47 years old. Mesomorph physique. Could use to lose 20Lbs but the damn weekend keeps happening! Been working out most of my life. Tried a bunch of different things over the years. Push/Pull days, Leg Day/Arm Day, etc. Even did a Crossfit style for about a year.
Over the Summer I read some of Rippetoe’s stuff and I was looking to change things up and I started a program similar to Stronglifts 5x5. Basically Flat Bench, Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlifts, and Barbell Rows. All exercises done with an Olympic Bar. I also throw in a couple of quick sets of pullups and curls at the end because I can’t help myself.
2 Main goals – 1. Look good (LOL). 2. Get Strong. Now I guess I am strong when you compare to average guy on the street – Bench 265 or so, Squat 225, etc. But I have never been what guys who workout would consider strong. I set some goals for myself that I felt were attainable and would get me feeling better about my strength especially as I turn the corner toward the big 50.
I wanted to try to get my Bench, Squats, and Deadlift all to 315, and my Barbell Rows and Overhead Press to 225. I set a rough goal of Christmas (this was back in July). Here is the crux of the issue: I keep hurting myself. I have had neck and lower back issues for years, and every time I start making good progress on my lifts, I tweak either my neck or back and have to take some time off. It’s really frustrating!
I try to get a good warmup on the treadmill before I start, and start out with light weight on each exercise and progress up. I also try to keep excellent form on the exercises. I keep the increases very low, basically add 5lbs when I reach the 5x5 goal each time.
I guess my question is this: is a guy my age and with my injury history basically destined to continue to get hurt doing these heavy compound moves? Do I have to accept the reality that I would be better off going back to the machines where the weights and the movements are much more controlled?
Either that, or should I keep doing the Compound moves, but stop worrying about increasing the weight? I guess I could use weights that are more easily done and not push past those levels? I'm not sure that makes any sense either though?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Lack of commitment.
I'm not saying this to be a hardass, just reality is you aren't working hard enough to realize your goals, and you aren't old enough for it to be an impossibility.
If all your doing is strength work with light cardio, your flexibility surely suffers. It's actually impossible to do compound lifts truly properly with full range of motion with limited mobility.
Your age and your injury history indicate the pattern will likely continue. We don't get stronger and less prone to injury as we get older, it's the reverse. You can do the exercises you want but lower the weight and go from there. If it's effective in not injuring you (and it will be) you've answered that question.
Moderation on the weight, duration, and frequency. Act your age. I'm 44 and have been reducing for several years.
how many sets do you do - overtraining, especially when you are not well conditioned will produce a lot of unnecessary injuries
what do you do for your abs
and like Nitro and JonC - you're kidding yourself if you think you can maintain good strength and conditioning and beat your body up every weekend. that ends by late 20s early 30s. and if you keep partying too hard as you approach the big 50 - those extra pounds will be the least of your worries.
Same with bench same with deadlift .some people just don't translate to the lifts. Doesn't matter how hard they want it how much they train their body type just doesn't suit it. And it is not just overall body type but specifics such as size of hands perhaps upper arm to lower things like that.
So forget about the specific poundage goals. To my opinion you are best suited by just working out within your range and if you are not getting results appearence wise add more other things. Don't overwork what you are already doing…you will only get injured.
Chop wood, flip a tire, hit a heavy bag.. bunches of things that are not so body type specifc but will make you stronger and added to a lifting regiment will make you look better as well.
And improve your diet. It still is protein which builds muscle and is muscle.
It doesn't have to be meat to be protein though.
You may also want to just plan some deloads -- every 4th or 5th week you can pull off a week or two worth of progress. It will keep form in check and allow for "active" recovery, though obviously slow progress. I also find that if I dont do it 3x per week that it gets harder on my body. 2x is too much recovery time it seems.
Overhead press 225…way high.
A guy overhead pressing 225 normally should be squatting at least 400 or so.
So your body type is not typical. Trying to make typical a not typical body type by traiing is impossibe and will lead to injury.
Are you struggling to hit your 225 squat?
I have always had very little flexibility even going back to my high school football coach used to comment on it. Thus, I hate stretching which can't be helping matters.
I have always been lucky in that I can put on muscle much easier than most people, so I can probably back off on pushing heavier and heavier weights. I do enjoy the compound lifts and I really don't want to give them up just yet. I built a pretty nice home gym for me and my kids centered around a Power Rack and Olympic Bars and Weights. I think I will try deloading periodically as well.
I guess I know what I have to do. Either clean up the diet and lose that 20lbs, AND begin a serious stretching regimen if I want to progress towards the goals stated earlier, or act my age as nitro says and be happy with staying around the more comfortable weight levels. Either way I should get rid of that 20lbs I do know that.
If I push too hard, my chronic neck lets me know it, and I scale back from there. No more training like a maniac 2+ hours a day, 6 days a week. Your body has limits, listen to them.
Protein is not meat however. Large amounts of meat especially in that age range for a male can be quite unhealthy. Protein can be any number of vegetable/plant sources. I personally take a pea protein supplement.
Diet but don't cut protein. A lot of discussion is out there on what it the proper amount. But if you are dieting supplementing with a couple of protein shakes each day (counting up the calories in that and deduct)…should suffice. Unless your diet is completely out of whack that should do it. Keep in mind more protein means more hydration necessary and more of some minerals such as calcium which is depleted by increased protein use. You may want to consider a multi mineral vitamin supplement when dieting.
2. My GOAL for OHP was 225 and that was a really random number. I am actually doing Hang clean and Press not really OHP cause I wanted my Traps to get big. Highest I have got for Reps was 145, so I am pretty far off the 225 number.
3. I have a whey protein shake blended with a Banana directly after every workout.
4. Any successful diet I have ever been on had me cutting carbs and replacing with lean Protein.
I have always been goal oriented in pretty much everything I do. That's why I have those numbers for the weights I wanted to hit. It's led to pretty decent success in my personal life, but can be a character flaw when you apply it to EVERYTHING as I have a tendency to do...
Pea protein doesn't effect my gut like soy does. And soy contains some things which mimic estrogen like substances in the body…a guy doens't want that.
So pea…is real cheap and I add a little bit of glutamine(a amino which is a essential building block of muscle) to improve its protein profile a bit, and a tiny bit of creatine(as vegans have none of that in their diet).
So it is good to go. Glutamine is real cheap in powdered form. If I wanted to get exotic and was real interested in getting super cut I would probably add some powdered branch chain aminos to it..but they are expensive.
Pea is not a ideal protein profile as perhaps whey and some others are. Whey is however dairy based and makes some people bloat, causing retainig of water.
But like I say teh amino profile is not perfect
I can get it at Costco in a 6LB bag. It's a good deal which is important because I use it and so do 3 of my kids post workouts.
Some don't... depends I'd guess if you have some underlying allergy to milk.
They say it can't happen but it does to some. If you put on weight a couple of days after adding it to your diet…probably you do. If not not.
This is….
18 dollars usually for 2 pounds... 24 G per about 2 tablespoons. At a store.. possibly cheaper on line.
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Not static stretching which we here think of as being stretching but done properly active stretches.
At a very least I would consider incorporating them. Find out how to do them properly and then use real light weight till you get it right.
Powerlifting moves are nice and we all do them but reallly they are not well rounded at overall capacity. Olympic lifts again work the core movement and balance a way lot more. More what you need in real life things.
I was just listening to a guy talk last week at the gym Held the state record in bench at his weight ten years ago and still probably does.
Can't lift both arms to do a double bicep bodybuilder movement so shot are his shoulders. No one injury just accumulative wear and tear and he is about 50 or so. That from benching heavy for 20 or so years.
Louie Simmons the best powerlifting trainer….2 back injuries, 1 hip injury 1 torn peck I think it was…. which is one for each lift basically.
Ed Cone world record holder in the squat and all totals not all that long ago…hip replacement at 48.
Clarence Bass a master bodybuilder phenom also known for his great squat form….hip replacement mid 60's.
And the list goes on and on.
Variation more than any one thing prevents muscle imbalance which leads to injury.
Couldn't work a full day doing things like moving a wheel barrow without having problems.
Stopped the singles went lower in weight….I luckily am back to normal.
Most I think just keep going…and permenatnly injured they become.
Meaning not to drop it entirely but really look at it to see if what you are doing is to your benefit overall.
I don't give a flying F if I can hold a state record. I do care very deeply that I can move my arms around enough to touch the top of my head.
Plenty of sage advice in this thread so thanks to all who have contributed. Beginning to understand that it would be beneficial to me to:
1. Cleanup my diet
2. Lose some weight
3. Incorporate stretching and some Core exercises regularly
4. Get rid of the heavy lift goals
5. Deload and vary the exercises I am doing now
www.youtube.com/watch?v=srnPzEdDOmU
As for the neck that's completely in my control. I have a stupid tendency to hyperextend it up on certain exercises. I really need to concentrate and stop doing it.
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