I'm 34. I started lifting regularly when I was 28, and watched every video imaginable on proper form etc. I had a well structured PPL routine. Then I randomly injured my rotator cuff and it took me out of building my chest for over a year, which killed all my momentum. Now for the past 9 months I've been going to the gym 3-4 times a week and lifting heavy. I always do my level best to maintain proper form on all lifts. I've even stopped doing barbell bench and squats because I'm afraid of aggravating my old shoulder injury and an older back injury. I stick to machines and free weights almost exclusively unless I have a spotter. But I keep fucking injuring myself bros. Last month during a leg extension, my knee made this sickening squish noise and for three weeks I was limping on it. It feels better now but I'm afraid it'll happen again. Then on Saturday doing an incline lever row, I pulled something in the center of my back and haven't been able to sit up straight without almost excruciating pain, though it's getting better today. Is it just because I'm older? Do I need to be stretching way more intensely before my workouts? Should I take more potassium or something? Why do I end up hurting myself when I'm doing everything correctly?
Forgot to mention, I had pulled/strained my left front delt like a month before the knee strain. I’m just falling apart as soon as I start genuinely looking like I lift in a large shirt
>>77517425>Why do I end up hurting myself when I'm doing everything correctly?You should consider that you might not be doing everything correctly.If you're experiencing this much trouble with your body, the only thing you should be doing is going to a doctor or physical therapist so that an actual professional can give you a diagnosis.
Fellow old man here (35). Tbh idk but maybe you need to build up more gradually. Maybe see a physical therapist too.
What's your rep cadence and rep count like? Does it seem like your injuries are acute (like you go for an extra shaky rep and now your knee is KO) or are they more chronic (your shoulder aches more and more each morning but while you're using it, it's generally fine?)If it's more chronic (= likely tendon), you have to realize that tendons receive the signal to grow only during the negative of each rep, or during the isometric. That said, once the tendon is inflamed, you have to back off on INTENSITY but NOT frequency - work that sucker with controlled negatives isometrics, as long as the pain and discomfort is not getting worse you should be fine.For acute, in-the-gym injuries, you really need to be in control of the weight the whole time. When you're doing the negative, say for the bench, your upper back and rear delts should be pulling on the bar partially while your pecs still resist the weight, if that makes sense. Do it with an empty bar until you get it. And then you have to replicate that with every movement in the gym, no momentum no jerking. Or just ask chadgippity I don't fucken know.
>>77517425I think it's just because you're an idiot
>>77517425No, do not stretch right before your workout, but you can stretch and do more mobility work after or on rest days. Other than that, just make sure you're properly hydrated and warmed up. Do a full body warm-up that starts with extremely low intensity SLOW movements and ramps up. Sudden movements your body isn't ready for are typically what causes those minor issues.
>>77517425Not reading all this shit but yeah ppl is the shoulder wrecker 4 days a week of shoulder work means it has no time to heal.If you're over 26-28 or have a history of injuries you shouldn't hit shoulders more than once every 4th day.What this means in practice is everything you do for shoulders, chest, back is on the same day. Arms can be their own day legs can be spread out but just shoulder stuff is one day.I think upper lowers or fullbodies is the easiest way to manage this but do whatever just try to hit every muscle to every fourth day and leave it mostly alone outside that.
>>77517519I usually try to keep a slow, steady rhythm through the full motion of whatever rep I’m doing, squeezing at the end. And I go close to failure on every set, with lighter weight so I get to 14-16 reps on most lifts. Usually 3 sets of every exercise unless I start with a warmup set.The knee injury came after some shaky reps in the first set, but afterward the shaking stops. I only had a plate on each side, and it was one of the extension machines that allows one leg at a time, whatever that’s called. When you say “in control of the weight the whole time”, do you mean I should be doing even lighter weight that’s easily manageable for the first 10ish reps? >>77517523Fuckin probably
If you didn’t start lifting around early 20 or before ur fucked long term
>>77517543I always had a bench press around as a kid, was in some athletics during school, was active during college, had a few gym memberships etc but was fully retarded about it until 28 for sure
>>77517425Stop pushing so hard. Slow your progress down like crazy. I presume you're pushing progress every session. You are obviously not getting enough sleep or food or something or like i said the progression is too intense. Stop treating lifting like a sprint to a 4 pl8 squat. I get working hard in the gym but theres a limit, especially when you get older. Some days if i feel super drained under the bar i'll cut my reps and then up them the next session to progress. Listen to your body.
>>77517541"control of the weight the whole time" means that you're not using momentum to get it up and you're not just letting it rush back on the negative. No jerky, quick motions but you also don't have to be doing more than 4 second eccentrics or concentrics. Injury root cause is different based on whether it's muscle, tendon, or ligament, but don't overthink it. 14-16 reps is actually on the high end (except for quad stuff and potentially shoulder raises). Stay away from 1-4 and 15+ and you should be gucchi.Like the other guy said, make sure you're doing deliberate warmups where you're going through full ROM and treating each rep like you're doing full weight even if you're starting with just 1/2 or less. Besides that use an AI to trouble-shoot specifics, we're all just guessing at the end of the day.
