Is it all downhill?

[TheAardvark]

So! I'm 38 have always been a little on the heavy side but big into sport (squash and cricket). In the last six months most forms of exercise now take their toll. At present I have a permanent aching in the hip and seem to be losing flexibility by the day...


The question is, is it just the march of time or can this be reversed?

[RemainAllHoof]

fk, no. I'm 39 and can do things I couldn't do at 20. Like >1 pull up (I can probably do close to 20 pull ups in a row). Or pull ups on the tips of my fingers. Or pull ups on 45 degree sloped holds. Or dips. Or L-sits/pike holds. I can also still kick high and properly without warming up and tearing things. And go deep into stretches. You just need to keep training.

I hear injuries take longer to heal - but I experience different injuries to ones I used to get so don't know really.

Edited by RemainAllHoof on Friday 5th August 21:58

[mcelliott]

I'm 39 as well, and I'm in almost as good a shape as I was when I was 25, probably a couple of a percentage points up on body fat, around 6% (in total). I would say the biggest difference is the time it takes to recover from little knocks and injuries, but other than that, if you train smarter and make sure you get enough recovery time, there's no reason why 38 can't be the new 28.

Train smart, eat smart, sleep big.

[TheAardvark]

Sounds like I need to pull my finger out then!

[redtwin]

40 here and in better shape than I was at 30. That is mostly due to losing a significant amount of weight not because of training or cardio as I am a lazy git.

[EmmaP]

Permanently aching hip sounds like tight glutes. You have said you aren't flexible too so that suggests you need to stretch more before and after exercise. Make sure you warm up first before you exercise and stretch. Deep tissue massage will keep your tight muscles in check too.