Anyone ever decide to stop getting stronger?

Fedorgasm

Fedorgasm

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After suffering my latest in a long string of injuries, I'm starting to ask myself if I really want to continue pushing myself to get stronger. I have my 1 rep max for deads, squats, bench, etc, and I'm getting to a point where every time I try to push beyond that max, I get injured.

I've only been lifting consistently for about a year and I'm not a strong guy, but at almost 40 years old I'm starting to think it might be better to be the regular guy that can actually enjoy life rather than strong guy who can't do much because his back always hurts, or shoulder, or knee, or hip, etc. I'm not an athlete or a fighter so I really don't need strength in my day to day life. I just started lifting because I'm physically weaker than most guys.

I'd still like to lift, because I enjoy it, but maybe I'll just stop increasing the weight and try to keep what strength I have rather than add to it. I have been doing stronglifts 5x5 which ramps up the weight pretty fast. Maybe I just change to a program that ramps up very slowly. Is there an "old-lifts 5x5"?

Who knows, maybe I'm just deep in the injury depression and I'll change my mind once I can start doing squats again.
 
I am going to suggest two things:

1) Please post videos of 85%+ lifts. Maybe there is something that we can tweak to make it so that you do not get injured going above and beyond;

2) Cut back 10% on your 1RM and try the W531 protocol. It is a slow progressing template that doesn't have too much volume. This way, you can keep your strength gains and potentially get stronger.
 
I always wanted to increase my endurance strength.
 
I imagine goals will have to change on a long enough time line. I have lifetime goals on certain lifts, Lord knows if I'll ever hit them or what I'll do when that happens.

But yeah... 531 try that.
 
Whats getting injured, and how?

Id think theres a lot that could be done first to reducr injury before deciding when to quit.
 
Sounds like you're letting an injury make the decision for you.
 
Just go slowly, focus on good form and enjoy the process.

If you feel sore and broken all the time, you're not recovering or using bad form.

Treat strength as a skill for now and make slow, steady progress.
 
Yup, that's what I did. At one point I was just focused 100% on getting stronger, but after a bunch of nagging injuries I lost interest.

I've changed my focus towards aesthetics and am loving it. I'm focusing much more on "mind-muscle" connection, getting a good pump, working out as often as possible, developing a well-rounded physique, keeping my joints healthy and putting in the work.

The nice side effect of it is that when I do strength work I actually enjoy it and don't excessively push myself in a desperate pursuit of lifting more weight. I also feel a lot more solid and more aware of my body when I do strength or power work too.
 
There is absolutely no reason to not keep getting stronger at all. You can stop when you are in the ground. Dont be weak minded and let little injuries discourage you but use it as a learning experience to correct the problem.
 
pokerandbeer said:
There is absolutely no reason to not keep getting stronger at all. You can stop when you are in the ground. Dont be weak minded and let little injuries discourage you but use it as a learning experience to correct the problem.
Click to expand...

If he keeps lifting consistently, he will get stronger regardless.

I think this thread is more about making the mental shift from "training for high numbers on the big lifts" to training for a different reason - whether that be health, aesthetics, or sport. Even more so, I think it's about finding, creating, or adapting an appropriate program for OP's age, motivation level, and goals.
 
False dichotomy .. it's not get strong and get injured or stay weak and be injury free. While I can't speak for guys with really big numbers, if you've only been lifting a year (which is a great start but not really that much!) you should be able to improve your general health and fitness and get stronger at the same time. For me, injury prevention and strength worked in tandem rather than against each other.
 
Very true^. You will get injured with or without lifting may as well be strong
 
just up the reps for some time into the 10 to 20 rep range. this doesn't mean you don't have to work "hard" or you won't become stronger. main focus is to put more weight on the bar if you can control the chosen rep range and not because you HAVE to add on weight every single workout. the popular 5 rep routines are not the holy grale of lifting weights. if you are not an competitive athlete, then your workouts are just a hobby anyway.
 
Getting stronger is a good way to prevent injuries in the future (as I've learned from various rehab experiences).

But if you're losing interest in your specific program because you're hurting yourself...maybe try a different program? Sometimes changing your programs can jumpstart your interest again.

Also, perhaps you're sacrificing form in the pursuit of numbers? In that 1st year, it's easy to lose sight of the importance of strict form and that can lead to unnecessary injuries.
 
I've given up trying to get stronger, my training now is 100% focused on getting bigger veins.
 
"Getting strong" doesn't HAVE to be your goal. You can train for size, endurance, strength, general athleticism, self-defense, or whatever floats your boat. If all you want is getting fitter and healthier, just stick to a program that matches your goal.

At the end of the day, nobody cares how much you lift, especially if it's with bad technique.
 
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