It's kind of a double punch with injuries, shout out to you older guys working with injuries and staying positive. My body isn't 100% then my mind isn't 100% then I'm giving it like 50% in the gym and not happy about it. This year has been the biggest struggle for me yet in regards to lifting. That whole saying "15% of it is mental" I think should be higher.
There are days where the pain is so minimal where I feel excellent and almost 100%. That doesn't mean I slip[ back into old training routines or exercises I know that fuck me up. If anything, dealing with injuries makes one train smarter.
I don't do deadlifts anymore unless it's with the trap bar. I've stopped doing squats unless it's the machine, plate loaded hammer strength ones. I've stopped flat benching.
I do go through a strength phase every fall/winter which I begin in December and run through February. But even with that I am careful with exercise selection and prefer plate loaded machines over free weights.
I'm more about body sculpting these days instead of raw power. After all, it's bodybuilding not power lifting.
I sat and thought about this one most of the day here’s my conclusion.
If you’re a serious lifter and train hard I don’t believe after a few years you’re ever truly at 100%. I mean the first few years ya you’re alright because you haven’t abused your body long enough for it to fight back.
I think it’s just the nature of our sport/hobby. Every day we are breaking down our bodies so it rebuilds itself bigger and stronger. At some point it’s going to start to fight back against the abuse. I don’t know a single lifter that truly trains hard that doesn’t have something nagging them at one point or another.
Dave Tate in one of his pod casts said something along the lines of power lifting longevity is only up to how long your body will withstand the wear and tear. Some of us lift heavy and work manual labour and really abuse the hell out of ourselves.
That being said if you truly love to do this, you’ll find a way to work around your bodies rebellion.