Quick snapshot - 43yrs old - competed in BB in the 90’s, lifting since 15yrs old
Training last year was going really well. Deads and Squats were increasing, and I was cruising along.
Then in late Oct - my old back injury came up again. I had hurt it college, and every now and then it flares up. This time I was pulling more than I should for the form that I had that day, and I felt it slip again. Out for several weeks as basically I have a hard time even standing up.
I had to travel for a bit after this due to work,so working through the back issue was tough, then came the holiday travel, and I found myself going through the motions. Now- Jan is almost over and I have literally worked out 2 times this month.
I find my motivation is completely gone. I find excuses NOT to go to the gym. No plan, no goals, etc. The fear of my back going out is still in my mind, then combined with work ( job promotion which is requiring to move to San Jose, selling house, buying house, travelling 3 weeks out of the month) My lack of wanting to work out is starting to bother me.
For you over 40 guys that have been in a slump - what are some of the things that you have done to kick-start your butt out of it? Change training? Change gyms? any tips or experiences that you can provide is greatly appreciated.
another thing with this downtime. I kinda want to re-evaluate what my I want to accomplish. I really do not want to do BB type workouts, and I do not want to go back to Powerlifting.
I have never done Olympic style lifts- as I work out at an LA fitness currently. (when I do go) So no bumper plates, lifting platform etc. But it Oly is interesting, especially watching the videos on this site.
For guys that work out in a more commercial gym environment - have you incorporated Olympic lifts with standard gym equipment
Appreciate any feedback… gotta get out of this training funk
Why is it you feel you should be training? Are you upset about the way you look and/or feel?
Personally, I trained through high-school and university and then life took over. I get tired of being smaller than I wanted and having to suck in my gut.
Has a doctor or chiro looked at the back? Is it OK to work it? Can you work around it with, say, leg presses instead of squats?
I find it hard to believe that anyone who competed in BB could possibly be lacking in motivation, especially since you hurt the back before competing.
It’s OK to put off lifting if you’re moving and changing lifestyle, but if a back injury is going to stop you . . . Check out our logs. We get hit with pretty bad shit (I have scoliosis, depression, heart arythmia) and it just makes us angrier and more determined.
I have a hard time relating to a lack of motivation. I’m the opposite. Need the fix of lifting and tend to overtrain if anything.
I used to do Oly lifting minus the snatch. I’ve never trained at a gym that had bumpers. So I always had to throw overhead what I knew I could do. It definitely limited my ability to safely advance with the jerk.
[quote]PeteS wrote:
My motivation is that I love being awesome. [/quote]
x2
Its kind of A-hole sounding but its true.[/quote]
The funny thing is that you can feel good even if you’re not lifting like Dave Tate. Case in point: today I was doing calf raises (among other things). Another guy worked in. We did the same weight, but my form was way better - pause at top, pause at bottom, total control. He just kindof flopped up and down. I walked away holding my head a bit higher. I can start a session feeling like shit and end feeling pretty good.
[quote]PeteS wrote:
My motivation is that I love being awesome. [/quote]
x2
Its kind of A-hole sounding but its true.[/quote]
I have proudly worn the A-hole badge for many years. It helps me get shit done. [/quote]
Hah. I actually think you’re being positive. What’s being negative? -if you’re old, weak, and have a bad attitude, you might as well be walking around with a sign on your back that says “Kick Me”; with the world being full of A-holes, someone is bound to oblige.
[quote]PeteS wrote:
My motivation is that I love being awesome. [/quote]
x2
Its kind of A-hole sounding but its true.[/quote]
I have proudly worn the A-hole badge for many years. It helps me get shit done. [/quote]
This x2
I do it because other people don’t want to do it, it’s hard and the hard is what makes it so good. You can find other ways to train there’s cross fit, Fat loss, sport specific training, cycling, endurance, stabilization. Hell you can just take 6 months and fix your weak area’s that may be causing you issues like RC, Posterior Chain, and Hips.
I used to work at a gym and would tell unmotivated people that they had to find their fitness passion. That’s the only way they’ll stick with it and have boundless internal motivation. Whether it’s yoga or cycling or hiking or powerlifting . . . if you’re doing it for yourself (for whatever reason) you won’t have to dig deep to find that internal motivation.