Glycomann
VIP Member
- Jan 19, 2011
- 1,214
- 1,226
I had issues over the years that always healed up but around 53-54 it got bad. I could not squat at all. Had to give up everything that loaded the spine. Degeneration from L3-S1. I did 2 different rehabs to no positive effect. then I decided I would do either tai chi or yoga. Ended up doing yoga for 8 months and cutting back on weights to 2-3 days a week. It helped tremendously but I did lose a lot of muscle in the process. Now it's about 6-7 years later and I don't really do a lot of spinal loading and when I do it is for a short period. Mostly squats are very light weight. Every time I try to go above 225 I have troubles so I stay lower with high reps. That's a far cry from double that for set of 8-10. I haven't done rack pulls or deads since summer. Maybe I will sneak them in again in a few months. I shold probably go the yoga for a 6 week stint. I think it actually restores the joints somewhat. Probably the worst thing we can do at this kind of point is try to lift heav again. That would speed the degeneration. At this point in life it's about preserving strength and function. Adding those hip thruster things helps. Hypers help. Stretching helps.