"Old Guy" Aches & Pains

[Gene61]

Old age: Its a strength sport!

Better start (keep) training for it!

[skid]

I'm in my early fifties and am in pretty good shape except for my messed up shoulder, sore hip, and f'd up left ankle. Those were mostly caused by a lifetime of off road motorcycling and other contact sports.

I'm finding my body is responding well to the Texas method with a couple of minor mods. My goals were 5/4/3/2 wheels per side on deadlift/squat/bpress/press and can rep that now on squats and once for the bench press, with the other two close.Trying to stay ahead of my soon to be 16 year old son helps too.

I'm having only very minor pain issues at this point in my life. It's when I stop lifting that the pain and partial immobility returns, especially in my shoulder.

[Automag]

Why do you train? Believe it or not, old people like to be strong. They like to look good for the ladies (or gents.) They like the feeling of accomplishment when they improve at things. They like feeling as good as they did (or better) than when they were young. Basically older people do everything younger people do for similar reasons.

I feel like I’m the verge of being an older lifter, 40. I mostly feel pretty young, but I regret not starting strength training 20 years ago. I’m not so old that I cannot make good progress, but I miss being a teenager, where the mystical power of a night’s sleep could fix anything. Of all the things about getting older that I miss, rapid recovery may be top of the list.

Anyway, I hear more about the problems with older folks doing strength training that I do about the benefits.

I like the fact that now that I am no longer a teenager, I can design a training program with my brain instead of my ego. I can read SS, notice its conspicuous lack of gimmick, and follow the road map. I don’t have to search for the latest fad or shortcut.

I can also train with a friend and not feel it necessary to alter my training plan just to see if I can bench press more than him, or do something else that has a high risk of hurting myself.

Heck, I have not attempted a 1RM since I began SS, and I have no plans to do so moving forward. Teenage me would be doing that once a week.

[Sean Herbison]

My question is, what effect do you think heavy weight training over decades has had on your body (besides simply making you stronger)? You and he have obviously pursued different fitness-related endeavors - yours the more taxing physically.

Keep in mind that not all strength training is equal. There is a difference in training for general health and training for putting up the biggest powerlifting total. True, powerlifting contests can be good motivation for continuing to train, even if you're doing it for your health.

The difference is that competitive powerlifters will often do things that are not optimal for their health, such as competing with serious injuries in order to win a contest. Looking at high-level powerlifters (and Rip wasn't bad in his day), is not generally a good indication of how lifting can help/hurt you.

[Bolson32]

Heck, I have not attempted a 1RM since I began SS, and I have no plans to do so moving forward. Teenage me would be doing that once a week.

Does one actually gain humility with age? I'm not old yet(28) but even I've found in the last couple of years I don't feel the need to hide my weaknesses like I did when I was younger. I don't try heavy singles, I don't test maxes. I've made a ton of progress in the last 6 months and when I tell people I've only been working with 5s they're amazed. They tell me I need to start working lower rep ranges, test my max. I always say "Stick to the plan" or "I'll test my maxes when they're something close to remotely strong."

[tbennett]

Actually glad to see so many responses on here that are encouraging, particularly Rip's. More specifically, I see how most long-term folks on here have a plethora of broken thises and sore thats and messed-up the others - but few folks are actually blaming the iron. Seems like most injuries are due to other things.

I am loving lifting in my mid-40's, and am fortunate in that I've gotten to this age without any major dings - and yet I had kinda resolved myself to have to deal with that stuff simply as one of the costs of lifting. It's nice to hear that if I DTP and don't do anything stupid that I might actually reach 60+ without multiple sites of chronic pain and stiffness and so on.

Although last week I thought for sure I was going to join the ranks of the injured when lifting in my (non-windowed) garage and the power went out when I was on the back end of a set of heavy squats - it's an exercise in terror thinking of how to deal with a heavy bar on your back when you're in absolute darkness and your legs are starting to quiver in exhaustion :-P

(fortunately I was able to go down slowly and put it on the safety bars without losing my balance.....)

[Mark E. Hurling]

Does one actually gain humility with age?

Not always. It's mainly a function of experience, which can be related to age but is not necessarily determined by how miles you have on you. But not everyone pays attention to what they are doing or their results. When you begin to realize the parameters of what you did know and now know, and maybe what you don't yet know, you are starting to get smarter. When you realize and accept you don't know everything you want to know or need to know, that's when humility begins to kick in.

[Christopher John]

I've always considered aches, pains, and sometimes injuries "The Price of Admission" to become and stay strong.

I like how you phrased this.

[franklie]

I have found that as I have gotten older in order to minimize aches and pains and to maximize progress, I go to the gym and workout in between sets of rest.

[George Christiansen]

Does one actually gain humility with age?

My experience is that being older gives you opportunities to learn humility, but many of these are wasted on fools that refuse to.