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So I've worked out my whole life, doing a mix of hockey and light weightlifting/calisthenics. The last few years I quit hockey but still do some light weights/pushups/pullups etc. a couple times per week.
I've developed a few bad joints. (but not that you could directly attribute to the exercises. They started to hurt when I was doing other things.) The shoulder doctor said that "at your age" people shouldn't be doing ANY weights or pushups anymore. I should just be doing cardio/swimming/yoga. Another doctor was horrified that I was deadlifting 100 lbs once or twice a week for reps. I thought I was being extremely conservative. I feel like I need to keep up a minimum of strength and muscle tone because I sit at a desk all day long.
I thought most guys can keep doing the basics a couple times per week until at least their 50s. Any advice?
Thanks.
Those docs are nuts!!! Try to find a sports doc that knows what they are talking about.
I work out regularly. The last couple of years I had shoulder problems. I used to press over 150 and include front and lateral raises in every other workout. I also used to finish workouts with a quick 3-set of dips. Fast forward to shoulder pain. Doctor said I needed to find a new way to work my shoulders, and he got me in to phys therapy.
I now am very careful with my shoulders. No dips. Lighter weights. I keep my hands vertical rather than horizontal and use cables.
When I’m at the gym I see younger folks doing cross fit workouts. All I can think of when I see that is damage, damage, damage.
I remember reading in muscle mags years ago, since the early 80's, that if you have shoulder issues to switch from barbells to dumbbells for all chest, and shoulder presses, and rows. DBs are much easier on shoulder, and elbow joints, and strengthens the stabilizing muscles. They are also better than machines for the reason that machines don't work the stabilizing muscles. They only stay on one plane of movement.
The delts have three heads, the anterior, lateral, and posterior. If anyone is concentrating mostly on presses, and not doing rows the posterior delt head will be weaker, and the shoulder joint can be pulled out of position. If it's the knees, look into knee stabilizing exercises. Muscle imbalances can cause many problems with joints pulling them out of place.
Lightening up the weight, and working more on your form will help too. Some are lifting too heavy, and cheating the weight up which results in the wrong parts being worked, and puts undue strain on the joints. And make sure not to neglect your lower body. Some people don't like to work legs.
Some of the OP's joint problems may have been from hockey since it's a very rough sport with a lot of lateral movement.
There is a fallacy that yoga is easy to do. It is not easy. Try a Vinyasa yoga class even just once, or twice a week. Cross training by including different sports is very good, and hits your body from different angles. Swimming is also not easy, and has many benefits while taking off the pressure from your joints. These will exercise muscles that you didn't know you had while increasing flexibility, lol.
Search results for muscle imbalances and joint pain
All you people telling this guy to ignore his doctor are wrong or worse. The guy has joint problems. It doesn't matter whether or not he thinks they were CAUSED by deadlifting and all that, but your body doesn't care about causes. It cares about results. And to continue to put extreme stress on joints that are already bad is STUPID.
But go ahead. Then in a few years we'll hear about how many joint replacements he's had and how much pain he is in. Have fun with that.
THat's a good point. We don't know what his joint problems are. If its simple "not as spry as I was as a teenager" joint pain, that's different than "You're shoulder/knee/hip is degenerating, lay off so you can get 10 more years and we don't have to worry about the replacement joint degrading during your natural life."
My FIL is almost sixty, and runs a lot, probably at least 30 miles a week if not more...But he'll tell you he's been lucky. He rides his bike more now, because a lot of his old running buddies can't take it on their knees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SomeGuyInFairfax
So your joint problems started after you quit hockey; are not directly attributable to your exercise; and two doctors warned you to stop. Something else must be going on.
Dead lifting 100lbs is not hard; the main risk is lower back soreness if you use improper form or do too many. (How many reps did you do?) Also, if the doctor advised against pushups, why would he/she recommend yoga or swimming, which tax the same shoulder joints?
There is no upward limit on fitness. Well after your 50's you can keep going, even stronger than you were in you 20's and 30's, if you train properly.
One thought might be to take a break for a few months and go low impact, then restart with the weights. Similarly curious about the "don't do pushups" when yoga is largely a pushup/plank medium.
So I've worked out my whole life, doing a mix of hockey and light weightlifting/calisthenics. The last few years I quit hockey but still do some light weights/pushups/pullups etc. a couple times per week.
I've developed a few bad joints. (but not that you could directly attribute to the exercises. They started to hurt when I was doing other things.) The shoulder doctor said that "at your age" people shouldn't be doing ANY weights or pushups anymore. I should just be doing cardio/swimming/yoga. Another doctor was horrified that I was deadlifting 100 lbs once or twice a week for reps. I thought I was being extremely conservative. I feel like I need to keep up a minimum of strength and muscle tone because I sit at a desk all day long.
I thought most guys can keep doing the basics a couple times per week until at least their 50s. Any advice?
Thanks.
Seriously? I know guys and gals in their 70's who still lift weights. Cardio, swimming and yoga are great, but can easily be done by people in their 60, 70's, and beyond. I don't know what joint problems you are having, but you're still quite young, and I wouldn't base my entire future of physical activity on the opinion of one doctor. After all, I had a doctor who told me to ignore my hormonal imbalance and to "not worry about it and if my problem was still there after 3 months he'd test me for a brain tumor". Turns out I had an auto immune disease which could have been easily diagnosed if the doctor had just listened. I was all of 18 and my first time to a doctor without my mom. Doctors are human, and make mistakes just like anybody else. I would take all your test results to another doc and get a second opinion.
The first MD may have misspoken, intending to say that people with your shoulders shouldn't be lifting. The second MD is a complete jackass. Hey doc, stick to subjects in which you have been trained.
I'm 65. My doctor--who does MMA for sport (I guess "do no harm" stops at the edge of the mat)--just recently advised me to stop doing standing heavy squats and start doing leg presses instead. That was based on an actual wonky spinal x-ray, not on an age-based presumption.
Find a new doctor.
Anyone at any age can weight train, unless they have actually had a particular injury, or some other particular issue that proscribes a particular exercise.
DH is 51 and sees an ortho for some damage he had done to his shoulder. The doc is perfectly fine with him lifting weights.
The only thing commented on is he shows some arthritis in the damaged shoulder, and they commented that weight lifting that puts pressure down on that joint would probably be ill advised, but not horribly so.
I'm 51 too, and have rheumatoid arthritis and weight lifting is advised for that.
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Utterly ridiculous, you can lift weights at any age.
Exactly!
I am 35, if any doctor told me that I would find a new doctor. It never surprises me how dumb many doctors are because I’ve had some idiots myself. You’d think med school would weed these people out but luckily one of my best friends is a doctor so I can always get some second opinion easily.
I bench 265-275 for one rep, and regularly do heavy bench press where I only do 1-2 reps per set, and separately do high rep bench / chest a different day, besides heavy back and biceps, etc. I don’t deadlift much really, it doesn’t agree with my back, but even deadlifting 225 is nothing, that’s light weight for deadlifts.
You won’t be able to maintain your health with no weight training bottom line. It’s mandatory for staying young and in shape!
So I've worked out my whole life, doing a mix of hockey and light weightlifting/calisthenics. The last few years I quit hockey but still do some light weights/pushups/pullups etc. a couple times per week.
I've developed a few bad joints. (but not that you could directly attribute to the exercises. They started to hurt when I was doing other things.) The shoulder doctor said that "at your age" people shouldn't be doing ANY weights or pushups anymore. I should just be doing cardio/swimming/yoga. Another doctor was horrified that I was deadlifting 100 lbs once or twice a week for reps. I thought I was being extremely conservative. I feel like I need to keep up a minimum of strength and muscle tone because I sit at a desk all day long.
I thought most guys can keep doing the basics a couple times per week until at least their 50s. Any advice?
Thanks.
If I live to 100, I will be lifting till then.
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