I’m Getting Too Old for This
A few weeks ago, a good friend and training partner of mine called me. He sounded excited and I immediately knew he was up to something.
“The kid wants to fight, I told him you’d be down,” he said to me.
Okay let’s back up a bit….
Before COVID started, my friend and I had access to an amazing private gym--one that he actually built out for a local businessman who wanted a spot for him and his kids to work out in. It was a mix of free weights, machines and MMA equipment. Training has been good, but casual up until now.
So, when I heard the “kid” wants to step into the cage, I was kind of thrown off. My first thought was why? I mean we’re talking about a 24-year-old guy who is prepping for medical school. Why fight now?
I knew why--I knew exactly why. That was me. Young, motivated and curious what it felt like to go toe-to-toe. I get it. The next question I asked myself was if I was in a position to help. What could I offer him and could I commit?
So, by the end of my conversation, I said let’s start somewhere and agree to meet up. I figured we could take the first step, show up and work out a little before doing anything else. This way we can not only feel each other out, but also talk freely about goals, expectations, timing and where I can help.
Day One
We arrived at the gym and as we’re making small talk, getting to know one another, I asked “so what are we doing tonight, who’s got the plan?” They looked at me and said that was my job, I’m in charge.
I liked it; sure that was intimidating, but not an unfamiliar task. Some of my favorite memories are as a coach and trainer. Ironically, my management and coaching style are basically one in the same. So, then my attention focuses on the fighter. What are your goals? What are we doing here? How can I help?
Just like my goal-setting exercise, I'm thinking short-term. What are the first steps we can take together to see if this is a repeatable process from now until fight night? So, let’s just warm up, spend a lot of time getting loose before turning up the intensity.
Internally I started wondering, could I hang? Don’t get me wrong, I knew this was about him and I needed to quickly make a plan tailored to his needs, but I also wanted to see if I could hang. This wasn’t competition with him, this was ego.
This was me vs. me.
Fight Camp
Training camp is a crazy thing. Most of us see it as a three-minute montage in a movie or hype video to get you to buy a big fight on pay-per-view. The reality is that training, like anything that takes uncompromised focus and commitment, is a long, isolating process. It is a special process where your mind and body are simultaneously pushed beyond their current limits.
Marathons, Ultra running, and Iron Mans are similar. You don’t need to experience combat to understand that grind of training hard, with a plan to peak at the right moment.
If we’re being honest, corporate planning is ironically similar. You design a 12-week quarterly plan to be executed by specific deadlines, prepping the business for growth. Sure it isn’t physical, but that doesn’t mean it isn't stressful and exhausting given the size of the teams involved.
My Role, My Goals
Unlike my time as an athlete and amateur competitor, this isn’t about me. This is about a young athlete who needs help. He needs time, attention and a little guidance while reaching peak performance. Now that I understand how I can help, I can build the plan and commit.
Commitment is everything.
In terms of goals, I’m in. This is his camp, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it with him and train by his side. If he needs to make weight, then I will. If he needs combat specific conditioning, then I'll do it with him.
Look, this is his camp, but that doesn’t mean I can’t level up. In fact, maybe I need a young heart pushing this “old” guy, giving me the permission to tap into another level of personal capacity.
Am I too old? No, I’m not. But, I’m also not 24 anymore, so I’ll need to take every aspect of this seriously in order for me to show up, keep up and come back each week. Conditioning, diet and recovery need to be obsessed over, no exceptions.
Look for updates here and on my Instagram page. It won’t be pretty, but hopefully there is a transformation. Mind, body and soul is overused, but it applies.
Stay tuned...eight weeks start now.