, feels like they fill it with air instead of sand. Kicking the bags did not feel good.

I miss having bruise on my shins. I miss being sore. I felt so energized after class!!! I can't wait to go to my next class and who knows, I might even join their next sparring session. Thank you everyone!
Click to expand...
Haha!

Isn't it fucked?

What you use to pull off is now like wading through drying cement?

I remember those ab cramps when I was just re habing and getting back in shape at home. Just stretching my hamstring would trigger them. The fucking calf on my surgery side still cramps up sometimes in Ne Waza when I sink a triangle on that side.

Over two years since surgery and almost a year back training...

Enjoy the journey and.....
iu
 
I feel like I'm better after a layoff. Like my body has re-calibrated, but you definitely need to remain in good physical shape the entire time.
 
I took off like 3-4 years because of injuries but o didn't let myself go. I was still in pretty good shape just not quite like before because I'm now in my late 20s and can't push myself as hard as I did before because of injuries. Still I gassed hard doing pads just like you did, everything else was fine though.
 
lightsaberduel said:
I feel like I'm better after a layoff. Like my body has re-calibrated, but you definitely need to remain in good physical shape the entire time.
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That's actually what I'm planning to do since my new gym is flexible but has high monthly rates. My plan is to do 2-3 months focusing only on strength and conditioning and 2-3 months training in the gym with less emphasis on regular strength and conditioning stuff. I think it brakes the monotony and keeps you motivated as well
 
Went back for a second class and this time it was much better. I paced myself even more and focused on the technique. I brought my own water and drank it between sets. My abs were still cramping near the end even with the water.

lightsaberduel said:
I feel like I'm better after a layoff. Like my body has re-calibrated, but you definitely need to remain in good physical shape the entire time.
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ImmigrantMentality said:
I took off like 3-4 years because of injuries but o didn't let myself go. I was still in pretty good shape just not quite like before because I'm now in my late 20s and can't push myself as hard as I did before because of injuries. Still I gassed hard doing pads just like you did, everything else was fine though.
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Yea I definitely let myself go. I really don't understand how some fighters also let themselves go for like a year then train for 3 months and go back to competing professionally.
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Sparred last night, first time in years. I sucked, even a newbie was whooping my ass. At first I blamed it on my cardio but then I'm questioning why is a newbie beating me. Then I thought maybe ring rust is real. Most of the time I was just standing there clueless. I was just throwing jabs and moving around. It was terrible. I felt terrible, slow and clueless.

Not sure what to do, maybe shadowbox more to get my moves back?
 
I've had some serious injuries that took me out for extended periods and the one thing I can tell you is that once you've been in shape it's alot easier to get back into shape. I personally took it slow and careful. The last thing I needed was another major setback from an injury. Good luck.
 
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