Hard way or learn from others

[PFM]

As a lifer in the knucklehead class I've had allot of hard knocks. I am going to share something I cannot stress enough, especially us over 40's guys.

WARM UP!

I am a piss poor example at this, but I tell you: make warming up a habit now and save yourself from injury and possibly the joint pain I deal with everyday, every gym session 24-7.

WARM UP!

Force blood into the area about to be trained, hit 35 reps with a empty bar, add weight over a few sets and then get into your working sets. This adds about 5-7 minutes to my session. It's proving to be invaluable.

WARM UP!

If you are doing this and think to yourself "no shit Sherlock" that's great. But if you're guy like me, worked construction, always ready and just never felt like you needed to warm up (so you think) just take it from me..............

WARM UP!

CFM

 

[ccpro]

I'm learning this to be very true....good advice!!! I've started implementing very light weights on first sets.

 

[PFM]

I'm learning this to be very true....good advice!!! I've started implementing very light weights on first sets.

I cannot count the times I slapped 225 on bench and went right on adding from there.

Same with legs, two plates for squats to warm up.......now almost 50 years old......that wasn't smart and smart wins this game.

 

[Times Roman]

I am pretty careful with my warmups. 5minutes on a stationary to gget the blood pumping. then (don't laugh) i reach for the 5 lb dumbells and do sets of 15 reps of curls, reverse curls, delt flys, MP, and tricep curls. then i do it all over again at 12.5lb dumbells. then the 20lb barbell I do 15 twists, 15 goodmornings, and then i stretch my hamstrings by bending over and putting my head on my knees for 15 seconds.

this bbefore any routines.

all i'm really trying to do here is get the blood pumping, warm up the muscle tissue and tendons, and improve elasticity of the muscle fiber.

then i've learned to do pyramids, going light, not to failure, until i finally get to the apex at heavy, fail, and then fail on my drop sets.

it's about the only way i can do this and not hurt my 51 year old muscles.

 

[Popeye]

i reach for the 5 lb dumbells and do sets of 15 reps of curls, reverse curls, delt flys, mp, and tricep curls.

bahahhahahahahah......

 

[Times Roman]

bahahhahahahahah......

it probably does look strange a guy weighing 245 pulling up 5lb dumbells.......

oh well, better to look strange and avoid rehab, than to look cool sitting on the bench?

 

[grind4it]

Great advise. I also include a couple of minutes of stretching before my session. This includes warming up the rotator cuffs and any other joints involved in that days workout.

 

[IWannaGetBig]

Without a doubt I have to stretch and warmup prior to any serious weights. Mike, obviously there was a time when we were younger and thought we were invincible and needed to learn from our mistakes. Now we are older and wiser having 20/20 hindsight it all seems so obvious. This is good solid advice.

 

[BigGameHunter]

I like to do hyndu squats or push ups as a warm up along with jump rope really gets the blood going. Great advice Mike thanks.

 

[PFM]

Without a doubt I have to stretch and warmup prior to any serious weights. Mike, obviously there was a time when we were younger and thought we were invincible and needed to learn from our mistakes. Now we are older and wiser having 20/20 hindsight it all seems so obvious. This is good solid advice.

I cannot count the times I walked in the gym and nailed 315 cold for reps and thought I was cool as fuck. I feel that now, and it's no joke.

 

[BigGameHunter]

Mike what do you take for joint pain?

 

[ken Sass]

sound advise

 

[DF]

I agree with CFM on the warm up. Also as you get older you need to pay way more attention to what your body is feeling. When your young & maybe feel some pain ect... During a set we tend to continue on & plow thru the set. Doing this as you get older is setting yourself up for an injury & time out of the gym. While I'm doing my sets I am more in tune to what I'm feeling. Sometimes it's a pinch, pull, tweak. If it does not feel right I stop & access the problem. This is a lesson that I am learning over & over .... Lol. A lot of the time an injury will not start as pain. When I fucked up my shoulders a couple years ago. I was feeling a shit ton of burning in my shoulders. Two days later the pain started. That sucked balls.

So, spend more time warming up & listen to your body to avoid injury.

 

[Gstacker]

then (don't laugh) i reach for the 5 lb dumbells

Lol I can't bring myself to pick up a set of those chrome plated or worse yet pink dumbbells lmfao BUT I will do a bunch of sets using a 2.5# or 5# plate I prolly look just as lame hehe
I'm sure the youngsters are like wtf? They will see when they get up in age tho....

 

[Times Roman]

Lol I can't bring myself to pick up a set of those chrome plated or worse yet pink dumbbells lmfao BUT I will do a bunch of sets using a 2.5# or 5# plate I prolly look just as lame hehe
I'm sure the youngsters are like wtf? They will see when they get up in age tho....

It's funny. I see skinny kids come in and just hop on a station and slap on a few plates and go balls out for two sets then walk away. I'm moderately big, and the whole time, I'm warming up with these pvssy weights. They walk away, and I'm STILL warming up! For me, I've had three injuries in as many years, each taking six months to rehab. I have no problem grabbing the pvssy weights warming up if it means I don't have to go through another six month rehab session again.

 

[69nites]

I do a couple warmup sets. Never that light tho. On bench and squats I start with 1 plate for my warmup. For shoulder work I do some pansy weights tho.

 

[63Vette]

Guess what Times, I grab the fives first too... lol we have nearly identical warm ups...

I go very early in the morning and its the same people over and over (430am crew) so they are past the laughing and are starting to copy my (our) warm up routine.

Much respect,
Vette

 

[AlphaD]

Growing up, I was the one who just pounded my body/joints over an over again. Hell I remember in high school, the football weight room, just lifting as much as possible, NEVER good Form! Yeah those days are long gone.....Now I reaching 40 in 7 months, I have been listening to my body quite a bit in the weight room. Just two years ago I was pullin 415 in DL, but it was when I bent over in garage, reached and moved a box with my hand.....that laid me out for weeks with "severe lower muscle trauma!" strange how that shit happens as you get older.... So suffice say I warm-up thru various mechanics, such as foam rolling, light reps, lots of rotator exercises.......I want to be in game as long as some of you guys have been in it.....So thanks for the advice!

 

[Mind2muscle]

How can I say this nicely....I'm a bit younger than some of you guys BUT I have learned quite a bit throughout my years of natural training. Warming up is ESSENTIAL. If you cannot take the time to warm up then you don't belong in this game. I learned the hard way in my late teens and early twenties. Had a lower back injury and shoulder injury because I was not warming up properly. I'm 28 now and spend at least 10-15 minutes warming up. Today I did squats and started off doing 2 sets x 25 of bodyweight squats and then 2 sets of squats with just the bar as well as stretching etc. BTW hit a new PR!

 

[PFM]

Lots of great personal experience showing up in this thread, thanks fellow SI Brothers.