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Do you old fuckers still squat?

JaceBon

JaceBon

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Get Shredded!
I’m not quite in the over 40 club but I’m just curious how many of you gave up squatting? I’ve been having some troubles in the past 2 years with my upper back/shoulders and just holding the fucking bar on my back kills me.

I’m debating on going to physical therapy to see if they can help me or if I should just chalk it up as “fuck it, I’m getting too old for this”. I still have strong legs and can leg press a house, but squatting 405 is damn difficult for my upper body. What’s everyone’s thoughts?
 
I am 41 and I still do squats. I use the smith machine now. Last year when I was still squatting with free weights I decided not to wear my slingshot knee sleeves. I wanted to build up more of my stability without the sleeves. Anyway, I developed a baker’s cyst in my left knee, I thought I had pulled my calf muscle and I walked (hobbled) around at work for 3 weeks and cut a tree off my roof that had fallen from one of the hurricanes that hit our area last year. When I finally got a doctors appointment I had an ultrasound on my leg and they said I ruptured the fluid sack in my knee. The doctor asked me how long did I stay off my feet, I said I didn’t, I just took the pain. Needless to say he said if it happens again stay off the knee, LOL! But who else was going to go to work for me and cut the tree that had fallen on my roof?
 
Superbox said:
I am 41 and I still do squats. I use the smith machine now. Last year when I was still squatting with free weights I decided not to wear my slingshot knee sleeves. I wanted to build up more of my stability without the sleeves. Anyway, I developed a baker’s cyst in my left knee, I thought I had pulled my calf muscle and I walked (hobbled) around at work for 3 weeks and cut a tree off my roof that had fallen from one of the hurricanes that hit our area last year. When I finally got a doctors appointment I had an ultrasound on my leg and they said I ruptured the fluid sack in my knee. The doctor asked me how long did I stay off my feet, I said I didn’t, I just took the pain. Needless to say he said if it happens again stay off the knee, LOL! But who else was going to go to work for me and cut the tree that had fallen on my roof?
Click to expand...

Real man right here!!
 
Can’t believe I didn’t even consider the smith... That’s a pretty good idea. Even if I have trouble getting my arms in place I can damn bear squat without holding it and just kinda shift forward to lock it back in. Thanks for sharing superbox

Of course I wanna hear from more of you, too
 
I've run into a knee tendon/ligament thing these days. (Age 55).
It pisses me off because I love squatting. Haven't been able to do it properly in the last 6 months. Fearing its arthritis.

However, leg-presses are OK (though I cant load 'em up like I would want to) but I just do more reps.
Im hoping I can SQ again in the near future and this is just an injury taking a while to heal.

I will find out I guess... Aging blows...
 
I’m 41, had a knee replacement in 2013, smith machine squat only after some pre exhaust sets to lower the poundage needed
 
Im 43. i stopped squatting at 39 when I tore my quad 100% off and had to have it reattached w kevlar and still have a broken drill bit in my knee. About a year later, after PT for a year I started lightly again.

It has been a few years now and my quad is still super tight, still smaller then before.

I start w 95lbs, go to 135, then 185 and stop at 225lbs now. All super deep and I like to rep 20 reps.

I do more leg presses and leg extensions since the injury though.

What's sad is that my squat used to be 785lbs at a weight of 220?

I will say this, for kicks and giggles I have thrown on 315-405 after the injury and tried a single in a rack. The weight goes up with super ease, though at the top of the lockout, my damaged leg shakes like Mohammed Ali at a birdfeeder LOL.

So I do believe in muscle memory and my power is still there. I just can't unleash it for fear of injury.

Oh well, what can you do, not getting any younger.

Even in my best days lifting I was doing 315-405 for reps of 20 and my legs were absolutely massive My legs were not as big when I was doing heavy singles.
 
39 still squat when my knee let's me. Just kneed(dad joke) to get some knee sleeves and I'll be good to go. I'm just a cheap bastard with an expensive wife and kids so what I want and need get put on the back burner
 
I'm 60. I was never a huge squatter but use to handle 450 for sets of 8-10 routinely. I had to take a long break from squats a few years back due to low back and knee issues. After doing a lot of stretching and other stuff I built up lower back and hips with ancillary movements and can squat now but I don't go over 225 for sets of 10-15. Wear and tear on the joints over the years limit.
 
I still squat, but don’t go over 225. These days it’s high reps 15-20. Smith machine, yes, leg press yes, leg extensions no.
 
42 and still squat and do A2G up to 20 reps at/around failure, but can't deadlift due to too many back injuries over the years.
 
Low back killed squats at 45..still do deads..
Risk vs.Reward

There are more exercises I had to stop that I used to love..
But..still lift..and still look great..
 
I’m definitely seeing a pattern here with the smith machine. I think I’ll try getting my back/shoulder loosened up the best I can with a lot of stretching but just squat on the smith the days my body isn’t cooperating. Thanks gentlemen!
 
JaceBon said:
Can’t believe I didn’t even consider the smith... That’s a pretty good idea. Even if I have trouble getting my arms in place I can damn bear squat without holding it and just kinda shift forward to lock it back in. Thanks for sharing superbox

Of course I wanna hear from more of you, too
Click to expand...

No problem brother! A lot of times when I do smith machine squats I don’t hold on to the bar. When I do leg presses I mainly like to do single leg and I vary the positions. Main reason for this is so I don’t have a side moving more of the weight and so I don’t have to load and unload a lot of weight.
 
Smith for me too but only a plate or two. The point is just to still do the movement for me, not really get any development any more. I would probably still squat at 58 ifmy pelvis weren’t unstable.
 
Unfortunately smith-machine for me makes no difference.
Knee joint still feels it in the same manner. Pain...
 
42, knee issues keeps me from going “ass to grass” but I do box squats in different heights, it keeps my knees from acting up and I can go as heavy as I want/can without pain.
 
Get Shredded!
I've been using a hack squat machine as I can no longer barbell squat due to lower back and knee issues, not to mention getting a stinger in my neck due to pressure the bar places on an old fracture in my neck and that has gotten worse over time.
 
I've doubled down on my squats recently. I used to just squat to shit. Now I do it when I piss. Not in public restrooms though...that's disgusting.
 
ReadyOnDeck said:
Not with two torn ACLs
...
Click to expand...
Ouch double bad that is...my left one is hanging by a thread even after all these years and too proud to get it fixed.
 
I had double knee replacements I recently started doing belt squats & leg presses, knees feel good on these exercises. I'm 53 so I dont go heavy just enough to get a good burn.
 
MindlessWork said:
Ouch double bad that is...my left one is hanging by a thread even after all these years and too proud to get it fixed.
Click to expand...

I've had 6 shoulder surgeries, 42 Epidurals in the neck and back, wicked back and neck surgery after being literally hit by a bus, a hernia, I won't even continue.

I'm grateful to be alive and have refused surgery on the lower half.. Guess we're "too proud boys”! But it’s getting to me
 
juiceddawg said:
I had double knee replacements I recently started doing belt squats & leg presses, knees feel good on these exercises. I'm 53 so I dont go heavy just enough to get a good burn.
Click to expand...

Good to hear positive results!! Ty
 
My body identifies at over 40, my brain not so much. However, I still squat … I was one of those guys that skipped leg day in my early years and picked it up as I got more experienced.

I will say this tho, last week I was doing some heavy t bar rows and felt a couple pops (like cracking your knuckles) starting in my lower spinal cord and traveling up into my mid back. Instantly I dropped the bar and slowly fell to the ground (old man style) and my lower back felt like someone took a sledgehammer to it. It’s been 4 days or so and I’m in pain still mostly when either going to sit down or getting up from sitting.

so needless to say I haven’t stepped foot in my gym since then. The one thing I was gonna say is, in my experience (possibly because my legs were so underdeveloped from my consistent dismissal of leg workouts) I had experienced large gains in leg development just using German volume training techniques in the squat rack. This way I could pick a lighter weight and make sure my form was top notch and go for broke on my squats. Starting my leg workouts off with hamstring curls also greatly reduces any discomfort from squatting as well.

then I finish it off with leg extension burnouts… which doesn’t take long after a 10x10 with a couple hundred pounds in the squat rack.

In my defense, in my early days I justified my lack of leg days due to playing year round in adult rec league sports. But I ain’t dead yet and I’m really hoping to turn things around this winter and get my motivation back.

But my back is fuckin killing me right now so I think I’m gonna scratch t bar rows off my routine from here on out.
 
Milford King said:
My body identifies at over 40, my brain not so much. However, I still squat … I was one of those guys that skipped leg day in my early years and picked it up as I got more experienced.

I will say this tho, last week I was doing some heavy t bar rows and felt a couple pops (like cracking your knuckles) starting in my lower spinal cord and traveling up into my mid back. Instantly I dropped the bar and slowly fell to the ground (old man style) and my lower back felt like someone took a sledgehammer to it. It’s been 4 days or so and I’m in pain still mostly when either going to sit down or getting up from sitting.

so needless to say I haven’t stepped foot in my gym since then. The one thing I was gonna say is, in my experience (possibly because my legs were so underdeveloped from my consistent dismissal of leg workouts) I had experienced large gains in leg development just using German volume training techniques in the squat rack. This way I could pick a lighter weight and make sure my form was top notch and go for broke on my squats. Starting my leg workouts off with hamstring curls also greatly reduces any discomfort from squatting as well.

then I finish it off with leg extension burnouts… which doesn’t take long after a 10x10 with a couple hundred pounds in the squat rack.

In my defense, in my early days I justified my lack of leg days due to playing year round in adult rec league sports. But I ain’t dead yet and I’m really hoping to turn things around this winter and get my motivation back.

But my back is fuckin killing me right now so I think I’m gonna scratch t bar rows off my routine from here on out.
Click to expand...


Got a good chiropractor?
 
Multislacking said:
Got a good chiropractor?
Click to expand...

nope lol

I had one (only two visits) but they chased him outta town. Too bad too cuz he had that cryogenic set up that I wanted to try. One thing I hate about chiropractors is how they schedule you for your next appointment before your first one is even completed. It’s like a pyramid scheme …. But… I may have to bite the bullet and find me another one soon.
 
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