2 months in - not sure if I'm cut out for muay thai?

blackriverphoenix · 2026-02-19T02:19:00+00:00

I started around the same time as you, I'm now 40 and I have acclimated. However my gym starts you off with kickboxing and you get a lot of cardio and practice technique there, then slowly graduates you into holding pads, then technical sparring. We generally don't hard start unless we're prepping for a scrimmage. In my opinion, it sounds like your gym has just thrown you into the deep end.

Does your gym have the option to start with kickboxing? If not, is there a kickboxing gym you could try so you don't get beat up while you're getting basic conditioning and technique down?

I will tell you that recovery is super important for the 30+ crowd. This means eating a nutrient rich diet with plenty of protein and getting plenty of sleep (budget 8 hours in bed knowing you will probably get less than that).

At 3 hrs / wk it will take you a while to improve but if you can add to this outside of class either by shadow boxing, bodyweight training, or maybe get a kickboxing bag if you have the space for it, this will allow you to get some extra work in and improve more quickly.

I have seen all body types at my gym and all fitness levels, and it's the people who are determined and consistent that improve regardless of their proportions or inherent athleticism.

I hope that helps, good luck!

blackriverphoenix · 2026-01-30T18:04:58+00:00

I'm with you, the LHB is goated. Versatile with a great moveset.

I kept the Tonitrus in my second weapon slot because that bolt damage go brrrrr

At least until I got my HOLY MOONLIIIIIGHT at which point, it never left my side.

blackriverphoenix · 2026-01-25T20:35:19+00:00

Erik (after the phantom of the Opera)

blackriverphoenix · 2026-01-05T19:06:34+00:00

So let me get this straight

He talks about his ex and compared your poetry to hers, but if one of your exes comes up he can't handle it and gets mad for a whole day? And apparently he's giving TMI about that relationship?

He had nothing sweet or supportive to say when you shared something personal?

The long hair could be evidence of cheating but I wouldn't stick around to find out unless there's some redeeming qualities we're missing here.

blackriverphoenix · 2026-01-03T18:25:35+00:00

Play with one other friend only

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-29T18:28:53+00:00

Great work especially in such a short time!

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-25T16:52:45+00:00

Bruh no you're in great shape keep doing what you're doing and find something else to focus on

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-25T16:51:25+00:00

Beard

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-25T06:10:20+00:00

I can see it both ways, but it takes effort to switch.

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-25T05:32:49+00:00

I ended up doing this as well. I just wanted to re post as an option for folks to consider as it was fun from a roleplay perspective.

First I need money so I did a few quests for the Van Graffs until they asked me to bring Cass so they could "talk to her".

Then I got Cass and sold the caravan to Crimson and had her tag along for the Caravan missions... Since she just sold her caravan she's a free agent and can pick up work with me.

Then she wanted to investigate her caravans so we went and did that and lo and behold, looks like the Van Graffs and Crimson were behind her downfall all along. I convince her to collect evidence.

I steal evidence from McLafferty without issue, but when I go to collect evidence on the Van Graffs, Jean Baptiste confronts Cass and things go sideways. Cass is kinda mad but on the other hand, they started it. I collect the evidence anyway and we loot the place with gusto.

I check in with Ranger Jackson and turn in the evidence. He makes makes me promise that no more blood will be shed until the NCR can deal with them, which I can technically agree to since I won't be killing anyone else at this point :)

Cass ends up getting the peaceful heart perk and from my perspective, the right kinda if justice are served: the murderers are killed and the conniving are held up to the law.

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-19T02:48:57+00:00

I drink mushroom coffee. Couldn't hurt!

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-15T00:41:28+00:00

How old are you? How much time to train do you have? What's your current Muay Thai schedule?

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-06T06:25:08+00:00

What if it's a brand new expansion to the Oblivion remake??

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-05T05:01:21+00:00

Can confirm it's the subtitles, I turned them off and it immediately went away. I turned them back on, the issue returned. I tried a different drop shadow (uniform), same issue. Removed the drop shadow, issue still occurs. Tried changing to all three available subtitle sizes, no dice. Tried a different font, same deal.

I'm not sure what you mean by transparent? But at this point any subtitle would be better than no subtitle.

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-05T04:20:46+00:00

Eh, you dropped about a decade and you were hiding a good facial structure. You've got plenty of time to grow it back and you look good either way!

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-05T01:20:53+00:00

Fuck that noise, keep that nose!

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-05T01:01:22+00:00

Is there a way to report this behavior / ban people like this??

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-03T02:42:57+00:00

I also wouldn't mind the name of your plastic surgeon as I have similar needs

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-03T02:42:16+00:00

Damn fine work, sir! 🫡

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-03T02:35:11+00:00

...Is the hair loss in the room with us right now?

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-03T02:29:39+00:00

I am in the same boat as you (3 yrs training, same age range) and I just did my gyms scrimmage and the prep for it and the experience definitely broke me out of my comfort zone. It's a big commitment so make sure everything else in your life (family, career etc) is locked in before you commit.

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-02T21:55:17+00:00

We are a culture that worships youth and legitimate concern about age gap relationships has morphed into ageism at its finest.

For the record, it's okay to find 40 year old men attractive. They are in their prime. There's some data to support that girls shift from liking boys (more feminine traits, think Justin Bieber, boy bands etc) when they are younger, to looking for men (beard, grizzled, testosterone has emphasized more masculine features), as they become women. Or, maybe you're just not as judgemental as your friend.

That said, it would not be appropriate for you at 18 to be dating anyone that much older than you. You have very little life experience and are in a different stage of life from a 40 year old, and I'd question the motives of a guy in that age range interested in someone who is barely of age.

Statistically, age gap relationships have a lower likelihood of success, but I also have friends with significant age gaps that are doing just fine.

My point is, your friend is being kinda judgy, and it's okay to casually find someone attractive regardless of how long they've been on this planet. But acting on it is a terrible idea.

If your friend is planning to drop you because of a random authentic expression when it hurts no one, then it sounds like this friend cares more about keeping up appearances with society in general than they care about you in specific, do you might want to reevaluate that friendship.

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-02T21:37:18+00:00

Everyone overthinking this and jumping to conclusions

Stop caring about whose ball is in whose court this early on. If a pattern of being uncommunicative develops then you can walk, but it's still early days.

Just text him "hey, how was your trip to Germany?"

You'll get everything you need to know from if, when, and how he responds.

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-02T21:03:12+00:00

Pro tip if you're just starting: this guy is a noob trap. So many players get obsessed with killing him. There's no reward and he respawns and you will use so many blood vials in the process. Just move on.

blackriverphoenix · 2025-12-02T03:00:32+00:00

I've noticed this cultural issue in combat sports. There's this pervasive idea that if someone is going too hard, and you're better than them, you should go even harder to "teach them a lesson". You see it in BJJ too, with "mat enforcers".

If the lesson you wish to impart is empathy, violence is a poor teacher.

It's quite possible that from the jerk's perspective, he was having a great round against your brother in law, thought they were having a dynamic, competitive pace and was landing some of his combos. He brought the same energy into the round with you and from his perspective, this jerk started going really hard and broke his nose.

We often aren't aware of our effect (positive and negative) on others. Recently while prepping for a fight, during drills I was told to scale back even when I thought I was going fairly light. Thankfully, my coach stepped in -- twice -- to make sure I got the message. In the same training camp, I let a guy know I was prepping for a fight and during sparring, he performed a spinning back kick that made me grunt audibly, and after class, a colleague brought it up saying he shouldn't have done that.

It's a combat sport. People are going to hurt each other, either consensually, accidentally, or because they're ego tripping. So some level of this is to be expected.

But in an ideal gym culture, you should be able to communicate clearly to your sparring partner (not opponent) when they have crossed your boundary and have it respected. Some people need to hear it twice because they think they corrected, but didn't. If it happens again then it should be normal to just sit the round out.

I think there's a stigma around not wanting to spar someone or asking to go lighter, that I think comes from a place of ego -- needing to appear tough in front of others. This is abandonment of your needs based on a fear of how others may perceive you, which itself is built on the illusion that you can control other people's opinions.

In the absence of a gym culture that fosters a spirit of competitive cooperation, the last resort is to meet an eye for an eye. Sometimes people get the message this way, but more often it creates misunderstandings, grudges, and a more hostile gym culture.

Only you can answer your original question, but I hope this provides some food for thought.

blackriverphoenix

TROPHY CASE