Originally I planned to post about finding movements that worked best for me in Jiu Jitsu as compared to Powerlifting, but the post went another direction. Although I’ve posted about my shoulder surgery in the past, there’s a point to this.
In 2019 I had my right shoulder replaced. I got to a point where I couldn’t raise my arm past parallel with the ground and it would horribly crunch (which was audible) whenever I did any pressing movements. I had a great run competing for over 20 years with no injuries or surgeries to speak of (other than some minor tears). I still believe my joint issues were induced, or at least greatly exacerbated, by the Humira I was on for my autoimmune issues which ended up causing joint inflammation and deterioration.
I opted for the Hemicap procedure which was a much better option than full or reverse shoulder replacement since just the head of the humerus is replaced. It’s less invasive, requires less recovery time, and allows for greater ROM and use post-surgery.
Once my joints needed to be replaced, I decided to live by the words of the GOAT Ed Coan and stop competing. I was at a point where I wasn’t going to get any stronger anyway. I still lift, just with a different purpose.
I’ve always needed to have a goal in addition to work or school. Rather than only having one thing to focus on, having multiple interests actually helps me to better focus on each individual aspect of my life. Because of this I needed to find a goal other than Powerlifting to help put things in perspective.
Enter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I was in Tae Kwon Do as a kid, wrestled in high school and had started training at American Top Team many years ago. This was before I had stopped competing in Powerlifting, and at the time it caused me to drop weight and lose some strength so I stopped.
Now I’m three years in to BJJ, am a blue belt, learn something new every time I go to class and can have the goal to endlessly improve. This is something that you can improve on regardless of your age or strength level. Although I’m not as strong as I used to be, and don’t have the cardio I did when I wrestled in high school, I’m definitely in the best shape of my adult life with a good combination of strength and cardio.
My point from this is that I strongly recommend having multiple avenues to achieve goals in your life. You never know when you may end up incapable of continuing to pursue one. This can potentially be devastating for some people. Keep pushing forward and find new ways to stay motivated.
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