Older getbiggers...is it still possible to train injury and pain free

[Grape Ape]

Maintain flexibility, warm up properly, don't over do it....of course it is.

Shitcan all the stupid bodybuilding exercises and it's even easier.

[_aj_]

Maintain flexibility, warm up properly, don't over do it....of course it is.

Shitcan all the stupid bodybuilding exercises and it's even easier.

I will NEVER give up on upright rows! Team Upright Row forever!!

[Thin Lizzy]

Injuries tend to miraculously heal when you lighten up the weights.

Stop trying to impress people who don't care if you live or die.

[da_vinci]

I'm not older (30), but have been training for eons and using increasingly heavy weights (way above your regular gym rat). I've had not a single injury, while many people I've met on the way, younger and older - were/are constantly complaining about their knee/elbow/shoulder/back pains (and most of them are half as strong). And I have my theory why: I've started lifting with very light weights, built my base for about ten years of strict training, poundages increased very gradually, giving enough time for connective tissues to get stronger, later on I started some gear and my strength went to another level, still took my time to raise the weights, step by step (while my training partners were fucking up their shoulders and getting muscle tears, after encountering steroids and new strength). Two: I started doing very strict warmups after about two years of lifting (I knew I'm in for a long run), religiously. My regular warm up takes about 15mins, no excuses. For legs it may take twenty minutes, depends. That and probably genetics (no issues with joints in family tree). Have been pretty flexible always too, probably good.
Main thing - if your warm up takes less than 10mins of active movements - you are asking for injuries, simple as that.

Hope this helps

[Howard]

Quit bitching and up the dose. Pain exists between the ears.

LOL, sounds hardcore but...?
Every guy I know who lifted with that philosophy isn't doing it after age 50.

[Howard]

Yeah Shoulder seems to be a common one. Mine has been bothering me since I can't remember when.....but it is finally starting to feel like it's getting better slowly. I also have an issue with my left elbow....which a weird type of injury.....only hurts when gripping a bar tightly and straightening my arm at the same time. Never had that one before.
Also having bicep tendon issues on my right arm. And today I tweaked my knee doing legs  

I'm damn near 60 now and started back in the pumping iron era of the 1970's.
Here's the truth on your OP question :

If you push it  hard and heavy = it eventually catches up with 99% who did. Me included .
Dexter Jackson seems to be one major exception and I'd now advise most guys to view his training videos on Utube and train with his moderate style.

100% serious.

[calfzilla]

At 33, I am still battling the same injury from last year. Screwed up my elbow on skull crushers. It was bothering me for months. Got better, now its bothering me again. Ive taken off like 2 weeks and ill be going back in a few days, because its like 90% better. I suspect that this is always going to bother me in some way. I think I am going to have to change the way I train to accommodate my elbow. And I am only 33. So, I think its safe to say that as you get older, its impossible to train injury and pain free.

Watch this video starting at 8:30, it might help with your skull crusher issue.

[Howard]

Watch this video starting at 8:30, it might help with your skull crusher issue.

FYI, Dorian was a great champ and one of the best trainers in terms of good sense for effective workouts.
BUT, even he got injured when he pushed it for his O wins.  Just sayin'.

[judochoke]

almost 59. somehow hurt my right shoulder two months ago.  i was able to do three plates on each side for incline bench for 6 reps no spot. hurt my fucking shoulder trying to get dumbbells up for seated military press. today i went and tried
to do incline press with one plate. no luck. hurts like a bitch. freaking sucks because i love to bench, and I'm good at it. everything else is good. can still lift heavy on back and shoulders. {no presses at all because of the shoulder} life sucks

[ritch]

3-0-3 tempo's
static reps
pre exhaust

all stimulate the muscle well when your body is slowed down.

[Nether Animal]

almost 59. somehow hurt my right shoulder two months ago.  i was able to do three plates on each side for incline bench for 6 reps no spot. hurt my fucking shoulder trying to get dumbbells up for seated military press. today i went and tried
to do incline press with one plate. no luck. hurts like a bitch. freaking sucks because i love to bench, and I'm good at it. everything else is good. can still lift heavy on back and shoulders. {no presses at all because of the shoulder} life sucks

Care to explain the injury, and how much weight you were hoisting? Did you do it too fast and your arm fell backward, or what?

[Papper]

In my 30's no injury right now

Although, sometimes I get a pain here and there, I think you can simply prevent larger issues with the tactic of leaving the ego at the door

Also, a good mind to muscle connection helps you avoid bad moves

[falco]

You don't need to be old to be unable to train heavy without pain. The only guys i see training hard after 35yo are on hormones. And they don't train heavy year round.

[local hero]

You need to remove any exercise that isn't suited to you, for me that meant squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and anyform of skull crushers and dips.

As much as I loved those movements they caused lots of problems that have more or less gone, as has been said train for feel, if your having a string day make the most if it but don't push it every week..

[DroppingPlates]

almost 59. somehow hurt my right shoulder two months ago.  i was able to do three plates on each side for incline bench for 6 reps no spot. hurt my fucking shoulder trying to get dumbbells up for seated military press. today i went and tried
to do incline press with one plate. no luck. hurts like a bitch. freaking sucks because i love to bench, and I'm good at it. everything else is good. can still lift heavy on back and shoulders. {no presses at all because of the shoulder} life sucks

It's often someone's stubbornness that causes problems. Forget all pressing movements with a barbell and replace those by dumbbell or machine variants. That would be a great first step to pain-free shoulders.

[Vince B]

Collectively this thread reveals that most here don't know what they are doing. Proof? They have no clue what to do to prevent or overcome injuries.

Heavy bench pressing is going to damage your shoulders. Lots of exercises will damage your elbows. Don't do exercises that cause joint damage.

SF has no clue whatsoever! More sad than amusing.

There has to be at least one thing wrong with his philosophy of hypertrophy. Most guys do way too many exercises because they believe if they

don't do them the target muscles will shrink. Cut way down on the number of exercises. Train arms and legs for a month to get the elbows healed.

For triceps you have to avoid skull crushing movements. French Presses are also dangerous. There is a way to do skull crushes safely but most guys in the gym have no clue here. Larry Scott

knew what to do. He used a circular motion where he brought the weight down to his chest then continued in a circle up to near his face then up and

around. However, you should warm up thoroughly doing several sets of triceps pressdowns for high reps. Start with 40 reps and work down to about 15.

When the triceps start to get a pump you can then use more effective exercises. If you want the elbows to heal then avoid all presses and dips. Period.

I damaged my elbows way back in 1965 doing 250 pound pullovers on a bench. Throwing the javelin didn't help, either. Once you damage the elbows

it will persist. Never put the elbows on anything while doing exercises. Avoid resting the elbows on anything, even in bed. You will be sorry. There is

a sheath that goes over the elbow joint and it is easy to damage it by friction under loads. Keep the elbows well past the end of pads for all triceps and

even biceps work.

[DroppingPlates]

Larry Scott knew what to do. He used a circular motion where he brought the weight down to his chest then continued in a circle up to near his face then up and around. However, you should warm up thoroughly doing several sets of triceps pressdowns for high reps. Start with 40 reps and work down to about 15.

That's an interesting one, but will this result in a good contraction in your triceps? I'm asking this since both the concentric and eccentric directions seem pretty limited in this movement.

[MAXX]

if your reps at 25 was 3-8 change them to 8-12, and with better form.

will make a huge difference in saving joints

[Vince B]

That's an interesting one, but will this result in a good contraction in your triceps? I'm asking this since both the concentric and eccentric directions seem pretty limited in this movement.

If you lower a weight to near your face then push it upwards you place a lot of stress on the elbows. So Larry avoided some of the stress by doing a circular motion. He used up to

225 pounds with an EZ Curl bar. By keeping the motion fluid there is no stopping. Thus, injuries are usually avoided. Of course, guys cheat all the time and when form evaporates all

bets are off re injuries. Like I suggested, warm up the triceps thoroughly using the simple triceps pressdown movement. That movement is usually safe but not so effective. I do lying

triceps extensions. Being in a pre-stretched position with elbows near the ears helps put more mechanical tension on the triceps. The MedX triceps machine is unique in providing more resistance near the extended position.

You can't see it but I moved the pads two inches towards the user so that the elbows do not contact the pads. This is essential to avoid damaging the sensitive sheath that crosses the elbow joint.

It is the last 15 degrees of the movement that is important but most trainees cheat near the fully extended position so lose a lot of the benefit of that exercise.

In the photo below you will see a modification to the Nautilus Triceps Machine to make it more effective. Having the hands face each other also takes stress off the elbows. Be careful with pronated or palms down position.  

[DroppingPlates]

Luckily I never had elbow issues, but I will give this circular movement a try!

[Vince B]

if your reps at 25 was 3-8 change them to 8-12, and with better form.

will make a huge difference in saving joints

Partly right. It is much better to aim at 15 to 20 reps to start after warming up. By the third set you will be down in reps.

By doing 15 or more reps you will get a better pump. By the time you do 5 sets your reps might be down to only 10 to 12.

If you start at 10 you won't be able to do many sets for that many reps. That is where injuries can happen. You always aim

for the biggest pump possible through training.

[V Man]

I'm damn near 60 now and started back in the pumping iron era of the 1970's.
Here's the truth on your OP question :

If you push it  hard and heavy = it eventually catches up with 99% who did. Me included .
Dexter Jackson seems to be one major exception and I'd now advise most guys to view his training videos on Utube and train with his moderate style.

100% serious.

Yes but the thing about Dexter is that he is also on GH and other hormones which definitely help heal (and probably mask) injuries. If he stopped all hormones today I'm sure in a few months time he would start feeling the injuries.

[gib]

Start a low dosage GH and Test regime. Go vegan. Stretch every morning. Don't do any sets below 8 reps.

You will be amazed at how you can recover.

[Thin Lizzy]

The problem with bodybuilding isolation movements is that you're deliberately putting the muscles and joints in a position of poor leverage. It's not an accident that you can't use much weight on lateral raises, flyes or the aforementioned Skull Crushers.

The marginal benefits of these exercises are outweighed by the stress on the joints. Being able to do this for your whole life is 100% about avoiding injury.

The reality is that by the time you hit your late 20s, you are what you are, and still chasing "Hypertrophy" after that is a fools game. I admit I played that game for awhile, but, if I could go back, I'd do it differently.

[local hero]

Start a low dosage GH and Test regime. Go vegan. Stretch every morning. Don't do any sets below 8 reps.

You will be amazed at how you can recover.

Homo.....outed!