How has your training changed since you've gotten older?

[abolish the weak]

Has the style of your training changed? Your intensity level? Do you seem to train around injuries all of the time now, where you used to train pain free? Just curious. For myself, at 28 yrs of age, have already had to change the style of my training AND diet. I used to eat probably twice as much as I do now to try and grow, and train heavy EVERY workout since I was 16. The past couple years I've had to change things. I've worked out around tendonitis, an impinged left shoulder joint(had a cortisone shot in it awhile back) and a partial rupture to my right bicep tendon. I'm back just about 100% now. Now, I dont train heavy every single workout, but focus more on mind/muscle connection and developing a harder/leaner look all year and not just cutting/contest time. I may go heavy on a given bodypart once every 3 weeks or so, enough to make my body recognize the heavy stuff, but not enough to stay beat down and injured all of the time. Also, I've noticed my leg training has changed to moderate weight higher reps. No more crazy shit, too hard on my knees. Focus is more on squeeze and contraction. I guess to sum it all up you learn to train smarter, not always harder. Anyone else?

 

[joedokes]

Hesitation is probably the best way to describe my workouts now. In the last few years, i've torn a pec, a groin, and rotator. All on seperate occassions. I'm a lot more focused before every set. I think the reps through, position, form, everything. I even get nervous before some heavier sets. The good news, is my quality of training is quite good. I'm not as powerful as I was in my twenties, but I look better. My workouts tend to be a little faster, a few more reps, a little less weight, and a little less time in between sets.

 

[brocksamson]

i dont think there is just one and only one way to train.
every training style can have its place in a bodybuilders workout at some point

 

[lucian]

....

well i get small injuries, pulls, strains, and just plain pain now. i have to use strict form, and cant throw around the wt like i used to. i also am sure to warm up good now after a few people i know getting hurt bad from not doing so. and i cant train as heavy. at 20 years old me and my training partner donnie were doing bb rows (bad form) w 415lb, db rows with 150s, shrugs with 500+, benched over 405 regularly for more than 5-6 reps clean, and calves....my god!!!! we used to do smith mach raises like phil suggested with 6 plates per side. all at a wt of about 270lb. young, big, strong, crazy!!!! i couldnt go anywhere near that stuff now. my joints hurt just thinking about it. donnie could squat 405 for 15 no problem. i never got over 315. my squat suck and still does.
well im older, wiser, but not stronger. but hey everything changes. sometimes when i feel good i go heavy cuz i like it. a few weeks ago i benched 315 for 8. i have bursitus in my shoulder and boy did i pay for it for about a week. not bad for 5 weeks out from a show. but now i remember why i go lighter.
god bless
lucian

 

[abolish the weak]

i dont think there is just one and only one way to train.
every training style can have its place in a bodybuilders workout at some point

yes, this is true. I still juggle with diff methods myself. The intensity is always high though

 

[VanR__]

30 here.
I try to stay in the heavy range but with as perfect a form as possible.
No pulling, leaning, or cheating that might hurt me.

 

[tkav1980]

at 28 its perfect form but balls to the wall. heavy heavy heavy, with more intensity than i thought i could have at 21. i love it and unless i die i wont stop. i feel like if i dont leave my guts on the gym floor i didnt do my job.

 

[b-boy]

the older i get the more breaks in training or cruising I need! I have come to listen to my body more these days also, when younger I would ignore signs that i needed a break.

 

[parrajm]

in a word: research. this game is about body AND mind. understanding the "why" of everything has made getting my pumps much more enjoyable.

 

[GR9]

Well

Now at 43 it is a bitch, it takes me longer to park the car ,cant find parking due to my bad eye sight, once i find parking i am gtg,i crack open the door of my 1985 Grand Marguis with 20's on it and ding that brand new 300 thing parked beside me. Once i finally make it to the back of my ride and pop the trunck and pull out my gear then the slow and steady shuffle of my feet towards the gym entrance always brings looks and giggles, maybe it is because they can see my junk poking out from my new tight spandex shorts and my wife beater shirt on, dont really care as i make my way to the door.I finally get to the door a 1/2 hour later and seek out my prey to open the gym door, cause i need to save my strenght for my high density training. Well there is always some 19 or 20 hussy that asks " Can i open the door for you Sir" and in my frail voice i answer back " Yes dear you may" and i then i shuffle thru and wait for the hussy to get infront of my so i can stare at that tight little behinny infront of me and i try to cop a feel as well. Once inside i shuffle up to the desk and greet the girls behind the desk, lucky they cant see me cause i am grabbing my junk and thinking about them as they say " Hi Mr so and so" and i smile and shuffle on, oh wait till i get home , momma will be a sore duck tonight.
Well it has been an hour already since i parked the car and made my way into the gym and i am sweating or is that because my bladder let loose again, no no that is sweat. So off i go to workout, i am banging into things with my walker cause they have so much stuff in the gym and no room to move my walker around the equipment, i have complained many times to them to make it accessible for senoirs, well nothing. I wave to the regulars i have know over the past years , and make my way to Smith machine i finally get there and throw on 2- 10's and puff up my chest and place my walker beside the machine and inch my way on the bench and release the bar and crank out 5 whole reps, i remember back in the day when i could do 10, oh shit that was how long ago, cant seem to remember it slipped my mind just the my slipped disk i had last year. Well i finish my workout 10 minutes later and shuffle off to the shower yet first i need my Mammoth 2500 Muscle gainer protien shake cause i want my muslces to recover quickly from my high intensity workout. I mix it up and chug it down,and let out a burp the shakes the walls or was that a fart, hell cant remember i think i was both. People are looking at me weird and plugging there noses,i look at them and say "what i changed my underwear last week i think" . I get back to my locker and someone has toilet papered my walker, god dan whipper snippers , well after taking off the toilet paper and a few minute naps i get a tap on the shoulder and get woken up by the night time security guard and he says " Hey Mr So and So it is 11 pm, we are closing down for the night, i quickly get changed as fast as my 43 yr old body allows and shuffle off to the car. I cant find my ride, i press the panic button and the lights flash on the car way over in the corner of the paking lot, so the walker and me shuffle over to the car and get in and head home, i put it into park i think and hit the gas and off we go, and i think to myself "Where the hell do i live again" ..........................

 

[kandaandm]

I would just say that I train safer and think about what I do before I do it.

 

[ironone1]

the older i get the more breaks in training or cruising I need! I have come to listen to my body more these days also, when younger I would ignore signs that i needed a break.

Good point, I use to overtrain myself. I rest more now and only do chest and legs once a week, not eod like before. You learn to stay away from certain exercises that may cause injury after I had two shoulder surgeries. Its all about looking good and staying injury free. I'm not going into powerlifting or competing in bodybuilding so it makes no sense to do 400lb deadlifts or superheavy squats. The rewards aren't worth taking the risks.

 

[chris250]

In the past I would bulk up to over 280lbs in the offseason to just diet back down to the low 200 pound range...Now I dont get over 245-250lbs in the offseason, but compete around 225lbs...I eat much ,much better and cleaner...I keep my carb intake lower (except for refeed days) and do alot more cardio offseason and precontest...Supplement use is much lower doses, than in the past...I use to use alot (for me) and felt pretty crappy (high BP, headaches,nagging stuff) Now offseason it's just HRT doses and I only do more when im getting ready for a show....I really believe that training and diet are the keys in the offseason, and you will make some serious gains once your diet and training are on the same track...

Training wise...I slow my rep speed way down... I focus on going as heavy as possiable but with excellent form (not just good)...I also need more time off, from the gym even if im doing lower volume workouts...I think with me I can go all out for about 2-3 weeks, then need about 2-4 days out of the gym...I have been trying to hit every bodypart 2 x week...But after about a month of training like that, I feel overtrained...so im going to split it up from a 3 day split to a 4 day split...

chris

 

[oldfella]

HAHAHAHHAAHAHA, I love listening to you younger guys about this stuff. it is amusing.

At 49 I cannot train as heavy as I used to but I still bury the younger guys in the gym. my workouts are intense and as heavy as I can lift safely. I do not compete with anyone in the gym it is just my way of training. Younger guys have asked to train with me and they last all of about two sessions. AM I trying to brag.....in no way! All I am saying is yes it is about training smarter and better. I look better, am actually bigger than I was years ago. It is all in your state of mind guys. Come on down to my gym here in OZ. PM members train free here! Grab a session with the old man and take home some memories! I love this shit and I will be taking a gym with me when I die.

 

[abolish the weak]

HAHAHAHHAAHAHA, I love listening to you younger guys about this stuff. it is amusing.

At 49 I cannot train as heavy as I used to but I still bury the younger guys in the gym. my workouts are intense and as heavy as I can lift safely. I do not compete with anyone in the gym it is just my way of training. Younger guys have asked to train with me and they last all of about two sessions. AM I trying to brag.....in no way! All I am saying is yes it is about training smarter and better. I look better, am actually bigger than I was years ago. It is all in your state of mind guys. Come on down to my gym here in OZ. PM members train free here! Grab a session with the old man and take home some memories! I love this shit and I will be taking a gym with me when I die.

maybe younger but I think much of it has to do with how you've trained over the years and how long. Some guys can go into their 40's w/ little to no injury, some guys who have been smashing the weight feel half crippled by 30 ,hahaha

 

[oldfella]

maybe younger but I think much of it has to do with how you've trained over the years and how long. Some guys can go into their 40's w/ little to no injury, some guys who have been smashing the weight feel half crippled by 30 ,hahaha

AAHAHAHAHAHA, oh trust me. I have smashed the heavy weight from a very young age, I am most certainly paying for it now. I have more injuries than the ER on a friday night! LOL. But I still mange to lift by what most gym people call heavy. For them maybe, for me not really. You should see me in the morning stumbling out of bed.......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

[thebrick]

For me... being a couple weeks out from 55, the biggest factor I have to deal with now vs. when I was younger are the joint issues. The heavy lifting through the years has put some wear on my shoulders and knees in particular. I still love lifting but I do not train as heavy as I used to because of that. I do keep the intensity as high as I can however, just without the super heavy poundages. I try to listen to my body more. I don't feel guilty if I feel an extra day or two of rest. I also find it more difficult to bulk up as easily as I once did, but tell you the truth, I don't want to. I just don't feel as well with all the extra weight. Like OF said, its about training smarter and better. I want to stay in this for as long as possible because I truly enjoy it

 

[mrcat]

I do more cruising now between heavy lifting cycles (juiced or non-juiced cycles). I'll do a 4 month hard cycle, then likely cruise for 3 to 4 weeks.

I try to sleep a lot more now.

I definitely warm-up a LOT more.

I'm trying to get better at doing recovery work on my off days.

I'm trying, but yet to do to well at, eating better...

 

[pesty4077]

My biggest gripe is that I can't read my journal, when I am logging my lifts I can still throw up heavy weights, like when I was younger, but the joints pay for it. The changes? I lift smarter, stricter form, I eat good all year around, I do more cardio, less AAS, more rest(sometimes a nap). The payoff? At 48, I feel like I am on top of the world.

 

[Pekkerwood]

"Can't read myJournal" Thats classic Pesty!

One thing to consider along with the change in age (47) is the change in information availability. I lift differenty because I'm older, sure, but also because I know more.

My differences:

1) Much less volume than when I was younger. We used to have marathon sets. Now three to four, move on.

2) Much more controlled movements. I no longer "explode" into lifts. Also control the eccentric portion. Time under tension.

3) I have learned to appreciate the value of two things that seem at odds. "Consistency, and Change". I never fully appreciated how strong our mind/body connection is and how quickly it adapts to our movements hindering our gains. I now change/confuse on a "consistent" basis. I consistently change exercises instead of falling into my "comfort" zone. I also much more consistent on my workouts and supplementation. I don't miss workouts often and I don't fail to take my supplements. Because of this I feel no remorse when I need to take a day off.

4) The need to get feedback from something other than the mirroer, i.e., regular testing of blood, blood pressure, heart, etc.

4) Balance. Now that I'm older, it is much easier to recognize that this is something I do, not who I am. It is only a part of the story of me, it does not define me in the least.


Pekkerwood