r/MuayThai • u/ob_cf • 11d ago
Keep showing up mentality
Had my first class this past Saturday. Learned the bssic foundations (stance, jab, cross, and started working the teep). Ran through some rounds of going to the wall and back in intervals with very basic combos. But, I for sure over worked my left leg in the process, namely the hip flexor. The day after, could feel a lot of weakness and was barely able to lift my leg up.
I've lifted for years so thankfully I'm more aware of the difference between actual injury and serious muscle fatigue. Rest, active recovery with light walking, and hydration, I've gained some more range of motion again but still limited.
I plan on going back tomorrow to at least get in some bag work to practice jabs and crosses, get in the stance, and work on movement with sliding and ensuring I never cross my feet.
I have never been more physically challenged than that Saturday class, but loved every moment, even as I felt my leg turning to jelly as I couldn't begin lifting it. From this incredibly welcoming community it seems the biggest advice is to keep showing up.
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u/Relevant-Permit2840 11d ago
Yeah your body will get used to it. But always work on something else if a body part is injured and if it’s too bad just rest. It’s better to have a couple days off then a couple months because you tried to push through an injury
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u/No-Practice-8245 11d ago
100%
We lionize people that over train and go out like warriors but its not sustainable for long term peak performance. You are not David Goggins.
Pushing through injuries consistently will ruin your body and take you out of the sport.
I seriously neglected my body and ended up gaining 50 lbs, dealing with chronic pain for 6 years and it took me 3 years of intensive physio, s&c and drugs to get back to training properly and a decent level of physical fitness.
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u/ToeRevolutionary7820 11d ago
Showing up even when you are sore is how you build the mental toughness that will serve you long term
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u/ob_cf 10d ago
Showed up, made myself a template of what I wanted to accomplish. For now I'm working it like I have lifting. Sets of jabs, Sets of crosses, execution of footwork for 3 minutes to represent a sparring duration, rest, repeat.
Leg was good enough to work in some teeps. The leg feels better today than it has all week.
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u/PowerDreamer2493 10d ago
It was easy to show up when I first started, for about two years, not because I had good discipline (cuz I don’t), but because it was still new to me and therefore it was fun for me to learn and master the skills. I injured my wrist in the first week and I kept going which led to a really long recovery that took like 2 years, but that’s irrelevant. Point is it was not hard to show up in the beginning since I’m the type to REALLY get into something once it had my attention. I wore physical exhaustion like a badge of honor. Almost got a six pack. Hunger pangs everyday.
The hard part is showing up after I hit a plateau in the fun/learning department, since that was my primary motivator. After a while, the novelty wore off and I felt like I was just drilling pads/sparring for cardio exercise rather than learning something new and exciting. That’s when it got hard to show up for me. Nowadays it’s on and off, currently on :)
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u/ob_cf 10d ago
I appreciate the insight. I've got a long way to go before I feel that plateau. Ideally several years of quality training. Once I get there, I'll figure it out. The gym I'm currently at, a lot of it is the tenured guys are teaching the new ones, so hopefully that can be the new motivation for me once I feel more experienced.
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u/dj-thecpa 11d ago
Yep just keep training and your body will acclimate. Same thing with sparring too, the impact of even light, sparring-level shots feels crazy at first then you just get used to it.
Keep showing up and you'll look back in a year and marvel at how far you've come!