Gym Routine

[Rds1983]

19 hours ago, T-Dog said:

Ok, been a bit sporadic recently with my gym efforts, put a bit of timber back on, but still a long way from my heaviest.

Had a niggling knee injury for just over a week and it's one of them that nothing seems to shift it. Tried resting it, no joy. Tried stretching it, no joy. Ice, nope. Pain killers, not really. It's gradually eased off but it's definitely still there.

Didn't want to not train for another week, so popped down the gym this evening. The walk there, pain, 6/10 on the scale. Got there, got on the bike, absolutely fine. 45 mins at 65%, piece of cake. Hit a few resistance machines (no legs), all good. Tried the x-trainer, absolutely fine, 45 mins again at 65%, not one bit of pain.

Walked back from the gym, the second I stepped on the carpark, pain again. As bad as the way there. 

I'm not sure if working it out is going to do it better or worse, but it was a nice motivator to try and do a longer, slower session today, I must say.

May be posting in the 'Sickness and Health' thread tomorrow to say I've had leg lopped off.

How old are you and what are your lifts like from an intensity point of view (how much stress are you putting through your joints)?

When did you last take a rest/deload/de-stress week?

How good is your form? Does your knee cave in when squatting etc.

Edited September 11 by Rds1983

[T-Dog]

4 hours ago, Rds1983 said:

How old are you and what are your lifts like from an intensity point of view (how much stress are you putting through your joints)?

When did you last take a rest/deload/de-stress week?

How good is your form? Does your knee cave in when squatting etc.

41 - I'm off the free weights completely at the minute, main focus is cardio but at a good level of resistance or high interval stuff.

I went Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week, an hour on the x-trainer on Monday at about 80% MHR, bike for an hour on Tuesday at about 70%, and 45 mins on xtrainer on Wednesday at 60%, followed by a game of badminton after. The pain first started Tuesday (I think) and it wasn't too bad, just noticeable.

I gotta say it feels a lot better today, it looks like the monster cardio session yesterday might have actually done it some good. I'm still gonna stay off the weights for a bit, and probably stick with long and slow cardio for the timebeing.

[Rds1983]

5 minutes ago, T-Dog said:

41 - I'm off the free weights completely at the minute, main focus is cardio but at a good level of resistance or high interval stuff.

I went Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week, an hour on the x-trainer on Monday at about 80% MHR, bike for an hour on Tuesday at about 70%, and 45 mins on xtrainer on Wednesday at 60%, followed by a game of badminton after. The pain first started Tuesday (I think) and it wasn't too bad, just noticeable.

I gotta say it feels a lot better today, it looks like the monster cardio session yesterday might have actually done it some good. I'm still gonna stay off the weights for a bit, and probably stick with long and slow cardio for the timebeing.

I'm 41 as well but mainly do free weights. I've been lifting for 20 year's and have realised my joints just aren't what they were when I was younger.

I've mixed things up to compensate. I no longer do a push, pull, legs routine and just do full body routines two or three times a week and make sure I've had a rest day between. Sometimes take two or three rest days if needed.

I also use knee and elbow sleeves (not wraps), as the compression does help with keeping the joints warm and loose. I'll sometimes wear them after lifting too when I'm just relaxing.

Make sure you do a decent warm up (I do 5/10 mins on crosstrainer, followed by some kettlebell swings, followed by a few warm up sets before the main lift. I then do a warm down on the crosstrainer too. It adds time to the routine but without it I feel rough afterwards. I'm not 25 anymore and can't afford to abuse my body anymore.

I also try to include some yoga when I can.

Ligaments can be weird though and it could be that your joint is too loose. If it's your knee, do you have the smile line at the base of your thighs on the inside? That's a good way to check if you've got enough muscle to hold the joint together.

Might be worth seeing a physio if it keeps up.

 

[T-Dog]

32 minutes ago, Rds1983 said:

I'm 41 as well but mainly do free weights. I've been lifting for 20 year's and have realised my joints just aren't what they were when I was younger.

I've mixed things up to compensate. I no longer do a push, pull, legs routine and just do full body routines two or three times a week and make sure I've had a rest day between. Sometimes take two or three rest days if needed.

I also use knee and elbow sleeves (not wraps), as the compression does help with keeping the joints warm and loose. I'll sometimes wear them after lifting too when I'm just relaxing.

Make sure you do a decent warm up (I do 5/10 mins on crosstrainer, followed by some kettlebell swings, followed by a few warm up sets before the main lift. I then do a warm down on the crosstrainer too. It adds time to the routine but without it I feel rough afterwards. I'm not 25 anymore and can't afford to abuse my body anymore.

I also try to include some yoga when I can.

Ligaments can be weird though and it could be that your joint is too loose. If it's your knee, do you have the smile line at the base of your thighs on the inside? That's a good way to check if you've got enough muscle to hold the joint together.

Might be worth seeing a physio if it keeps up.

 

Great reply, thanks mate, really appreciate it.

I did consider sleeves and wraps, I had some ankle problems a few years back and found them to help, but I also had a lot of people telling me they did more damage than good, so I'm a bit torn on 'em now. I genuinely don't know if there's benefit or not.

I did wonder if it might be ligament damage, there's been no kind of swelling or anything like that, so with my limited knowledge of the human body, I assumed it might be a ligament thing.

What's the smile line? I've never really had trouble with my legs bar my ankle during covid, whilst I've never done a lot of weights on them, I've spent a long time playing football and running, so always felt like they're in good condition (until last week haha).

Thanks again chief.

[Rds1983]

28 minutes ago, T-Dog said:

Great reply, thanks mate, really appreciate it.

I did consider sleeves and wraps, I had some ankle problems a few years back and found them to help, but I also had a lot of people telling me they did more damage than good, so I'm a bit torn on 'em now. I genuinely don't know if there's benefit or not.

I did wonder if it might be ligament damage, there's been no kind of swelling or anything like that, so with my limited knowledge of the human body, I assumed it might be a ligament thing.

What's the smile line? I've never really had trouble with my legs bar my ankle during covid, whilst I've never done a lot of weights on them, I've spent a long time playing football and running, so always felt like they're in good condition (until last week haha).

Thanks again chief.

Smile line is what the physio called it when I had issues with it in my teens. It's basically the inside quad muscle of your thighs (the vastius medialis). See the picture below (No, theyre not my legs). It's basically the curved line (hence smile) on the top and inside of your knee and is a good way to see how well the muscle is developed. 

I had to do a load of exercises and conditioning work to develop the muscle properly as it was too weak and couldn't hold the knee together properly. But it could be anything really. My wife has knee issues as she has a bad gait when walking due to one foot being pronated.

I find sleeves work fine and are low risk. They're basically like wearing a wet suit or having a bandage on to support and compress. 

I wouldn't recommend knee wraps as that's something else entirely and can be dangerous. 

It could just be getting old and needing to take more active care of yourself. Thinking things through before doing it, eating/drinking properly and giving your body time to rest and recharge. As you're in your 40s now, your testosterone levels will likely have dropped and you won't recover like you did in your 20s and 30s.

 

[T-Dog]

3 minutes ago, Rds1983 said:

Smile line is what the physio called it when I had issues with it in my teens. It's basically the inside quad muscle of your thighs (the vastius medialis). See the picture below (No, theyre not my legs). It's basically the curved line (hence smile) on the top and inside of your knee and is a good way to see how well the muscle is developed. 

I had to do a load of exercises and conditioning work to develop the muscle properly as it was too weak and couldn't hold the knee together properly. But it could be anything really. My wife has knee issues as she has a bad gait when walking due to one foot being pronated.

I find sleeves work fine and are low risk. They're basically like wearing a wet suit or having a bandage on to support and compress. 

I wouldn't recommend knee wraps as that's something else entirely and can be dangerous. 

It could just be getting old and needing to take more active care of yourself. Thinking things through before doing it, eating/drinking properly and giving your body time to rest and recharge. As you're in your 40s now, your testosterone levels will likely have dropped and you won't recover like you did in your 20s and 30s.

 

Thanks again mate, I'll be microanalysing my nobblies in the mirror before I go to bed now

I didn't realise testosterone had that much impact on your recovery, that's very interesting. I eat naff food, but I tend to take in 150g of protein a day, eat about 2000 unless I'm doing a mega long cardio session, but it's rare I'm ever over 2000 net at the end of the day. 

I think I probably need to rethink my plan, maybe I'm trying to put too much through my joints atm, maybe drop resistance and work back up.

Thanks man

[Rds1983]

8 hours ago, T-Dog said:

Thanks again mate, I'll be microanalysing my nobblies in the mirror before I go to bed now

I didn't realise testosterone had that much impact on your recovery, that's very interesting. I eat naff food, but I tend to take in 150g of protein a day, eat about 2000 unless I'm doing a mega long cardio session, but it's rare I'm ever over 2000 net at the end of the day. 

I think I probably need to rethink my plan, maybe I'm trying to put too much through my joints atm, maybe drop resistance and work back up.

Thanks man

Fairly straightforward (compared to actual research papers) article you might find interesting. 

https://www.insidetracker.com/a/articles/does-testosterone-help-with-muscle-recovery

"Testosterone fights muscle breakdown by acting like a shield, protecting the fibers from damage and inflammation after exercise. This allows for faster repair and growth."

[T-Dog]

11 hours ago, Rds1983 said:

Fairly straightforward (compared to actual research papers) article you might find interesting. 

https://www.insidetracker.com/a/articles/does-testosterone-help-with-muscle-recovery

"Testosterone fights muscle breakdown by acting like a shield, protecting the fibers from damage and inflammation after exercise. This allows for faster repair and growth."

Top man thank you

[Rds1983]

22 hours ago, T-Dog said:

Top man thank you

To summarise it all I'd say focus on your recovery, take it slightly easier and be smart how you do things.

After a very heavy weight set earlier yesterday, my knees and legs felt like they were going to explode and fall off. 

But doing a warm down, stretching, and wearing some compression sleeves (good for lifting and recovery but maybe don't wear during cardio), today I feel absolutely fine.

I'd also recommend getting some toe separators to anyone. Your feet and toes get squished together by shoes (especially exercise ones) and these help to put them back how they should be. That then helps the knees to align properly, which then helps hips and up and up.

Edited September 13 by Rds1983

[T-Dog]

On 13/09/2024 at 17:38, Rds1983 said:

To summarise it all I'd say focus on your recovery, take it slightly easier and be smart how you do things.

After a very heavy weight set earlier yesterday, my knees and legs felt like they were going to explode and fall off. 

But doing a warm down, stretching, and wearing some compression sleeves (good for lifting and recovery but maybe don't wear during cardio), today I feel absolutely fine.

I'd also recommend getting some toe separators to anyone. Your feet and toes get squished together by shoes (especially exercise ones) and these help to put them back how they should be. That then helps the knees to align properly, which then helps hips and up and up.

RDS mate, your knowledge and willingness to share to top tier, thank you.

I played a little set for an hour last night, knee started hurting again. Stood at the match today, same issue. Much of the pain seems to come from standing still. A doctors trip shall be booked next week, because it's been too long and it's not making any sense atm.

[Rds1983]

10 hours ago, T-Dog said:

RDS mate, your knowledge and willingness to share to top tier, thank you.

I played a little set for an hour last night, knee started hurting again. Stood at the match today, same issue. Much of the pain seems to come from standing still. A doctors trip shall be booked next week, because it's been too long and it's not making any sense atm.

I've had numerous joint issues myself, plus friends and family. All for various reasons. I've spent ages trying to learn how not to get injured in the gym. 

Get a physio to take a look as well if you can pay for it. Chances are a doctor will send you to one for treatment anyway. 

If there's not been an injury, bash, or twist etc and your thigh muscles are string enough, then it sounds like wear and tear. Possibly a cartilage issue.

A physio should be able to check your posture when sitting, standing, and walking, too.

Veering off topic here though and maybe better for the sickness thread. 

[rodders0223]

As someone who every few years has issues with my knee it's always me losing muscle mass or tightness in my muscle. It's never actually the knee. It's the surrounded area not being strong enough to keep my knee balanced and stable. The knee cap especially.

This is what I do and it works. Number 1 i think is make sure I'm eating enough protein, more then enough as if I'm lazy at one thing it's eating enough.

2. Yoga. Just lifting your knees up to your chest , your foot up to your bum. But not using your hands and not stretching the muscle just slowly building it. 

3. Massage gun for tight muscles.

4.. Exercise bike build up quads.