At what age do you need to back off?

[Bigoldguy]

If you're asking about backing off training or intensity, I'd say keep it up as long as it makes you happy and keep the intensity as high as you can tolerate without causing actual damage. But if you're referring to backing off the gear, idk. Great question. I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on that too.

I'm 55 and recently thought it was all over due to a poor blood test result. Turned out my kidneys are ok, but it did cause me to reconsider my risk/reward stance and what my goals should be as I get older.

Like everything in life, you must keep a balance.

BTW - I took a month off the gym and PEDs prior to rechecking bloods. Upon good results i'm back on 500 test and 135 NPP, (with 20 Dbol PWO for two weeks just because it feels great!) LOL.

Im think as we age the PEDs just hit us harder. So many old farts like me are on low dose prescribed trt without issues...but if you jump over thet by much the old body gives you the middle finger. I figure intensity changes as we get older too. Not the effort just what it takes to finally hit failure. The main thing Ive run into is recovery...just dont bounce back like I used to. The eat/sleep thing is way more a part than it used to be. Just my opinion.

 

[bob357sig]

I like the quote I have been reading lately by Clint Eastwood when asked; how do you still find the energy to act and direct, exc when you are in your 90s? He says “ I wake up every day and don’t let the old man in”. I understand training sensibly, and have accepted that I just can’t do what I could years ago, but…. I refuse to let the old man in!! Once that happens, may as well just pick up the 5lb pink plastic coated dumbbells, put on a sweat band and start steppin to the oldies lol

 

[Bigoldguy]

I like the quote I have been reading lately by Clint Eastwood when asked; how do you still find the energy to act and direct, exc when you are in your 90s? He says “ I wake up every day and don’t let the old man in”. I understand training sensibly, and have accepted that I just can’t do what I could years ago, but…. I refuse to let the old man in!! Once that happens, may as well just pick up the 5lb pink plastic coated dumbbells, put on a sweat band and start steppin to the oldies lol

Wait, I shouldn't use the pink dumbbells? Damnit! They match my headband and track suit really well though!

 

[Gatman]

56 turning 57 in July....tkr with left knee...

i prefer to superset every thing one body part a day (bi and tri together)

No more barbell bench ....will utilize smith machine

Most important thing is listen to your body

 

[HeatherSwanson]

There's a couple veterans in the gym I go to. Guys in their 60's. They're not jacked AF anymore but absolutely diced. Its hellhairyass seeing a couple guys in their 60's throwing double bi's across the change room at each across a sea of lard.

My target is 180lbs 60, diced.... My hero's

 

[malfeasance]

I took a break from the gym. I have not lifted weights since I posted the original post and was in a lot of pain and very discouraged.

Things feel a lot better now after a rest.

I did not so intense cardio for 45 minutes this morning. It felt good.

I will probably resume weight training today, maybe backing off the weight a bit, maybe shifting some exercises around. We'll see. I already adapted a lot over the last two decades, so I will just adapt some more and see how it goes.

I stopped hgh, and my blood pressure dropped. That may be a temporary cessation of hgh. I do not know yet.

Gear is currently at 120 mg a week of testosterone, nothing else.

 

[Bigoldguy]

I took a break from the gym. I have not lifted weights since I posted the original post and was in a lot of pain and very discouraged.

Things feel a lot better now after a rest.

I did not so intense cardio for 45 minutes this morning. It felt good.

I will probably resume weight training today, maybe backing off the weight a bit, maybe shifting some exercises around. We'll see. I already adapted a lot over the last two decades, so I will just adapt some more and see how it goes.

I stopped hgh, and my blood pressure dropped. That may be a temporary cessation of hgh. I do not know yet.

Gear is currently at 120 mg a week of testosterone, nothing else.

Glad you're feeling better...there is no joy in getting older. Golden years my ass! Only gold Im finding is in the crown I have on a tooth!
Id suggest longer rests between workout days..that helped me and my creaky joints a lot. The lifting pains dont really go away anymore, but a long warm up makes them way less noticable.

Keep the head up bud, and push as best you can.

 

[Jesintn]

44 here. Higher reps on certain movements that can cause pain. My exercises have changed completely since doing brig-20 type physics of resistance exercise movements.

 

[milkbone]

I don't think that there is a specific age, but your body will tell you in no uncertain terms. Currently I have 2 impinged shoulders, 4 bad spinal discs total, 2 neck and 2 lower back, nerve damage in my neck that makes my arms, mainly the left one, go numb or pins and needles often, and zero cartilage in my left knee. The knee was in my early 20s, and I still trained like a maniac through it. Then I started hurting my ribs, first time was in a Hammer Strength row machine where you put your chest against a pad? Should have never used that, I was full stacking the low row on the opposite side of the lat pulldowns, and fucked my ribs up. Now to this day basic, non exercise things like installing a Nav system in a car will make them crack or separate which is extremely painful. Still trained like a maniac just needed some Advil, no biggie. Then, injured lower back at work. Then rolled a car much to the chagrin of my neck nerves and spinal discs. Body let me know hey, jagoff, maybe you oughta take it a bit lighter. Didn't want to, so I pushed and pushed and ultimately my body won the argument. There's more, but I think my point has gotten across, listen to your body. Your brain is a know it all, holds the ego after all ffs! Your heart, if you're like me, will never ever say die or quit or give up. But your body as a whole is only out to protect itself, it doesn't care what those little assholes with oozing pustules on their backs not covered by their tankini think of the old man. Neither do you as you know where you've been, what you've seen, accomplished, overcome, a million things. You've forgotten more than they know. Listen to your body my good man.

 

[Catfish]

Lol. Im wearing my $1.50 reading glasses from Dollar Tree to read this forum right now.

Lol. I had to break down and buy readers. Cracking up over here.

 

[adrenalytic]

46 here. I'll let ya know when I get there. Until then, full steam ahead.

 

[Grey Spartan]

46 here. I'll let ya know when I get there. Until then, full steam ahead.

I'm over ten years older than you. I'll keep you posted when I get there and we can compare notes. lol

 

[Bigoldguy]

I'm over ten years older than you. I'll keep you posted when I get there and we can compare notes. lol

Ahead of both of ya...still hit it as hard as I can. Numbers aren't what they used to be but effort is the same.

 

[adrenalytic]

I'm over ten years older than you. I'll keep you posted when I get there and we can compare notes. lol

Ahead of both of ya...still hit it as hard as I can. Numbers aren't what they used to be but effort is the same.

Hell ya brothers. Old guys represent. I've just recently completed my first blast so my numbers are only going up at this point. Natty I was benching 325 1RM. I'm close to 405 now.

 

[phenominal34]

I’m 47 and concentrating more on looks / aesthetics anymore, low trt plus

I still make sure I can ….

bench 300-315
Dead 450 ish
Leg press a bunch ( can’t squat)
Ohp 185-200lbs
Box jump 48”
Run a 85 sec 400 meter or less
And the big one jump over the side of my pool lol I refuse to use ladder to get in.

 

[ineffectual]

I will turn 60 in the year 2027.

LOL

I still train hard, but not as hard as I did even a few years ago. I do a lot less volume, and I avoid things like barbell bench, incline or decline press (guaranteed injury and weeks out of the gym).

The issue I am having is that things hurt. I have always found ways to work around the issues in the past, such as ditching flat bench barbell (my favorite when I was younger), but I am having more trouble lately.

Examples - leg press and knees. Ow. 8 plates on each side, and this is a working weight for about 15 reps. Don't laugh, I know a lot of you might laugh at that weight, but for me it is heavy, and that is an intense 15 reps. That gives my legs good stimulation, but the issue I am getting is that my knees hurt, like badly, for at least a day after.

Dumb bell bench (very slight incline, almost flat). 120s - again, don't laugh, but for me that for me is heavy enough to fail at around 9-10 reps. Today around rep 8 I felt a little something wrong in my upper pec/shoulder on rep 8, just a little something, but it hurt worse on rep 9, so I stopped. I then found all the rest of my chest exercises hurt even with warm up weights, so I went on to shoulders and triceps without working my chest further. It remains to be seen how it will feel later.

Triceps - I have been having a big issue with my elbow. It does not seem to matter what I do, except lower the weight down to where the muscle is not really getting a workout. I did that for months, thinking of it as rehab for my elbow, but as soon as I ever so slowly get up to a working weight again, where I can hit failure at around 15 reps, the pain reappears (although, oddly, after shorting my chest workout today, I was able to work my triceps on the cable pushdown with a working weight with no elbow pain, so a glimmer of hope here).

My point is that it is frustrating to hurt everywhere.

Is this just an age thing? Not having been this old before, it is hard for me to tell. Nobody else in my gym anywhere around my age is pushing the kind of weights I do - I had to buy the dumb bells because the gym's did not go high enough. I do not work out in a serious gym with bodybuilders and powerlifters, so I am not surrounded by strong folks, and to be honest I do not know what to expect at my age.

I have been on a cut and have my weight down to its lowest in years - 215, but I really do not think that is related.

Is it time to "maintain?" The truth is I cannot maintain with less weight. Maintaining would be where I am now, right?

Share your thoughts, especially if you are late fifties or 60s or already past that and have any advice.

I don't know how to help. I just wanted to comment that I hate that you feel the need to apologize for what you lift. To me, those are strong numbers. Just the fact that you are still training at your age you are above so many on that issue.

 

[malfeasance]

I don't know how to help. I just wanted to comment that I hate that you feel the need to apologize for what you lift. To me, those are strong numbers. Just the fact that you are still training at your age you are above so many on that issue.

Thanks. Mainly that is because I know on a steroid board we may have really strong folks who scoff at those numbers. But for me, they are heavy and give intense stimulation.

For what it is worth, I took a bunch more time off the gym and feel great now. I am back in the gym with lighter weights and still feel ok.

I may have just been overdoing it on the one hand and getting older on the other, lol.

I'll figure out what the right balance is.

 

[adrenalytic]

Thanks. Mainly that is because I know on a steroid board we may have really strong folks who scoff at those numbers. But for me, they are heavy and give intense stimulation.

For what it is worth, I took a bunch more time off the gym and feel great now. I am back in the gym with lighter weights and still feel ok.

I may have just been overdoing it on the one hand and getting older on the other, lol.

I'll figure out what the right balance is.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light

 

[RedSalmon]

I don't think that there is a specific age, but your body will tell you in no uncertain terms. Currently I have 2 impinged shoulders, 4 bad spinal discs total, 2 neck and 2 lower back, nerve damage in my neck that makes my arms, mainly the left one, go numb or pins and needles often, and zero cartilage in my left knee. The knee was in my early 20s, and I still trained like a maniac through it. Then I started hurting my ribs, first time was in a Hammer Strength row machine where you put your chest against a pad? Should have never used that, I was full stacking the low row on the opposite side of the lat pulldowns, and fucked my ribs up. Now to this day basic, non exercise things like installing a Nav system in a car will make them crack or separate which is extremely painful. Still trained like a maniac just needed some Advil, no biggie. Then, injured lower back at work. Then rolled a car much to the chagrin of my neck nerves and spinal discs. Body let me know hey, jagoff, maybe you oughta take it a bit lighter. Didn't want to, so I pushed and pushed and ultimately my body won the argument. There's more, but I think my point has gotten across, listen to your body. Your brain is a know it all, holds the ego after all ffs! Your heart, if you're like me, will never ever say die or quit or give up. But your body as a whole is only out to protect itself, it doesn't care what those little assholes with oozing pustules on their backs not covered by their tankini think of the old man. Neither do you as you know where you've been, what you've seen, accomplished, overcome, a million things. You've forgotten more than they know. Listen to your body my good man.

Man, reading your post really hit me. You’re absolutely right, at some point the body just forces you to listen whether the ego likes it or not. Much respect for the perspective though, it’s motivating to see someone who’s been through that much and still refuses to just quit. That mindset alone says a lot. Just want to wish good health to everyone in this thread.