People having issues coming back to training, or recuperation

[yannick35]

I really need to know this because its one of the reasons i wanna stay on low dose of testosterone.

My medical doctor lightly, told me that testosterone therapy can give you back the youth you had at 18.

He also told me that the body will recuperate faster after each weight training session. And most of the foods i eat will go directly into muscles again i say

From what i am reading on here TRT is not the fountain of youth that many beleive it to be. I did see some studies by my medical doctor of hip bone getting a lot stronger with testosterone. Bone density properties.

I also know that TRT is a very slow working protocol that might take a year or so to get full benefts.


I read an amazing post by a guy that i forgot is name, he posted the mistakes he made while starting TRT:

One that really stood out was the lifting too heavy, when starting TRT i remember that within the first 6 weeks my bench press had shoot up back to 220 pounds, but after reading this article i decided to back down also i am still injured sooooo.

Dieting was another strong point of is article.

Now i really need to know because i read all your post about this, and training.

You guys still train heavy? i remember between 1991 and 1994 high intensity training was in vogue, i was 19 at that time, and i tried this type of training, i got burned out after 6 weeks on it because it was too intense, i remember always being sick too.

So even without steroids and my young body filled with testosterone at that time i couldnt do that high intensity training.

Coming back from injury i know that i will be extra careful not to blow up my shoulders, knees of any body part.

I feel that growing older and still training heavy might be the perfect road to injury.

I started training with the listen to your body principle, if i do a training program that tells me to hit my triceps with 12 sets but after 6 sets i feel them pumped and good i stop. I don't kill myself training, and i get the same pump.

Could it be that some people push too hard to often and the body doesn't have time to recuperate?

[lovbyts]

We preach that all the time. Now if I practiced what I preach maybe I would not going in for shoulder surgery soon???

[yannick35]

We preach that all the time. Now if I practiced what I preach maybe I would not going in for shoulder surgery soon???

Yeah lovbyts this is the scary part, at least for me for being injured for so long i don't want to re-injure when i get fully repaired.

[JAMIE07652]

I didn't listen to the fine input given here and grabbed too much weight and injured myself a couple times last year . My muscles grew strong but your tendons take a while to catch up . Please just take it easy , move up in weight slowly and all will be golden ...

[bullshark99]

Been lifting for 25 yrs like many here, at the end of the day you need to listen to your body. I have escaped the "big" injury up to this point but at age 44 cant go as hard and heavy as i once could. Doesnt mean you cant change it up and go lighter more reps, still feel the burn.

[SEOINAGE]

No reason to go crazy on high volume sets and reps, and like jamie said muscles recuperate faster than everything else, so you want to slowly build up the weight. Personally I never really train to failure and I lift heavy. Going after the pump you mentioned really isn't the best indicator that you are training right, I can get a good pump by doing 50 repetitions of a light weight but it won't accomplish any of my lifting goals. I also include things that keep my hips and shoulders mobile, flexible, and healthy as well as the other small muscles strong.

[JAMIE07652]

Truth be told , I think its great at 50 that I have to be careful at the gym . I love the reborn me , this hrt is a godsend !

[APIs]

Lifting styles are very individual & people respond to them differently. I think you have to like lifting heavy to do it on a continual basis. While I can no longer max on bench every 3 to 4 weeks, I do enjoy pushing myself & staying heavy (70-80% of max) with my lifts. As we get older I feel it comes down to using proper form (i.e. not throwing weight around) and knowing/listening to one's body. We can continue to lift heavy, just need to be smart about it.

[Herman Munster]

I have this argument w/ myself after every injury, I am currently 3 days in to recuperating from a Pec tear/strain and am swearing off the big weights = big muscles mentality. I need to focus on being the fittest person in the gym and not the strongest – but how?

I Love lifting heavy it’s what I know, what I have done for years but I firmly believe it’s the reason behind my current and past injuries. I think back on my past 4 years of injuries and they are significant. A sports Hernia repair, Bicep repair, Arthritis in the AC joint, current Pec injury, Achilles tendonitis and numerous bouts of other forms tendonitis that have side lined me for days or weeks at a time. All that recuperation time is time lost from my goals, a never ending period of starting over – a defeatist cycle.

After each injury I always start out the same, swear I will focus on medium weight and high reps. But within 3-4 weeks, I am back to 6-8’s w/ an ending set of 3’s. I’m like an addict; maybe worse, I recognize the problem but can’t seem to change it.

I am going to take this recuperation time and read a little, find a weight lifting program I can manage and commit to cleaning up instead of getting thick.
However, I am appreciative that TRT has given me the ability to (at 44) push myself to strength gains, mass and desire to lift again. I just need to figure out how to do so efficiently.

[kelkel]

Lifting styles are very individual & people respond to them differently. I think you have to like lifting heavy to do it on a continual basis. While I can no longer max on bench every 3 to 4 weeks, I do enjoy pushing myself & staying heavy (70-80% of max) with my lifts. As we get older I feel it comes down to using proper form (i.e. not throwing weight around) and knowing/listening to one's body. We can continue to lift heavy, just need to be smart about it.

Well stated API. I stopped doing max attempts 20 years ago but still train with heavy weight for moderate reps with a quick pace throughout the workout = no cardio for me!

[bass]

Well stated API. I stopped doing max attempts 20 years ago but still train with heavy weight for moderate reps with a quick pace throughout the workout = no cardio for me!

i hate you!

[kelkel]

^^^^You've seen me squat Bass. Not too shabby for an old fvck!

[HRTstudent]

look at Dorian Yates... master of HIT... injuries ended his career...

take that for what's it worth, but if your goal is not pure strength then why train for it? Go for a rep range of 8-12 that you can complete with good form. Do smart exercises and, like you said, listen to your body. If one exercise causes pain, don't do it. What do you have to gain? Not much else than an injury.

Theres more than 1 way to skin a cat and theres more than 1 way to stay in good physical shape. Staying injury free is of course paramount.

[kelkel]

^^^Yes you are correct. I actually met him at the Arnold Classic years ago and we had breakfast with him. Very well spoken individual. I've often thought that some of these injuries occur due to fact that they can generate so much muscular force that their tendons and ligaments just can't keep up with it (a direct correlation to whats coursing through their veins.) Resulting in some of these pec/bi/tricep tears we see on these guys at that level. I highly recommend anyone attending the Arnold Classic if at all possible. Everyone who is anybody in bodybuilding, fitness, etc is there. I attended the very first one and then one a few years ago. Absolutely great.

And like HRT said, injury free is the key. I don't go below 6-8 reps on most exercises and legs are usually always double figures. You have to train within your own limitations, just realizing exactly what that is can be difficult and hard to accept, especially as we age....

[yannick35]

I understand what everyone is trying to say, yes ego it has issues. Right now i am back to high reps, i got another prolotherapy treatment yesterday and hurting like a b**tch, we added testosterone suspension to the mix it rocks.

Back to borning 2 sets of 20 reps to pump blood into the muscles.

The best shape i ever had was when i was lifting moderate weights, slower reps and going for forms.

I will have my own boot at the Arnold classics, since i am such a macho man, all the fitness babes will want to kiss fatty right here LOL.

God if i could only summon the courage to ask my GF to marry me....

[BillyBob210]

Whatever works for you. Ego left at the door (old saying). I don't try to increase my weight every single week like I used to. Now I just up the weight each set with what's comfortable enough to prevent injury. Incline bench: warm up with 20 @ 145 then add 10 lbs on each set, dropping 2 reps. Last set is 185 for 12. Superset with wide grip pullups for balance. Adjust as necessary. May do this for a month before changing. It's a marathon, not a race.....right? I like high reps, doesn't work for everyone. I am no power lifter, but I have a bud who is, he warms up with my max....Focker!

[JohnnyVegas]

I have never cared how much I can lift, and even after being back in the gym for a year (six years off with a back injury) I still consider myself weak. But, I push the maximum weight I can for as low as 4 reps. I take my working sets to failure.

My body changed quickly after beginning TRT and I started to lose body fat without even changing my diet. I started adding muscle as well. My theory is that my body changed into what it should be with the new, higher Test levels, but all growth after that required the diet and training.

I do try to listen to my body now that I am older, but I don't feel like I cannot push myself. I do all body parts once a week and don't seem to have any problems with recovery.

[yannick35]

I have never cared how much I can lift, and even after being back in the gym for a year (six years off with a back injury) I still consider myself weak. But, I push the maximum weight I can for as low as 4 reps. I take my working sets to failure.

My body changed quickly after beginning TRT and I started to lose body fat without even changing my diet. I started adding muscle as well. My theory is that my body changed into what it should be with the new, higher Test levels, but all growth after that required the diet and training.

I do try to listen to my body now that I am older, but I don't feel like I cannot push myself. I do all body parts once a week and don't seem to have any problems with recovery.

That is what i wanted to ear, great points too. I been on TRT for about 4 months and a half now but has you say not really training like i should. I cannot wait to start training again, i wont go super heavy but i will use a weight that will challenge me. Good thing is that my gym is all in my basement, my heaviest db set is 40 pounds and i dont plan on buying heavier ones. I got a leg press, adjustable benches, and a multi station.

I was also very interested in knowing if TRT did a huge difference, since i am not low T and far from it at 640.