We’ve been focusing lately about how critical getting stronger and building muscle is for those of us 40 and older.
(Let’s face it - it’s vital regardless of your age.)
But actually, there’s one thing that’s MORE important .
Before we discuss it, let me just tell you that I had to learn this the hard way.
When I was younger, I was a fool .
I prided myself on “working hard.”
Regardless of the long-term effects.
I drove myself so hard in my lifting that I literally broke.
Multiple times.
And that was when I learned that “masking the pain” in the short term only created more pain in the long run.
And it’s the long run - the Long Game - that we should (in my humble opinion) should be focused on.
So that’s why we need to focus on JOINT HEALTH first and foremost.
Even BEFORE strength and muscle.
Because if you have joints that cause active pain (and inflammation), then your body will shut down the neural drive to the muscles around those joints.
And that means that you won’t be able to use the muscles surrounding that joint at your full potential .
And the danger in that is you end up “grinding” click here down that particular joint even more -
Accelerating the joint destruction process.
Worst case scenario, you end up tearing muscles attached across that joint -
Like a rotator cuff tear (which can take up to 18 months to recover from surgery)…
Or a partial / full joint replacement - which, depending on your surgeon and PT, can take equally as long.
(My friend up the street is a 70-something former Marine pilot who had a knee replacement 2 years ago - he’s STILL dealing with issues resulting from that surgery.)
So, if you have chronic soreness, pain, and restricted range of motion in any of your joints, you have three choices:
1- Ignore it.
(And usually push through it.)
This will speed up your own demise.
Get ready for more pain and physical limitations.
Get ready to start feeling O-L-D, faster.
And maybe never stop feeling old.
(I once did do this.)
2- Mask it.
This is where you “rub some balm on it” like Icy Hot or Tiger Balm.
It causes the pain go away temporarily by numbing the pain receptors and in some cases increasing blood flow.
Or, you pop some Ibuprofen or Tylenol.
Again, blocking the pain receptors or calming the inflammation.
But here’s what no one tells you:
Inflammation is your body’s protective response.
It’s supposed to protect that joint, so the body can heal it.
But if you take away that protection?
You just end up grinding down your knee… your hip… your shoulder… into dust.
And then the pain comes right back - many times even worse once the cream or the pills wear off.
(I used to do this too !)
3- Address it.
This is where you face it head on.
You see your doc and get a diagnosis.
You do some remedial exercises .
And you focus on your “health” so you can waltz into your 60s… 70s… 80s… and beyond should you choose to.
"What Kind of ‘Restoration Work’?”
… You might be wondering?
There are 3 broad categories:
1- Flexibility
This is traditional stretching .
Problem is, it doesn’t work for many, if not most people (Not all).
And that’s because your body is contracting the muscles around the joint to protect itself and keep you from moving into ranges of motion that would further aggravate the joint.
Think of tight muscles as a “splint” that your body has built.
This is why you either-
[a] Get nowhere when you stretch or
[b] Get a little looser during your stretch “sesh” only to tighten right back up the next day feeling like you’ve done nothing. (This was me.)
Or worse - you get sore.
2- Mobility
This is super popular these days.
Move a joint through its full range of motion - or as close as possible to "increase proprioception.”
This can work.
It worked for me - until it didn’t.
It was like playing “Whack-a-pain” - the ache constantly moved around , never fully going away .
The worst outcome is you become unsteady - you literally lose your ability to maintain balance under load - either weight or speed.
(Also happened to me .)
3- Motor Control
This is how your CNS (Central Nervous System - brain plus spinal cord ) coordinates muscle activity to generate motion .
One of the key tenets is that “proximal stability creates distal mobility.”
In other copyright, a stable center (core), leads to mobile extremities.
For example, many times, you get stiff ankles, and you stretch your lower legs and/or do some mobility drills to loosen them up .
And for a brief period - usually immediately thereafter - they’re more mobile.
But the next day?
Locked up again.
Same thing with shoulders.
Why?
Your CNS is shielding you from - well, you.
So the key then is regaining that lost proximal stability.