+ 9 Tendons and Aging
After training tonight, I decided just to put some random terms into Google to see what came back in terms of Tendon regeneration and age, to see if there is much change as we get older in terms of how quickly they recover and general health. I was quite surprised with some of the statements that were coming back in terms of the general decline as we age (in terms of 35 and above) - I guess this just shows why injury rates increase and why it becomes so much harder to match your recovery levels when we were in our early 20's 
As we all know tendons are the slowest to heal vs muscle.
So when you are sat wondering why you just got that awful shoulder pain or just cannot seem to match those lifts when you were younger, it may be worth considering the following statements:
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Connective tissue (tendons, ligaments, and muscles) harden and shorten with age. (coachamypt.com)
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With age, our connective tissues undergo structural changes due to decreased blood flow, hormonal changes, and decreased elastin (a protein that gives tissues elasticity). The very same changes occur in the skin and are much more obvious because we see the sagging and wrinkles! But the changes in tendons, ligaments, muscles and nerves are less apparent to us. We experience them as decreased mobility and flexibility and increased injury and weakness. (coachamypt.com)
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As you get older, a number of physical changes occur in and around your tendons. Most notably, the overall water content within the tendons decreases, which makes them stiffer and less flexible. Tensile strength also decreases.(associatesinpodiatry.com)
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Collagen is part of connective tissue, and is found in cartilage, ligaments, tendons and bones as well as skin. Collagen fibres keep your skeletal system flexible, but collagen levels in the body start to decline after about age 25. These declines can cause ligaments tendons bones and cartilage to become less flexible and more brittle over time. (physio-pedia.com)
However there is no need to get the noose out just yet lol The No.1 solution in all the articles I have read to keep tendons as healthy and as supple as possible is exercise and training, a healthy diet with plenty of Vitamin C, D, B12, magnesium & zinc together with Protein and collagen.
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Pains in Tendons, shoulders, knees … all fairly recent impediments to my time at the gym. It’s not all at once or bilateral. The pains come and go depending on intensity and how hard I push during the week.
So far I’ve dabbled in:
- collagen supplements
- trials with bpc157 and tb500
- experimenting with compounds that are known to increase collagen syntheses (gh, var, primo)
- long rest periods
- tendon straps
- avoiding AIs
These pains seemed to have sprang up when I turned the corner at 40-41 and don’t appear to be stabilizing and may be getting worse. Long rest periods between sessions seem to be the only way to recover but they return once I get back into the weekly routine.
The paradox i deal with is, could I lift heavier weight? Yes of course, but at one point does my tendon blow off or something tears. I try to go to failure regardless of how heavy through volume and less accident prone exercises. Demotivating to the say the least.
What’s a good way to get past this depressive hump, I find that that 19-nors like deca or Tren appear to dull this pain but not repair the root cause. Do I just keep going to the gym and my pay high insurance companies premiums for when tragedy strikes. I dint see a magic fix or an end to this….
And ART? I’ll look into that. Anyone else got any tips?
I'm an orthopaedic surgeon in practice over 30 years and a physician for a D1 program in the states.I have performed countless knee arthroscopies, rotator cuff repairs among many other surgeries. Your tendons and ligaments are somewhat analogous to a rubber band. When you are younger you are like the rubber band fresh out of the pack. It will stretch an fly across the room. As we age we become like the rubber band you might find on the floor of your garage that may have been there for the past year. If you try to stretch as you did as a child it may break and crumble.At arthroscopy the articular cartilage of the young is brilliant white, almost shiny. As we age it takes on an "off white" hue and loses its luster. IT IS UNAVOIDABLE! You may be able to maximize your performance within the window of your genetics but you cannot avoid it. Seek care from a respected professional that practices in the field within which you have interest. I advise patients to be as active as they possibly can within the confines of what their own body can tolerate. Sadly there is no magic bullet.
Its very frustrating isn't it mate, especially when you know there is some tendonitis there which can take a while to shift. I spent a lot of time researching all this a while back now and one of the key things to keep high as we get older is IGF-1 levels. This plays a crucial role in regenerating and healing tendons - so if you are a HGH or IGF-1 user then that surely has to help a little, I use neither currently (still). The IGF-1 that the Tren creates really helps strengthen tendons I find, but obviously you are limited in how long you can run the stuff which at our age isn't really the best compound to be still pinning. Deca and NPP do help but it just seems to be in masking the pain, then once on test only again it the soreness soon comes back. Some good DBol definately helps my shoulder tendons probably more than NPP does but again its a case of only whilst you are on the stuff.
I have found taking 10 grams of EAA's in with 15 grams of Collagen peptides and some Dextrose very beneficial to soreness, but this has to be done routinely, every day without fail continually. Its not the best tasting drink ever but its benefits for me personally can be night and day the next time I train - its like I never had problems in the first place.
I also agree that when I turned 40 too all the issues started to happen, it was crazy how age specific it was. In all fairness I have not let it change my training style, I continue to lift heavy as its what I enjoy doing even if its not the most intelligent way to do it. I figure if I don't enjoy something then why do it in the first place, however I now ALWAYS make sure if I am going for things like Max singles or doubles that there is no soreness there whatsoever and that everything has moved well and quickly in warm up. In years gone by even if I was still sore I would still go for the lifts, now I will drop to a medium level weight and do an AMRAP with that. Ultimately Tendons are all about force transfer - if the muscle driving the tendon is strong but the tendon is sore or stiff then it won't be able to transfer the force effectively to the bone. I think everyone especially as they get older should see collagen supplements as important as Whey protein is. Unfortunately we can't fight Fate and Time Bro but we can keep trying things to delay it and make it less severe Lol
It seems that I take the advantage in years (66) and there is not much to envy to the youngest. It's all about focus. If you identify a lot with something everything that happens will affect you more and here the mind has a lot of power if you know how to handle it and take it to the positive.
If you know your body well it does not matter if the years pass because what we really are is not that reflection of the mirror that a negative mind makes us see so that we think that we are no longer useful for anything.
There is something that goes beyond this mind and body and that is from there where the free soul transcends all limitations.
So this body and mind is like a diving suit that we have been left to dive into these planes of mind and matter for a certain time but once that time is over what we are really returns to the level from where it came. So the body although now limits us is not the end of everything and that we start to say that nothing is important or impossible. In those moments the negative mind will rush us with more force to defeat us and stop fighting for good things.
There are many important things that if we can take to the other side and it is our love and all those good things that are in life.
So the years can be opportunities and not waste it in wasting a lot of time in stupidities that do not bring anything good to anyone and if many misfortunes.
The care of the body must know how to give it what it asks and not pay much attention to the mental reasoning that so much emphasis is given with scientific studies that are only marketing of the entrepreneurial wolves.
As an example when I leave training hard I go to the store and look and what my body asks me that I buy and I feel divine and it may be that it is even silly but that is the idea and eat only when you feel like it because the rest will load you and cloud your mind and always less than clear is what is done when you already have your mind educated and you know well Your body otherwise you will not give sugar and you would give fruit, etc. A young person tolerates more eccesses but the older ones can not do the same.
So everything and what your body asks of you will be the best for him, mind and spirit that is the only valid research and not what the World Health Organization says, etc. that are only covers for the trading wolves who only look at their status-quo and our health does not care about anything.
Greetings and more years more sport and less Sofa and TV and more control to this mind that will try over the years to defeat us and end our life making us believe that we have not served at all, etc.
Here the struggle is with the mind and that struggle is while we are here and every second, There is no truce and you can not mislead one because you sneak into negative energies that undermine your health and reinforce the negative to destroy us.
Health is important in this battle and the body must be taken care of because this negative mind will attack when you look weak. So if you use steroids that is to reinforce your health and if it does not work then you have to leave it.
I do not see well to use dodis above what is physiological I do not say it only for health but for those negative powers that approve to invade and destroy us. It is not a joke they exist and are with us on the inside but we do not perceive them because we have our minds set on the outside things and we do not know what happens inside.
Eye to health that is our most precious asset without it we are not or worth anything and as alfeñiques the mind will shake us as it wants.
This is an English-speaking site. Not too hard to translate before you post.
Mmm ZMA my nightly go to stack. Definitely underrated and definitely a must for me as I get older
Getting old does kinda suck.. I know one thing helped with elbow pain, and that was working forearms.. Helps support and take pressure of the ligaments of the elbow.. Knee issues, strengthen and build up the calf muscle... Peptides, bp 157 for knee pain i hear is excellent.. But yea i agree with everything you said on here and the comment as well.. Its alot of work to keep this machine running the way is used to .
For sure, in your 20's you don't even think about supps for tendons and energy Lol Makes me laugh seeing all these 18 year olds needing Pre workouts to go to the gym Lmao In terms of getting the best results its a young mans game for sure, but I still think there is no other sport or hobby that keeps you feeling as good and positive as lifting the Iron!!
“It’s hell getting old” has become my new favorite saying, thanks for the read I enjoyed it.
The amount of times I've been watching some Youtube lifting video, then I see in the comments that he is 21 years old!! I sit and think damn that guy is less than half my age, then reality sets in that time really has gone by ....
Great breakdown Press, TBH I did not read all of the responses below so if someone else mentioned this my bad
With clients when encountering chronic inflammation, along with the usual suspects, I also look to Diet.
Pro-inflammatory foods can have a huge impact on joint health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6997513/
(Design of an anti-inflammatory diet (ITIS diet) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis)
Orals, Tren and other lifestyle choices also play a role that can need to be modulated. But alas we are all fighting father time, and heavy training over time will inevitably put you in the same spot regardless of above modulations.
HangingLOW thanks for showing this.
Unfortunately my grandfather had real bad rheumatoid arthritis) And now my mom his daughter has it real bad where she cant open jars anymore. They where so strong when i was growing up and watching them suffer with pretty much little help from doctors it breaks me down not being able to help. And chances seem to be very good i will probably be next victim.
AWESOME to see Dr. Low back on again mate kickin arse all over us!!!
Interesting read all that about the impact different foods can have on us - You mean all those Big Macs ain't doing me any good? Lmao
LOL thanks for the compliment mate, no doc, but I have read a study or two
I really want those hard / more complicated questions you know, lots of beginner questions here, which is understandable just not as enticing to me
It’s not easy. I’m a piece with it now that I accept the fact that when I get up in the morning I don’t expect to be pain free but instead look forward to which body part is going to hurt.
One thing for sure is that it will happen to all of us no matter what lol
Right.
Getting that NPP ready....
Even Presston!!
You just had to mention him lol. Presston the ( Eroids)
Goat will be a Tren beast !
LOL! Nah we don't want him all irritated and aggressive - he's gonna be a calm, relaxed and happy Goat.
Great read, Bro!
I had a massive rotator cuff tear surgery not long ago and that's why currently I'm doing legs 3 times a week to still let my post surgery shoulder recover longer. After I got the mri I had one doctor tell me it couldn't be repaired but I saw another doctor and in 5 days I was in surgery I had all three tendons repaired they completely torn off. So my left shoulder was originally the shoulder i had issues with so I've been looking into bpc157 and tb500 for that shoulder to try and do everything I can to make sure that doesn't have any more issues and turn into the same situation with surgery and such. So it sucks getting older I just turned 48 and still want to workout hard and get bigger even at this age. When I was young I said I've got till 42 but realized as you get older you still want to be in the gym and progress. I haven't used any peptides yet bit it's definitely in my future. So I'd you do have issues with your shoulder get the mri to see what's really going on
I've been doing a LOT of research lately into learning all about the RC and how to look after it, never really realised it is effectively a shoulder movement capsule underneath the deltoid muscle that helps that helps external and internal rotation of the arm itself that is also designed to keep the bone in the socket. Can I ask did you do any strengthening exercises for the RC before damaging it and how did you manage to tear 3 out of the 4 tendons off??!! I've heard once reconnected it can actually be stronger after surgery due to the reattachment bolts making it more secure, I guess you have no input on that though with it only being a short time ago - how long did they say it will take to heal?
I had an appointment yesterday with the surgeon who did my shoulder surgery and what I didn't know was that he put 8 anchors in my shoulder to reattach everything. He reiterated how massive a rotator cuff tears I had. I still don't exactly know the whole procedure but that's crazy right. He said recovery is going very well eventually ill be able to train my right side I'm starting to notice quite a big difference in size from right to left. Because I'm basically doing legs one day squats , lunges leg ext and hamstring curls next day than I'll do a couple warm up sets for chest then do 3-4 working sets with the 80 pound dumbells than I'll do 3-4 sets shoulder press with a dumbell like 70 and than 3-4 sets chest supported dumbell row on the incline with the 90's. Than a tri and bi with dumbells. So I hope my right side will come back quick I still think I'm doing the right thing rather than not training upperbody.
You are gonna come back as Robocop buddy!! lol From what I have heard from others, if they do a good job and you allow yourself adequate time to recover and don't rush things you can become just as strong or in some cases even stronger than you were before the surgery. Dan Green for example had surgery like you and came back still benching 540 @ 220 in comps and doing bench exhibitions in the Animal cage, some say it makes the shoulder stronger as in theory its been made stronger in the way its connected. I think you are definitely doing the right thing continuing to train your healthy side, when going through an injury and recovery Mental Health plays a HUGE role in it all. I've been there myself and although at first you say it'll be okay and I'll stay strong and get through all this - once 10 days have passed and you are not training the depression and frustration that sets in is nobody's business. That for me personally is the biggest battle to overcome, the recovery side just takes time. So therefore being able to train still although isn't gonna make you feel 100%, you still feel much much better than if you aren't. Plus you keep an appetite and still have goals with dumbells that you can aim for
@Catalyst has had various RTC surgeries and he's still strong as fuck!!!
Also I wanted to mention the exact surgery I had
1.CLAVICLE RESECTION (they cut a little off the end of the collarbone)
2.REPAIR OF THREE MUSCLES:
superaspinatus
Infraspinatus
subscapularis
So it was a mess not fun because recovery is longer than I thought it's 12 weeks
So on the day of Surgery - what was the experience like bud? Are you awake during it or knocked out? How long does it take? @Jrblh2
I think bout 4 hours the surgery lasted and ya I was knocked out. So they gave me the nerve blocker and I thought my shoulder would be in severe pain when it wore off which took like 20hours but I never had any pain whatsoever but that's not how it is for everyone most people will for sure have pain. I think I had a real good surgeon because on my follow up visits they said its rare where someone has no pain especially for the extensive work they did. The physician assistant said it was a workout for the doctor because they were pulling and whatever else to get those 3 muscles connected back.
I imagine at first its quite a task getting use to losing one side of your upper body to do daily tasks - getting dressed and things like that must be very awkward.
Do they cut through the deltoid muscle to get to the RC underneath it then or route around and under it?
Exercises I did were scapula retraction arms at the side;pendulums anterior posterior;pendulums circumduction right. Also I don't believe I have any bolts or hardware from the operation it's more like strong rubber bands that the tendons are reattached with. So that's why recovery takes two months because you have to be in a sling with pillow and let the muscle do its thing around the reattached tendons. I'm taking a small amount of deca that I believe is helping majorly
Ahh so thats how they did your surgery was it? Did they drill the 3 holes and go in through those like keyhole surgery with a camera etc? Wow 2 months isn't too bad then, I thought you would be looking at at least 6 months! Yes I can imagine you have to have a pillow there as when you do the internal and external rotation exercises you are supposed to have a thick towel under the arm I see so it slightly angles it out to allow the RC to move more freely and naturally. I use to do those pendulums too and completely forgot all about them! I had a grade 1 tear in my RC about 18 months ago and mainly did them after that. It did heal in time but has never really been right since then - it went at the same time I tore my pec on the opposite side as the bar became misaligned over me. How long did they say it would be till you can lift normally again, were you benching when you did this or just general shoulder work and exercises?
I ment two months in the sling
So I think you're right completely back to normal is 6 months all the way up to a year. Sucks because I never had any pain whatsoever after the surgery so it's hard to take it easy if you know what I mean. It's funny I believe I did it on incline dumbbells that next morning I had a huge bruise on my bicep looked like a bicep tear but it was the shoulder and the blood just had drained down unto the bicep
Buddy was it me and you that had this conversation months back about incline dumbell pressing and the injury or was that another guy? I can definitely understand the frustration in wanting to train if it is feeling better and pain free again. With it being the shoulder there isn't really any upper body exercise you can do that won't bother it is there
I think I have RC Tendonitis as often after training, mainly benching and deadlifting on the second day when the muscles really stiffen up the front of my right shoulder gets very sore. Moving the arm up and down gives cracking and grating sounds lol then on the 4th day this all goes and is much better again. It all gets reaggravated though as soon as I train again. So I have been learning all the exercises you can do with bands and ordered some new more approriate ones with the handles on. I never warm the RC up before I bench or DL so hopefully this should help things, then I plan on doing strengthening exercises after the main exercise to finish. I use to think it was just the deltoid muscle that needed warming up so only did front and lateral raises, not realising it is much more complex than that! lol
TricepatopsHey Press where is your pain located and is it dull and achy or sharp? Lot of people think when they have shoulder pain it is one of the 4 Rotator cuff muscles but it could also be labrum or bicep tendon. I had shoulder surgery for both and never thought it was a torn bicep tendon also.
I know EXACTLY the area you are referring to here bud as I have torn the top of the bicep where the tendon inserts under the shoulder at the top a while back! It happened just after my RC tear which is quite common apparently as one tends to go after the other. I was pressing and it happened right at the bottom at full stretch where I was just coming back up an inch off the chest. It felt like searing meat it was awful and I knew exactly what had just happened. Gave it 10 days to heal and of course as soon as I went heavy again pop!! went again so I gave it around 3 weeks this time and it healed okay. Nah this is defo RC related mate, soreness and aching is right deep in the front of the shoulder when I lift my arm up at eye height say when I am with drawing from a vial Lol
TricepatopsSounds like the area I have pain which is labrum related along with my bicep tendon.
The pain you are describing sounds like it is the infraspinatus or teres minor but also the area you describe could be the long head of the bicep. Check out just those and you can do certain tests to help determine where the tear is. Just Google how to test for teres minor injury and you will be able to find the other two also. It can help give you a better idea of what injury you have and also the specific exercises to rehab it. Most say rest and ice along with NSAIDS Videos are the best way to see what they want you to do.
BPC157
Most folks dont get that, tendons don't tear themselves off the bone. Muscular adhesions caused by healing, after tearing down muscle, do. (Not talking about too heavy weight snaps now)
Got to get ART to sort it.
Time makes fool of us all, but true root/cause is usually closer to home... i.e. lifting weights causes adhesions, tears the weaker parts apart.
Makes what you post above, an even bigger reason to get soft tissue work done, as we age, while lifting.
I was just about to mention ART treatment, I've been looking into this lately. Everyone knows I have bad tendons, even tore one off the bone so this forum topic is special to me. Only thing that sucks is I'd have to drive 1hr30min to get the treatment
Turns out a lot of the Pro Lifters I follow get weekly massage work and other things, helps massively in areas such as shoulders, back etc. If I could afford to do it I would also as it must make a difference. Yep I have often thought this too that after many decades of tearing ourselves down only to rebuild it but then tear it down again soon after sooner or later it will catch up. Lets face it lifting weights is a young mans game really up until about 35 years old like many sports, but I'll be damned if I'm ever going to throw the towel in LOL
TricepatopsTry Rolfing massage people have actually grown and inch or two because it releases so much tension we have in our body. Only thing is it is hard to find and more expensive then regular massage.
Never heard of this before, unfortunately I am not in the position even to be able to get regular normal massages. Need to start dating a masseuse!! lol
I’ll send you the number of the sports masseur I go to. She’s about 250lbs, built like a tank and a face to match. Sound like your type? Lol.
LMFAO!!! As long as she has hairy, smelly armpits I'm well up for it
So I assume the way she does the massages is you just lay on your back and she walks over you, cracking and dislocating all the joints?
Heh heh! Love it!!! Never stop P, never!!!
Must be why I moan and grunt everytime I get up out of a chair.
I feel it the most getting in and out of my car
Hahaha I get it right where the hams connect into the the glutes, all around those tendons when swinging my legs underneath the steering wheel lol
Hey Mak - Did you know that both Creatine and High Dose Vit D decrease Myostatin?