What Happens When a Lifter Gets Old | Starting Strength Radio #35

[Mark Rippetoe]

Rip, interesting comment about you incorporating techniques like pauses as an alternative way to apply stress. Have you ever found that you get worse at using the stretch reflex on the real version of the lift if you do paused reps too frequently/for too long? I have stumbled upon a similar approach for squats to allow me to squat twice a week without chronic hip issues flaring up, but I find my real squats are increasingly resembling the paused ones, both visually and in terms of weight on the bar.

Short of simply committing to do the real resp better, any cue or advice to prevent falling into this trap?

I have used pause box squats exclusively for months at a time, and when I went back to squats I had no problem with the movement pattern.

[mrjack]

Very interesting thread, it is so tough to find info for guys who are 40 +
I am 44 years old 90 kg bodyweight, have been training since I was 16. My best lifts are double body weight squat, 140kg bench, bodyweight press and DL 190kg for 3 reps. ( Snapped a ligament in my back deadlifting when I was 25 years old so never really reached my potential here.

Have found strongman the last few years and I love atlas stones and farmers walks. I can lift a 120kg atlas stone and bodyweight farmers walks. It is very difficult to get all these movements in over a week or even two.
I was doing FW and Back Squat week one and AS and FS week two on fridays with pushing on monday and other back work on wednesday.

At what age rip did you realize that you had to make changes ?

What I am finding now is that squatting after either farmers or atlas stones leaves me a bit fkd the next day, sometimes my sleep is also disturbed for days on end and I feel this is due to CNS fatigue. I normally go to failure on most movements but am starting to realize I should leave a bit in the tank.

I am thinking of switching to alternating upper body and lower body sessions, three days a week but on a lower body day only do one movement ie atlas stones then five days later do back squats instead of both in the same session.
Maybe I'm being a pussy doing this but I think it could be worth an experiment to see how it goes, I would we doing some form of lower body work every five days, every ten days or so I would be squatting and every ten days I would be farmers walk or atlas stones.
I would also pull and push in one plane of movement every five days instead of going both planes in the same session once a week.
Rip your point about not doing the maximum of what you can tolerate but less than that has inspired me to try this.
Is 44 to young to be making these changes do you think ?
Really interested to keep this thread going and informative...

[Paulbfast]

It must have been the media that convinced you that 40 was old!

[mrjack]

hahahah, no I can do it on the day and I'm not too far off my PB's in most lifts but I do struggle with disturbed sleep and am fkd the next day if I do too much in a session for sure.

[Paulbfast]

I was sleeping 3 or4 hours a night. I started taking melatonin and I slept 6 hours last night. Make sure you are warm so you need to get up and pee all night. Damn it feels good to get some sleep!

[mrjack]

I won't take anything like that, I am also lifetime PED free too.

[Matt James]

I won't take anything like that, I am also lifetime PED free too.

That's an interesting position. Ultimately you're the boss of what you put into your own body, but as far as sleep aids go, melatonin is one of the safest, with few side effects. It doesn't work for everybody, and it probably isn't a long term solution, but equating it with PEDs is just silly.

Good sleep hygiene is pretty critical to overall physical and mental health, and especially to recovery from training. And it only gets tougher as we age. Certainly there are lifestyle and behavioral changes that can be employed, but I wouldn't rule out a supplement or a combo as a short term intervention.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Mrjack, do you take ibuprofen/naprosyn/acetaminophen? If so, why?

[Vinnie Boombatz]

I won't take anything like that, I am also lifetime PED free too.

I'm right there with you not taking Tylenol or Motrin, but Melatonin?! I guess if were going to use semantics you COULD say melatonin is a "performance enhancing drug" if you mean performance enhancing as far as it enhancing your performance by allowing you to get more sleep, resulting in you being more well-rested, focused and better performing when you lift...

Also, melatonin is a hormone that your body synthesizes normally. Basically tells your body that it's time to go to sleep. Works well for many who work night shift, off-hours, who have trouble going to sleep at normal times, etc.

[mrjack]

I agree Matt, equating it with PED's was very silly and I didn't do that, why did you ?
I would be concerned about taking melatonin because I would not want to rely on it. I have actually read that it is quite difficult to come off and quite habit forming. I relied on Valarian root when I was younger and it's horrible relying on something to help you sleep, valarian was horrible to try and wean myself off and I would never want to go through that again. For disclosure I have abused recreational substances over the years so am no angel, and am not trying to be "holier than thou" either, I just have never used any PED's though, always wanted to do it naturally.
Rip I'm glad you chipped in, would you mind responding to my training, question ? dilemma.