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Social I think I'm quitting the gym

Brampton_Boy said:
Weight lifting has played a massive part of my life - for the past 23 years, I have dedicated myself to the routine of going to the gym, and at my peak, I was a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter. At one point, I weighed 293lbs and had tried virtually every steroid under the sun.

I recently turned 39, and I've noticed that my passion for training has fallen off a cliff. I use to get so excited to go to the gym - it was a social hub and my "happy place", but over the years it has become an inconvenience - something I have to do in order to look a certain way. Because of some pretty severe injuries, I'm in constant pain, and the lifts I used to love to do (bench, OHP, squat) I can no longer do. I'm still "strong", but I find myself navigating towards machines and full body workouts.

As of now, I am about 235lbs, still on a mild cycle, and training 3-4 days per week. My plan as I enter my 40s is to switch over to TRT, drop to 200lbs, and just focus on being really lean - I have a decent amount of equipment at home, and will try and focus on lifting for general muscle maintenance and some mobility.

This is actually a surprisingly difficult decision to make, as for my entire adult life, I was known as the "big guy", and so much of my identity was tied to my physical appearance. The last real "cycle" I did was back in the late summer (I stacked Tren and Superdrol), and I felt like absolute garbage), When I was in my 20s and early 30s I could get away with taking anything, but now, I just can't endure the abuse/toxicity.

I know there are alot of other lifters on here, and I would love to hear your thoughts as to how you transitioned you training and approach as you got older.
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How tall are you TS? Unless you're over 6', 200 lbs lean is still going to look pretty big.

I have limited experience with steroids but I think your biggest hurdle will be psychological - even if 99% of people think you look awesome at 200 lbs, you may have some nagging body dysmorphia thing making you feel you should be bigger. And maxing on lower weights may feel inadequate. I had pretty bad body dysmorphia in my teens and 20's and always thought I looked skinny fat. It drove me to overtrain like a MFer into my 30's, to the point that I'd skip hanging with friends or trying to meet women on weekends because I had to get in my bis and tris split or finish my long cardio workout.

In my mid 20's, some of my lifting buddies were stacking dbol + boldenone + test. I got some dbol from them and started a cycle but stopped after 10 days because I wasn't responding well and didn't like the feeling of "toxicity" as you put it. Since then I've always felt healthier natty and I don't even enjoy being drunk or stoned. Since I could never get as big as I'd like (always between 152 and 188 lbs at 5' 8.5" natty), I settled for being "explosive cardio guy who is kind of strong." But now at 49, I have good strength and cardio for my age but am merely average by younger guy standards.

With the same amount of training and gear (or not), our physical ceiling will be lower in our 40's than in our 20's, and that's something all of us have to reconcile with our egos. At this age, I think a mix of strength and cardio with a leaner physique is best for long-term health.
 
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I quit using a long time ago. I just don't like pinning all the time. You don't have any freedom and you need to bring your gear with you. Even something like TRT is disgusting. It's just using steroids. It still has the same issues of lack of freedom.
 
Good choice. I was never huge by any means but pushed myself with heavy weights for 15 years or so. My workouts have evolved to what makes me feel good and look decent. I do intermittent fasting to stay lean....I do a lot of push-ups and pull ups, core work, and some dumbbell work here and there. Also do yoga once or twice a week. Longevity and not getting injured is key after 40
 
kimocomplex said:
How much are you paying for this gym membership, if you don't mind me asking
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$70/CAD Per Month
ChickenBrother said:
How tall are you TS? Unless you're over 6', 200 lbs lean is still going to look pretty big.

I have limited experience with steroids but I think your biggest hurdle will be psychological - even if 99% of people think you look awesome at 200 lbs, you may have some nagging body dysmorphia thing making you feel you should be bigger. And maxing on lower weights may feel inadequate. I had pretty bad body dysmorphia in my teens and 20's and always thought I looked skinny fat. It drove me to overtrain like a MFer into my 30's, to the point that I'd skip hanging with friends or trying to meet women on weekends because I had to get in my bis and tris split or finish my long cardio workout.

In my mid 20's, some of my lifting buddies were stacking dbol, boldenone and test. I got some dbol from them and started a cycle but stopped after 10 days because I wasn't responding well and didn't like the feeling of "toxicity" as you put it. Since then I've always felt healthier natty and I don't even enjoy being drunk or stoned. Since I could never get as big as I'd like (always between 152 and 188 lbs at 5' 8.5" natty), I settled for being "explosive cardio guy who is kind of strong." But now at 49, I have good strength and cardio for my age but am merely average by younger guy standards.

With the same amount of training and gear (or not), our physical ceiling will be lower in our 40's than in our 20's, and that's something all of us have to reconcile with our egos. At this age, I think a mix of strength and cardio with a leaner physique is best for long-term health.
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5'11 - You are exactly right about body dysmorphia. When I was almost 300lbs, I still felt small, and always felt uncomfortable taking my clothes off (even when competing). Even though 200lbs is still big by 99% of people's standards, knowing what you once were, and trying to come to terms with that, is difficult.
 
Im 40 and instead of going to the gym to get stronger, i now go to the gym to not get weaker. Ive put on 8 pounds in the last 5 months and my diet nor training has changed.

Getting old sucks. I see TRT in my future, not ready to limp into that sunset
 
Shaun K said:
Im 40 and instead of going to the gym to get stronger, i now go to the gym to not get weaker. Ive put on 8 pounds in the last 5 months and my diet nor training has changed.

Getting old sucks. I see TRT in my future, not ready to limp into that sunset
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Sounds like you just need to take your vitamins and say your prayers, brother.
 
I've been bodybuilding since I quit boxing five years ago. I still go heavy and do full body workouts three days a week. I still get stronger at 44. But I've never used gear or had a any serious injuries. While I know I'm close to my genetic limit I'm okay with it. However I have not lost motivation because I like the results and I don't like the alternative.

The thing about hitting my genetic limit naturally is that I don't have to worry about losing my gains after getting off of something. I just keep lifting heavy and eating enough protein (along with getting enough sleep and keeping stress low) and I'll stay jacked the rest of my life. No trt needed.

I know it's tough for people who have used gear to transition back but I'm glad you're finally considering getting off it. You'll probably have to take trt now since your hormone production will probably be fucked for a while. But I have a feeling that if you scale back the heavy lifting, do more cardio and do it with a normal test level you'll still be in pretty good shape, look good and feel much better.
 
Brampton_Boy said:
Weight lifting has played a massive part of my life - for the past 23 years, I have dedicated myself to the routine of going to the gym, and at my peak, I was a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter. At one point, I weighed 293lbs and had tried virtually every steroid under the sun.

I recently turned 39, and I've noticed that my passion for training has fallen off a cliff. I use to get so excited to go to the gym - it was a social hub and my "happy place", but over the years it has become an inconvenience - something I have to do in order to look a certain way. Because of some pretty severe injuries, I'm in constant pain, and the lifts I used to love to do (bench, OHP, squat) I can no longer do. I'm still "strong", but I find myself navigating towards machines and full body workouts.

As of now, I am about 235lbs, still on a mild cycle, and training 3-4 days per week. My plan as I enter my 40s is to switch over to TRT, drop to 200lbs, and just focus on being really lean - I have a decent amount of equipment at home, and will try and focus on lifting for general muscle maintenance and some mobility.

This is actually a surprisingly difficult decision to make, as for my entire adult life, I was known as the "big guy", and so much of my identity was tied to my physical appearance. The last real "cycle" I did was back in the late summer (I stacked Tren and Superdrol), and I felt like absolute garbage), When I was in my 20s and early 30s I could get away with taking anything, but now, I just can't endure the abuse/toxicity.

I know there are alot of other lifters on here, and I would love to hear your thoughts as to how you transitioned you training and approach as you got older.
Click to expand...
Isn't 40 too young for TRT?

I am similar in that I've spent decades at the gym. This year, I stopped going to the gym for about four months for similar reasons. After four months, during a summer vacation, I used my hotel's gym and started enjoying it again.

Now I go five times a week. However, I have removed the big lifts like deadlifts and squats. I replaced it with lifts I can do quickly that has less stress on the back. I pair this with a lot of light cardio to maintain mobility.
 
Im not entirely sure why a 50 year old man would be scared of deadlifts and squats other than preexisting injury.
 
Brampton_Boy said:
Weight lifting has played a massive part of my life - for the past 23 years, I have dedicated myself to the routine of going to the gym, and at my peak, I was a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter. At one point, I weighed 293lbs and had tried virtually every steroid under the sun.

I recently turned 39, and I've noticed that my passion for training has fallen off a cliff. I use to get so excited to go to the gym - it was a social hub and my "happy place", but over the years it has become an inconvenience - something I have to do in order to look a certain way. Because of some pretty severe injuries, I'm in constant pain, and the lifts I used to love to do (bench, OHP, squat) I can no longer do. I'm still "strong", but I find myself navigating towards machines and full body workouts.

As of now, I am about 235lbs, still on a mild cycle, and training 3-4 days per week. My plan as I enter my 40s is to switch over to TRT, drop to 200lbs, and just focus on being really lean - I have a decent amount of equipment at home, and will try and focus on lifting for general muscle maintenance and some mobility.

This is actually a surprisingly difficult decision to make, as for my entire adult life, I was known as the "big guy", and so much of my identity was tied to my physical appearance. The last real "cycle" I did was back in the late summer (I stacked Tren and Superdrol), and I felt like absolute garbage), When I was in my 20s and early 30s I could get away with taking anything, but now, I just can't endure the abuse/toxicity.

I know there are alot of other lifters on here, and I would love to hear your thoughts as to how you transitioned you training and approach as you got older.
Click to expand...
At 51, I’m right there with you. Heavy lifting is leaving me more hurt than healthy. So much other stuff I’d rather do than work out nowadays.
 
Brampton_Boy said:
Weight lifting has played a massive part of my life - for the past 23 years, I have dedicated myself to the routine of going to the gym, and at my peak, I was a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter. At one point, I weighed 293lbs and had tried virtually every steroid under the sun.

I recently turned 39, and I've noticed that my passion for training has fallen off a cliff. I use to get so excited to go to the gym - it was a social hub and my "happy place", but over the years it has become an inconvenience - something I have to do in order to look a certain way. Because of some pretty severe injuries, I'm in constant pain, and the lifts I used to love to do (bench, OHP, squat) I can no longer do. I'm still "strong", but I find myself navigating towards machines and full body workouts.

As of now, I am about 235lbs, still on a mild cycle, and training 3-4 days per week. My plan as I enter my 40s is to switch over to TRT, drop to 200lbs, and just focus on being really lean - I have a decent amount of equipment at home, and will try and focus on lifting for general muscle maintenance and some mobility.

This is actually a surprisingly difficult decision to make, as for my entire adult life, I was known as the "big guy", and so much of my identity was tied to my physical appearance. The last real "cycle" I did was back in the late summer (I stacked Tren and Superdrol), and I felt like absolute garbage), When I was in my 20s and early 30s I could get away with taking anything, but now, I just can't endure the abuse/toxicity.

I know there are alot of other lifters on here, and I would love to hear your thoughts as to how you transitioned you training and approach as you got older.
Click to expand...

Have you checked your T levels, you might be suffering from low T........

Sorry I couldn't help myself........
 
FyrFytr998 said:
At 51, I’m right there with you. Heavy lifting is leaving me more hurt than healthy. So much other stuff I’d rather do than work out nowadays.
Click to expand...

As I said up-thread; if you're injured or burned out with lifting heavy, change your focus. You don't have to stop training, you just have to develop a program that suits your goals and limitations.

My PT is a Powerlifter who's competed at the international level. His Bench PR is around 500lbs. But as he said to me,

"If you're not going to compete in Powerlifting, don't train like a Powerlifter. The only things you have to worry about when choosing what exercises to do are: can you do them without injuring yourself and will they provide a strength stimulus".

If you don't want to lift barbells any more, there are plenty of alternatives. Calisthenics, Weight Vest, Kettlebells etc.
 
Brampton_Boy said:
Weight lifting has played a massive part of my life - for the past 23 years, I have dedicated myself to the routine of going to the gym, and at my peak, I was a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter. At one point, I weighed 293lbs and had tried virtually every steroid under the sun.

I recently turned 39, and I've noticed that my passion for training has fallen off a cliff. I use to get so excited to go to the gym - it was a social hub and my "happy place", but over the years it has become an inconvenience - something I have to do in order to look a certain way. Because of some pretty severe injuries, I'm in constant pain, and the lifts I used to love to do (bench, OHP, squat) I can no longer do. I'm still "strong", but I find myself navigating towards machines and full body workouts.

As of now, I am about 235lbs, still on a mild cycle, and training 3-4 days per week. My plan as I enter my 40s is to switch over to TRT, drop to 200lbs, and just focus on being really lean - I have a decent amount of equipment at home, and will try and focus on lifting for general muscle maintenance and some mobility.

This is actually a surprisingly difficult decision to make, as for my entire adult life, I was known as the "big guy", and so much of my identity was tied to my physical appearance. The last real "cycle" I did was back in the late summer (I stacked Tren and Superdrol), and I felt like absolute garbage), When I was in my 20s and early 30s I could get away with taking anything, but now, I just can't endure the abuse/toxicity.

I know there are alot of other lifters on here, and I would love to hear your thoughts as to how you transitioned you training and approach as you got older.
Click to expand...
Keep going. With age, it's even more important. I look around and I see fat AF slobs. Absolutely disgusting.

I'm not your age. I saw Zyzz' bro on a pod talking about how he switched from PRs to reps with age. It's not worth a rekt shoulder, back, knee, whatever?

Maybe transition to calisthenics. I started to use gymnastic rings and calisthenics through lockdown measures in scamdemic. When I get to your age and up or middle age, I want to be jacked. I want to be a 60 year old bastard and a silver fox, perfect hair, and fit AF. I am also a lifetime bachelor and out in these streets.

<Moves> I don't see that ever changing so, it keeps me on the grind. When dating, I always put my mma, gym, fitness ahead of that, and know it's all temporary before returning back to the streets.
<Lmaoo>
 
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