Do you even lift bro?

[Macca]

12 weeks back into lifting after 9 years off and having a blast. I've more of less completely eliminated my leg and back pain (something for which I've had all manner of treatment, including surgery, physiotherapy and very strong pain killers) which has given me a quality of life I didn't think I'd ever get again. 
 
From a lifting point of view, progress has been quite rapid due to the fact that regaining strength and size is quicker than gaining it the first time around. Up nearly 10kg from 12 weeks ago and I'm progressing with my lifts each week. I'm also surprising myself with what I can do. I genuinely didn't think I'd be able to squat due to leg pain. Yesterday, I spent 25 minutes squatting, which felt great. I practiced technique, mostly stayed light but went up with singles up to 90kg (which felt very easy, but having not had a bar on my back for nearly a decade, I thought it best to stop there).
 
Trap bar deadlift is also something I'm going to do regularly. When I lifted in my younger days, I went up to 260kg on deads, but my form was always pants. The trap bar allows much better leg involvement and I can keep my legs straight. 5x115kg was easy enough but everything aches profusely this morning!
 
Anyway, as I said in the other thread about back pain in which I talked about weightlifting, don't see it as something that inevitably ends up with you muscle bound and a beefcake. It's just a good part of keeping you fit and well and strong in later life. You'll only get big if you eat accordingly. Stretching has it's place, but is no substitute. Throughout my adult life I've been able to place my palms flat on the floor (not just touch my toes) and I've had chronic and debilitating back pain for most of it. 

Good on you[emoji1303]. I always feel much happier/positive when I train.

I’ve not been at the gym in 6 months but you have inspired me to go tonight. Cheers

[Dilz]

turned 35 this year - had a break from going to gym. got the pissed ripped out of me for not being able to lift a decent sized log over a wall by december - now back to the gym- Agree that when in my 20's the job was my gym, smoked like chimmney and drank like a fish and still was able to go hard at it on the job. Started being serious about training when i hit 30. 

Training mostly depends on the work. had a cushy line clearance gig, was in the gym 5 days a week and swimming once or twice.   Mid November last year i was training jujitsu twice a week if i was lucky as it was super busy time.  Now the ideal is lift twice a week, train jujitsu twice a week (hard on the shoulders but i do love a good scrap), swim once or twice a week and 10 - 40 minutes yoga everyday, Get out for a hike when i can.  This equates to about 1.5 hours training a day. Its a hard routine to keep up when the work starts piling in but now its the quite part of the year so got a couple of months to get on it. Trying to admit to myself that i need to factor in more and longer recovery time is bit tricky as i still consider myself invincible - limping and sore but otherwise invincible. 

[Khriss]

...wheel chair by 55  seriously though it's good to listen to yr body. Am always saddened by Tom, ferocious climber an big on sport, but hearing his knees n back cracking,  at 35, he ain't got long. My shoulder collars finished realy,  so the days on days of reductions are over. K

[Dilz]

my knees and back started cracking long before i turned 35!  suffer anterior knee pain, arthritic hip (genetic) and got some lower back wear and tear, had a bulging disc in my upper back a while which caused me no end of grief - seems ok for now    I was recommended to start weight training as a way to combat my various injuries and ailments.  squats do wonders for my knee and hip pain, and other exercises help in keeping my upper back in good working order though this is the odd morning where i cant move my neck and i will do nearly anything to avoid using pole saws.  Jujitsu batters me though....getting slammed into the mats many many times in an hour, repeated locks, and holds etc i should quit it but its fun but have considered dropping this to one night a week.   I think after 15 years of tree work plus the life style im in good shape, in fact its when i take a break of have to sit at a computer for a few days (and dont do any training) that things hurt - but yes i'm pretty much giving up on the idea of living any where with a staircase by the time i'm 50 which is why im working on my game plan to step away more and more from climbing or at least climb at a more relaxed pace.   Personally, i find all the activity is good for the soul as much as anything,  really helps clear the head after a stressful day and is the lesser of evils now i get hangovers.    Swtiching to SRT and using a 150  definitely has added a few years to the game though. 

[Big J]

It just feels great to be under a bar squatting again. It's been a long time. 

 

I'm hoping to structure my lifting a little bit more now that I'm at a gym with proper equipment. I will continue doing legs on each session as I believe that the lower body focus of my lifting is what has fixed my back. I go to the gym every other day and would probably break the program down into something like this:

 

Day 1: 

 

Squat: speed work. 10x2

Leg Press (volume - at least 5x10)

Trap bar deadlift

 

Flat barbell bench: speed work/lower reps

Horizontal row

Bent over dumbell row

 

Tricep push down

Abs

 

Day 2:

 

Squat: Volume. 5x8

Leg extension. 

Back extension machine. 

Leg curl

 

Barbell seated shoulder press (sets of 8)

Hang cleans

Lat pulldown (I can do pullups, but at 110kg and 6ft 8", I'm not in the kind of rep range for optimal work - 90kg on lat pulldown is a good working weight)

 

Curls

Abs

 

Day 3: 

 

Squat: Technique work. 5 rep range, relatively light. 5 sets or so.

Leg press (volume)

 

Dumbell bench press: 5x10

Bent over barbell row

Rear delt fly (rehab really)

 

Tricep work

Abs

 

Day 4: 

 

Squat: Heavier singles/doubles/triples. Not to max, but 5-8 sets of low rep, higher weight work. 

Barbell Deadlift: Light, speed work. Nothing heavy. Focusing on form and explosive power.

 

Dumbell shoulder press: 5x10

Lat pulldown, wide grip

 

Bicep curls

Multiple ab exercises.

 

 

I don't think that I'm missing anything there. Please feel free to critique though as it's been a while since I last did a routine. The focus is basically on lower back and leg rehab, coupled with overall gains in strength and hypertrophy. I'm at 109kg presently, and would like to bulk up to 122kg or so, then cut back to 115kg and maintain. It's going to be hard to resist the urge to keep bulking, but it's not healthy in the long term. 

 

[bigtreedon]

It just feels great to be under a bar squatting again. It's been a long time. 
 
I'm hoping to structure my lifting a little bit more now that I'm at a gym with proper equipment. I will continue doing legs on each session as I believe that the lower body focus of my lifting is what has fixed my back. I go to the gym every other day and would probably break the program down into something like this:
 
Day 1: 
 
Squat: speed work. 10x2
Leg Press (volume - at least 5x10)
Trap bar deadlift
 
Flat barbell bench: speed work/lower reps
Horizontal row
Bent over dumbell row
 
Tricep push down
Abs
 
Day 2:
 
Squat: Volume. 5x8
Leg extension. 
Back extension machine. 
Leg curl
 
Barbell seated shoulder press (sets of 8)
Hang cleans
Lat pulldown (I can do pullups, but at 110kg and 6ft 8", I'm not in the kind of rep range for optimal work - 90kg on lat pulldown is a good working weight)
 
Curls
Abs
 
Day 3: 
 
Squat: Technique work. 5 rep range, relatively light. 5 sets or so.
Leg press (volume)
 
Dumbell bench press: 5x10
Bent over barbell row
Rear delt fly (rehab really)
 
Tricep work
Abs
 
Day 4: 
 
Squat: Heavier singles/doubles/triples. Not to max, but 5-8 sets of low rep, higher weight work. 
Barbell Deadlift: Light, speed work. Nothing heavy. Focusing on form and explosive power.
 
Dumbell shoulder press: 5x10
Lat pulldown, wide grip
 
Bicep curls
Multiple ab exercises.
 
 
I don't think that I'm missing anything there. Please feel free to critique though as it's been a while since I last did a routine. The focus is basically on lower back and leg rehab, coupled with overall gains in strength and hypertrophy. I'm at 109kg presently, and would like to bulk up to 122kg or so, then cut back to 115kg and maintain. It's going to be hard to resist the urge to keep bulking, but it's not healthy in the long term. 
 

The only thing I would suggest is try and get into doing try and work at doing pull ups they are one of the best things for your back I am not as tall as you am 6ft4 but I weigh 134kg and can manage sets of ten usually try to do 5 sets really is worth it even if the numbers aren't high allot better than pull downs in my experience

[Big J]

Certainly something I want to build up to. I'm able to do about 7, but that's one set. The next set is always less. I've got more back work in the routine than pressing, with the idea that I'll build the strength and mass up there. Hoping that a strong back is enough to prevent any more pain. 

 

5x10 at your bodyweight and height is superb. I'm not naturally a big guy (though I did get to 131kg last time I lifted) and have arms like an urangutan. Good for lifting atlas stones, but crap for chins!

Edited January 10, 2018 by Big J

[bigtreedon]

Certainly something I want to build up to. I'm able to do about 7, but that's one set. The next set is always less. I've got more back work in the routine than pressing, with the idea that I'll build the strength and mass up there. Hoping that a strong back is enough to prevent any more pain. 
 
5x10 at your bodyweight and height is superb. I'm not naturally a big guy (though I did get to 131kg last time I lifted) and have arms like an urangutan. Good for lifting atlas stones, but crap for chins!

Yea the longer the arms it's defo hard work doing chins my training partner has arms like a t rex so short bit brilliant for pressing and chin ups

[Big J]

I decided to start on day 3 as my legs and core were still really sore from squatting two days ago. It takes a special kind of nut bar to squat two days after squatting for the first time in 9 years. 

 

Funny thing is that after about 3 sets my legs were just fine. Kept it light, did form work, then volume leg pressing after and I feel great. Out of 30 odd folk in the gym, I was the only one squatting. Why is that always the case?!

 

Onwards and upwards, feeling great. Pain free after just 12 weeks of lifting after nearly 10 years of constant pain is amazing.

[Vespasian]

OK came across some research the other day, the things I come across watching utube its amazing..

 

The human heart beats three times as long as any other mammals.. typically other mammals get one billion beats before they drop down dead.. the human heart lasts for three billion beats...

 

what should this tell you?....   working yourself up into a state at the gym is gonna take years off...   stick to aerobic exercises if you fancy living to old age...   and the shoulders, don't forget to exercise those..   much more important than you might think.. roll your shoulders and see if that doesn't have a calming effect on your mind....