Old Warriors and the Nature of Things Colin Power

Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen)

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97 Wear sunscreen If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it A long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now

(Artist: Baz Luhrmann ,Voice actor Lee Perry, Songwriters: Nigel Andrew Swanston / Tim Cox)

We often talk about the “Old Warrior” and attribute a little respect by saying they have one good punch left in them so you should give them the distance they deserve. Is this really true or just wishful thinking…is it a given that when the need arises we still have what it takes to get out of a tight spot. Surviving conflict has so many variables and a good amount of luck. This article is not going to be about old man fighting techniques or the secret old man punch. It is going to start with a story of a very interesting man that I came across in my travels. Then I will tell you about my ever changing approach to my training as I turn 56.

I believe that we can challenge “Time” and be useful well into our twilight years but you have to pay the price. The price may include a hard look at your diet and alcohol consumption along with an intelligent approach to physical training. In the end none of us get out alive but we can have a good crack at walking a path of our own choosing.

Let’s start the story of an “Old Warrior” that I happened to met by chance…a man we will call Bob. I met Bob during a podiatry home visit to his wife. There he was in his late 70’s sitting cross-legged on the couch, spine erect just relaxing as you do. His wife was running late so we had some time to sit and have a chat. Coming into the house I had passed a few photos on the wall, a younger man in military attire and another of an older man with Mount Everest in the background so I asked Bob to explain the photos. He said his wife was always late so we would have time. He then preceded to tell me the short version of his life…

He had grown up rough in the Yorkshire countryside (if I remember correctly) with no parents to speak of from an early age he would sleep in barns and get in trouble more than not. This led him to the military when he was of age and later selection to the British SAS, the first photo was taken in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). At this point he told me that he was not going to tell me any stories about his time in the SAS… not like the young ones these days that where breaking the rules and writing books, he was old school. Anyway he must have been good at his job because he was later brought to Australia to improve the training of the Australian SAS … he served in both the British and Australian SAS, not too shabby.

So at this time you would probably be correct in assuming he must have been a bit of a Badass in his day. So I asked him what he did when he got out of the military. His answer was a bit vague as if he never really got “out” of the military but he did add that he took up marathon running and guiding trekkers to the base camp of Mount Everest. That explained the second photo on the wall.

Bob sat cross-legged on the couch all the time he told his story as if he was a young man in his prime and I was more than impressed with the quiet humble nature of the man…a man you probably wouldn’t want to mess with but still happy to sit down and have a cup of tea with.

Bob slowly lent forward and said, “Well that is all in the past, my body knows it and now I do to”.

He continued by saying that he had a recent altercation with a much younger neighbour the other day that reminded him of the fact. The argument had nearly come to blows but instead he used his training to deescalate rather than inflame the situation.He said that he was still a warrior at heart but comes a time when you realise that the flesh is not able to listen, not able to respond in the way it once was able to. He was happy that it had not come to blows and his old training had meant he had not done anything stupid out of fear. His final remarks as his wife rushed through the door…

Spend your time wisely and you can be a warrior for longer than you have any right to…in the end though you must accept the nature of things.

As the sunscreen song above preempts…what follows is my advice based on experience. Food for thought and not to be taken as the only way or even the correct way. I make so many mistakes in nearly everything that I do and my answers are always open for revision.

Get to know the floor…

I have always been a person that is happy to lay on the hard floor and roll around , etc. I thought most people sat on the floor or at least could do an easy bum to ankle squat if the ground was wet…it appears that not many people sit on the floor anymore. I have found that with another birthday about to pass that sitting cross legged has become more difficult. I put this down to working from home and spending more time at the computer as many of us have been forced to recently. Being able to get to the floor and gracefully get back up again is a strength and technique thing. As a warrior…work on your get up routine, you may need it one day.

Look after your knees and hips…

Many people turn to surgery when the knees and hips give trouble or a quick fix cortisone injection or orthobiologics injection. They may all have a place but often the much harder physical therapy treatment proves to be more successful. It is better to be stronger in a functional way than just stronger. I have found that sitting at the desk in front of my patient or computer is not great for my hips and was effecting my mobility. Like most of us I have to work a number of hours a day to pay the bills, if the balance between work and play was better my hips would most likely be happier. I needed to find some short intense exercises that I could do to compensate for my extended time in a sitting position (Hip flexed). I needed to extend my hips more and I found most health professionals when consulted only recommended stretching.

I tried all sorts of stretching that helped a little but not a lot. In my work as a podiatrist I mainly work with middle aged to mature people and most problems are strength related issues…you just have to figure out which group of muscles are weak then you make them stronger. It is relatively easy to strengthen a muscle but you have to be careful that you give the other structures like tendons and ligaments time to adapt to the new strength. It turned out for me the bum muscles (Gluteals) were under-utilised and could use a bit more exercise. For me it would be better time spent strengthening my gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus (hip extensors) than stretching my rectus femoris, iliacus, psoas, sartorius (hip flexors). You may need some help from an appropriately qualified professional to guide you through the process and find out what is best for you.

For me I found that doing a Hindu push-up (a Dand) was a good starting point, concentrating on contracting the gluts and hamstrings during the appropriate time. No equipment required just getting into the habit of doing them. Then I progressed to using the Kettlebell Swing to increase the load to the gluts because I could control the load applied in stages. I started with a 12kg Kettlebell (KB) to learn the technique and acquire the skill

using a small load for my body size. As my body adapted over time I have progressed to a 16kg then a 20kg KB. The Kettlebells are easier for me to integrate into my work day because I have them in my podiatry practice. I have a personal preference to swinging weights rather than pushing weights because it challenges my stability but you could also use a bar hip thrust technique if you have access to the equipment. It is not the type of exercise that matters…what matters is that it achieves the desired outcome.

For my knees I realised that everything is related and some hip flexors are also knee extensors…I was just getting weaker in general. I then added in a modification of the Hindu Squat (a Baithak) done horizontal to the floor as a reduced load option (source:Tim Anderson - Original Strength). I also do other exercises such as goblet squats with a KB and Bulgarian split squats with a KB and swing steel clubs of various weights. I don’t have a squat rack because I prefer more functional exercises including loaded one sided exercises (contralateral and ipsilateral) as it is more aligned with my martial training. I also love holding single postures as an isometric exercise and a qigong all rolled into one… you can explore your art and understanding through basic postures.

If you have pain seek advise and spend some time on body maintenance…you may be able to claw back some time through targeted exercise.

Slow down and be a beginner…

The nervous system would love you to give it a bit more time to process the information and work out the kinks. You will find out if you really have balance, stability and understanding of the movement. Not much more to say…go back to the beginning and start again in basic form done slowly. I spend most of my time not learning new things but trying to understand what I thought I knew…I’m really nothing special or gifted. Lucky for me most people think they are “really, really good” and are constantly looking to learn new things.

Stress your body…correctly

Some people say that you should do something scary each day to know that you are still alive. There may be something useful in that saying. If we do something that creates a fear response, fight or flight, the neurotransmitters - Adrenaline and Noradrenaline will be involved and this will have a cascade effect on hormones such as testosterone. Potentially a very useful response for slowing the ageing process.

As we age our body changes and much of that has to do with the complex dance of our body’s hormones. Much of the work of Dr. Duncan French is to do with hormones and resistance training in elite athletes. He currently works at the UFC performance institute and works with elite fighters. Looking at his research and listening to some interviews he discusses the variable hormonal response to training between each fighter and the ability to increase testosterone levels through resistance training.

It appears that it is beneficial to our testosterone levels (important for both males and females) if we physically stress our bodies a few times a week. This would be a training session that was enough of a physical stressor to create the need for a hormonal response. This level of training would be very different for the weekend warrior versus the elite athlete however we can assume that ‘relative’ stress would create some hormonal changes for the better. His work also seems to imply that if there is some emotional or fear stressor (I’m dreading this workout it’s really going to hurt later or shit…that guy looks more like a mountain, what if he snaps me in two) this may also provide added benefit to increase hormones such as testosterone.

These type of training sessions look a little more high intensity than the average sessions…less rest between and less chit chat and mainly involving resistance training rather than aerobic/endurance training however aerobic/ endurance activity could also be used as a stressor. The stressor would need to be changed from time to time to reduce the adaptation process of the body. It is the load to the system rather than the specific exercise that matters and if it spiked the fear response all the better. You need to be “present” mind and body at these sessions or you will get hurt. Your new skills orientated sessions would need to be a separate session to reduce injury risk.

Other than external medication (Anabolic steroids, testosterone supplementation etc) I don’t know any other means of changing your hormonal levels other than physical exertion. I haven’t come across any research that suggests that there is an easy way to maintain muscle mass and hormonal balance into advancing age. It would be interesting to know if this physical stress response works in the over 40 year old or not. The upside is that this training approach does not seem to increase cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol levels can be related to chronic disease and are already too high for many people leading a modern western life. Cortisol is another of those fight or flight hormones that is useful in suitable spikes but not if chronically elevated. This gives you room to play around with the intensity of your training sessions for hormonal benefit.

Mindfulness practices

All traditional martial arts have deeply engrained mindfulness practices interwoven within their system. Many of us still struggle with being present…keep working on it. Some say that most arts start with the physical because it is the easiest place to start. Some expressions of martial arts have had the martial suppressed… to separate the physical (or sudden violence) from the mindful aspects. I believe that the physical is the required reality check for the mindful aspects…each as important as the other. We can not be completely in balance…all important processes and functions would cease. We are in transition from one state to the next, never reaching a full state. Neither should we seek to suppress emotions. It is better to know that you are still able to function in an emotional state…not holding on or being defined by that thought. Movement whilst afraid rather than trying not to be afraid and still move.

Do interesting stuff…

It does need mentioning that you need to be interested in the things that you do. If your training no longer interests you maybe it is time to move on…no shame in saying that. You may be highly graded in your art but only turn up for the respect from other players. It happens…maybe it is time to go or maybe it is time to become a beginner again, your choice.

Most traditional arts have much more to them than you are currently aware of… Your present art may also be a doorway to a totally different art…possibly not a martial one. You should ask yourself the question “what did I like doing as a kid” it is often the thing you should still be doing as an adult.

Do you believe in magic?

My primary martial art is Taijiquan and it has been shrouded by the mystical and magical to such an extent that many people no longer call it a martial art. Many people do not practice it as a martial art and this has become a movement exercise/therapy…this has value although not in the martial sense. I value all expressions of my art but please don’t try and put some lipstick on it and call it something else…be proud of the art that you practice without dressing it up. I practice a martial version of Taijiquan and rely on the physical training methods not the transference of Qi to deal with sudden violence. The magic of my art already exists in the physical methods with no need for additional makeup. Do I practice Qigong as part of my art…yes I do. Qigong is not separate from physical work and I shouldn’t have to tell you that but it seems I do. I find simple Qigong and isolated postures held as a Qigong extremely beneficial…it is very physical and you should give it a try.

Finally, remember to wear sunscreen, you are free to make that choice.