40 Plus Members: Be Advised

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Will Beararms

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You are not 19 forever. I am 47, 5'-7", 180 pounds, 34" waist, less than normal body fat, work out on free weights 4 days weekly do core exercises 6 days per week, eat right, etc.

Approximately 5 weeks ago, I was justifiably involved in an altercation with a man half my age, 225LBS and 6'-3". When I saw what was coming, I took him down. Being smaller, I did what I have always trained to do, I got inside of him since he had me on reach and used my legs and upper body strengths.

The short version is I neutralized the situation. The rest of the story is I pulled a pectoral muscle and the serratus anterior just below it. I was so "ramped" up at the time time of the incident, it took about 12 hours for the pain to set in which was essentially being sore from the left side of the waist to the left shoulder for 4 weeks to the point where tears came from my eyes at times.

I strongly advise anyone over 40 reading this to skip a day between free weight work and to spend at least 20 percent of your exercise time with any regimen----free weights, nautilus, cardiovascular, etc---- stretching and then stretch every time you thing about it when you are not exercising If your kidneys are not damaged, pack on the protein and ingest beau coup H20 as well to repair the damage we all get and usually keep when we are over the hill.

I am told I got off lucky but it has forever changed me. I hope this helps anyone else here who incorporates PT into their defensive firearms strategy. If you can do PT and do not, you will find it enhances your range scores with any long gun or handgun platform.
 
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Good advice everyone. I've been studying martial arts since I was 13. I'm about 40 now. I haven't been in a real fight in years but I still spar a lot with the 20 year olds. Stretching is important! Also since I am too young to die and too old to take a beating, my Sig 229 travels everywhere it legally can with me.
 
I do carry a gun but most old people didn't get that way because they where lucky, remember the only thing you can assume about old folks is they are the ones that survived to reach that age ( almost of quote from way of the gun ) and kraig would probably be one of the last ones I want to cross especially if he is in reach of a m1a :)
 
27 now, been studying various martial arts since 12 (stopped taking classes at 20, practice on my own now), wrestled in high school, backyard fight clubs (boy was that dumb) etc.

Haven't been in a fistfight since college, which is about the time opponents stopped fighting "fair" - i.e. pulling a weapon when things aren't going well for them. But to be totally honest, I'd rather just try to get out of it/get away now. Foremost, I hate getting hit, mostly in the face. What can I say, I'm just to pretty to brawl anymore. :D

If I could not get away and had no choice, my response would be to hit every major pressure point I could find and try to get away again.

Also, if I am carrying concealed, I just could not let someone close enough to me to the point where he might discover it, get ahold of it, and try to use it.
 
Before I reached 47 I was out of the wrestling business and into dirty fighting. Just because I could carry 300 pound motors around at work didn't mean I was in ring shape anymore. I found most fights were started by an injudicious use of the mouth and most fights can be avoided by a more judicious use of that same mouth.
 
I found most fights were started by an injudicious use of the mouth
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Often enough combined with or preceded by copious alcohol consumption.

Thus my primary response anymore is just to walk away if I can
 
My father never said anything about old men (although he was older than me) but he did say never make anyone afraid of you. That's the person that will kill you.

But who could possibly be afraid of me?
 
The truth is as we get older, any physical altercation is life threatening. If I am not mistaken, what killed the young man who dove for the errant baseball at a Texas Rangers game was a heart attack on the way to the hospital and not the fall itself. When you past 40, there are so many things that can go wrong when prompted by other extenuating circumstances.

I always walk away unless another member of my immediate family is threatened as was the case during my last fiasco. I am convinced something along the lines of a Smith 442 is the ideal, up close and personal firearm platform. It deploys quickly when something gets up close and personal and the hand naturally points in a manner conducive to accurate fire sans any thought with a revolver.

I have sworn revolvers off but plan to re-visit the concept soon.
 
It sounds like you young-uns are learning what it's like to get old. Getting old sucks, but it beats the heck out of the alternative.
 
I'm almost 60 and still wear the same size jeans I did at 30(34x32). Due to numerous health problems and previous injuries, I don't have an exercise program and if the hip doesn't improve, won't be doing any recreational walking either. I've found that muscle and joint injuries from work type stresses are a bigger problem after 55. I'm not going to intentionally get into a physical conflict with ANYONE if I can help it. At my age and with my physical limitations, I feel safe in going immediately to the gun if backing away doesn't end the problem since any attacker younger or bigger could be a life threatening situation.
 
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