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rraney
04-07-2001, 07:21 PM
Hello everyone. I have been interested in martial arts, especially Aikido, but have not had the courage to learn. I recently found a dojo but now I'm afraid I may be too old and verweight to join. A friend of mine a few years ago said it would be a good way to lose some weight. I am 30yrs old and weigh about 216lbs. Is that too old or too heavy for Akido? Thank you for your help.

Nick
04-07-2001, 07:35 PM
Of course not... if you can walk to the dojo and put on your dogi, then I'd say you could probably train. If it really seems like a problem, talk to the head of the dojo, and find his opinion. Most dojo allow you to work at your own pace, but I'd ask the instructor and respect his wishes.

Cheers and I hope things work out,

Nick

guest1234
04-07-2001, 07:52 PM
hmmmm, well, i was 42 when i started, and each dojo i've been in has had someone in it start even older than I. And each has had folks your weight, so all in all i'd say have a great time training.

rraney
04-07-2001, 08:05 PM
It's not that I'm saying that 30 is too old, but all of my friends who do any type of MA, they all started when they were very young and are all very fit.

Mark Cochran
04-07-2001, 08:47 PM
I don't think age is a real problem. There are several people in my dojo who joined much a who are older than you. One was fifty when he started and has earned a first degree black belt and know helps with teaching. As to the weight I think arrangements can be made to allow you to train until you loss enough wieght that you feel comfortable.

giriasis
04-07-2001, 10:47 PM
I started aikido at 29 years old and about 200 lbs. So no, you are neither too old nor too heavy. I'm 31 now, and still going strong in aikido.

The key is to go at your own pace and to find a dojo that allows you to do so. What I have found is that I incorporate my aikido practice in with a regular workout program -- other cardio and weight training. This helped me the most. When I did this program, I lost 40 pounds. But now that i'm back in school (law school) with a lot of sitting around and not nearly as much time to exercise, I find solely relying on aikido challenging. (My eating habits don't help that much either ;))

Anyhow, I still do my cardio workouts as well just not as often. But I have found that the additional cardio workouts have helped me with my stamina and I am able to do a more intense workout on the mat. And they have enabled me to at least maintain my weight.

Also the choice of starting a martial arts does not matter on whether your friends started young. Think of it like this. They are fit because they started young. I didn't start working on my health until about two years ago. I won't be able to undo in a year or two what took me about 15 years to create. But I'm not going to not start because everyone else is healthy. If someone doesn't like working out with me because I'm overweight that's their problem. I'm there to learn aikido and so are they. They need to learn to workout with my bodytype as well, so other people can get over it.

Anne Marie

Erik
04-08-2001, 01:44 AM
The biggest guy I've seen was well over 300 pounds, 5' 9" (actually probably less) and in his late 30's to early 40's when he started.

You'll be fine.

mle
04-08-2001, 08:01 AM
Bravo to you for deciding to try something new and unfamiliar.
Finding something physical that you love to do is the best cure and incentive to take care of yourself there is. It provides an understanding and connection to your body that we just don't tend to get in the US (forgive me if I have presumed you to be American and you aren't- guess I should just say modern society..).

Get on the mat and remember that you are a little braver for doing so than the 20-year-olds doing cartwheels.

By the way.. aikido is LOTS of fun.
(I'm 32 and been on the mat about 8 years, much skinnier now that when I started!)

Emily

Jim ashby
04-08-2001, 09:49 AM
I started Aikido over ten years ago, still going strong, still over 220 lbs, still not the heaviest (the heaviest guy is older than me, I'm 40). Get in and do it. Aikido is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
Have fun.

Jim23
04-08-2001, 10:14 AM
http://www.aikiweb.com/interviews/leonard0400.html

Regarding age, need I say more?

Jim23

Kenn
04-08-2001, 10:27 AM
lol, I found this post quite humorous. I am 34 years old and weigh about 225 lbs. I practice 2-3 times a week and find it is wonderful. I would say it CAN be a good way to lose weight, however, in my expereince it would be better to supplement it with some other excercise,....ie walking, running..etc.

Peace, Kenn

jxa127
04-08-2001, 04:57 PM
I'm 27 and weigh 315. I can do all of the falls and attacks and keep up really well with the skinny guys that are in better shape than me.

Now you gotta realize that if I got back down to 215, I'd have a 34" waist.

Still, when I went to a camp this summer, I found people who were in just as good (or as bad) a shape as I was. People who were older, a couple of people as big as me, and everybody got really tired after training for six hours a day.

Go train, and have fun.

-Drew A.

Simone
04-17-2001, 04:26 AM
Hi Robert!

There's not much to add to my previous "speakers". The oldest to start at my dojo was 62, she's now 64 and still enjoying Aikido. O.K. she's a little stiff, but this get's better. We also have people with more than 200 pounds on the mat, they can do everything, no problem. Me myself have unfortunately not lost weight but gained some 20 pounds during my five years of Aikido (maybe also due to chocolate and sweets), but with now 140 pounds that's no problem.

I hope you alredy had your first lesson now and I also hope you'll enjoy Aikido as much as I do.

Simone