Hello everyone, I am having a hard time here lately with recovering from doing my squat workout. I’ve read where people close to 50 stop doing barbell squats all together and perform different exercises for the legs. I don’t really care about being huge I just want to keep my legs strong. Has anyone else given up on squats? And what movements do you do instead? I read where some people put on a weight vets and walk-up hills for their leg day. Would that be a good idea?
Sounds like a recovery issue, what are you doing to address that? I mean you can drop squats if you want they aren’t mandatory, but don’t let age be the excuse:
(The video doesn’t show the squats but you can Google them, they’re deep and fast!)
4 Likes
I try to rest enough and eat plenty, but it seems like I am terribly sore all the time.
First thought, have you got an in-depth up to date blood work? Make sure you’re firing on all cylinders. After that it’s a question of what you actually want from this thread:
If you want advice on recovery, you’ll need to give some more details, training history, current program, weights reps full details, an honest average days eating, what your general activity levels are, what your sleep is really like, stress outside of the gym etc.
Or if you want approval to drop squats - go for it, no one will stop you!
1 Like
Lol…Well I do a full body, three day a week routine. The big 3 with a little accessory work. Basically, Strong lifts but with a heavy, light and medium day. No more than 6 to 8 reps and 4 tp 5 sets. I walk a couple of miles on my off days. I have gotten better about focusing on eating more protein everyday. I eat a lot of eggs, chicken and tuna. I get anywhere between 140-180 grams a day. Getting blood work sounds like a great idea.
1 Like
Squats and deads take a toll, I believe, because of the axial loading. If it’s wrecking you for days, and you don’t care to squat, I’d look for leg movements that reduce that load. Anything single-joint, of course, but also think about things like belt squats or leg press.
On the other hand, since you mention always being sore, you could lean into it and actually increase your frequency to take advantage of the repeated bout effect. Are you squatting 3 days a week on your current plan? If so, I’m probably giving dumb advice here and you could do the opposite: switch to an upper/ lower or body part split for some more recovery between sessions.
Finally, if we’re sore and fatigued, we could just say screw it and get away from both axial and eccentric loading: push a heavy sled a couple times a week.
5 Likes
How long have you been running Stronglift? Current strength level?
Unless someone has a cronic injury i disagree . Fyi i am 53
If you can’t recover you’re doing too much. Cut the sets or cut the reps, cut something.
69 and I do safety bar squats and my version of trap bar squats, I don’t deadlift it, I squat it. Find what works for you.
1 Like
I’m going to tag @simo74 here as a guy of a very similar age (assuming the 74 is year of birth) who does some remarkably similar lifting.
What’s your bodyweight? This:
Could be under doing this, protein reqs increase as you age.
1 Like
I’m 51, and barbell squat and deadlift regularly. I am stronger on these lifts than ever, and I’ve been working out and athletic-focused my entire life. That said, I don’t know what type of weights you’re talking about. I rarely go over 315 lbs on a back squat and over 385 on a deadlift, unless it’s max singles or doubles.. Even older dudes much stronger than this (like @simo74, who moves much more weight than me but isn’t as good looking) still get after it on the barbell movements. For reference, I’m about 170-175 lbs, so regularly deadlift over 2x my bodyweight and squat 100 lbs over my bodyweight.
I think continuing to do full range of motion barbell lifts is fantastic as we age. It’s what separates us from the general population.
2 Likes
What recovery protocols do you employ?
2 Likes
Don’t quit the squats unless you choose to. Submaximal lifts is the solution, and balancing out effort and fatique through wise volume. May I suggest alternating to a period of Dan John ladders?
1 Like
OK I have a few questions here, sorry of you have already responded to these but more detail will help us find a solution.
What does this mean to you? Sore legs every day ? Reduced performance in the gym ? Have you been progressing or are you getting weaker ?
Great for a recovery session but in my opinion this does not replace doing weighted squats.
Too sore to train ? Is it effecting you progress ? Are you missing reps or lifts ?
Can you be more specific please. for example
Monday - heavy squat - 4 sets of 5 reps at XXX weight
Wednesday - light - 3 sets of 8 …
Friday - Medium - 3 sets of 6 …
you get the idea. Also list out any other leg exercises you are doing on too of the squats.
Do you use any kind of deload or are you just pushing hard every week ?
What is you weight, height, body composition (how fat are a you). Do you track your protein?, usually when people give a range they are always under and often inconsistent,
Without any answers to these questions I am going to hazard a guess that it is your programming and your recovery that needs sorting out, but I will wait for more info before giving any potential solutions.
2 Likes
Exactly what I was going to ask.
From a post a couple months ago.
“How much should I be eating a day if I weight between 265-270”
He is 5’9
Overweight, under eating protein and 47 years old.
Not a good mix.
3 Likes
How many days do you currently take off after squatting (heavy/medium/light)? Increase that.
You can get many of the benefits from squatting by pushing or pulling a sled. You could also try variations like leg press, front squats, goblets, machine (hack or Smith) squats, trap bar deadlifts (sort of a squat), sissy or safety variations, yada yada. You don’t have to do low or high back squats at all unless you are a competing powerlifter.
3 Likes
I am about 250 right now.
I just try to rest and take long walks on my off days.
Recovery is key
Platz worked legs twice a month
You might get something out of putting effort into recovery. I recognize it sounds like an oxymoron, but most of us have to work to recover (especially as we age). For me, things like:
- Walking (you’re already on it, so good). Outside with my dog is better.
- Hot tub
- Timing carbs around workouts and pre-bed
- Water and electrolytes
- Higher protein
- “Tonic” workouts - basically getting a pump in sore muscles. I used to hate these, but they make a huge difference for me.
- Sleep hygiene
Make a ton of difference. Some folks get some mileage out of foam rolling and stretching - I probably would, too, but don’t give it enough consistency. The point being, you might want to make a deliberate effort at consistently incorporating a few things specifically for the purpose of recovering.
4 Likes