Why I’m Not Training Like the 20-Year-Olds
I am 23 days away from dancing with my team where people are 1/3 my age.
And today I made a decision that younger me probably wouldn’t have made.
I’m not starting the full choreography runs yet.
I’m not doing explosive floor rolls.
I’m not pushing through knee instability just to “keep up.”
I’m stabilizing first.
Three days of activation.
Three days of strengthening.
Three days of protection.
Then I add the risk.
Not because I’m fragile.
Because I’m strategic.
This Is Where Adults Get It Wrong
When we step into rooms full of younger energy, our instinct is to match their intensity immediately.
We panic.
We think:
“I need to catch up.”
“I’m behind.”
“I have to prove I can still do this.”
So we train like they train.
Volume.
Speed.
Repetition.
Aggression.
And that’s how adults get injured.
I Already Learned This Lesson
Three years ago, I had a knee injury that took me out for three months.
Three months of no dancing.
No rehearsals.
No shows.
And that injury didn’t come from weakness.
It came from impatience.
This time, I don’t have that luxury.
I cannot afford three months out.
Not physically.
Not structurally.
Not emotionally.
So today I chose something different:
Stability before spectacle.
Strength Is Not Sexy
What I’m doing right now is not impressive.
Glute activation.
Knee tracking.
Slow step-downs.
Balance drills.
Tibial strengthening.
Nobody claps for that.
But those 20 minutes a day determine whether I get to roll on the floor safely in 72 hours.
Young dancers can sometimes rely on elasticity.
Adults rely on alignment.
Calm Is Not the Same as Slow
Let’s be clear.
I am not “taking it easy.”
I am building foundation aggressively.
There is a difference.
Calm does not mean passive.
Calm means controlled.
This is what maturity should look like in training:
Not less intensity.
More precision.
The Ego Trap
There is something very seductive about pushing early.
It feels heroic.
It feels like hunger.
But sometimes it’s just ego.
If I rush and re-injure myself,
there is no comeback narrative.
There is just regret.
And at 53, I do not train to impress the room.
I train to survive the season.
Adult Advantage
This is one of the few advantages of being older:
You’ve already paid for mistakes.
You remember what injury costs.
You understand time differently.
You don’t gamble your body for applause.
You engineer longevity.
So This Is My Protocol
Not chaos.
Not panic.
Activation.
Alignment.
Controlled load.
Then expansion.
I will earn the floor rolls.
I will earn the impact.
And when I do them,
they will be supported.
23 days out.
This isn’t about proving I can still move like a 20-year-old.
It’s about proving I can outlast one.
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