At 46 I had both a rotator cuff tear and a spinal hernia 3 months later, that killed my motivation - I keep lifting, but each session is constant painful and I need to be conscious about movements to avoid back pains e.g. carrying 50kg dumbbells from the rack to the bench. It's just less fun than it used to be.
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What Age did your Strength/Recovery take a Big hit?
- Thread starter barbell001
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barbell001
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I can definitely sympathise here - I had both a pec tear and rotator cuff tear on a max bench attempt about 2 years ago now. Up until that point I felt indestructible, never ever worried about a muscle tear before a lift and went for absolutely everything without hesitation. Now every now and again I get these weird pump like feelings in my chest where the tear was and almost like a slight tear feeling sometimes which I think is blood making its way through the scar tissue. It still sticks in my mind though right before un racking with the worry constantly there of 'Fuck is this gonna go again' Lol It takes so much of the fun out of it when there is worry and anxiety there. When I was beginning to press light again whilst trying to heal them the pain would be so bad I'd almost be puking after every set but I managed to grin and bare it. You have to remember though that muscle tears can happen to anyone at any time, I saw a vid of a young guy benching only 275 hammering reps out and on one of them where he wasn't even struggling it all popped off the shoulder and up to the bar like it does lol
Hightower
Member
Great pace, keep it up
Hightower
Member
Such an injury at any age will bring a lot of negative emotions. Hold on man, good luck.
I noticed at around 35 I couldn't keep training the way I was without being injured more and more. Not noticed any loss of strength yet or ability to gain it at 38.
barbell001
Member
I think the longer we train we can begin to forget about the basics being the most important to strength gain - Maintaining simple and consistent training without overloading and including movements we don't need, 3 to 4 days rest in between training the same muscle again, pushing the protein intake EVERY day, training for numbers and not how we look in the mirror etc.
Hightower
Member
I began to have a significantly slower recovery after 40, and before that everything was fine, and it became sharply worse.
Hightower
Member
I think you are right, but emotions and ambitions sometimes prevent us from looking at ourselves as a new one.
I agree. Although for the first time in my life I'm currently lifting for how I look in the mirror. Last year I finally got injured to the point I couldn't squat, bench, or deadlift at all for about half the year. I've been back to benching for awhile at least now. Not deadlifting currently at all or squatting more than three plates for higher reps though.
But yeah I've always been a big believer of keeping it simple with training. There's an old Jim Wendler quote about not majoring in the minors I always thought was pretty good advice to live by. I never did a ton of accessories and had decent lifts. Although getting from 600lbs to 700lbs on deadlift required some out of the box thinking and training.
barbell001
Member
How did you end up getting injured mate? I assume it was something to do with your back was it if it affected all those lifts?
barbell001
Member
Its funny buddy as I was itching to bench today, missed a max I should have easily got 2 nights ago and was in shock when it just bottomed out on my chest without even a grind back up half way Lol I think it was down to quite a bit of deadlift volume earlier in the week and I couldn't keep my back tight when I un racked it together with my RC's still being sore so I couldn't do anything with it at the bottom. I was thinking driving home tonight fuck it shall I just do it after dinner BUT then I said out loud to myself - 'I thought we weren't going to do any of this risky shit anymore?! If you do in a shoulder again it'll be 3 months if you are lucky till you can start to train heavy again, if you aren't and you injure yourself badly it can take a year to get back to where we are now and with that it could affect my lifts for the rest of my life. Is it really worth that risk just for another day of rest????? Is it hell!! Lol
Competitive athlete until 36 and then could no longer train with volume and intensity that I could when I was in my 20's and early 30's. I'd say physically I hit my peak at 32 from the mental hardness that I had developed to take extended amounts of pain and keep coming back for more.
At 36 after training hard and competing I felt like I wanted to sleep for days afterwords. I knew it was over.
I think you can still do high intensity for short periods as you age, but you have to keep those periods short, make them count and allow yourself plenty of rest. Training becomes more methodical to avoid injury as you get older.
Also I think you get tired of being banged up and older, your mind is tired of going down that road. Also mentally you've known what it was like to be in the best shape of your life, there are no unknowns, you've been there and done it. Perhaps that makes it so you don't care near as much about going there again when you're older.
At 36 after training hard and competing I felt like I wanted to sleep for days afterwords. I knew it was over.
I think you can still do high intensity for short periods as you age, but you have to keep those periods short, make them count and allow yourself plenty of rest. Training becomes more methodical to avoid injury as you get older.
Also I think you get tired of being banged up and older, your mind is tired of going down that road. Also mentally you've known what it was like to be in the best shape of your life, there are no unknowns, you've been there and done it. Perhaps that makes it so you don't care near as much about going there again when you're older.
Hightower
Member
It is very difficult psychologically to get up and start exercising. When you get injured, when you can't move at all. I have been lying like this for a long time. And then it took a lot of work to find the rhythm and start doing it normally.
Hightower
Member
Usually in youth we are determined to take risks and make rash approaches, and the older we get and the more injuries accumulate, we already become more pragmatic and wise in training.
Hightower
Member
I think that it’s not even about age, but about a correct approach to training, taking into account age. A lot of examples when people 40+ are progressing in weights and are full of motivation and fire in their eyes. My friend too when revised approaches. I immediately began to progress, I was almost 50.
It has everything to do in my case with energy levels.
People that are 40+ can indeed develop. I've seen guys 70 years old that are in incredible shape, not just for their age, but they were the strongest guys in the gym. Of course they have great genetics, big bones, large tendons, not prone to injury and a positive attitude.
Been having hip problems since late 2019. I've had periods of a few months here and there I could actually train squat and deadlift, but always end up injured again and out of commission.
Then last year I was warming up on bench with 335lbs and obviously no spotter and hadn't set up the safeties. Unracked sloppy and the bar rolled forward and caused my wrist to buckle and I just dropped the weight from my full arm's length straight onto my sternum. It did not feel as light falling on me as it did benching it lol. But couldn't bench for about six months after that. And that was right after reinjuring my hip again, so I was totally out of commission on the big three.
Yeah, it was very demotivating. I never stopped going, I did what I could though. Lost some weight and focused on getting leaner and doing more cardio.
Hightower
Member
Yes, it’s true about a lot, but more importantly, how do you specifically feel and choose the rhythm of work in the gym and recovery. This is the key to a good mood.
Hightower
Member
Such injuries are very seriously knocked out of life. Sometimes there is a fear of scales and a fear of being injured again.
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