I’m way past 30 now. I’m no gym rat but do go a few times a month. This year is when I noticed that my ability to lift a heavy weight isn’t lack of muscle but instead strain on knees (and other joints). Its such an odd notion that I can feel my muscles extra unused capacity to lift, but I feel the risk of injury to the joint if I were to use that strength. I had never experienced that before this year. Before it was always the limits of my muscles. Not anymore.
Nobody told me this is how it goes when you get old. They say things like “my knees ‘gave out’ when I got old” but didn’t explain what that meant.
I absolutely love this reference, and I use it all the time. Hell, I’m a walking simpsons encyclopedia.
I’m 40 next year… So far, I’m lucky. I’ve gone from a extremely physically demanding job (hike through back country bush, dig to 120 cm when you get there) to sitting at a desk. Where I used to not even think about the gym, I now find myself in one 5 days a week, just for preventive measures. I’m never gonna be a freakbeast muscle man, but I’ll settle for not having a stroke at 60, like my dad did.
I felt that about many joints when I slacked off on working out for a few months in my 20s. I was still lifting enough to keep my muscles from too much atrophy, but my joints got… lazy? Dynamic motion and heavier weights suddenly felt (as suddenly as me taking exercise more serious again) like my joints were the limiting factor.
and then I overworked my arms and got something like tennis elbow and basically had to rehab myself back to being able to exercise, all without my muscles being the limiting factor!
Take care of your body, folks. You can go over 100% when you’re young, but your body makes you pay when you’re older!
Reminds me of the stories of the people who do crazy stuff on adrenalin rushes, like lift a car off their dying child, and then end up potentially hospitalized or otherwise extremely sore for months. I think I get it now…
I did the same thing recently with my elbow. I lifted in my 20s but I got busy with work and family in my 30s and tried to start lifting again at 39 and managed to injure my forearm/elbow. It’s damn near impossible to do upper body exercises when you can’t grip the bar or dumbell without elbow pain!
It’s been like 6 months and it’s finally starting to feel better. My cardio is pretty damn good though because while I couldn’t lift I threw myself at cardio extra hard.
Can’t let the old creep in! Exercise keeps the old out!
I’m way past 30 now. I’m no gym rat but do go a few times a month. This year is when I noticed that my ability to lift a heavy weight isn’t lack of muscle but instead strain on knees (and other joints). Its such an odd notion that I can feel my muscles extra unused capacity to lift, but I feel the risk of injury to the joint if I were to use that strength. I had never experienced that before this year. Before it was always the limits of my muscles. Not anymore.
Nobody told me this is how it goes when you get old. They say things like “my knees ‘gave out’ when I got old” but didn’t explain what that meant.
It’ll happen to you…
I absolutely love this reference, and I use it all the time. Hell, I’m a walking simpsons encyclopedia.
I’m 40 next year… So far, I’m lucky. I’ve gone from a extremely physically demanding job (hike through back country bush, dig to 120 cm when you get there) to sitting at a desk. Where I used to not even think about the gym, I now find myself in one 5 days a week, just for preventive measures. I’m never gonna be a freakbeast muscle man, but I’ll settle for not having a stroke at 60, like my dad did.
I felt that about many joints when I slacked off on working out for a few months in my 20s. I was still lifting enough to keep my muscles from too much atrophy, but my joints got… lazy? Dynamic motion and heavier weights suddenly felt (as suddenly as me taking exercise more serious again) like my joints were the limiting factor.
and then I overworked my arms and got something like tennis elbow and basically had to rehab myself back to being able to exercise, all without my muscles being the limiting factor!
Take care of your body, folks. You can go over 100% when you’re young, but your body makes you pay when you’re older!
Reminds me of the stories of the people who do crazy stuff on adrenalin rushes, like lift a car off their dying child, and then end up potentially hospitalized or otherwise extremely sore for months. I think I get it now…
I did the same thing recently with my elbow. I lifted in my 20s but I got busy with work and family in my 30s and tried to start lifting again at 39 and managed to injure my forearm/elbow. It’s damn near impossible to do upper body exercises when you can’t grip the bar or dumbell without elbow pain!
It’s been like 6 months and it’s finally starting to feel better. My cardio is pretty damn good though because while I couldn’t lift I threw myself at cardio extra hard.
Can’t let the old creep in! Exercise keeps the old out!