Social I think I'm quitting the gym

[Possum Jenkins]

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.

Like a lot of people, I just started lifting less weight. For example, I used to routinely squat 275 for reps but now I rarely go above 255. I also used to do 8+ sets of whatever body part I was doing that day, now I'm good with 4 or 6 at most.

The ligaments and tendons just can't take the stress.

The good thing is that if you've been lifting for years, you won't lose much muscle mass, as long as your keep your diet on point (high brotein). Of course, this is for "regular people," for competitive lifters, bodybuilders or whatever, then yeah, you'll see a pretty big difference.

 

[mixmastermo]

You either do TRT for life or you do not do TRT at all.

Question- I've been amazed at how athletes, fighters, etc. get REALLY FAT after just a few months of not training or competing. Is this cuz they get off the gear and their bodies turn to mush?

As I stated previously, I had a health issue and wasn't able to train for years. I did gain weight but never got to this level... DAMN

 

[ChickenBrother]

Question- I've been amazed at how athletes, fighters, etc. get REALLY FAT after just a few months of not training or competing. Is this cuz they get off the gear and their bodies turn to mush?

As I stated previously, I had a health issue and wasn't able to train for years. I did gain weight but never got to this level... DAMN

As a nobody who's trained combat sports and lifted weights for more than 30 years, I believe that competing at a high level in MMA or any combat sport that involves frequent weight cutting (i.e. college wrestling) is an excellent way to fuck up your metabolism and endocrine system. It's a perfect storm of sustained overtraining/under recovery, accumulated injuries, caloric deficit and pressure to use PEDs. There's a good chance your body will be a trainwreck when you get off that treadmill.

And there's also the mental aspect. Guys who have been doing that shit at that level for years get burned out and just don't want to train anymore.

 

[Thepaintbucket]

You have been driving a Ferrari like half your life and now you got to go back to your Honda civic. So in your case you would rather walk then drive your old trusty Honda Civic.

Bodybuilding is one of those pursuits which requires a high degree of narcissism to stay motivated and you wouldn't be the first person to come across this issue.

Maybe a break is good and maybe in the future you might be able to find other ways to be motivated to stay active

 

[mixmastermo]

As a nobody who's trained combat sports and lifted weights for more than 30 years, I believe that competing at a high level in MMA or any combat sport that involves frequent weight cutting (i.e. college wrestling) is an excellent way to fuck up your metabolism and endocrine system. It's a perfect storm of sustained overtraining/under recovery, accumulated injuries, caloric deficit and pressure to use PEDs. There's a good chance your body will be a trainwreck when you get off that treadmill.

And there's also the mental aspect. Guys who have been doing that shit at that level for years get burned out and just don't want to train anymore.

Interesting, thanks.

I think in Rampages case he just didn't have the drive any more. I vaguely remember that the most motivated he ever was when he fought Dan Henderson. He looked up to GSP for having the kind of motivation he didn't have. A shame really

 

[pakimahi]

Mix it up. Do something else that ll keep you active and give new goals. Like an out calisthenics routine. Otherwise shit might just start to fall apart slowly, iver the next few years

 

[My Spot]

Interesting, thanks.

I think in Rampages case he just didn't have the drive any more. I vaguely remember that the most motivated he ever was when he fought Dan Henderson. He looked up to GSP for having the kind of motivation he didn't have. A shame really

Rampage tried to cut 27 lbs for his last (or one of his last) UFC fights and missed weight by 6 lbs. Not that bad though compared to what guys like Rumble used to cut.

 

[ChickenBrother]

Interesting, thanks.

I think in Rampages case he just didn't have the drive any more. I vaguely remember that the most motivated he ever was when he fought Dan Henderson. He looked up to GSP for having the kind of motivation he didn't have. A shame really

I think to get to the highest level of anything, you have to do it way past the point that it's fun. Like 24/7. Rampage had a great run and was one of the best - yeah his title defense against Hendo was probably peak Rampage. But guys like GSP, Anderson, Fedor, Mighty Mouse, Jones who had the fucking iron will and drive to stay at that level for years and years.

 

[Brampton_Boy]

It does not seem like you are trading gym for lying on the couch gulping down milkshakes, you will still be a big man in good shape. I suggest you focus on something else that gives you joy and leave fitness as a tool for your body to not fall apart. Any hobbies you got @Brampton_Boy ?

I used to love building computers and recently got into cars. I can definitely see myself investing more time in the latter hobby, as I finally have the money to pursue it as a legitimate interest. Most of my life I drove beaters, but after buying a Camaro in '17, I finally started to understand how much fun a past time it could be.

This is somewhat of a random tangent, but my love for video games and computers also dissipated with age. I get nostalgic watching Youtube retro-channels talking about things like the Sega Saturns, or games from the 90s and early 2000s. I used to spend HOURS fiddling with computers - while I miss the time, I just can't seem to get back into it. I played the latest Starfield game for like 15 minutes, and then never touched it again.

 

[EL CORINTHIAN]

Well yeah. It's just weird to try to be a huge steroid guy when you're over 40. I mean it's kind of weird at any age, but trying to keep it up over 40 is just strain on your joints and heart for no real payoff.

This is it right here. Constantly running that sort of gear is risky past a certain age. It isn't as fun anymore when your in the normal ranges I could imagine.

Not to take away from @Brampton_Boy and his accomplishments but being a geared lifter vs a natural one is a completely different ball game. Again, not to take away the accomplishments, but it's like playing with cheat codes.

Being a natural forces you to adapt to a more long term outlook. I find there's more precision involved as well. One bad night drinking? You'll feel it. One or two sleepless nights? There goes the week. Injured yourself? Heal at the rate of a normie. Wanna put on more muscle? Contend with 1-3lbs a year (if your lucky) after the intermediate stages.

My advice? Embrace incrementalism. You weren't addicted to the journey, just the results. Be addicted to the process.

 

[Satsui Ryu]

My motivation to lift tanked pretty hard when I hit 39 to 40. Between life's responsibilities, more concern about injuries, and knowing my days of significant gains are probably behind me it took the wind out of my sails for lifting. I still try to do it consistently, but it's not with the same gusto I had before. These days I am a little more focused on just staying lean rather than chasing lifting numbers.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Question- I've been amazed at how athletes, fighters, etc. get REALLY FAT after just a few months of not training or competing. Is this cuz they get off the gear and their bodies turn to mush?

As I stated previously, I had a health issue and wasn't able to train for years. I did gain weight but never got to this level... DAMN

I think a lot of times this is people who no longer train not adjusting the amount they eat accordingly.

 

[ssBaldy]

I used to love building computers and recently got into cars. I can definitely see myself investing more time in the latter hobby, as I finally have the money to pursue it as a legitimate interest. Most of my life I drove beaters, but after buying a Camaro in '17, I finally started to understand how much fun a past time it could be.

This is somewhat of a random tangent, but my love for video games and computers also dissipated with age. I get nostalgic watching Youtube retro-channels talking about things like the Sega Saturns, or games from the 90s and early 2000s. I used to spend HOURS fiddling with computers - while I miss the time, I just can't seem to get back into it. I played the latest Starfield game for like 15 minutes, and then never touched it again.

I wouldn't touch Starfield with a 6 foot pole.
Cars are cool. I mean, anything that requires some activity, brings you joy and consumes time will do, it's up to you.

 

[mixmastermo]

I think a lot of times this is people who no longer train not adjusting the amount they eat accordingly.

Ok true.. but guys that are used to training hard burn calories really quickly, even if they eat a lot and skip training for a while. They'll put on weight.. but these examples are rather abnormal.

I believe @ChickenBrother broke this down really well- endocrine system and metabolism being affected.

 

[EL CORINTHIAN]

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.

I'm 35 and have been training since I was 14. It hasn't been two decades of perfect training or anything like that. Lots of fucking around and misinformation with some injuries in the mix.

As I've aged I've changed my priorities from aesthetics to strength. This forces me to be smarter with how my training is organized, a lot more emphasis on recovery, perfecting nutrition and just being more intuitive.

I have a life time goal of going fullstuerker by lifting the Hussafel stone and walking it around the pen once. The likely hood of me actually doing that is extremely low but I'll die trying.

I also want to travel the world and partake in all the stone lifting traditions. From Iceland to Scotland to Spain to Japan. We are apart of a community and I take pride in knowing I've spent as much time as I have acquiring that membership.

 

[Phlog]

Have you considered rock climbing? Power to weight ratio, grip strength etc. Some of those cats are insane.

 

[4daLuLZ]

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.

You’d think after such a long relationship, the gym would gift you an iPad …..or even some candlesticks.

 

[rearnakedchoke]

Jeez man. What do cycles like that do to you? Can you produce your own test at this point?

 

[Cole train]

Have you considered rock climbing? Power to weight ratio, grip strength etc. Some of those cats are insane.

At international level they pull off some spiderman shit

 

[mixmastermo]

At international level they pull off some spiderman shit

Nice vid

Today I learned there is a climbing channel...