Help! Need advice from the 40+ crowd

[Bart1234]

This past year I finally got serious with lifting and have enjoyed some modest gains. Using Ripps SS as a base and adding some auxiliary bis, tris, abs, etc...my DL is 315, squat is 245 and bench 235.
However...
Ive developed shoulder pains and can't press. I have osteoarthritis in my elbow and benching hurts like a bitch. And just last week I tried deep leg presses and felt like I " popped" a rib.
WTF? Is it even worth it ? My wife now pushing me to do yoga instead. Ugh..
Any advice out there from some 40+ lifters? I'm 48 btw.
Thanks
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[hockeynut_9922]

I am 40 almost 41. The body is pretty torn up the the military.
L4-L5-S1 fused together, had both rotator cuffs torn and a bad elbow.

The best thing I did was not try to train like I am 20 again. I listen to my body more than before.

I do not bench press with a bar. I use the various machines for this, it is easier on my joints. I do not do squats because of my back. The closet I will get to a squat is using dumbbells hanging at arms lenght.

I also added an extra day of rest into my routine.

I do legs one day, back next, rest, chest, rest, then arms. I have found I am able to get better results and let the joints cool off before hitting them again.

I believe it was Zedhead that recommends using gelatin in your protein shake to help the joints.

With the extra rest and gelatin the last month I have not had nearly the pain as before.

I would love to lift like I did when I was younger, or like the kids at the gym today. I guess i am training smarter instead of harder.

gary

 

[Creepusmaximus]

Shoulder pain is common with older guys. Best idea is stop using a barbell for a while and do no presses. Use all dumb bells and for the legs just hit the machines were you are more braced. At this point you're not going to add 200 lbs to your squats or anything like that so just work out in your limits, you can still make good pogress.

 

[Bart1234]

Thanks for the input guys. After resting up over the weekend I've decided to only keep the dl and the bb squat, since those bodyparts don't hurt yet, and use machines for my upper body.
I've read that using VERY light weights with a 50+ rep range can help with working thru injuries. Is there any truth to this?
Thanks again

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[goin on 4T]

I am 45 and have found that using high rep sets with a short interval period provides a great workout and excellent results. At our age you really need to be careful. I have had my share of rotator injuries and many tears of tendons in the elbows. Using high reps really reduces the wear and tear on the joints. Also I never do bar bench, I always do dumbbells on chest except for incline which I do go very heavy on. Try 4 sets of 12-20 reps with 2 min rest periods.



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[1Johnboy]

Warm up really good and go lighter weights with more reps for sure. Glucosamine and allot of fish oils have helped my old joints tremendously. Oh yea my friend told me about a topical pain reliever called
Voltaren that works great for sore muscles. Took about two weeks to take affect on my left forearm muscle but now the pain is gone. Amazon sells it and its not cheap, but it works. Cheers and keep hitting the iron!

 

[buddhabuilder]

I'm gonna be fifty this year, and I am having some of the best workouts of my life. I spent a couple months using a small, cheap camera to video my lifts so I could tweak my form. Just the basic stuff; watch for balance between right and left sides, never lock out on any exercise (maybe tris, but never if it is directly above the shoulder joint). Be mindful and listen to your body. Your current situation presents as a way for you to be creative, and adapt your approach. Yoga is no safer if your always keep form over weight.