Aches and pains: is it because I'm old?
tomcornhole
Posts: 1,084 Member
I've finally got my shoulders 90% healed and my bench and OHP are going up again. That makes me happy. But now I have started to get a twinge in my left hip (feels a lot like the tendinitis I had in my shoulders) and my lower back has a dull ache. I can work with it if I warm up properly and foam roll before I start lifting. And keep my warm gear on. And ice everything afterward. But man, does it get sore and stiff the next day. If it ain't one ache, it's another.
So, is this what I have to look forward to if I want to stay on this quest to compete and win at age 50?
Tom
So, is this what I have to look forward to if I want to stay on this quest to compete and win at age 50?
Tom
0
Replies
-
I hear you. At 46, if I'm NOT sore or have an ache, I think something's wrong!0
-
43 here. So many injuries over the years.
Totally understand the shoulder issues...i strained/frayed the long bicep tendon on my right arm where it inserts into the shoulder, took almost a year for it to heal 100%, i wouldn't bench more than 135. Recently the left one started bothering me. Unlike the first time i didn't try to 'man up' through it and i backed off the weight, only did close grip pull-ups.
Also as the years have gone on my warm-ups take longer than my actual lifting. I almost always leave a couple reps in the tank.
Regardless every 3-4 months i'll need a 2 week deload where i only do my warm-up routine and some body weight exercises. It's frustrating as hell. I've also done martial arts for 26 years now. Those work-outs can't be as long due to my body also...which really sucks. I guess that's why i constantly read fitness and training articles. My time and ability is now limited so i want maximum results and minimal down time.
I love my beer and whiskey too but now i only drink on Saturday nights and Sunday since those are my off days. And Sunday is just a couple drinks at most. Body just doesn't perform as well after drinking the next day. Not when i was younger...oh hungover...i'll just run a couple miles and then wolf down an omelet then hit the gym.0 -
Wait until you are my age (53). Just kidding. I've had the sore shoulders, knees, hips etc. Just started to use a foam roller. I wish I had tried that earlier. I'm like Jeff if I'm not sore, I think somethings wrong.0
-
Ha! Finally a question I know something about. I'm a bit older than the rest of you. Matter of fact, I am kind of an aging expert.
It is called the "migrating" injury. When you get to a certain age, there is always some nagging (and sometimes serious) injury, and once you heal, it moves somewhere else.
I suspect that what the problem really is is that we don't heal so fast when we get older. We used to strain something and it would be better in two days. Now, it takes a week, or longer, by which time we have injured something else.
Sounds like you already know what to do: Warm up properly every time. When I am lifting I always work up to my working weight, usually taking at least three, gradually-increased sets to get there.
My wife (a serious runner) swears by rolling out with a hard roller.
But, to answer your question, yes, a little bit of pain and injury is now your lot in life, and it will continue that way, though it does get better and worse.
I sometimes think I could still keep up with those younger guys if it was just about strength or speed, but it is not. I cannot go that way because I always have something that hurts, or will hurt if I don't accommodate it. (Yeah, I am probably fooling myself. I am also weaker and slower too. Oh well.)0 -
Just turned 54 - would have to agree that aches and pains are normal for old farts that refuse to grow old gracefully!
Don't know if it's just age or if I've had a longer time to accumulate injuries (both knees, lower back, upper back, neck, shoulder, elbow...).
Probably a bit of both really.
Recovery takes longer, progression is slower and it seems my training is more limited by what my damaged joints will tolerate rather than what my muscles will do. I've managed to get back to close to lifetime bests on some exercises but conversely there's loads of things I know I just have to avoid.0 -
I have changed my mind about this in the last year or so that this is a natural part of aging. I have always been fairly fit, but over the last ten years I was getting really stiff, constantly had muscle soreness and old injuries that hurt all the time.
Things that helped me:
Taking what is referred to as protease enzymes seemed to break the ache cycle. You can research that, actual clinical trials have been done and shown that it seems to work. I don't take them now really but it helped at points when I had a lot of soreness from hard workouts.
Being less sedentary and frequent range of motion and rolling.
The biggest difference for me was last spring when, as an experiment, I cut out seven certain foods after reading the book "The Virgin Diet" (that's the author's last name). I couldn't believe it as one day I realized nothing hurt! No aches or pains, not even my old injuries. At the time I was running and working out regularly too. So for me although I don't have true food allergies I found dramatically cutting out diary and wheat was huge. I do now occasionally have these things but not like I did.
So that's my experience with reducing aches and pains. Good luck.0 -
I guess I shouldn't complain. I was struggling with recovery most of last year. Since the new year, I have crammed 12 weeks of 5/3/1 into 8 weeks. I skipped 2 delaods and did 2 weeks of 5/3/1 lifts in one week (3 week and 5/3/1 week). Added 15+ lbs to each of my 1 RM's in that time. I think I added some muscle mass as well. How did I do that? I quit smoking. Needed to find out how hard I could go as a non-smoker vs. a smoker. Since I quit, recovery is less of an issue and I have upped my volume in each session by a lot. Probably time to get back on the routine as these new aches have popped up.
Tom0 -
What are your goals Tom? If it's hypertrophy you may want to look into HST.
I'm 45. Last year I was using a pretty basic routine (Lyle McDonald's), focusing on constant progressive overload. Like you it seems I was always nursing one injury or another, or at the very least had chronic aches and pains. Since switching to HST this year, 90 percent of those aches and pains are gone, and the nagging injuries (lower lumbar and right bicep) only flare up while doing the heavier, 5 rep portion of my routine, which is usually no more than two weeks out of 8. My strength has increased, and while it's a bit early in my cut to be sure, the tape measure and pictures show some very promising increase in muscle size.
If your interested here is the link http://hypertrophyspecific.com/0 -
Right now my goal is strength to compete at powerlifting (squat+bench+DL).
Short term: 1,000 lbs total (I'm at 965 right now)
Mid Term: Ohio State USAPL record in 45-49 Masters class for DL (500 lbs)
Long Term: 1,200 lbs total
500 lbs DL is achievable this year. 1,200 lbs total is going to be tough unless I can get my squat up to snuff. We'll see how well my body holds up over the next year. If it becomes a problem, then I will be ok with maintaining muscle mass and strength I have now and finding a new challenge. Not worth it if I am limping around all the time.
Tom0 -
I'm all of 37 and have been experiencing these "rotating injuries" for much of the past 4 or 5 months. It's a new thing for me and I am not a fan. DH (45) has been experiencing them for a while but he did a ton of overtraining when he was younger and says he's paying for it now.0
-
I'm almost 70 and no longer experience the joint stiffness upon getting out of bed in the morning. I also have noticed that even when I work out more intensely, I don't have the usual muscle soreness. I believe those differences can be attributed to having pretty much cut out wheat/gluten and refined sugars from my diet. I am loving the freedom of movement that comes with that dietary change!So for me although I don't have true food allergies I found dramatically cutting out diary and wheat was huge. I do now occasionally have these things but not like I did.
So that's my experience with reducing aches and pains. Good luck.
0 -
I've finally got my shoulders 90% healed and my bench and OHP are going up again. That makes me happy. But now I have started to get a twinge in my left hip (feels a lot like the tendinitis I had in my shoulders) and my lower back has a dull ache. I can work with it if I warm up properly and foam roll before I start lifting. And keep my warm gear on. And ice everything afterward. But man, does it get sore and stiff the next day. If it ain't one ache, it's another.
So, is this what I have to look forward to if I want to stay on this quest to compete and win at age 50?
Tom
Not necessarily. Most people focus on strength training and endurance training but forget two very important areas of fitness: mobility and flexibility. Those require a different set of workouts that complement what you already do.
It is essential to maintain mobility and flexibility as you (and me) age. There is no point in being able to lift heavy stuff if bending down to tie your shoe laces is going to throw your back out and cause pain.
Look up Joe DeFranco's Limber 11 video on youtube and practice that several times a week. I know most guys dislike yoga, the ones in my class do anyway, but you would benefit greatly from a deep stretching routine a couple of times a week. I;m sure you already use a foam roller and lacrosse/tennis balls to work out any knots in your body.
I cannot emphasize the power of a regular stretching routine. I was one of those people who hurt so badly just getting out of bed every day and now I can get myself into pretzel pose quite easily. It's been a long journey with patience and working with my body's limitations but it can be done with amazing results.
Sometimes it takes something as simple a a long piece of PVC pipe to do upper body mobility exercises for your shoulders, mid-back and arms. It does work.0 -
I also cut out all dairy and wheat 18 months ago and noticed significant improvement in my aches and pains to the point where most days I have none. It is just anecdotal evidence on my part so I have no idea if it would work for anybody else.0
-
I must be a bit unusual in that I really do not get aches and pains (I am 46) - in fact lifting has alleviated severe back issue I had from a complication I got when I contracted staph in hospital.
I also drink copious amounts of milk and eat a lot of gluten so that is a very individual thing.
The only time I did was when I injured my shoulder - and that happens at any age.
The key to reducing the risk, other than mobility work (which I actually do not do and should start) is to get enough rest and not to push the volume imo. It just takes a little longer to recover.0 -
I guess I shouldn't complain. I was struggling with recovery most of last year. Since the new year, I have crammed 12 weeks of 5/3/1 into 8 weeks. I skipped 2 delaods and did 2 weeks of 5/3/1 lifts in one week (3 week and 5/3/1 week). Added 15+ lbs to each of my 1 RM's in that time. I think I added some muscle mass as well. How did I do that? I quit smoking. Needed to find out how hard I could go as a non-smoker vs. a smoker. Since I quit, recovery is less of an issue and I have upped my volume in each session by a lot. Probably time to get back on the routine as these new aches have popped up.
Tom
I honestly think that this issue is not so much your age (or dairy or gluten) - its the fact that you are overtraining. You skipped deloads and have significantly upped your volume and frequency from what you have noted. You have also gone for a lot of maxes from what I recall.
I would make sure you incorporate deloads and stick with the program re volume/frequency.0 -
I honestly think that this issue is not so much your age (or dairy or gluten) - its the fact that you are overtraining. You skipped deloads and have significantly upped your volume and frequency from what you have noted. You have also gone for a lot of maxes from what I recall.
I would make sure you incorporate deloads and stick with the program re volume/frequency.
This is probably the root cause. I went down yesterday to DL and could not pull 365 off the floor. That's an easy weight for me. I could write it off as a bad day, but I've had 2 bad days this week (missed my squat numbers as well). And I am exhausted. So it's time to deload and get back on a normal 5/3/1 progression. The fighter pilot in me needed to find out where my limits are. Now I know.0 -
I honestly think that this issue is not so much your age (or dairy or gluten) - its the fact that you are overtraining. You skipped deloads and have significantly upped your volume and frequency from what you have noted. You have also gone for a lot of maxes from what I recall.
I would make sure you incorporate deloads and stick with the program re volume/frequency.
This is probably the root cause. I went down yesterday to DL and could not pull 365 off the floor. That's an easy weight for me. I could write it off as a bad day, but I've had 2 bad days this week (missed my squat numbers as well). And I am exhausted. So it's time to deload and get back on a normal 5/3/1 progression. The fighter pilot in me needed to find out where my limits are. Now I know.
I went for maxes for about 3-4 weeks. That killed my body. You have to ramp up, then back off. And I 2nd the mobility thing. I'm still trying to do more of that,.0 -
As Sara said, sure age is a factor but I think what you've done would be considered over-training for someone half you age. And unless you have celiac disease or are lacto-intolerant I don't think gluten or dairy are a factor.0
-
I also cut out all dairy and wheat 18 months ago and noticed significant improvement in my aches and pains to the point where most days I have none. It is just anecdotal evidence on my part so I have no idea if it would work for anybody else.
Same here, my post is above. I couldn't believe the difference cutting wheat and diary made in my general body aches and old injury pain.
I 'm still fine tuning getting the right intake of calcium now....0 -
As Sara said, sure age is a factor but I think what you've done would be considered over-training for someone half you age. And unless you have celiac disease or are lacto-intolerant I don't think gluten or dairy are a factor.
Seems like the most obvious thing to me. I would stick with the program (even though it's tempting to max out a lot...a temptation I am not always good at resisting), do the deloads, and then see how you feel then.0 -
I honestly think that this issue is not so much your age (or dairy or gluten) - its the fact that you are overtraining. You skipped deloads and have significantly upped your volume and frequency from what you have noted. You have also gone for a lot of maxes from what I recall.
I would make sure you incorporate deloads and stick with the program re volume/frequency.
This is probably the root cause. I went down yesterday to DL and could not pull 365 off the floor. That's an easy weight for me. I could write it off as a bad day, but I've had 2 bad days this week (missed my squat numbers as well). And I am exhausted. So it's time to deload and get back on a normal 5/3/1 progression. The fighter pilot in me needed to find out where my limits are. Now I know.
I find deadlifts get impacted most by fatigue (squats by lower calories). I will have one really good session where I set PRs for reps, then cannot pull a lighter weight off the floor once a week later.0 -
What do you mean by fatigue (squats by lower calories)? You mean eating at a deficit and squatting too much/too heavy?0
-
What do you mean by fatigue (squats by lower calories)? You mean eating at a deficit and squatting too much/too heavy?
No, I mean that lower calories, especially for a prolonged time, impact my squats more than my other lifts. Deadlifts get affected more by being fatigued.0 -
What do you mean by fatigue (squats by lower calories)? You mean eating at a deficit and squatting too much/too heavy?
No, I mean that lower calories, especially for a prolonged time, impact my squats more than my other lifts. Deadlifts get affected more by being fatigued.
I think most people fall into this category as DLs are so much more taxing on the nervous system than any other exercise so adequate rest, particularly between max efforts, is absolutely essential. I think you get a little more leeway on the squats (though this is from an academic standpoint as I'm no where near you guys in terms of practical application!)0 -
After reading Rippetoe, I tried swapping out rows for power cleans. My hand position on the bar when it was on my chest was bad, and it ended up hurting my elbow. It took months for that to go away, that really sucked. So needless to say I'm not doing that anymore. I really try to do some good stretching after every session, that seems to help. My back really wants to tighten up after lifting.
The things that ticks me off the most is aches and pain from sleeping. I'm 41, and I definitely don't sleep as well as I used to. And some times when I do sleep hard, I wake up in some contorted position, and then something will end up being sore for the next few days. Sleeping is supposed to make things better, not worse!0 -
The things that ticks me off the most is aches and pain from sleeping. I'm 41, and I definitely don't sleep as well as I used to. And some times when I do sleep hard, I wake up in some contorted position, and then something will end up being sore for the next few days. Sleeping is supposed to make things better, not worse!
Where's the like button on that.
It is aggravating that for all the exercise you can do strong, you can be humbled so badly by ..... sleeping and a pillow.0 -
One thing I'm not seeing a lot of on MFP is stability and balance exercises.
Injury from muscle imbalance or missed intra or inter-muscular coordination is common. We tend to focus routines on building strength with major movements and leave little time to work on stabilizers in dynamic situations - this is also one of the reasons that lead up to injury.
I'd like to see more discussion and learn more in this area, I suspect we miss out on this.0 -
I've been doing similar and getting similar results, including the problems with the 5's and negatives. In fact I decided I'm not going below 8's anymore. I changed my program so I start at 20 reps and progress down to 8's instead of 15->negs.What are your goals Tom? If it's hypertrophy you may want to look into HST.
I'm 45. Last year I was using a pretty basic routine (Lyle McDonald's), focusing on constant progressive overload. Like you it seems I was always nursing one injury or another, or at the very least had chronic aches and pains. Since switching to HST this year, 90 percent of those aches and pains are gone, and the nagging injuries (lower lumbar and right bicep) only flare up while doing the heavier, 5 rep portion of my routine, which is usually no more than two weeks out of 8. My strength has increased, and while it's a bit early in my cut to be sure, the tape measure and pictures show some very promising increase in muscle size.
If your interested here is the link http://hypertrophyspecific.com/
(In my first HST cycle I seemed to add a couple of pounds LBM. And then I lost it cutting, and then had to stop for surgery, so I'm finally back on my next real bulk.)0
