[quote]stuward wrote:
It’s normal to get some degenerative disk disease in your late forties or so. By about 75, everyone has it.
If you watch your form they shouldn’t give you much problem as you get older. I find mixing up back squats, front squats, deadlifts, etc keeps the compressive stress down. Some people recommend decompression stretches, basically hanging from a chin up bar, helpful.
Staying away from machines is important too. I have never found one that doesn’t put some weird stress on my back. [/quote]
good advice.
Ive been doing the decompression stretches pretty regularily.
Nine, sounds like you’re already ahead of the game if you have no joint pain.
I turned 40 in March and am in the best shape of my life. I think as long as you have the drive and determination to be the best you can, you won’t fall into the downward curve like most lazy Americans.
One thing I’ve noticed in the gym is the general absence of high intensity during training. I see younger guys doing their endless sets of curls and not even breaking a sweat. When I’m done working out, my shirt is usually drenched with sweat and I feel like I’ve just had my ass kicked. I figure if I don’t leave the gym in that condition I’m wasting my time!
My shoulders do hurt, sometimes more than others, and my old knees aren’t always happy with heavy ATG squats… you just have to listen to your body and know when to back off. Myself and a handful of other older guys in the gym look better than most of the younger guys, so I’m pretty happy.
Well, I am 55 and still paly both fastpitch and slowpitch softball all summer, and still play basketball 4 times a week October - May. I never lifted until 2 years ago, and while I’m not a heavy hitter like most others on this site, the lifting I do has helped greatly, I feel great, and I cannot see slowing down my activities in the foreseeable future.
At 35, you should be golden. Do I hurt at times? yes. But with good nutrition and sensible workouts, you should be good for decades to come. This site has been a godsend the last few years as well.