I have lifted on and off for years. Last time was for about 3 years, and took a year off cuz joints started hurting like crazy.

Nothing crazy for working sets, 340 ish deadlift 285 ish squats, 225 bench sets of 10 is pullups.


Bench killed my shoulders, so switched to dumbbells. Overhead press sucked, a so switched to landmine, etc. Stuff that didnt hurt my joints because of better hand position or whatever.

Working back up the past couple months and am at 80 lb dumbbell, 200 squat, etc and can feel my shoulders going again. Aching in the morning.

My right knee hurts too.


Longer warmups certainly help, but anyone done anything that definatively helps? Am I just an oldcel at 37 and need to put up with it?

I'm 36 and go through periods of time where this all feels like crap. I'm in the gym 4x a week for sure, maybe 5 depending on schedule.

I have to encourage you to continue to learn new moves and not marry yourself to the numbers. I don't push heavy weight very often anymore, it's more like "hmm I wonder how I'm doing with my bench" once in a while vs. the need to hit 225 + every workout. The full-time heavy lifting days are pretty over, man. And frankly I don't look any worse for it.

There are supplements you can add to your diet to make it easier on yourself. Are you taking fish oil? A calcium/magnesium/zinc vitamin seemed to help me too. BCAAs as well. Some people might say all that stuff is snake oil but it seems to help from my experience.

If you are not taking Glucosamine you need to start now and be consistent with it. It's cheap. And it legit works. I have switched to incline bench only and it's fixed my issues. My chest is just as wide and filled out as with flat at a lesser weight.

It’s a mystery to me as to why people would do something that breaks their body.

You need to do work specifically for your joints and ligaments.

They have not been getting the same direct work that your big boy muscles have and as a result your muscles are doing too much work for them to handle.

Get a full set of good rubber bands and start doing regular band work for

Elbows, shoulders, knees, hips/abductors etc.

Just spend 10 minutes every work out with moderate resistance type stuff to work and strengthen them, so it’s more than just them getting torn up by you moving bigger weight with muscles.


https://www.litmethod.com/blogs/bolt...sistance-bands


I highly recommend at least tying a band to the rack you are working on and doing the external and internal shoulder rotations as part of a superset with benching.

Stuff like that will help a ton, be consistent. Work on your joints more.

Not lifting is worse.

It's fine for a while, but eventually life and daily activities suck.

Daily activities for me can be pretty strenuous, and become less so when I am lifting.


I am obviously not chasing numbers, but a general base of strength training helps big time.

That's all I want

I have a band attached to the cage now, but will be come more consistent with the shoulder healing stuff. I get an hour at lunch to lift, three days a week, but may run home and do a 15 min strictly shoulder exercise day. tues, thurs and saturday

Yeah there was a big mindset change for me working with trainers working with athletes.

Bodybuilding and powerlifting goals lead to breaking your body due to the training.

Athletes on the other hand tend to spend more time focusing on training that will prevent them from getting hurt while doing the sport they are training for.

Sure sometimes training to get faster or stronger can cause an injury. But more time spent on strengthening joints and being ready for fast aggressive movements. Star lunges etc.. translates really well to just being a healthy capable guy without all the creaking joints and painful cracks.

Sounds like my in between days should be more mobility work and shoulder exercises.

Turkish getups are easy for me, and my upper body flexibility is good. Lower has never been good, but thats been the same since public school

Yoga.

I had a few issues from wrestling and powerlifting.

It took a long time but my groin, knees and ankles don't snap, crackle and pop anymore lol, my toes still make snapping sounds when I first wake up in the morning though and my facet joints in my back refuse to stay completely mobile.

My wife has been doing it Wednesday nights.

I suppose I can try it out

I can confirm this one.

This is true, I used more of a powerlifting regiment when I was an athlete because I wanted to be stronger and not bigger, I would do 5 sets and 3 reps near my max on everything a few days a week lol.

I wanted to be a sleeper athlete, where my opponents were shocked by my strength and were unprepared for it lol.

I remember I went against a Black dude who appeared 2 classes bigger and I mopped that fool up in no time lol.You must start slow and have patience, this is about relaxation of your body and mind, be in the moment and not in your goal.

This is probably the best yoga routine for back/hips that I’ve found.

I really really hate yoga. I don’t have the patience for it. I don’t enjoy it.

But this is more like a 20mkn stretch routine that I can get through

You need to quit doing compound lifts that wreck your joints. If something hurts or causes pain, don't do it.

I'd look for a good mobility based routine to start your workouts with. If you are willing to spend $20 a month Vernon Griffith has good stuff. Should be a week free trial if you want to try it.

https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/...-10%2014:03:32

This one is a mobility/strength routine by him. But I haven't looked at it.
https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/...team/explorers


I thought the same thing for a long time. Until I realized that being healthy is more important then being able to lift big numbers on the big four.

I've been on about a six month kick where I only use machines/cables for everything. Back, chest, legs, delts, etc. The only thing I use DB's/Free weights on is my arms. My joints feel better then ever. No nagging pain or impingement.


I don't know what my free-weight strength would be at. But I can tell you. I can machine press, row and lateral raise far more weight now. Pain free. From when I was moving big numbers on free weights. My physique has actually improved because I've had about six months with no issues where I can really just focus on getting a good constriction/squeeze with the weight and constantly add weight.





I know people like to **** on machines/cables as not being as 'practical' as free-weights. But the truth is being able to bench 300, squat 400 and deadlift 500 never really translated over into anything IRL for me anyways. I have more energy/feel better now without burning my CNS out doing those big movements.

OP that joint sh*t people are recommended isn't going to do anything if you have rotator cuff problems / tear.

Cut back with the lifting and I would do bands for your RC. See if it improves.

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/recove...oning-program/

Of course you should be going to a MD and not taking advice from people on this forum though

Issue is I dont believe I have any kind of acute injury. Shoulder joints on both sides just ache like hell after lifting for a while, no sharp pain.

I mean, I am sure a doctor would give it some inflammation etc name.

Will take collective advice of glucosamine, stretching, cut back on lifting and for sure band shoulder exercises and go from there.

Am 37 and follow this advice.

I put the squat rack away and I do ben Patrick's Knees over toes program and it is way better by a f*cking LOT. Most of my gym sessions these days are about

1.) Being healthy
2.) Avoiding/preventing injury
3.) Looking sexy into my 40s to MOG 99.999% of my peers

I like the Wendler 2x2x2 advice for oldcels.

2 strength training
2 cardio/conditioning
2 mobility/stretching

per week. good balance to staying fresh and uninjured.

Ok, then go to 2-3 days per week, be done in under 45 mins. Take a joint formula (chondroitin, glucosamine, MSM, Boswelia, joint fluid, turmeric, fish oil, collagen, etc)
Low carb diet, often inflammation is caused by stuff like grains. Cryo therapy (nitrogen tank), sauna, infrared is better for your goals. Take protein up to 1 g/lb, and if still sore (you should never ever be sore) take it up to 1.5 g/lb. Creatine, more water. Those are some obvious strategies.