Anyone ever decide to stop getting stronger?

[bushman505]

Too time-consuming and requires too much organization. I need to do something that I can just do whenever I want, at the drop of a hat. Planning a journey out of town, meeting up with other people, doing something all day- doesn't work for a lot of reasons.

I'm also just not that into walking. Trail running is awesome, but walking I find a bit boring.

I'm with you on that. I need to get my workout done in an hour or less. Something like a good hike or kayak trip is cool but practicing and training for events that require travel and coordinating with others is a pain in the ass.

 

[Phlog]

You know the number 1 person who dies? Anyone that drinks water.

I would have thought the percentage of deaths of those that don't drink water is higher.

 

[JRT6]

Too time-consuming and requires too much organization. I need to do something that I can just do whenever I want, at the drop of a hat. Planning a journey out of town, meeting up with other people, doing something all day- doesn't work for a lot of reasons.

I'm also just not that into walking. Trail running is awesome, but walking I find a bit boring.

I'm not trying to contradict you because if you don't like rucking that's fine BUT: my pack is always ready to go, I just throw it in the trunk and drive to the park. Changing the sandbags out is effortless and you can even just walk the treadmill with it. Today me and another guy alternated carrying an additional sandbag on our shoulders with farmer carrying two 25lb plates. Did the pull up and dip stations at the park too so my avg HR was pushing 140.

I was resistant to the walking part of it and I still prefer to jog with it. This whole is definitely an acquired taste but i'm really enjoying the novelty of it.

 

[TrueBias]

Because as you age, your once challenging-but-can-work-around-it workout will become tougher. You'll have responsibilities at your job (I hope for you), a wife, kids, etc. You'll sleep less each night, without knowing why (I'm lucky if I get 6 hours these days). Nothing original really, just what we call a life. I just don't believe that you can lift heavy if you don't dedicate a good chunk of your life to it, be it diet, rest/impact on social life or gym time. Whereas if you train volume for beach body, or are just fucking around at the gym with no attention to your diet etc., there is less chance you'll get some injury. You won't get much results, sure, but if it's just a hobby why shoot for the stars if it put your health at risk?

I just don't know anyone who hasn't one nagging injury past 40 yo. I'm not just talking about injuries in the gym. I'm talking this motorcycle accident you had when you were 15? Well up to 40 you were good with it, now all of a sudden you'll start feeling it again on rainy days and shit like that. No fun at all. Adding to it by putting heavy load on my back? Yeah right!

I've also been on this site 10+ years so I've seen my share of "just squat!" bros that will say squat is great for you and if you feel pain, you're doing it wrong. Well guess what, not all body types are right for squats! Yeah I could spend 2 hours a day with a trainer to maybe try and fix some mistakes, but I don't think I'm getting away with bad knees due to being obese in the past and levers/body shape definitely not designed for squats.

Nicely said. I hear ya, and today is the 1st day i noticed i didnt notice my back pain. I'm healing well and cant wait to get back in there to do lower body but the odd injury thwarts my interest in going heavy again.

I think there is a.TrueBias on both sides of the fence here. Those that havent been injured from otherwise normal lifting and thise who have.

 

[Cmart]

I'm 47. I have a few goals, and I'm within about 5% of them, and I think I'll be satisfied when i reach them. Hard to tell. It takes a lot longer now, and I suffer more, that's for sure.

I've said many times, "Well, there's always shuffleboard."

Honestly, though, one shoulder and one knee don't work well anymore. There will come a day. But every time I'm in a place and there's a belligerent youth mouthing off, it's nice to know that if I really felt like it, I could pick him up and slam him. It will be sad when I just have to become an actual frail old man.
Right now it's worth the suffering to be in the top, say, 10% of strength for my age group.

 

[spdrew2143]

Any thoughts on this Jim?

 

[bushman505]

I'm not trying to contradict you because if you don't like rucking that's fine BUT: my pack is always ready to go, I just throw it in the trunk and drive to the park. Changing the sandbags out is effortless and you can even just walk the treadmill with it. Today me and another guy alternated carrying an additional sandbag on our shoulders with farmer carrying two 25lb plates. Did the pull up and dip stations at the park too so my avg HR was pushing 140.

I was resistant to the walking part of it and I still prefer to jog with it. This whole is definitely an acquired taste but i'm really enjoying the novelty of it.

So how long is your average rucking workout? For example that one you just described at the park?

And are you jogging or just sort of walking laps around the park with a pack?

 

[JauntyAngle]

I'm not trying to contradict you because if you don't like rucking that's fine BUT: my pack is always ready to go, I just throw it in the trunk and drive to the park. Changing the sandbags out is effortless and you can even just walk the treadmill with it. Today me and another guy alternated carrying an additional sandbag on our shoulders with farmer carrying two 25lb plates. Did the pull up and dip stations at the park too so my avg HR was pushing 140.

I was resistant to the walking part of it and I still prefer to jog with it. This whole is definitely an acquired taste but i'm really enjoying the novelty of it.

No contradiction involved- it's different lifestyles and different people.

I don't have a car, so I would be reliant on public transport. I also don't know anyone who does similar activities.

I also divide my time more or less evenly between at least three different countries (Jordan, Turkey, Thailand) and have side trips to other countries. I need to be able to move my equipment easily, and being in different locations makes the transport and finding people to do it with even more difficult.

Just as a side issue, some of the places I go to, the climate and conditions would make it much less fun. E.g. in Jordan in the summer it's 45 degrees + and in the desert. South-East Turkey isn't much better. Some of the places I spend time in are too dangerous to go out walking anyway- at least regularly.

 

[TehWeak1]

I'm 47. I have a few goals, and I'm within about 5% of them, and I think I'll be satisfied when i reach them. Hard to tell. It takes a lot longer now, and I suffer more, that's for sure.

I've said many times, "Well, there's always shuffleboard."

Honestly, though, one shoulder and one knee don't work well anymore. There will come a day. But every time I'm in a place and there's a belligerent youth mouthing off, it's nice to know that if I really felt like it, I could pick him up and slam him. It will be sad when I just have to become an actual frail old man.
Right now it's worth the suffering to be in the top, say, 10% of strength for my age group.

I agree.
There is also something a little satisfying about walking into the Hockey rink with your kids knowing you're stronger than most, if not all the other dads.

 

[JRT6]

So how long is your average rucking workout? For example that one you just described at the park?

And are you jogging or just sort of walking laps around the park with a pack?[/QUOTE

If the weight is under 45 lbs I'll walk/jog depending on my HR. A park I like has glacier cut hills so I basically jog the flats and walk the hills. This is very demanding so I only do a few miles, maybe up to 5. On the treadmill it's a cushioned ride so I can go a little faster but I still keep the time down. Running with weight is like doing a mini lung every step.

When I just flat out hike I still keep the milage low simply because I don't enjoy doing any one thing for a too long and the weight tends to be higher so I'm still causing stress. That 12 for 12 was the longest i every rucked, it was with 30lbs plus a twelve pack, and i hated it to be honest.

I will do 12 miles again but it won't be a race and it'll be more scenic than just a flat gravel tow path.

 

[bushman505]

If the weight is under 45 lbs I'll walk/jog depending on my HR. A park I like has glacier cut hills so I basically jog the flats and walk the hills. This is very demanding so I only do a few miles, maybe up to 5. On the treadmill it's a cushioned ride so I can go a little faster but I still keep the time down. Running with weight is like doing a mini lung every step.

When I just flat out hike I still keep the milage low simply because I don't enjoy doing any one thing for a too long and the weight tends to be higher so I'm still causing stress. That 12 for 12 was the longest i every rucked, it was with 30lbs plus a twelve pack, and i hated it to be honest.

I will do 12 miles again but it won't be a race and it'll be more scenic than just a flat gravel tow path.

Interesting, thanks. I wouldn't mind doing something like that, that group event thing I did was a big turn off though. What you're talking about sounds a lot better.

I listened to a podcast where the owner of that company kiuiu (hunting packs, clothes, tents etc) was talking about training for a big horn sheep hunt in Montana, he was talking about loading a pack with 90lbs and doing long mountainous hikens. Seemed pretty cool.

 

[JRT6]

I just made a 50lb sand bag (play sand comes packaged in the perfect rounded block shape that just needs to be duck taped) and when I add the weight of water it's at the very limit of what I can tolerate. That might change as I get stronger but I don't want to be at the point where the weight is limiting what I can do and taking up all my focus.

 

[MandirigmaFit]

We used to have to qualify 20km rucks, quarterly, in the Army. Fun times.

 

[frango]

i started lifting when i was 25 now im 31.
until 28 i was on calorie deficit and could not get stronger, i was really skinny and sick on the head.
when i was 29 i had to start taking a medication that lowered my testosterone.

i have been on TRT for a couple of months now.
Despite having many injurys along this way i still have a lot of gains to make. I dont plan giving up because the iron bug bit me. I love lifting, its just good, fun. Feel awesome.

Maybe if i decide to train only martial arts then i could give up the weights, but i dont really think so.

but i know injuries are a pain on the ass. You must decide what u gonna do. If your routine is realy strenght oriented like doing the big 3, you can always give it a try to the the machines, cables etc and start bodybuilding.
You will be still lifting and having fun (maybe) and doing new stuff can be beneifical to your body and mind. And off course, you will be doing more volume than intensity so injuries may be dissapear.

this, or calisthenics...

 

[MuyThaiTom]

I hurt my shoulder from bench pressing heavy. I can't bench press a third of what I used to. I now focus on PT type exercises, cardio, plyos, etc and I'm functionally a much better striker than when I was lifting heavy.

 

[Uchi Mata]

My main goal is to be good at grappling, and I'm getting close to the point where the amount of time and effort it would take to get stronger would start interfering with my BJJ training, and I'm not going to do that. So in effect, I'm pretty close the point where I won't really try all that hard to keep getting stronger. I might still up my maxes a bit, but I'm moving more towards conditioning as that's really better for winning grappling competitions than moving your squat up a few pounds.

 

[Phlog]

I'm 47. I have a few goals, and I'm within about 5% of them, and I think I'll be satisfied when i reach them. Hard to tell. It takes a lot longer now, and I suffer more, that's for sure.

I've said many times, "Well, there's always shuffleboard."

Honestly, though, one shoulder and one knee don't work well anymore. There will come a day. But every time I'm in a place and there's a belligerent youth mouthing off, it's nice to know that if I really felt like it, I could pick him up and slam him. It will be sad when I just have to become an actual frail old man.
Right now it's worth the suffering to be in the top, say, 10% of strength for my age group.

+1.

Old man strength ftw.

 

[mungos]

Less is more sometimes.
Instead of hammering at it, take a step back, reassess and address a weakness for example.
It might be flexibility issue, imbalance, poor movement pattern, lack of structured programming etc.
It's OK to let the strength take the back seat.