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View Full Version : Getting old[er] , injuries returning to haunt me .


Desmond
10-04-2009, 01:07 AM
Summary : I recently turned 44 . I have been pretty active in the past but exercise slows down in the wet winter in New Zealand , 'old' injuries are returning after lying dormant .
At the age of around 39 I was doing a half deadlift with 400kg [ http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m300/dvdowns/me/pans4000072.jpg ] with no problems . One day at work , thinking I was invincible I took out a large metal object from a truck and turned around dropping it on the ground - sharp pain inside my hip on the right hand side . Feeling tough I still went to the gym but had to stop at 300kg because I couldn't take the pain anymore [ plain stupidity of course ] .
I stopped doing that and decided to just do cardio exercise to prevent further damage . That injury took a year to subside but now , 6 years later , it is suddenly hurting again .
It is spring now , I started doing a half hour walk around the farm , eventually narrowed it down to a 15 1/2 minute run and then went for a run with 2kg weights in my hands and possibly that woke up the injury which has been a dull 'hot' pain on the right hand side inside my hip close to my spine for about two weeks now .
About a year ago I posted here because my 25 year old ''golfers elbow'' injury was woken by a sharp jolt to my arm while holding something in a 'bicep curl ' position while someone smacked it with a hammer -the turbo , not my arm [ trying to separate a turbo housing ] .

It's scaring me - 2 years ago I hurt my knee from over-use while walking around a mountain with a heavy backpack , it took a year to recover .
Is it because I haven't really been doing much weight training or other activity besides the occasional walk ?
Why does my back start hurting when I start exercising again ? When I was picking up really heavy weights I never got injuries but when I slowed down with my exercise all the old injuries return to haunt me ?
It makes me scared because suddenly I start wondering how much longer I can keep climbing mountains and doing long hikes ..... I'm I getting hurt because I'm not strengthening my muscles enough ? How heavy can you train as you get 'older' ?
25 years ago I was an aerobics instructor , tomorrow [ Monday ] I'm going to go back and sign up at the gym for the first time in 5 years - I want to get stronger again but also don't want to overdo it as I have a tendency to do .

Heidi
10-05-2009, 10:43 AM
Hi
I think returning to the gym is a good idea.
If you stopped going several years ago and were then relatively sedentary since then, when you start exercising you have to be very careful to take things slowly and not think that you can start off at the same point as where you left off.

I would get a recommended personal trainer to do a programme for you, for general body conditioning. A mixture of cardio and relatively light weights. Get this reassessed every 4-6 weeks too.

But I think you will find it will do you the world of good, and definately enable you to continue with your mountain hiking for longer.

Good luck!

Desmond
10-05-2009, 06:51 PM
Thanks , I went back in last night . The push-ups I've been doing made a big difference because I managed to bench press 20 reps at 60 kg to start with , 12 on 70kg and 4 on 80 kg [ my bodyweight ] . I took it easy on all the other exercises , light dumbbell work for shoulders and arms , light leg work , squats with the bar only and I'm feeling good this morning , only slightly stiff . I'll do the cardio work on the farm here since it's an 'old style' bodybuilding gym .

Hi
I think returning to the gym is a good idea.
If you stopped going several years ago and were then relatively sedentary since then, when you start exercising you have to be very careful to take things slowly and not think that you can start off at the same point as where you left off.

I would get a recommended personal trainer to do a programme for you, for general body conditioning. A mixture of cardio and relatively light weights. Get this reassessed every 4-6 weeks too.

But I think you will find it will do you the world of good, and definately enable you to continue with your mountain hiking for longer.

Good luck!