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Convince me to keep squatting

ElevenBravo77

Veteran Member
EVO V.I.P.
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I was an athlete when I was younger, I've worked out my whole life and I spent quite a few years power lifting. So squatting has always been a major part of my training routine.

I've had some injuries along the way including a broken hip playing football, a bad knee and back from a military accident as well as several tears, sprains and a torn labrum. Despite this I have always continued to push hard and lift heavy.

As I'm hitting my mid 40s I do feel like it is catching up with me. I have great form after years of squatting but I get concerning aches and pains beyond typical muscle fatigue and I'm starting to question the risk vs reward of squatting given my age and medical history.

Surely at some point in life throwing hundreds of pounds across your shoulders and going ass to grass doesn't have the benefit it once did and may longer be worth the risk. Maybe I'm at that point.

I'd like to hear from those in similar situations and whether or not you continue to squat.
 
I was an athlete when I was younger, I've worked out my whole life and I spent quite a few years power lifting. So squatting has always been a major part of my training routine.

I've had some injuries along the way including a broken hip playing football, a bad knee and back from a military accident as well as several tears, sprains and a torn labrum. Despite this I have always continued to push hard and lift heavy.

As I'm hitting my mid 40s I do feel like it is catching up with me. I have great form after years of squatting but I get concerning aches and pains beyond typical muscle fatigue and I'm starting to question the risk vs reward of squatting given my age and medical history.

Surely at some point in life throwing hundreds of pounds across your shoulders and going ass to grass doesn't have the benefit it once did and may longer be worth the risk. Maybe I'm at that point.

I'd like to hear from those in similar situations and whether or not you continue to squat.

If you need convincing then you probably shouldn’t be. I personally as a Pro Bodybuilder don’t ever back squat. Many better options for quad growth like pendulum squats and hack squats since I have limited mobility in my hips and ankles which shifts the focus off my quads and recruits more glutes and lower back for me. It’s hard on my lower back and being taller at 6’3 makes it even harder to go hamstrings to calves to have the most knee flexion and full rom for my quads. If you are power lifter then I can see why it’s harder to move away but if you aren’t competing anymore what’s the point! Longevity and health should be more important than ego lifting.
 
i pounded my body throughout my 20's and 30's the same way. ended up with a torn rotator cuff and atleast 3 herniated discs

steroid use makes the problem worse.

lack of mobility and flexibility makes the problem worse

the more you weight train and use steroids the worse both of those things yet and the more likely you are to get injuries, and if you train heavy like we all love to do injuries are going to happen. if i knew then what i knew now i would have been more patient

my advice now is treat the weight room more carefulluy, don't lift heavy, don't lift if it hurts. spend the next year improving your mobility and flexibility. yoga, yoga, and more yoga. pilates too.

with squats you don't need them to build strong legs. but try just lifting the bar and see what you feel. if it feels okay then add weight. if it doesn't then leave the squat rack

lunges are a good alternative and work very well.

i was very sad when my doctor/PT said "you will never lift heavy again". but by then i was so sick of the numb fingers, the inflammation going down my arm, the tight neck etc that was i willing to accept it and move on. you don't need to throw around weights like a gorilla to get a nice body
 
You don't have to go as heavy or as deep as when you were trying to get as big and strong as possible. But ya gotta squat.
 
I gave them up a few years ago at 39 for the most part. Once a week I will do a few sets of 15-20 with 135. I do this because for some reason it makes my lower back hurt less. Its almost like a stretching routine. I use hack squats as my big quad movement. I don't lift heavy at all anymore. I'm not near as big as I used to be but at 5'10" and a lean 180 I still look better than 99% of men my age and put a lot less stress on my body.
 
Box squats. With a hurt. Hip and the injuries you sustained over the years they might be the best thing for you start 3-4 inches above parallel and work your way down to parallel if you can great! If not find a depth at which you can hit without pain if you can well you can still squat. Box squats are less sheer force on your knees and you you can recover better, don’t just plop on the box control yourself not a touch and go either. If you have use of a safety squat bar I highly recommend the yoke bar from elite fts it’s by far the best one on the market, iv owned one for 7 years no wear and I use it a lot for lunges, distance walking with a load, good mornings of all types, but if your not picky any SSB will do. Good luck you machine.
 
I was an athlete when I was younger, I've worked out my whole life and I spent quite a few years power lifting. So squatting has always been a major part of my training routine.

I've had some injuries along the way including a broken hip playing football, a bad knee and back from a military accident as well as several tears, sprains and a torn labrum. Despite this I have always continued to push hard and lift heavy.

As I'm hitting my mid 40s I do feel like it is catching up with me. I have great form after years of squatting but I get concerning aches and pains beyond typical muscle fatigue and I'm starting to question the risk vs reward of squatting given my age and medical history.

Surely at some point in life throwing hundreds of pounds across your shoulders and going ass to grass doesn't have the benefit it once did and may longer be worth the risk. Maybe I'm at that point.

I'd like to hear from those in similar situations and whether or not you continue to squat.

Gotta be honest if you need convincing maybe don't squat.

I stopped squatting under the bar because I had neck injuries.

These days I do ALL leg work on machines with curls hacksquats etc all machines and controlled, can't do squats anymore.

If you have injuries or accidents better not squat IMO.
 
bro i broke my back and kept squatting anyway, peoples need to man up and stop being puzzy

For a change I agree. I was on my ass for 16 weeks with a back issue and I squat more now
 
If you need convincing then you probably shouldn’t be. I personally as a Pro Bodybuilder don’t ever back squat. Many better options for quad growth like pendulum squats and hack squats since I have limited mobility in my hips and ankles which shifts the focus off my quads and recruits more glutes and lower back for me. It’s hard on my lower back and being taller at 6’3 makes it even harder to go hamstrings to calves to have the most knee flexion and full rom for my quads. If you are power lifter then I can see why it’s harder to move away but if you aren’t competing anymore what’s the point! Longevity and health should be more important than ego lifting.

You're right bro, I have absolutely nothing to prove to anyone and I'm not competing or making money off this shit. I'm more concerned with my overall health and being in good shape. I'm sure I'll continue to squat in some capacity but not as frequently or as heavy as I have in the past.

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i pounded my body throughout my 20's and 30's the same way. ended up with a torn rotator cuff and atleast 3 herniated discs

steroid use makes the problem worse.

lack of mobility and flexibility makes the problem worse

the more you weight train and use steroids the worse both of those things yet and the more likely you are to get injuries, and if you train heavy like we all love to do injuries are going to happen. if i knew then what i knew now i would have been more patient

my advice now is treat the weight room more carefulluy, don't lift heavy, don't lift if it hurts. spend the next year improving your mobility and flexibility. yoga, yoga, and more yoga. pilates too.

with squats you don't need them to build strong legs. but try just lifting the bar and see what you feel. if it feels okay then add weight. if it doesn't then leave the squat rack

lunges are a good alternative and work very well.

i was very sad when my doctor/PT said "you will never lift heavy again". but by then i was so sick of the numb fingers, the inflammation going down my arm, the tight neck etc that was i willing to accept it and move on. you don't need to throw around weights like a gorilla to get a nice body

Thanks Steve, I agree. I used to be more concerned with how much I could lift than I was looks, joint health or anything else. It was all about the totals and putting big numbers on the board.

Today, its more about looking good, feeling good and longevity. Being as active for as long as I can. I dont want to be one of the broke down guys who can barely get off the coach by 50-60 because they have bad hips, knees, back, etc.

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You don't have to go as heavy or as deep as when you were trying to get as big and strong as possible. But ya gotta squat.

Yea, I can't imagine giving up squats completely but I'll most likely mix in more variations and not go as heavy.
 
bro i broke my back and kept squatting anyway, peoples need to man up and stop being puzzy

I usually ignore your useless comments but I'll reply to this one.

For one, if worrying about health, quality of life and longevity make you a pussy then I guess I'm a pussy.

Second, I never said I have quit squatting and for the record I still squat twice my body weight for reps even though I don't go as heavy as I used to and haven't tested 1rm in over a year.
 
I personally like hack squats better

I've been working hack squats into my routine more and I really like them

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With previous injuries like that, I actually would not convince you to keep squatting. I would actually utilize different isolation exercises.

I'll probably keep squatting to some extent but not nearly as heavy and it will no longer be the core of my leg workout. Yesterday I did several warm up sets at 135 and then just squatted 225x12x4 for the volume and burn. I also went to parallel as opposed to ass to grass.

Overall the workout felt a lot better and I dont have the aches and pains I normally do after heavy squats
 
I'm 56 and haven't squatted in many years. You can get just as good of a quad workout w leg press and hacks. You can build killer legs w those two exercises. Just ask Dorian Yates.

And both movements are back supported which certainly help me at my age and my height - 6' 3".
 
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