How to Keep Training When You’re Getting Crushed by Work

Martial arts are typically thought of as a young person’s game. You don’t see professional fighters in their 50s or 60s, and only on extremely rare occasions do they fight into their 40s. More than just injuries and the fact that the body takes a lot longer to recover, it’s difficult to start training martial arts as you get older. No one is looking out for the next rising star to make their first appearance at the age of 37.

It’s not only a matter of physicality. As you get older, you inevitably have more responsibilities either to your family or your career. It can make it impossible to dedicate the number of hours you need to in order to reach the professional level. These kinds of time restraints can even make it hard even for an average person to get to the gym a few times each week, which can derail any progress you’ve been making.

This recently happened to a viewer of Chewjitsu, a YouTube channel hosted by martial arts coach Chewy. The viewer wrote into Chewy and explained that he loves jiu-jitsu and that it’s changed his life. He’s been training for four years, and he’s noticed that he’s far stronger, fitter, and more confident than when he started. Unfortunately, he’s recently started his first real job, and he has a set schedule that does not allow him to get to any classes at his gym.

Other People in Your Gym May Have a Similar Issue

Chewy responds that he had a similar problem many years ago. He also got his first real job, but it was a second shift, meaning that he started in the early afternoon and got off in the late evening. At the time, his gym only offered classes in the evenings, so there was literally no way that he could do both during the week.

The first thing he did, and probably the best course of action, was talk to other people around the gym. What he found was that there were a handful of people who had less strict time restrictions, but they wanted something more convenient for their schedule. They said they’d prefer a morning class.

Though it was only about four people, the instructor at the gym was amenable to the idea, so the four guys started training a few times each week.

Other People in Your Area May Have a Similar Issue

If you can’t find people in your specific gym who are struggling with scheduling issues, you may want to ask friends who are not members in your gym or post something to Reddit or a jiu-jitsu forum. Especially if you’re in a larger metropolitan area, you will find other people who are in a similar situation who will want to meet up, especially if your coach is open to the idea of letting you use the space.

Private Options

If you can’t find enough people to train with, private sessions are a great option. The two most notable downsides are that they are expensive and that you don’t get the type of variety in partners that you do in a group setting.