I'm resurrecting this blog with (hopefully) more updates on progress and process. - Since I began the fitness stuff five years ago this coming November, a lot has changed. I now weigh a lean 240 lbs due to consistent strength training. I've also been going to kung fu and kickboxing classes nearly every day for almost three years. As a friend of mine says, "boxing has got into your bones." I am happy to report that all the punching and kicking drills is doing me a world of good. Sparring is a real thrill, too.
Despite the usual age-related headwinds, I am still seeing growth in power, agility, stamina, and size. My diet is still quite good, and I get all the right supplements. I am able to do things now that I couldn't achieve ten years ago. I've read my fair share of blog posts and articles on fitness advice for fortysomethings, and I just can't quite relate -- stuff about lifting lighter, being resigned to some regimen that simply slows the downhill tumble into old age. And such advice may be fine for those who have spent much of their adult life as sedentary individuals, or who wrestle with trying to shed so much accumulated weight. Of course, I do agree that some degree of moderation is a good course of action, such as integrating warm-ups and cool-downs and not lifting to absolute failure each time. On the other hand, going a bit too easy on the exercise is to embrace a kind of resignation that one's best days are behind you. Proper form and taking some care is important, and even then one can expect the occasional activity-related injuries that take just that wee bit longer to heal. I've had that tendon tear, a groin pull, shoulder impingement, just to name a few. I will never lift at 100%, but try to keep things at around 75% which is just enough to stimulate gains without the risk of getting sidelined by an injury. In terms of martial arts, I can say that skill and technique are constantly improving. I also know I have to work within my limits. I don't have as much gas in the tank as those half my age, or even some of their speed, but I compensate for that with power and long limbs that keep an opponent at bay. In kung fu, I am working on the forms (katas) at the blue sash level. In kickboxing, I continue to improve my strikes and footwork, making it a lot harder for someone to land a blow. Integrating both the lifting and fighting into a sometimes overly taxed schedule is a balancing act, and sometimes means having to get up before the sun to get in the required time. I do know that if I don't go to the club for more than four or five days, my body feels a lot older and slower -- but all it takes is that one return visit to feel rejuvenated as though there was no lapse in time and training. I don't feel I've reached my peak yet, that there is still so much more progress to be made in training. |
Kane FaucherJust an ongoing wee blog on fitness stuff for my over forty self. Archives
November 2019
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