40 Plus Members: Be Advised - Page 3

NickW · July 31, 2011, 11:00 AM

Quote:

I'd always say my "twin 9's". They'd ask if I carried two 9mm's - "Nope, the size 9 shoes on my feet to run away."

Brilliant!

Lord I hate growing older, that slow slide into decrepitude. If I may quote my Father… “Boy, ya got to fight it, fight it all the time, because old age is not for wimps.”

Don P · August 1, 2011, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Im sorry for this inconvenience but it seems that I have found my way into the senior citizen side of this thread and was wondering where the youth group was at?

They are the ones trying to kick the poop out of us old folks.

Skans · August 1, 2011, 09:07 AM

Watch out for guys in their 50's and '60's - some of them are darned good fighters, still fast, strong, and highly skilled fighters. In my '20's and early '30's I trained with men of this age - some put a pretty serious hurting on me; one in particular could have seriously injured and/or killed me quite quickly - and this is when I was running marathons and bench-pressing 315 lbs.

Lifting weights and running is not the same as fighting - nothing like a good fighter to make you realize how much time you wasted lifting weights and running thinking that will somehow protect you.

BODAME · August 1, 2011, 11:50 AM

The purpose of fighting is to Win. All else is supplemental.

"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. You may get killed with your own gun, but he'll have to beat you to death with it, cause it's going to be empty."

""If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck"

"Beware the man who only carries one gun. HE PROBABLY KNOWS HOW TO USE IT!!! "

"Fast is fine, but Accuracy is Fatal"

Wag · August 1, 2011, 05:31 PM

I haven't been in a fight for over 20 years. Maybe 25 years.

However, I've had the good fortune to talk a few people down from their intention to whup my sorry ass. There's something intrinsically more rewarding in crawling inside someone's brain and stirring things up as opposed to getting or putting a beat down on.

I can relate to the "nothing to lose" mindset.

My buddy and I work out nearly every day with very heavy weights. I say "very heavy" 'cause they must be marking them differently nowadays 'cause they just don't seem to add up like the math used to make them add up. I dunno.

We stretch hard before, during and after each workout and it still takes me five days to recover completely.

I'm still feeling the back pain from the smelting session I did on Saturday. Ouch.

--Wag--

agtman · August 1, 2011, 06:25 PM

Lesson for the old farts: stay out of the 20-something bars.

In fact, just avoid the bar scene, period.

Do any guzzlin' at home. There, the worst altercation you'll have is tripping over the dog when you're pie-eyed.

Doesn't matter how many crunches you can do. After 40, you're not a tough guy.

You're an old fart.

Word to the wise ...

Skans · August 2, 2011, 08:02 AM

Quote:

After 40, you're not a tough guy.

That's bad advice to be giving folks in their 20's-30's. When I was in my late 20's, early 30's I learned that a 50 year old who weighed 30 lbs less than me could beat the tar out of me going 1/2 speed and without breaking much of a sweat.

50 year old guys don't typically go around looking for fights, like 20 somethings sometimes do. I don't care how much someone bench press or how many miles a person can run - none of that is going to help a person defend himself against an in shape well-trained 50 year old man. I'm not 50 and I'm not talking about myself - just have trained with one 50 year old welterweight who could take on most 20,30, and 40 year olds who are not highly experienced fighters.

MLeake · August 2, 2011, 09:10 AM

I know some 65-70 year olds in the Orlando area whom I would not recommend one challenge to a fight.

Not that they'd accept one, but if the issue were forced... it would be ugly.

But getting older has definite drawbacks. Injuries are easier to accrue (by the actions of the other guy, or over-exertion or off-balance exertion on our own part). When we get injured, it takes a lot longer to heal.

At 43, I find it takes me weeks to heal up from what would have taken two or three days' healing when I was in my 20's.

Of course, this also applies to injuries from skiing, mountain biking, and just life in general.

ltc444 · August 3, 2011, 04:54 AM

As my mentor stated on many occasions, "Age and treachory will beat youth and skill any day".

Maxem0815 · August 3, 2011, 06:27 AM

Well the last fight I got into ended when I killed the SOB with a baseball bat. OH sorry I thought we were talking fishing must be gettin' old but the fish was real big tasty too.

walk softly and use big hooks and cheep bate
Mace

Nordeste · August 3, 2011, 06:56 AM

Mleake has given the best point in the whole thread, IMO. Difference is what it takes to heal as you're growing older.

At 37, I'm already realizing that when I get any kind of injury, it already takes longer to heal. I need to stretch and warm-up more when I workout. Before, it was just a matter of stretching a bit, warming up joints, etc... No longer like that.

But, keeping to the thread's thing. I don't think, in any way, that after 40 you're already an "old fart". It's just about in what shape you keep yourself. I have fellas at work who are well over forty. Go and try to wrestle them, and you'll find out.

I myself find that, at my age, I'm wiser to avoid trouble than I used to, but whenever confrontations are unavoidable, it would be fair to say that I'm more effective at applying force than I used to be. Experience is the difference. And this comes from a street cop who is no big guy (5 ft 9", athletic built, 190 lbs) but has seen some different situations involving differently built people. My experience is, NEVER think an adversary as an "easy" one. You can always be taken by surprise by that one you thought you could handle easily. I've found myself rolling on the floor with guys heavier than me whom I've eventually managed to handle and handcuff (though taking bruises) and had a hard time with others who were lighter, but moved quickly and viciously, and have taken bruises too. Never give anything for granted.

Don P · August 3, 2011, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Do any guzzlin' at home. There, the worst altercation you'll have is tripping over the dog when you're pie-eyed.

To add to this, its much cheaper to guzzle at home and the best reason is, NOT getting a D.U.I. A bump on the head after tripping over the dog is better than a night in the poky.

redstategunnut · August 3, 2011, 08:10 AM

I'm 43.

I promise you I am far stronger and without doubt more deadly at 43 than I was at 23 or 33.

Sprint speed, flexibility and recovery are deteriorating, no doubt, I can feel that.

But for ten seconds or ten minutes or however long it takes, I absolutely can bring it better now than ten or twenty years ago.

That said, I train harder, by a lot, now than I did when I was younger. When I was younger, I got by on sheer athleticism. Now, I work at it. And it works.

I see a lot of guys who have "let themselves go." For a couple of years, I was that guy. Then vanity kicked me in the ass because I refused to buy the next pant size up after wearing 36" waist pants for all of my twenty years in the practice of law. I hit the gym, the dojo, and the road and dropped 25 pounds, got stronger, fitter, and felt better.

Good thing, too. Because out of the blue I had a heart attack last summer. It almost certainly would have killed me had I not been in the gym for the six months before that. My fitness, and some good luck, gave me a second chance at life. Now, I train hard not only to be able to defend myself and my people, but to live long enough to see my grandchildren's wedding.

Get off the couch. Do something for your fitness. Do it today. You are not guaranteed tomorrow.

MLeake · August 3, 2011, 08:16 AM

redstategunnut, funny you brought up that last point.

As mentioned earlier, I'm 43. No kids, but my lady and I are thinking about it, maybe 2 years out.... So a major reason that I work out as hard as I do, is that if we have that kid, I want to be able to play while he/she is young, and be around (and healthy) for their college and early adult years.

It would be hard enough to hit 60, with a teenager, without being out of shape.

agtman · August 3, 2011, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Doesn't matter how many crunches you can do. After 40, you're not a tough guy.

You're an old fart.

Guys, ... thought the above might have indicated a little leg-pullin' was in progress.

Still, the gist of the responses have been spot on: 1) avoid trouble and 2) keep working out and eating right, ... because "tomorrow's not guaranteed."

JimPage · August 3, 2011, 02:29 PM

At 5'3" and 75 years I hardly have a chance in a hand to hand fight.

Mr Colt 45 acp gives me a chance.

efield · August 3, 2011, 02:55 PM

I'm in shape...............round is a shape.

Mac1 · August 3, 2011, 10:41 PM

I'm 48, 5'8" @ 185. I have worked in a maximum security prison for 26 years, so I've had some physical confrontations. I have found that the way you present yourself, along with the connection between your brain housing group and your mouth, can de-escalate situations much more than the connection between your fist and a$$. I used to spend time on the weight bench, now more on the reloading one.
I have physically or verbally stopped more fights and altercations between 3rd parties on the street than I have been in myself. The way you present yourself is your biggest ally. I ride and frequent some tough establishments, with no problems.
Getting older means you fall faster and don't get up as quick. Your hurts take longer to heal. You're not as fast as you once were, but life's experiences can more than compensate for most of this. If not, pressure points or quality training, firearms included if you have to, will suffice.

Tom-Fairfax · August 23, 2011, 06:39 PM

I'd be much more confident about defending myself by using deadly force if I could be reasonably assured that the local prosecutor would recognize that using a gun against an unarmed assailant outside of ones home is not a prosecutable offense. Before anyone bothers to recite the letter of the law to me, they should be aware that, in my jurisdiction (Northern Virginia), the citizenry, cops and prosecutors are generally hostile to gun rights. Recently, there have incidents around here in which unarmed assailants have been stopped at gunpoint by citizens with carry permits. Fortunately, no one got hurt. However, the impression I got from law enforcement's response to those incidents is that the potential victims would have charged with manslaughter if they had shot their assailants. So, before pulling a gun on anyone, make sure you live in an area where you're not the one who ends up getting punished. Personally, besides my .44 Charter, I carry an aluminum bat in my car. Since I'm a power hitter, I'm counting on that to keep me safe.

Deaf Smith · August 23, 2011, 07:06 PM

Quote:

I'm 48, 5'8" @ 185. I have worked in a maximum security prison for 26 years, so I've had some physical confrontations. I have found that the way you present yourself, along with the connection between your brain housing group and your mouth, can de-escalate situations much more than the connection between your fist and a$$. I used to spend time on the weight bench, now more on the reloading one.
I have physically or verbally stopped more fights and altercations between 3rd parties on the street than I have been in myself. The way you present yourself is your biggest ally. I ride and frequent some tough establishments, with no problems.
Getting older means you fall faster and don't get up as quick. Your hurts take longer to heal. You're not as fast as you once were, but life's experiences can more than compensate for most of this. If not, pressure points or quality training, firearms included if you have to, will suffice.

I agree that will get you out of alot more trouble than just fist (and keep you out.)

But at the same time I've been in martial arts since college. Plus Krav Maga and boxing. I work out thee days a week. Still do spinning heal kicks, back kicks, and other fun stuff along with elbows and knees. And I shoot to, with either hand.

And yep, I'm 50-something.

Deaf

montelores · August 23, 2011, 10:39 PM

Yoga.

It increases flexibility, builds core strength, centers one's mind and spirit, and all the girls wear tight outfits and are incredibly limber.

You people think about guns way too much.

Monty

AZAK · August 24, 2011, 03:14 AM

Moose season is just about to begin... and my hunting buddy and I have noticed that each year the mountains in Alaska get both taller and steeper while at the same time the moose get heavier to pack out. Observable fact and noted.

OK, just maybe the mountains and moose aren't changing, then it must be that gravity in slowly increasing... yah, that's it... and that's why all of that hair is appearing lower down than on the top of my head - gravity!

The problem with packing on the years is, as noted previously, the healing time. And repeated injuries/weakened areas can seriously impact one's basic lifestyle.

I have hiked daily in the mountains of Alaska and Montana for decades, with little exception, and still those darn mountains are getting taller and steeper... oh right... gravity!

Also have spent many years as a long distance runner, martial arts practitioner, avid backcountry skier, etc... and have always done my best to avoid physical confrontation whenever possible; if you don't know your opponent, you don't know what your opponent is capable of... And I plan on continuing to get out hiking daily for many more years to come.

Some of the best "fighters" that I have personally seen and/or sparred with have always been older than me.

Stretching, as previously noted, is very highly underrated by all age groups.

Don P · August 24, 2011, 08:24 AM

Quote:

keep working out and eating right, ... because "tomorrow's not guaranteed."

Gave up on the above because the day of leaving a young good looking corpse are long gone. Why spend time working out when tomorrow isn't guaranteed rather be doing things I want to do.

MLeake · August 24, 2011, 09:07 AM

Don P, for some of us, working out helps us do what we want to do. It isn't in lieu of doing what we want.

hulley · August 24, 2011, 09:22 AM

This thread cracks me up because its so true! I'm 39 and after a life of riding MotoX, mountain biking and playing Ice hockey, I pretty much hurt all over. I'm a big heavy metal fan and earlier this year I got a chance to see my favorite band, Sepultura. Well like an idiot I got in the mosh pit with a bunch of kids. I ended up cracking a vertabra and had severe back pain for months. Needless to say those days are over. I still get to the gym a couple times a week but thats just to keep the rust off. Getting old sux.

August 1, 2011, 11:50 AM	#54
BODAME Senior Member Join Date: February 18, 2006 Location: The Dodge House, NC Posts: 183	Things that I found helpful by living this long. The purpose of fighting is to Win. All else is supplemental. "Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. You may get killed with your own gun, but he'll have to beat you to death with it, cause it's going to be empty." ""If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck" "Beware the man who only carries one gun. HE PROBABLY KNOWS HOW TO USE IT!!! " "Fast is fine, but Accuracy is Fatal" __________________ "A Man's got to have a Code, a Creed to Live By, No Matter his Job"

August 1, 2011, 05:31 PM	#55
Wag Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2010 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 988	I haven't been in a fight for over 20 years. Maybe 25 years. However, I've had the good fortune to talk a few people down from their intention to whup my sorry ass. There's something intrinsically more rewarding in crawling inside someone's brain and stirring things up as opposed to getting or putting a beat down on. I can relate to the "nothing to lose" mindset. My buddy and I work out nearly every day with very heavy weights. I say "very heavy" 'cause they must be marking them differently nowadays 'cause they just don't seem to add up like the math used to make them add up. I dunno. We stretch hard before, during and after each workout and it still takes me five days to recover completely. I'm still feeling the back pain from the smelting session I did on Saturday. Ouch. --Wag-- __________________ "Great genius will always encounter fierce opposition from mediocre minds." --Albert Einstein.

August 3, 2011, 06:56 AM	#61
Nordeste Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2011 Location: Asturias, Spain Posts: 328	Mleake has given the best point in the whole thread, IMO. Difference is what it takes to heal as you're growing older. At 37, I'm already realizing that when I get any kind of injury, it already takes longer to heal. I need to stretch and warm-up more when I workout. Before, it was just a matter of stretching a bit, warming up joints, etc... No longer like that. But, keeping to the thread's thing. I don't think, in any way, that after 40 you're already an "old fart". It's just about in what shape you keep yourself. I have fellas at work who are well over forty. Go and try to wrestle them, and you'll find out. I myself find that, at my age, I'm wiser to avoid trouble than I used to, but whenever confrontations are unavoidable, it would be fair to say that I'm more effective at applying force than I used to be. Experience is the difference. And this comes from a street cop who is no big guy (5 ft 9", athletic built, 190 lbs) but has seen some different situations involving differently built people. My experience is, NEVER think an adversary as an "easy" one. You can always be taken by surprise by that one you thought you could handle easily. I've found myself rolling on the floor with guys heavier than me whom I've eventually managed to handle and handcuff (though taking bruises) and had a hard time with others who were lighter, but moved quickly and viciously, and have taken bruises too. Never give anything for granted. Last edited by Nordeste; August 3, 2011 at 07:02 AM.

August 3, 2011, 02:55 PM	#67
efield Senior Member Join Date: July 7, 2009 Location: Peoples Republik of Kalifornia Posts: 125	I'm in shape...............round is a shape. __________________ A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition. -Rudyard Kipling-

August 3, 2011, 10:41 PM	#68
Mac1 Member Join Date: April 10, 2010 Location: Western NC Posts: 75	I'm 48, 5'8" @ 185. I have worked in a maximum security prison for 26 years, so I've had some physical confrontations. I have found that the way you present yourself, along with the connection between your brain housing group and your mouth, can de-escalate situations much more than the connection between your fist and a$$. I used to spend time on the weight bench, now more on the reloading one. I have physically or verbally stopped more fights and altercations between 3rd parties on the street than I have been in myself. The way you present yourself is your biggest ally. I ride and frequent some tough establishments, with no problems. Getting older means you fall faster and don't get up as quick. Your hurts take longer to heal. You're not as fast as you once were, but life's experiences can more than compensate for most of this. If not, pressure points or quality training, firearms included if you have to, will suffice. __________________ When there's no time for 911, I'll use 1911.

August 1, 2011, 09:07 AM	#53
Skans Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2008 Posts: 11,132	Watch out for guys in their 50's and '60's - some of them are darned good fighters, still fast, strong, and highly skilled fighters. In my '20's and early '30's I trained with men of this age - some put a pretty serious hurting on me; one in particular could have seriously injured and/or killed me quite quickly - and this is when I was running marathons and bench-pressing 315 lbs. Lifting weights and running is not the same as fighting - nothing like a good fighter to make you realize how much time you wasted lifting weights and running thinking that will somehow protect you.

August 1, 2011, 06:25 PM	#56
agtman Junior member Join Date: July 26, 2001 Location: midwest Posts: 2,374	Lesson for the old farts: stay out of the 20-something bars. In fact, just avoid the bar scene, period. Do any guzzlin' at home. There, the worst altercation you'll have is tripping over the dog when you're pie-eyed. Doesn't matter how many crunches you can do. After 40, you're not a tough guy. You're an old fart. Word to the wise ...

August 2, 2011, 09:10 AM	#58
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	I know some 65-70 year olds in the Orlando area whom I would not recommend one challenge to a fight. Not that they'd accept one, but if the issue were forced... it would be ugly. But getting older has definite drawbacks. Injuries are easier to accrue (by the actions of the other guy, or over-exertion or off-balance exertion on our own part). When we get injured, it takes a lot longer to heal. At 43, I find it takes me weeks to heal up from what would have taken two or three days' healing when I was in my 20's. Of course, this also applies to injuries from skiing, mountain biking, and just life in general.

August 3, 2011, 04:54 AM	#59
ltc444 Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2011 Location: Vernon AZ Posts: 1,195	As my mentor stated on many occasions, "Age and treachory will beat youth and skill any day".

August 3, 2011, 06:27 AM	#60
Maxem0815 Junior member Join Date: May 23, 2011 Posts: 216	Well the last fight I got into ended when I killed the SOB with a baseball bat. OH sorry I thought we were talking fishing must be gettin' old but the fish was real big tasty too. walk softly and use big hooks and cheep bate Mace

August 3, 2011, 08:10 AM	#63
redstategunnut Senior Member Join Date: February 14, 2009 Location: see name Posts: 405	I'm 43. I promise you I am far stronger and without doubt more deadly at 43 than I was at 23 or 33. Sprint speed, flexibility and recovery are deteriorating, no doubt, I can feel that. But for ten seconds or ten minutes or however long it takes, I absolutely can bring it better now than ten or twenty years ago. That said, I train harder, by a lot, now than I did when I was younger. When I was younger, I got by on sheer athleticism. Now, I work at it. And it works. I see a lot of guys who have "let themselves go." For a couple of years, I was that guy. Then vanity kicked me in the ass because I refused to buy the next pant size up after wearing 36" waist pants for all of my twenty years in the practice of law. I hit the gym, the dojo, and the road and dropped 25 pounds, got stronger, fitter, and felt better. Good thing, too. Because out of the blue I had a heart attack last summer. It almost certainly would have killed me had I not been in the gym for the six months before that. My fitness, and some good luck, gave me a second chance at life. Now, I train hard not only to be able to defend myself and my people, but to live long enough to see my grandchildren's wedding. Get off the couch. Do something for your fitness. Do it today. You are not guaranteed tomorrow.

August 3, 2011, 08:16 AM	#64
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	redstategunnut, funny you brought up that last point. As mentioned earlier, I'm 43. No kids, but my lady and I are thinking about it, maybe 2 years out.... So a major reason that I work out as hard as I do, is that if we have that kid, I want to be able to play while he/she is young, and be around (and healthy) for their college and early adult years. It would be hard enough to hit 60, with a teenager, without being out of shape.

August 3, 2011, 02:29 PM	#66
JimPage Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2010 Location: Rome, NY Posts: 941	At 5'3" and 75 years I hardly have a chance in a hand to hand fight. Mr Colt 45 acp gives me a chance.

August 23, 2011, 06:39 PM	#69
Tom-Fairfax Member Join Date: August 19, 2011 Posts: 25	Self Defense Quandry I'd be much more confident about defending myself by using deadly force if I could be reasonably assured that the local prosecutor would recognize that using a gun against an unarmed assailant outside of ones home is not a prosecutable offense. Before anyone bothers to recite the letter of the law to me, they should be aware that, in my jurisdiction (Northern Virginia), the citizenry, cops and prosecutors are generally hostile to gun rights. Recently, there have incidents around here in which unarmed assailants have been stopped at gunpoint by citizens with carry permits. Fortunately, no one got hurt. However, the impression I got from law enforcement's response to those incidents is that the potential victims would have charged with manslaughter if they had shot their assailants. So, before pulling a gun on anyone, make sure you live in an area where you're not the one who ends up getting punished. Personally, besides my .44 Charter, I carry an aluminum bat in my car. Since I'm a power hitter, I'm counting on that to keep me safe.

August 23, 2011, 10:39 PM	#71
montelores Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Posts: 239	Yoga. It increases flexibility, builds core strength, centers one's mind and spirit, and all the girls wear tight outfits and are incredibly limber. You people think about guns way too much. Monty Last edited by montelores; August 23, 2011 at 10:50 PM.

August 24, 2011, 03:14 AM	#72
AZAK Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2008 Location: the object towards which the action of the sea is directed Posts: 2,123	Moose season is just about to begin... and my hunting buddy and I have noticed that each year the mountains in Alaska get both taller and steeper while at the same time the moose get heavier to pack out. Observable fact and noted. OK, just maybe the mountains and moose aren't changing, then it must be that gravity in slowly increasing... yah, that's it... and that's why all of that hair is appearing lower down than on the top of my head - gravity! The problem with packing on the years is, as noted previously, the healing time. And repeated injuries/weakened areas can seriously impact one's basic lifestyle. I have hiked daily in the mountains of Alaska and Montana for decades, with little exception, and still those darn mountains are getting taller and steeper... oh right... gravity! Also have spent many years as a long distance runner, martial arts practitioner, avid backcountry skier, etc... and have always done my best to avoid physical confrontation whenever possible; if you don't know your opponent, you don't know what your opponent is capable of... And I plan on continuing to get out hiking daily for many more years to come. Some of the best "fighters" that I have personally seen and/or sparred with have always been older than me. Stretching, as previously noted, is very highly underrated by all age groups. __________________ The lowest paid college major/degree in this country after graduation... Elementary Education. Now, go figure...

August 24, 2011, 09:07 AM	#74
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	Don P, for some of us, working out helps us do what we want to do. It isn't in lieu of doing what we want.

August 24, 2011, 09:22 AM	#75
hulley Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2008 Location: Hoschton, Ga. Posts: 726	This thread cracks me up because its so true! I'm 39 and after a life of riding MotoX, mountain biking and playing Ice hockey, I pretty much hurt all over. I'm a big heavy metal fan and earlier this year I got a chance to see my favorite band, Sepultura. Well like an idiot I got in the mosh pit with a bunch of kids. I ended up cracking a vertabra and had severe back pain for months. Needless to say those days are over. I still get to the gym a couple times a week but thats just to keep the rust off. Getting old sux.