Surgeons who do MMA

[shadowfox87]

So yea, MMA or any martial art has been a big part of my life since high school. I have been out of touch and I really want to resume training. If not during residency, then maybe as an attending. I just want to know if it is possible to balance doing a martial arts class like 1-2/week and still have time for surgery and family. If anyone knows or can relate, please share your thoughts on how you did it and if it is feasible. Thanks.

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[DJspreadsheet]

It's going to be really difficult given the unpredictability of your schedule as a surgery resident. Unless the gym has classes every night, there will be many instances where you won't be available for class that week. Of course this could be the case for large stretches of time.

When people decide against becoming surgeons for lifestyle reasons, they aren't just blowing smoke. It takes over your life and everything else gets pushed to the wayside.

 

[balaguru]

It can be hard to coordinate with classes but finding some mat time and people to roll with might be feasible and cost effective in residency.

 

[375RGRRGT]

So yea, MMA or any martial art has been a big part of my life since high school. I have been out of touch and I really want to resume training. If not during residency, then maybe as an attending. I just want to know if it is possible to balance doing a martial arts class like 1-2/week and still have time for surgery and family. If anyone knows or can relate, please share your thoughts on how you did it and if it is feasible. Thanks.

going to have to understand the risks.
i know what you are saying, previous life i completed a black belt in brazilian jujitsu, now there is always the concern about hands, elbows etc.

pick your life and risks and if MMA>>>surgery the "risk ratio" is acceptable

Although - sometimes i just say *&#%-it and do it anyway.

 

[maxheadroom]

You will find it very difficult to get disability insurance if you're still doing MMA. And if you try to lie about not doing it (or don't disclose that you do), if you are injured doing some sort of MMA activity, your policy may not cover you.

Go do Crossfit instead. Intense workout, very little personal risk.

 

[Chemdocx]

Usually between the hours of 3 and 5 AM you can workout with the exercise infomercials that seem to be on an endless loop in patient rooms....As a habit, sleeping with the TV on some crazy channel clearly correlates with an increased probability of being admitted to the hospital, i.e. trauma service, and 5 year mortality.

 

[Paddington]

Seems to be a rather foolish activity for one who works with his hands and needs a strong, non-arthritic back.

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

Go do Crossfit instead. Intense workout, very little personal risk.

Not so fast.

The popularity of CrossFit has indeed exploded, but there is certainly some controversy surrounding it. Part of the problem is the prioritization of speed, intensity and repetition over form--especially when you get into the olympic style lifts. Not to say those three things are a bad thing, but if you lose focus on the proper way to do the exercises, that's when you get hurt. A good instructor/coach will prevent that from happening, but with the explosion of CrossFit gyms, I question how qualified many of these people actually are. Not to mention that if a random joe shows up to a crossfit workout and tries to power through the whole thing, it's asking for trouble (I've actually seen a few people with rhabdo from this). It does require some basic level of fitness, and some understanding of how to slowly build on your conditioning.

It's pretty easy to find the critiques of CrossFit on the web, and watching the "CrossFit Fail" vids on youtube can give you an idea what happens when people start doing stupid stuff. This is not to say you can't get hurt doing any workout, just to say that when you start doing a high intensity-type workout the "very little personal risk" is dependent upon you doing the workout safely.

 

[maxheadroom]

Very true. I've only been to a couple of CrossFit gyms and they were very well run. You had to go through a multi-class orientation and the instructors have always been very focused on correct technique in the intro classes as well as during WOTD.

My point was that, if you're in to MMA and are looking for a high-intensity workout, CrossFit will probably fulfill many of the experiences sought in the workout with substantially less risk.

I do CrossFit, mostly because I need a structured environment (if I just go to Bally's on my own the workout gets cut short) and I like having someone else telling me what to do. It makes things pretty idiot-proof for me.

YMMV

 

[SLUser11]

So yea, MMA or any martial art has been a big part of my life since high school. I have been out of touch and I really want to resume training. If not during residency, then maybe as an attending. I just want to know if it is possible to balance doing a martial arts class like 1-2/week and still have time for surgery and family. If anyone knows or can relate, please share your thoughts on how you did it and if it is feasible. Thanks.

As a surgery resident and then as a practicing surgeon, you will have difficulty finding time to train unless you sacrifice it somewhere else, e.g. family. However, we all have hobbies, and you will find time if it is important to you.

A larger issue has to do with the safety of your joints, etc. Most of my friends who train in MMA have multiple chronic injuries, and your wrists/elbows are essential to a surgical career.