Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

well.blogs.nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 56 posts

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#11

Post by contingencies »

As someone who has recently quit smoking (6 months) and started a daily regimen of 1.5 hrs of serious cycling (including 45 min up a steep incline) at 2000m (6500ft) altitude at age 34 (2 weeks down; with a couple of breaks for alternatives like hikes or longer bike trips), this article makes me feel like I've made the right decision, despite daily aching muscles. I'm using the hope of joining a group cycle trip across Tibet to Nepal from southwest China[0] in September as a mental crutch.

[0] https://web.archive.org/web/20091026172350/http://www.geocit...

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#12

Post by hyperchase »

ellyagg wrote: post #8
hyperchase wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm squatting 500 pounds now, so I can squat 350 when I'm 80 :P

Here's a 70 year old deadlifting 683: https://www.facebook.com/tommy.mason.9237/videos/10207393442...

Looking good for me then!

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#13

Post by mindcrime »

I sure hope so! I'm 42 now, and I just came back in from a bike ride - only my second since a 5 month layoff caused by a combination of weather, travel and shoulder surgery - and I'm beat. And gawd was I slllooooowwwww out there tonight. Uuuggghhh.

But hey, I know it will come back with time, and - more to the point - I know how important it is to stay active. After the whole heart-attack thing back in 2014, I'm pretty committed to staying active from here on out. Keeping my heart healthy is priority #1, anything else is just gravy at this point.

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#14

Post by mindcrime »

contingencies wrote: post #11

As someone who has recently quit smoking (6 months) and started a daily regimen of 1.5 hrs of serious cycling (including 45 min up a steep incline) at 2000m (6500ft) altitude at age 34 (2 weeks down; with a couple of breaks for alternatives like hikes or longer bike trips), this article makes me feel like I've made the right decision, despite daily aching muscles. I'm using the hope of joining a group cycle trip acro…

As someone who has recently quit smoking (6 months) and started a daily regimen of 1.5 hrs of serious cycling (including 45 min up a steep incline) at 2000m (6500ft) altitude at age 34 (2 weeks down; with a couple of breaks for alternatives like hikes or longer bike trips), this article makes me feel like I've made the right decision

Definitely. Take it from me, the alternative(s) are no fun. I got lazy about biking and running and everything, let my weight creep up, and was over-stressing myself way to hard, and ultimately had a heart-attack. Luckily I lived and the doctors say I should be fine, but they all hammered me on the importance of staying active and fit from here on out.

Luckily I never smoked, so I have that going for me at least. But yeah, quitting smoking is definitely a Good Call if you care about your health.

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#15

Post by mindcrime »

hyperchase wrote: post #6
kelvin0 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got up to 250+ (3 reps), this makes me feel like a feeble baby! Have you been lifting for long? I can deadlift 300+, I bet you deadlift 700? Curious, lemme know!

Been lifting with a focus on powerlifting for about 7 years, my last meet total was 515 squat, 585 deadlift and 336 bench at 185 lbs. Be patient, get on a tried program, put in the work, eat and sleep and it'll come.

This is making me really want to start powerlifting again. I got up to a 420 deadlift (sumo style), and 320x4 back squat, before I wound up drifting away from it.

I think once my shoulder finishes healing (rotator cuff surgery), I'm going to start lifting seriously again.

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#16

Post by rebootthesystem »

hyperchase wrote: post #6
kelvin0 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got up to 250+ (3 reps), this makes me feel like a feeble baby! Have you been lifting for long? I can deadlift 300+, I bet you deadlift 700? Curious, lemme know!

Been lifting with a focus on powerlifting for about 7 years, my last meet total was 515 squat, 585 deadlift and 336 bench at 185 lbs. Be patient, get on a tried program, put in the work, eat and sleep and it'll come.

Interesting. Same question someone else asked: What's your injury history been like?

Coincidentally, I just got back from the doctor. I had my right ankle x-rayed because it's been sore for couple of weeks. I kind of limp in the morning until it warms up and then I can walk normally but step the wrong way and it can be painful.

Nothing wrong. They said it's probably a strained ligament issue.

I am doing 200 lbs squats and same on Romanian deadlift. My guess is that my squat biomechanics is off and I am doing a number on my right ankle. I just started reading "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe and will get some coaching to see about fixing problems.

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#17

Post by hyperchase »

rebootthesystem wrote: post #16
hyperchase wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Been lifting with a focus on powerlifting for about 7 years, my last meet total was 515 squat, 585 deadlift and 336 bench at 185 lbs. Be patient, get on a tried program, put in the work, eat and sleep and it'll come.

Interesting. Same question someone else asked: What's your injury history been like? Coincidentally, I just got back from the doctor. I had my right ankle x-rayed because it's been sore for couple of weeks. I kind of limp in the morning until it warms up and then I can walk normally but step the wrong way and it can be painful. Nothing wrong. They said it's probably a strained ligament issue. I am doing 200 lbs squat…

I got cocky as a novice, and fucked my back pretty bad and was out of comission for a 4 months or so. Got cocky chasing huge (for me, at the time) numbers and ended up losing way more progress than I gained. Minor things here and there in my shoulders and elbows, which I ended up fixing by tearing apart my own bench press form and being meticulous with ever part of the lift. Bench press is, in my opinion, the most technical lift of the big three.

Slow consistent progress wins out in the long run, I'm a huge fan of sub-maximal training and going for rep PRS and not maxing out often. I only compete at most twice per year, and don't bother going for max attempts when I'm not at a meet.

All of my training these days is based around the principles in Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 and I've slowly added my own tweaks and customizations over time to it and it hasn't let me down.

Don't neglect mobility work. It's boring, but it'll save you in the long run.

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#18

Post by sndean »

From the paper:

"World champion master athletes in their 9th decade of life had a greater number of surviving motor units, reduced collateral reinnervation, better neuromuscular transmission stability and a greater amount of excitable muscle mass as compared with age-matched controls."

and

"The Masters Athletes (MA) consisted of track and field athletes ranked in the top 4 of their respective events at the world masters championships..."

I'm not sure how surprised I'm supposed to be about people who were world-class athletes some time within the past ~40 years ago having above average strength.

Though, I understand that you can't easily pull off a randomized controlled trial (long-term) for exercise.

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#19

Post by hyperchase »

mindcrime wrote: post #15
hyperchase wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Been lifting with a focus on powerlifting for about 7 years, my last meet total was 515 squat, 585 deadlift and 336 bench at 185 lbs. Be patient, get on a tried program, put in the work, eat and sleep and it'll come.

This is making me really want to start powerlifting again. I got up to a 420 deadlift (sumo style), and 320x4 back squat, before I wound up drifting away from it. I think once my shoulder finishes healing (rotator cuff surgery), I'm going to start lifting seriously again.

Go for it. The Iron Temple is the one constant, it's always waiting for you...beckoning. Will you heed the call of Brodin?

Re: Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better with Age

#20

Post by phyalow »

mindcrime wrote: post #14
contingencies wrote: post #11

As someone who has recently quit smoking (6 months) and started a daily regimen of 1.5 hrs of serious cycling (including 45 min up a steep incline) at 2000m (6500ft) altitude at age 34 (2 weeks down; with a couple of breaks for alternatives like hikes or longer bike trips), this article makes me feel like I've made the right decision, despite daily aching muscles. I'm using the hope of joining a group cycle trip acro…

As someone who has recently quit smoking (6 months) and started a daily regimen of 1.5 hrs of serious cycling (including 45 min up a steep incline) at 2000m (6500ft) altitude at age 34 (2 weeks down; with a couple of breaks for alternatives like hikes or longer bike trips), this article makes me feel like I've made the right decision Definitely. Take it from me, the alternative(s) are no fun. I got lazy about biking…

Good luck, all the best with your health going forward.
Post reply on HN