While I am generally fit and healthy now (for my age at
least) I spent a long time without exercise or diet of any kind other than soft
drink and fast food. I spent decades with poor diet and it remains a struggle
to eat right. (Click the Weight Loss Label for some strategies).
Through all this I created several issues for myself, two
of which required surgery. The one that took me out of training the longest was
when my stomach wall was rebuilt. Many of my muscular issues were the result of
being extremely overweight. The fat got behind my muscles and pushed them out
of the correct alignment. This caused them to not work correctly if at all. I
had small stabilising muscles doing the work of large power muscles and vice
versa. This caused countless injuries and trips to the physio even though the
weight was dropped. Having the surgery saved a lot of trouble, but there were
some issues I wish I could have planned for better and asked more questions about
at the start.
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| The Real Karate Kid? |
I specifically asked how long I would be out of training
for, adding it was for wrestling in particular. (I've found that if you say
“martial arts”, doctors assume The Karate Kid. “Wrestling” either brings to
mind the Olympics or WWE, both of which better illustrate the effort required).
I was told 6 to 8 weeks of zero training followed by another 4 or so weeks of
light work getting back into it. I was off for almost 8 months before slowly
being able to participate in class.
The martial arts involve all aspects of movement in very
specific situations. Often these require strength in positions that the average
person wouldn't dream of reaching. It can be like playing Twister in hand cuffs
with a snake coiled around your neck. So while after a couple of months I was
capable of a light jog or a few minutes on an exercise bike, I was in no shape
to partake in the basic warm up yet alone the class. A lot of people would've taken this as an opportunity to
rest up and fully heal before getting back into training.
This is a mistake.
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| Avoid doing this in place of training |
The best thing I did was not fill the time I
normally spent training with other tasks such as watching TV or playing cards
with the family. If I had done so, TV and cards would be my new normal. Getting
back into training after an 8 month break of doing nothing is hard. Getting
back when you have a new activity in place of your training time is next to
impossible. Sure you will try to make it, but then excuses crop up and you miss
a lesson or two. Then you go in once a week or once a month and quit
altogether. Don’t let this happen to you.
I have seen this too many times at my
gym. Someone gets injured and we don’t see or hear from them for 6 weeks. They
are back for a month and then gone forever. However, everyone that comes into
the gym while injured to simply watch returns without skipping a beat.
There is plenty to do when watching from the sidelines
and slowly rebuilding your body. The most important thing is to keep your mind
focussed on your sport. I wasn't able to participate but I could watch classes
and still ask questions of my coach. I remained among my training friends. Even
though I couldn't participate I was engulfed in the sport.
I have the benefit of being a senior student at my gym. I
regularly teach others and I'm approached with at least ten questions per
class. I was fully capable of answering those questions while sitting on my
butt. I was able to walk around the training mat and assist the head coach with
picking up faults. When not assisting I took advantage of free space to do
light stretching and get my body moving again. I had exercises from my physio
to slowly build up strength. As I was already at the gym it was no extra effort
to fit in my rehab.
It was frustrating being unable to train, especially when
new techniques were being taught. I had to drag myself into the car, as it was
emotionally exhausting to go from intensive training every day to being unable
to even get into a push-up position. This mental barrier was a giant hurdle but
one you can attack systematically.
The first step began at home. After work I changed into
clothes that would be conducive to training. Wearing jeans puts a halt on body
movement. Even if I wore track pants, I was still able to move freely. Wearing
clothes you don’t mind sweating in helps set your focus onto what you are
trying to achieve.
I next prepared a drink and light snack to take with me. Thirst
and hunger while sitting on the sidelines will force you to leave early. This
will eventually see you arriving late and leaving part way, making it easier to
justify not coming in at all. I may not have eaten the snack, usually a banana
or muesli bar, but it was there when required.
With my training clothes, drink and food sorted, getting
into the car was easier. I hate wasting time, and the time spent preparing to go would be wasted if I didn't actually drive there. I planned it so I would
arrive just as the warm up was finishing. I did this for a few reasons. First,
it gave me extra time for preparation at home. Second, I could sit right down
and watch the class, getting my mind engaged from the moment I stepped inside.
Third, I wasn't interrupting my training partners with talk about my recovery.
They could remain focussed on their pre-warm up and training. We could socialise
after class.
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| Sometimes you need a helping hand |
My entire crew helped me through this without even
knowing. My training partners enquired about my healing progress and genuinely
listened. They all expressed the desire for me to return to the mat and train
with them again. They asked me questions and kept me involved in their
training. My coach John supported me by allowing me to assist in his classes.
He gave me material to read or watch to
better understand techniques. He
trained me on how to improve my coaching. Any time I was feeling low and thought
about not turning up to a single class, I instead thought of how that would let
John down. That was always enough extra push to get me into the gym.
You have to surround yourself with a solid training crew.
If your gym doesn't support each other through adversity then find a new gym. A
toxic environment will kill your inspiration quicker than anything else. If I
didn't have the complete support from those that understand my training
mindset, I would have quit jiu jitsu and that would be a personal travesty.
I returned to actual training 8 months later and spent
another 4 months rebuilding my fighting strength and flexibility. My training
partners can attest that I lost practically nothing in ability due to my time
off. In fact I was performing better as my body was rebuilt and working
correctly. This is all because I immersed myself in my sport for the duration.
So in brief:
- Get back to your training centre ASAP after injury or surgery, even just to watch
- Don’t push yourself, but lightly ease back into it
- Listen to your doctors but understand they are generally not athletes
- Go see a physio to get rehab exercises to do while watching the class
- Ensure you get support from those you trust
- Remove toxic people from your life
- Plan your trips into the gym and bring everything you may need to avoid making excuses
- Don’t overdo it as you'll likely hurt yourself again
- Return with a vengeance once healed
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