The Mature thread

[Humble Narcissist]

Yes, many have serious health problems over 55.

[IroNat]

Lots of men are so beat up from physical injuries they suffered  when younger they are limited in what they can do without pain.  Knee surgeries, hip replacements, etc.

All those sports you did when young like playing football and wrecking your knees come back to haunt you.

For those who did not have injuries the combination of poor eating habits, lack of exercise, drinking, smoking, and years of sitting on their asses adds up.

My advices to those of you in your 30s and 40s is to keep training, eat smart,  Moderation in bad habits like drinking, not smoking.  Get enough sleep.  Avoid sun exposure or use sunscreen.

Avoid activities that will beat you up and cause debilitating injuries.  Skip the weekend warrior sports leagues where you could tear up your knee.  It's not worth it.

[Humble Narcissist]

Agreed.  That's what I've been doing for the last several years.

[Donny]

who here still Squats? 

[B_B_C]

who here still Squats? 

I do but much less weight than previously

[Donny]

I do but much less weight than previously

I also do not go so deep in the Squat

[B_B_C]

I also do not go so deep in the Squat

I still go well below parallel but not as deep as before
weight and rep numbers have dropped
unlike many on this site I am getting old so the days of 20 reps X 1.5 body weight are past
which is a pity as the squat is a mighty exercise  that taxes the whole body

[Donny]

I still go well below parallel but not as deep as before
weight and rep numbers have dropped
unlike many on this site I am getting old so the days of 20 reps X 1.5 body weight are past
which is a pity as the squat is a mighty exercise  that taxes the whole body

The Squat has always been my number 1 exercise & yes we have to change it as we age. Still hits all the lower body like no other exercise.
I even rate the Squat over the deadlift

[Humble Narcissist]

The Squat has always been my number 1 exercise & yes we have to change it as we age. Still hits all the lower body like no other exercise.
I even rate the Squat over the deadlift

If you ever get too old to squat, try the horse stance instead.

[Donny]

If you ever get too old to squat, try the horse stance instead.

yes i tend to do the standard stance but i like Sumo deads.

[oldtimer1]

I found as I age that I can get out of condition very quickly. I remember as a teenager with something like running if I left it for a month or two it would only take two weeks or so of running to get back to 95% plus of my abilities. Now it takes about 6 months to get back to what is reasonable cardio shape for my age.

Same goes for lifting. If I don't lift for a month it takes about a month to get back. So the morale to the story for me is to never be far away from being in shape. Now I have other obstacles but I'm feeling pretty good now. Not great but I can't complain because I'm training. Beginning to accept that my best days are far behind me but it won't stop me from being the best I can be today with my limitations. 

[Humble Narcissist]

yes i tend to do the standard stance but i like Sumo deads.

I meant the hose stance with no weight like what martial artists do.

[Donny]

I meant the hose stance with no weight like what martial artists do.

yes those are effective if done properly but i feel slight pain on the inside of my knees with them, or at least i did when i tried them.
I just keep it simple with basic Barbell squats in variations & i also like step ups on a bench.

[Donny]

I found as I age that I can get out of condition very quickly. I remember as a teenager with something like running if I left it for a month or two it would only take two weeks or so of running to get back to 95% plus of my abilities. Now it takes about 6 months to get back to what is reasonable cardio shape for my age.

Same goes for lifting. If I don't lift for a month it takes about a month to get back. So the morale to the story for me is to never be far away from being in shape. Now I have other obstacles but I'm feeling pretty good now. Not great but I can't complain because I'm training. Beginning to accept that my best days are far behind me but it won't stop me from being the best I can be today with my limitations.

well i´m 57 now so no spring chicken but i remember the best advice i got was just keep moving ! once you stop the aches & pains come back.

[oldtimer1]

well i´m 57 now so no spring chicken but i remember the best advice i got was just keep moving ! once you stop the aches & pains come back.

So true. This is me summer 2022.  I'm not a bodybuilder but a guy who likes to work out. I know I look like crap. I was 64 that summer using zero steroids and no hormone replacement.  A few months later I dropped maybe 15lbs and really started to tighten up then. I never took a  pic to monitor my progress with the dropped weight because I got sick August 2023.  I was diagnosed with leukemia. Oncologist said I have a compromised immune system. Of course then I caught covid and was sick for about two months. My body couldn't fight it. Sickest I have ever been in my life. Had to rush to the ER twice. Now my oncologist says my numbers are stable for now. My bone marrow is producing cancerous cells wrecking my effective white blood cells that attack pathogens/diseases.

 I'm a pretty disciplined person and I would like to think a really good work ethic. Trying my hardest to get back into shape. I keep getting sick though.  Right now I feel pretty good so I'm pushing the pedal to the metal while it lasts. Oncologist is confident that a new chemo for my specific cancer will work. He said he won't pursue it till my numbers are high and he said that could be a year to five years. It's 100K and six months of treatment. Hopefully my insurance will cover it.

My son ran the NYC marathon this year and the family went to see the race. NYC was packed with people watching the event and I found it inspirational. My son had a lot of anxiety about finishing. We saw him run by at about the 18 mile mark.  He was all smiles to see the family.  We hoped in the subway to the finish line. We had tickets for the finish line stands.  Waiting there I thought he quit because we didn't see him for a long time. Using a tracker we found he was still moving. Massive crowd cheering the runners. Suddenly he appeared with around 300 meters to go. I felt so much pride and I was happy for him. He works such long hours and he ran after work many times in the dark. At the finish I went on ahead of the family looking for him.  He texted that he had trouble walking. Damn, I would have carried him if I had to.  When I found him he had a small smile on his face. He needed this victory of completing it so bad. I thought about him when I ran my slug pace 5 mile run yesterday. I was determined to finish my run even though I wanted to stop at two miles.  We all have an expiration date and we all will be destroyed physically by age/illness. Fight the good fight and if you lose go down swinging thinking of God and those you love.

[Humble Narcissist]

Yep, Father Time is undefeated.

[Donny]

Yep, Father Time is undefeated.

yes but not if you have the machine.

[Donny]

if you want a great triceps exercise try these. Tiger push ups.

[Donny]

I trained Back & Shoulders today & i found it very positive. I am now doing a 3 day split of

Chest/triceps/calves

Legs/Biceps/abs ( i like to train abs often sometimes when not training & i find hitting Biceps inbetween sets of leg work keeps me motivated)

shoulder/back/calves (calves are my weak area, long/wide but not the mass/thickness i want)

see what happens.

[Humble Narcissist]

I trained Back & Shoulders today & i found it very positive. I am now doing a 3 day split of

Chest/triceps/calves

Legs/Biceps/abs ( i like to train abs often sometimes when not training & i find hitting Biceps inbetween sets of leg work keeps me motivated)

shoulder/back/calves (calves are my weak area, long/wide but not the mass/thickness i want)

see what happens.

I like training back and shoulders together too.

[Donny]

I like training back and shoulders together too.

seems to work well together, normally i´ll train shoulders with arms or with just triceps.

[oldtimer1]

I like training back and shoulders together too.

I use to change up my training quite a bit through the years. One of my favorite splits was below.

Chest and arms
legs
back and shoulders

[Donny]

I use to change up my training quite a bit through the years. One of my favorite splits was below.

Chest and arms
legs
back and shoulders

A good split & i remember doing something like

Incline BB press
Flat flyes
Close grip bench press
Dips (between benches at the time)
incline Tri Extensions (great stretch)

I think that was it & it was a great pump

[Humble Narcissist]

I use to change up my training quite a bit through the years. One of my favorite splits was below.

Chest and arms
legs
back and shoulders

That's what I'm doing right now.

[oldtimer1]

That's what I'm doing right now.

Yates was doing that split prior to 1993. It's the one he used for the Night of The Champions.