Pro Wrestling Basics: Pain Threshold (& Acclimation!)

[@TilWeMakeIt]

Just curious here gang...do you prefer the sound quality now that the mic is much farther away from my handsome mug?

[@vikingninja7490]

Sound levels & quality are much better and more consistent throughout. Sounds like a shotgun mic mounted near the camera now?

[@thearmchairchampionjohnand9489]

Does have a slight echo. Just like ninja said it is consistent, the quality as a whole is solid. The echo is very slight but you can tell its picking up some ambient sound.

[@TilWeMakeIt]

@@thearmchairchampionjohnand9489 Maybe we have to tweak the gain. (That's audio talk!)

[@thearmchairchampionjohnand9489]

@@TilWeMakeIt yup a good sound board. And probably a good sound engineer.

[@rasonh2491]

The only thing I've been wondering a bit for the past few videos is, what's that 'humming' sound? Are you using fluorescent light tubes as a lighting source in that room?

[@Retrorevelations]

General Public: "Wrestling is fake!" Probably Tries Simply Running The Ropes For the First Time: "OMG I'm dying!"

[@NickyFoxley]

I have experienced that most people throw up in training because they either drank too much (water, mind you) or because they are not used to rolls. My advice thus, if possible, is to also practice rolls, summersaults or whatever you want to call them at the gym, on a mat, heck even on grass. Also, handstands against a wall and head stands are great practice. Get your body used to being upside down and topsy turvy. ;)

[@MrPhenomenal7]

If I can offer a bit of cardio advice for anyone that may not have a ton of time, interval training on an elliptical is great! Most of us aren’t having more than 10-15 minute matches (especially when we start out) so just hop on the machine for 10-15 and if it doesn’t have an “interval” option then just work quickly you can for one minute, then take a foot off the gas for a minute, but don’t stop until your 10-15 is up. I’ve found this to be a great simulation for how we constantly slow down and go in the ring while never fully stopping

[@austinwinston684]

Always do post-training cool down stretching and movements. Have you ever seen a sprinter do their sprint race, then immediately stop, change clothes, sit in the car, and go home? No, they walk around, stretch out, etc.

[@FTBeaman]

3 steps across 16-20ft is a task in of itself.

[@KaiserSoze679]

I only ever managed 2 days of training before I had to be sidelined with a concussion (more on that in a second), and during that time I think I just decided I wasn't cut out for it - but I wish I'd been told some of this beforehand. I 100% had all of these issues. Another thing I wish I'd known and prepared for was building up neck strength. It's a weird thing that (speaking as a non-athlete) I don't think anything most people do in their day-to-day lives really does effectively.... but I noticed as I was training that my first 10-15 bumps in a class would be fine, but after a while it's like my neck would start to fatigue and not stay tucked as well when I bumped, and would start to fall. That's how I wound up with the concussion. We were doing flip bumps jumping over another student - I tucked my chin, hit, and it's like my neck just gave out and the back of my head whipped into the floor. Suddenly the room's spinning, I'm vomitting, and I've got a headache that ended up lasting for the better part of two weeks. Not only did I not think of my neck as being something that needed to build strength, I had no idea how to even go about doing so, until it was too late. So if I could go back and give my pre-training self one piece of advice, that would be it: work on your neck.

[@xaininpc5625]

Pro wrestling seems to get more and more demanding every single year, but what a time to start nowadays with access to these mystical Quackenfacts.

[@chancedawrestler]

Peeing blood?… I was not ready to hear that and I’m trying to start training soon. 😭

[@brandonbennett9271]

I'm dead .....I'm paying you be nice to me ..lmao

[@FTBeaman]

Sips of or enough water to wet the mouth is best before matches bc too much will give you cramps or make u throw up

[@bobbydigital3407]

Every single professional wrestling fan needs to watch this video. I am being dead serious! Blood in your urine? Jesus. I've always respected what you guys do as a life long mark, but Jesus I really didn't know it was this bad! Don't get me wrong, I knew it was bad, but I really didn't know it would go that bad, and it can take 8 weeks for you guys to get Physically acclimated? Not to mention the pay when you start off is like nothing... People who do this must really love it because there's a lot of suffering involved... And that's IF.... BIG IF..... YOU make it to a high paying gig!

[@TilWeMakeIt]

Well, enough people share this video, and others like it, and fans will have a greater appreciation for how challenging pro-wrestling really is.

[@IggyBritto]

This is going to sound nuts... I've never witness blood in my urine after an intense wrestling training, am I training wrong or is possible that I'm doing just good enough?

[@TilWeMakeIt]

Most people don't, Igor. Don't worry - you are doing fine!

[@hotboymiahtv5035]

So what if u get back pain and yiur condition is a little bit bad

[@ProvingGroundNE]

Hey Mike, is your background an actual banner or Green Screening.

[@javiclips300]

Hey Mike I loved this video! I wanted to know if wrestling for as long as you have if it has affected your kidneys in anyway? I had taken my first step and started training, i will donate my kidney to my brother later down in life and wanted to know if you’ve experienced any disruptions in your kidney functions. This could be a deciding factor on my career in the ring. Thank you for your videos man I love it!

[@TilWeMakeIt]

Great question! No disruptions, at least, nothing yet!

[@MarkyTheB]

Foam rollers!!!!! They are the best thing for all those hurty bits 👍

[@MrPhenomenal7]

MarkyTheB and a lacrosse ball for those deep knots!

[@dado_the_dodo1558]

Could be a dumb and obvious question but Should one skip Training if he's having soreness or blood urine? Or should one go a bit harder to make the body acclamate?

[@TilWeMakeIt]

No, that's not a dumb question at all. If you see any blood in your urine, do not train while you are recovering from that. And if it persists for 3 days or more, call your doctor. It could indicate something more serious is going on.

[@dado_the_dodo1558]

@@TilWeMakeIt Thanks a lot I'll keep it in mind Wendsday is my first training

[@dayniapirtheesingh3439]

I appreciate this information, I feel like I got hit by a truck😭

[@MyPatty1996]

ummmmmm, I crashed coursed and wrestled my first match within 2 hours. Normal people would die at the thought (I also got beat with a kendo stick that I bought) but me? I was literally laughing the next day cause I was so sore. Now I wrestled in school so getting slammed on a 20 year old rubber mat definitely helped some. Honestly though, my lack of common sense and my overall confidence in just doing the damn thing is what's gonna allow me to be successful as far as in ring pain tolerance. Had no issues taking a lot of bumps followed by a number of body slams in various ways. If it says anything, I have my armpit tatted

[@dawsonmaloney9910]

Do you have any tips for recovering from deathmatches? I wanna dip my toe in that pool at some point

[@TilWeMakeIt]

I can't say I do - that experience is one I have no familiarity with!

[@dawsonmaloney9910]

@@TilWeMakeIt alright well thanks anyway

[@rickygrey1908]

Mike I came to Chikara circa 2012 and trained with your class for a day and ended up with rhabdomyolysis (look it up if you don’t know what it is). I ended up on dialysis and was in the hospital for a week. So I think all training facilities should at least do the consideration to the “wet behind the ears” trainees that are paying a premium to be trained, best prepare them so injuries like this don’t occur. I was lucky enough to come back in 2018, train for a year with another promotion and finally wrestle a match. So my main point is that if you pay for a service you usually get all disclosures and it doesn’t fully seem like that happens at all facilities which is a shame because I can’t imagine the countless injuries that do happen to naive kids that we never hear about. I’m not saying this is how your school operates, I’m not saying this is a direct reflection of your training, all I’m stating that is all trainers (in my opinion) should remember that’s a human being walking through that door with no experience chasing a dream and will do things not realizing the consequences when they could have been easily informed by a more advanced student or trainer to take an easy or let up if their body wasn’t responding correctly. Best wishes.

[@fitstoned760]

Are you still wrestling ??

[@KaiserSoze679]

I get where you're coming from and largely agree, but I'm not 100% sure what sort of list you have in mind when you say "all disclosures" - like, do you expect them to go through every possible injury someone could conceivably suffer? Cause if so, 1) they're not doctors. I'm sure some would even surprise seasoned wrestlers, and even the ones they do specifically know about, they aren't the best people to be coaching you on how to handle them, 2) If they tried, you'd need to take up your first day or two of wrestling school just on the possible injury list. Hell, it's almost hard to think of a possible injury someone COULDN'T get while wrestling in one way or another - and especially if you want them to go into ones as rare and tangentially related to what they do as rhabdo, that's going to mean your first few days if not weeks of wrestling school is going to be nothing but injury talk. Let's use your rhabdo for example. You can get rhabdo from anything from physical exertion of any kind (working out, playing a spot, running, whatever) to heat stroke. So let's say you went and joined an outdoor sport, like a baseball team, and you're playing on a hot day, get heat stroke, and it turns into rhabdo.... is it your baseball coach's fault, for not holding a series of team meetings to go over every possible medical implication of prolonged sun exposure? Rhabdo is not so common and predictable an outcome of wrestling training, nor so uniquely tied to this particular activity, that I think it's fair to expect that to have been part of any training disclosure. I imagine you were given some sort of injury waiver to sign before you trained, which does make it pretty clear that there's a chance of potential injury. I would also imagine, based on the training I took part in and have seen, you were also warned when very specific actions had a tendency to cause certain injuries (ex. to tuck your chin when taking a bump so as not to hit your head on the floor). To me, those are reasonable expectations. If you're saying they should have gone into a list of specific injuries that could occur, that would get detailed enough that you would have been specifically warned about rhabdo? At that point I don't think it's realistic as a use of time, a level of expertise on their part, OR a placement of responsibility.

[@bounty3454]

Yikes, the blood in the urine part really made me cringe. That sounds horrible. Is this also something that your body gets accustomed to? As in, you don't pee blood anymore after a while?

[@TilWeMakeIt]

That's exactly right. Most bodies will acclimate to being bumped around the ring within 8 weeks.

[@Dustinmrr.mp4]

Had my first training yesterday and I had to call in sick today because I can't move at all 😮 had to crawl to the toilet 😂

[@TilWeMakeIt]

Ooof! Where are you training?

[@Kayleeorsmthn]

I wanna train so bad but I’m terrified of throwing up

[@TilWeMakeIt]

Lots of people do at training - just try not to do it near the ring!

[@Kayleeorsmthn]

@@TilWeMakeIt idk this might be the thing that holds me back

[@codygarris5589]

On the bright side atleast I know this is normal

[@blueterror356]

So you no matter what are gonna be peeing blood every time you wrestle??

[@DBToy]

Hey Mike my name is David Bessone I live in Springfield Ma, I’m a new trainee, right now I’m doing this for me not to become rich or make it to the wwe, there’s a school in my area and the younger me would kick my ass if I didn’t at least try and I honestly am starting to feel good the next day after training now, we train 3 days a week Tues Thurs and Sat and I’m at week 9/10

[@TilWeMakeIt]

Nice! There's a lot of good options up in New England. Where in Springfield are you training, David?

[@chancedawrestler]

Peeing blood?… I was not ready to hear that and I’m trying to start training soon. 😭

[@TilWeMakeIt]

It's somewhat rare, but it is a possibility.