I have been lifting for about the past 6 years now. After 6 years of lifting it is starting to take a toll on my shoulders and joints. I am 25 right now and would like to not be crippled by the time I am 40. A lot of my years of lifting I haven’t used the best form. Flared shoulders while benching, deadlifting with a bent back. The past couple years I have corrected my form but it hasn’t changed much with my shoulders and back.
I work a regular 40 hour a week job which consists of continuously running up and down stairs, lifting 55# buckets above waist level, lifting 50# plus baGs above waiste level from the floor and it has also done some wear on my back, shoulders, and especially my hands. I feel as if I have arthritis already. I have also been an idiot and have punched a few solid objects in my day, and accicdentally slammed my elbow into a sharp corner of a piece of steel at work and my elbow hasn’t been the same since.
I get pains through out my elbow while doing push exercises. Nothing unbearable but the pain is still there. It clicks every time I push. I can’t raise my hands above my head for long before my shoulders start burning. So I want to switch to training in boxing. Hitting the bag, speed bag, cardio, jump rope with maybe some light exercise. I have a bench with Dumbbells and all the equipment for boxing I need for now. I’m trying to keep my diet based around tuna, peanut butter and wheat bread, chicken, turkey burger, protein shakes and some creatine. Does anyone have any advice I can use for the switch I am trying to make?
For those of you who have made it through my long life story, thank u for reading.
Sir,
With those list of problems at 25 years of age, I would suggest before you start any type of training, to get a very detailed medical /orthopedic evaluation. You need to know the extent of your physical problems, because, boxing may not be the correct choice for you, since it puts a heavy strain on the shoulders, elbow joints, and bones of your hands, same with Muay Thai. Corrective rehab exercise may be needed before you attempt training.
I would start by doing a search on this site for any articles dealing with stretching rehab, mobility, flexibility, post -surgery,etc. Look, get yourself physically back in order the best you can, then worry about choosing the best martial art or you really will be crippled at 40. Best of luck.
[quote]idaho wrote:
Sir,
With those list of problems at 25 years of age, I would suggest before you start any type of training, to get a very detailed medical /orthopedic evaluation. You need to know the extent of your physical problems, because, boxing may not be the correct choice for you, since it puts a heavy strain on the shoulders, elbow joints, and bones of your hands, same with Muay Thai. Corrective rehab exercise may be needed before you attempt training.
I would start by doing a search on this site for any articles dealing with stretching rehab, mobility, flexibility, post -surgery,etc. Look, get yourself physically back in order the best you can, then worry about choosing the best martial art or you really will be crippled at 40. Best of luck. [/quote]
I am inclined to agree. Boxing is explosive, dynamic, and can be brutal on your shoulders and elbow (especially in the beginning when you don’t know how to stay loose properly).
I second the “Get-yourself-fixed-first” approach. If you’ve got these issues so badly now, boxing is only going to exacerbate them.
With all those injuries and aches, I’d suggest swimming more than anything else. It was the core of my rehab after a car accident I was in. After a summer of swimming and biking I went back to weight lifting 15 pounds lighter with very little loss of strength.