Need help with poor mobility.

VanPersie

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Greetings all.

So a quick backstory for a second if I may:

I have always had a tremendous interest in martial arts. Bruce Lee has always been my personal hero. Problem is, I have fibromyalgia/severe chronic fatigue.
This means constant pain, as well as less than 0% energy all the time.

But I've had ENOUGH of that sh#te. Screw fibromyalgia.

So I've home workouts. Calisthenics. I'm nearly at 100 push ups which is great. (Not in one set of course)

Problem is, I feel like I've got poor mobility.

Not as in I need a mobility scooter or anything lol, but just sore shoulders and not enough range of motion, and incredibly stiff ankles and knees.

I certainly don't feel ready for a fight or sparring session atm because of that. I am definitely getting stronger though, that's for sure.

But yeah, terrible stiffness just about everywhere, and somewhat limited range of motion is an issue I need to fix.

There's a Mauy Thai class near me, but I need to fix these issues first. I'm still relatively young, (mid 30s) so this feels comeptley unacceptable to me.

Granted, a lot of it is my own fault. Sitting FAR too long and destroying my liver with boozein the past, but I no longer drink, and I'm trying to right these wrongs.

Many thanks in advance for reading!
 

HighKick

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Greetings all.

So a quick backstory for a second if I may:

I have always had a tremendous interest in martial arts. Bruce Lee has always been my personal hero. Problem is, I have fibromyalgia/severe chronic fatigue.
This means constant pain, as well as less than 0% energy all the time.

But I've had ENOUGH of that sh#te. Screw fibromyalgia.

So I've home workouts. Calisthenics. I'm nearly at 100 push ups which is great. (Not in one set of course)

Problem is, I feel like I've got poor mobility.

Not as in I need a mobility scooter or anything lol, but just sore shoulders and not enough range of motion, and incredibly stiff ankles and knees.

I certainly don't feel ready for a fight or sparring session atm because of that. I am definitely getting stronger though, that's for sure.

But yeah, terrible stiffness just about everywhere, and somewhat limited range of motion is an issue I need to fix.

There's a Mauy Thai class near me, but I need to fix these issues first. I'm still relatively young, (mid 30s) so this feels comeptley unacceptable to me.

Granted, a lot of it is my own fault. Sitting FAR too long and destroying my liver with boozein the past, but I no longer drink, and I'm trying to right these wrongs.

Many thanks in advance for reading!
Don't think you to 'fix' any issues before starting. That is the reverse of how it works. Start training or workouts and keep at it. Think of it as PT or rehab. You have to keep doing it before you will see any results.
 

skribs

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The vast majority of martial arts instructors know that you aren't Bruce Lee or Mike Tyson. The vast majority of martial arts instructors know that white belts in general have poor coordination.

You can fix these issues by going to a martial arts class. There are no prerequisites to doing martial arts, except showing up and being willing to learn. Aside from unrelated things (i.e. "I need to get a job so I can afford classes"), there is no excuse that I have ever seen for "I need to be able to do X before I start martial arts" that wouldn't be better by just starting martial arts.
 
OP
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VanPersie

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The vast majority of martial arts instructors know that you aren't Bruce Lee or Mike Tyson. The vast majority of martial arts instructors know that white belts in general have poor coordination.

You can fix these issues by going to a martial arts class. There are no prerequisites to doing martial arts, except showing up and being willing to learn. Aside from unrelated things (i.e. "I need to get a job so I can afford classes"), there is no excuse that I have ever seen for "I need to be able to do X before I start martial arts" that wouldn't be better by just starting martial arts.
Many thanks.

To be fair, I imagine most of these problems are due to fibromyalgia. Then again, like I say - screw fibromyalgia. I'm so done with it.

I do need to just join up to the classes. With that said, there's got to be something I could be doing in the meantime at home that'dhelp improve the issue?
 

skribs

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Many thanks.

To be fair, I imagine most of these problems are due to fibromyalgia. Then again, like I say - screw fibromyalgia. I'm so done with it.

I do need to just join up to the classes. With that said, there's got to be something I could be doing in the meantime at home that'dhelp improve the issue?
Stretching and cardio can't hurt.
 

Flying Crane

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Many thanks.

To be fair, I imagine most of these problems are due to fibromyalgia. Then again, like I say - screw fibromyalgia. I'm so done with it.

I do need to just join up to the classes. With that said, there's got to be something I could be doing in the meantime at home that'dhelp improve the issue?
I don’t know much of anything about fibromyalgia, but just because you say you are done with it, does not mean it is done with you.

I applaud your drive to become active and get involved in martial arts training and not let fibromyalgia control your life. That’s the right attitude and I say go for it, but with the caveat that you should work with your doctor to determine what is realistic, and be careful of the school and teacher you select to make sure they are willing to work within some safety limits to ensure you don’t make your condition worse by engaging in things that your condition won’t allow. I imagine that over time those limits may change, but you need to be thoughtful in how you approach this, and you need to listen to your doctor in the process.
 

O'Malley

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Greetings all.

So a quick backstory for a second if I may:

I have always had a tremendous interest in martial arts. Bruce Lee has always been my personal hero. Problem is, I have fibromyalgia/severe chronic fatigue.
This means constant pain, as well as less than 0% energy all the time.

But I've had ENOUGH of that sh#te. Screw fibromyalgia.

So I've home workouts. Calisthenics. I'm nearly at 100 push ups which is great. (Not in one set of course)

Problem is, I feel like I've got poor mobility.

Not as in I need a mobility scooter or anything lol, but just sore shoulders and not enough range of motion, and incredibly stiff ankles and knees.

I certainly don't feel ready for a fight or sparring session atm because of that. I am definitely getting stronger though, that's for sure.

But yeah, terrible stiffness just about everywhere, and somewhat limited range of motion is an issue I need to fix.

There's a Mauy Thai class near me, but I need to fix these issues first. I'm still relatively young, (mid 30s) so this feels comeptley unacceptable to me.

Granted, a lot of it is my own fault. Sitting FAR too long and destroying my liver with boozein the past, but I no longer drink, and I'm trying to right these wrongs.

Many thanks in advance for reading!
Sorry to hear about your condition. You used to be a real baller back in the day:

 

drop bear

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Many thanks.

To be fair, I imagine most of these problems are due to fibromyalgia. Then again, like I say - screw fibromyalgia. I'm so done with it.

I do need to just join up to the classes. With that said, there's got to be something I could be doing in the meantime at home that'dhelp improve the issue?

I looked that up. And there is specific physical therapy to help with that.
 

Gyakuto

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I’d recommend general stretching/mobility exercises (you’ll find these in the usual places) but be aware it will take time to see the positives effects, but they will come. I have to do this kind of thing everyday - neck mobility, shoulder and wrist, arm mobility, hamstring stretch, leg adductor stretches, ankle mobility etc just to keep supple and lithe! But it takes ages to see the rewards - and I mean 6-12 months but they do come and it’s very satisfying when they do.

Success in the martial arts requires a tenacious spirit and a degree of obsession, start cultivating those now by getting your body and mind ready. I’m off to do my shoulder mobility exercises before going to bed, even though it’s late and I’m tired….<grrrr> true grit 😉

Good luck!
 

Holmejr

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Work in conjunction with you doctor. Our good friend battles this. Warm up with low impact fluid movement (shadow boxing, kata, rhythmic stick twirling, etc.), then move into fluid kinetic stretching. If you practice on bag or pads, make it light. We have a student that only has his left arm, with a prosthetic for the right. My instructor has come up with many mods to our techniques that work for him. Also one of my private students suffered a stroke a few years back and struggles on different aspects of training. I just make it work for him because I believe it’s good therapy for him. He’s progressing and feeling better about himself. So, carry on. It’s not a sprint, but a marathon. Keep moving!
 

Darren

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I have a mild form of cerebral palsy,TGN,bad equilibrium,dyslexia,take karate and BJJ, can’t even dream of doing 100 push ups not even in ten minutes, but my BJJ classmates can’t believe how strong I am? Yeah I’m still wondering too!! I take herbs like devils claw,garlic,cinnamon etc. they seem to help.
 

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