Thursday 1230 class and more free advice...

Another hot and sweaty session over at the lunch time class today at LFF, after a half hour drilling, it was time for an hour of rolling, five minute rounds and I managed to get six good rounds without injuring myself, which is what my training is all about at my age.

Gone are the days of non stop rolling every day, you have to face the fact that your glory days of thrice daily training are a rose tinted memory away, saved for mat side trying to impress the new hungry white belts...

You have to listen to your body and take a round out here and there, it's good to have a rest, stretch out, use the foam roller and get back some focus for the next round.  I've nothing to prove anymore and trying to match the younger belts for strength is a disaster waiting to happen and it's not going to be theirs.

Training is still as hard and challenging as ever, but it's down to you as an older mat rat to really look after your body, no one gives a fuck if you get injured because your ego got in the way; it's going to be you on the couch for weeks, unable to train and then the depression kicks in and you've missed six months of training and getting back up that hill gets so much harder, the older you get.

So, to all you older warriors out there, take some more free advice from the Northern Monkey; don't go crazy on sparring days at your academy and follow these pointers...

• Get a good night sleep the night before training day and in general
• Drink plenty of water every day
• Drink plenty of water during and after training
• Save the beer for cheat day and after a competition camp
• Eat well through out the day, try not to skip meals
• Stretch daily
• Roll to your body's limits
• Leave the ego at the door
• Never be afraid to tap

Once again, it ain't rocket science and the list isn't exhaustive...

Thanks for reading and as always, enjoy your training!

Tough rolls today with Marcelo (left) and Sharpey