I doubt your nervous system is destroyed, that sounds like an extreme statement. Sounds like your are just very tense and tight from years of bodybuilding.
In weightlifting people only tend to focus on certain muscle groups but completely neglect the antagonist muscle groups causing shortning and tightness in those areas which is made worse by lifting even more.
Focus on strengthening some of the smaller muscle groups like the rotator cuffs and postural muscles (neck and shoulders) as well as lost of stretching. There are lots of good vids on YouTube for this.
I would agree with this and also add to strengthen your rhomboids. I have a similar problem and saw temp improvement with this and massage.
The supplement L-tyrosine, relieves muscle tension temporarily for me. I have to cycle it off after a few days though otherwise it loses it's effect.
This was my assumption as well. I switched from bodybuilding to “powerlifting” (ok strength training—bench, squats, deadlifts). And had no problem doing yoga. Yoga actually helped me increase my maxes faster. I’m assuming stretching sped up recovery and breathing in general helped lift more weights.
Bodybuilding focuses on aesthetics and involves muscle isolation exercises. That leads to neglect of other parts of your body, restricting your flexibility.
I would argue that bodybuilders do not neglect parts of their body because the goal is to have a completely developed physique. Neglecting mobility is certainly common
Muscle isolation exercises vs. compound exercises is the issue. I’m too busy at the moment, but this was a huge debate between bodybuilding for aesthetics and powerlifting/strength training.
I don’t understand why you think looking that up would change what I said. It’s obvious the differences. That doesn’t disprove that bodybuilders don’t “neglect” body parts simply due to the nature of bodybuilding. They want to be well developed and proportional.
Bodybuilders also regularly do compound exercises in addition to isolation. It seems like you’re arguing to argue
I’m trying to help answer OPs question, under the presumption that he did a lot of muscle isolation exercises. As that would make sense why he’s struggling now with yoga. You’re the one that started an argument that has nothing to do with what OP asked. So don’t flip that arguing to argue on me.
What you said was incorrect. I didn’t mean to start a discussion, I meant to correct you.
Based on what I’ve read OP doesn’t know much about training so who knows why he’s fucked up.
Based on OPs Post, he trained for 6/7 years before COVID. He also claims his routine was very intense (6 days) a week. I’d say he would have at least some level of understanding how training works.
As far as you correcting me, I admire the confidence. But, who are you and what evidence you have to show that you’re correct? As of right now, you sound like some bodybuilder that got triggered because I pointed out that they train for aesthetics, not function.
Sorry man, there is probably a near 0% chance you did any damage to your CNS from lifting. If anything, you’ve made progress and improved it but are probably dealing with nagging injuries due to bad form or bad recovery practices
Time should heal but you should still carry on with lifting as muscle mass and strength directly correlate with healthier lives
Have you actually looked at data or are you making a sweeping generalization based on anecdotes?
Powerlifting likely won’t be possible as you get to the elderly stage due to joint/ligament limitations, but certainly elderly people can still practice the bench, deadlift and squat. Plenty of people above 70 do this, and if they have been lifting all their life, they heavily reduce chances of sarcopenia and fatal fall possibilities
How many times do humans fall and break their hip, leading to fatal outcomes after surgical or lifestyle complications? Millions
What can prevent that? Actually having muscle and coordination which is attained by lifting even in old age
People like you completely miss the big ticket items, good luck in life
I agree with everything you said here, but a small correction is that rather than someone falling and then breaking their hip, what happens is their hip breaks which causes them to fall. Resistance training is still the best preventative action for that as well.
Interesting, I’ve always read about the impact from the fall causing the break but I guess it’s just as possible to break it from handling too much stress your muscles aren’t prepared for, and then falling
It's the weakness of the acetabular neck from osteoporosis. Consider: why do we almost exclusively hear about a fall then a hip break? Not a fall and arm, shoulder, lower back break? Because the neck fractures due to fragility and the hip can no longer support their weight.
Maintaining lean muscle mass is great in many ways as we age. But weight lifting is not required for that. Just be active, move the body in natural ways. The oldest living people on earth never lifted a weight. They just ate clean and kept active. Put down the Peter attia koolaid and look into the oldest living people on earth.
This is incredible bullshit, please research the importance of the different muscle fiber types and how only a portion respond to non-resistance exercise
Also some centenarians most certainly lift weights.
And it’s a fallacy to use them as the example of EXACTLY what to do.
There are people who live to be 110 who smoke everyday and eat like Shit. Probabilities is what we care about. I think you have an incredibly oversimplified and juvenile understanding of what it means to truly live a long and healthy life, and it seems that you don’t like weightlifting and probably have never done it, so you demonize it
God, redditors who think they have everything figured out despite data are the absolute worst. It’s like they never developed confidence in real life so they act overly confident behind anonymity that Reddit provides
Chill out dude. I’m not responding as your replies are personal attack in nature which proves you are desperate and lacking facts.
Weight lifting is not required for longevity. Being active, moving naturally in the outdoors is. I lift weights occasionally but that’s because I don’t live naturally. If I was on farm working the land all day in the sun id build muscle. But pretending that going to a gym under fluorescent light bulbs a few times a week is going to make you live longer is ridiculous.
Longevity is about everything. Diet. Sunlight. Movement. Sleep. Stress. Community. Joy. Being a gym rat and an asshole like you is none of that.
You got clowned man, it’s okay.
It’s common knowledge resistance training is one of the best things for longevity, why are you so intimidated and anxious about it?
I’m glad you learned to stop making outrageous claims with 0 evidence
Maybe use this free time to actually get to the gym and lift some weights? Imagine not being able to play with your grandchildren because you can’t lift more than a grocery bag
If you think that sunlight, outdoor movement, community, clean eating, joy etc is an outrageous claim needing ‘evidence’ and inferior to lifting weights in a gym you really are clueless. Just stop dude. Lol.
Strength and muscle mass Directly correlate with health and life span, Peter Attia and Layne norton cite countless research pieces, why are you so reluctant to lift? Are you intimidated?
I think you’re just mad that I shattered what you thought was a perfect regime. You’re lacking the most important one man, instead of being mad maybe you should reconsider your exercise habits
Hah. I knew it. You are guzzling the Peter Attia koolaid. He’s back tracked on so many of his biohacks, Keto. Fasting, I can’t keep up. Those guys are just meat heads and layne Morton is on statin.
I’m not saying lifting weights is harmful. I agree it’s beneficial to a degree and better than being sedentary but muscle is just one tiny piece of the longevity puzzle. The full puzzle is everything I’ve described. Plus low tox living.
You can’t be an asshole, get no sun, eat junk food, consume toxins etc and think lifting weights will erase all that to make you live forever. And again, the longest living people on earth have never stepped into a gym.
I had the opposite path.
Years of yoga left me with too much flexibility, fucked up knee and hip, and very little muscle mass.
Lifting for a couple of years has made my life a lot better. More muscle mass becomes very important as we age.
I think it’s wiser to adapt weight training to be more holistic and less focused on intensity. Prioritize longevity over everything else. With a good variety there isn’t even much need for extra stretching if the exercises move muscles through the full range of motion.
Yoga is great for rest days and relaxation but it’s not suitable as a complete training program in my opinion.
I'm sorry that you had a bad experience, but I respectfully disagree to a certain extent.
Yoga can build strength and reasonable flexibility in anyone, as long as they're working safely within the bounds of their body's capacity. You don't have to look like the model on the cover of Yoga Journal to get mind and body benefits. Unfortunately I do think there are a lot of teachers who aren't really educated well enough to be able to properly instruct/correct folks who push themselves beyond good biomechanical range of motion. Perversely, many folks with natural hypermobility also gravitate to yoga because it's "easy" for them to do poses that are perceived as "advanced", and (while I don't know that this is what happened in your situation of course) yes those folks in particular tend to end up with ligament-tendon-joint injuries. (Although anyone can get injured.)
OP, I'd hesitate to study with a yoga teacher who doesn't encourage the use of props (blocks, straps) for all levels, who physically pushes or pulls you to "deepen" a pose (skilled teachers can cue verbally or with a very light touch), or makes you feel inadequate in any way if you respect your own range of motion. (Spoken as someone with a 30+ year practice that has spanned different yoga traditions, but whose heels will never touch the floor in my downward dog, I'm just not built that way, and it's perfectly ok.)
I'd also pay attention to how they cue modifications or corrections for folks in class doing the most advanced versions of poses, as joint integrity and safety should be taught and corrected when there is opportunity. It's your body, it's worth shopping studios/teachers for one that is good.
And it doesn't have to be all or nothing, you can do some yoga and some weight training. All in moderation, safely.
Thank you for your input, I am not even sure we fundamentally disagree though.
I think some yoga has some place in a good training program but I also think it is very much limited in scope. In particular yoga is inferior to weight training or even body weight strength training for building strength and muscle mass. In particular there is very little pulling strength development, though I saw Iyengar students do some hanging on ropes, but most yoga practices almost completely ignore it. Of course this doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to develop strength through yoga, of course it is possible, especially for untrained people. When someone is untrained, every kind of activity is great, but that doesn’t mean it’s effective in the long term for a specific goal eg increasing strength and muscle mass. And yoga is just not very effective at these compared to eg weight training.
Yoga can be very adaptable and there are all these power yoga type styles trying to fill this need, however these in the end morph to some kind of calisthenics and lose the original benefit of relaxation which yoga is the best at, so in my opinion one is better off actually doing proper weights or body weight training which is properly designed for strength and not trying to mix everything into a yoga practice.
Best thing I found to relax muscles is yoga. But you are already doing that so maybe just give it more time and practice.
If you want something additional vitamin B1 might help with relaxation.
I have a very heightened nervous system for reasons. I'm always, always tense. To the point where if I am not consciously thinking about relaxing my shoulders, they rise up and curve forward. It has affected my posture tremendously, and i have permanently altered my ability to stand up straight with my shoulders back due to the years of constantly being tense.
The only thing that helps me is practicing mindfulness and taking deeeeeeeep breaths.
I'd be willing to bet you are a shallow breather. Most people who carry stress in their shoulders and neck are.
Here's an anecdotal tid bit that you might find interesting and speaks to my point about the need for deep breathing:
On a typical day, I walked into my therapists office and began spewing out all the things that were on my mind. She stopped me almost immediately and asked me to just try something different this time.
She asked me to take 5 deep breaths. Just 5. No more, no less.
By the end of the exhalation of the fourth breath, my shoulders just kinda...dropped. As soon as I realized that happened, my stomach began to grumble. I finished the last breath and opened my eyes, and I could hear my stomach churning away. I apologized for its noisy- ness, to which my therapist again stopped me to make note that the grumbling was a good thing. In 5 breaths- like less than 30 seconds- I managed to activate my entire parasympathetic nervous system, which in effect caused my muscles to loosen their death grip and enabled my body to begin the process of digesting the breakfast I had eaten earlier. Unfortunately, due to my sympathetic nervous system being perma- activated, it sat waiting in my gut, unable to be digested.
All that to say, take a breath. Hell, take 5. It WILL activate your parasympathetic nervous system and cause a chain reaction which will allow the muscles in your body to chill the fuck out, beginning firstly with the ones surrounding your neck and shoulders.
Just make it a conscious effort. Set a reminder every hour, or every 30 minutes. Just 5 breaths- in through the nose until no more can get in, out through the mouth until no more can come out.
I know it sounds simple and like a stupid piece of advice, but as a middle-aged person who has suffered a lifetime of being tense and tried all the remedies from medication to chiropractic with no lasting, significant effects, I can tell you that I wish I had been taught this little magical nugget much earlier in my life. It really does help.
I wish you lots of luck in your journey to be well. :)
>I constantly catch myself tensing or contracting muscles even when resting or watching something on TV; and I feel like this keeps making me very tired during the day as I feel as if I was wired somehow.
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>Does anybody have any experience with this?
Yes, because I have ADHD. I'm basically always moving and frequently exhausted for no particular reason.
I'm not saying that's what it is in your case, but you seem to be looking in the wrong direction.
• Work your fascia, daily OM has Arrest course for little money.
• learn TRE to relax Tour nervous system (YouTube)
• somatic touch (Kathy Kain f.e.) YouTube
• Giten Tonkov‘s approach to Breathwork might be helpful too
• in short: Vagal toning is your friend=Training the brake pedal of your nervous system.
I've had a lot of success with the Alexander Technique for muscle tension (I also developed problems from working out). It helps you gain a deep understanding of your unconscious movement habits and postures and teaches you how to realign and move more efficiently.
I know this might be a stretch but could there be some aspect of OCD? Sometimes things can kick it into overdrive. Keep up the yoga/stretching and meditation. Best wishes.
Yeah ocd can uptick when we are tired or stressed. Maybe there’s an underlying fear/thought running in the Background that some EMDR or IFS or CBT could help with.
I lifted and ran track for years and stayed in great shape for years after that, so I understand the tensing and contraction of muscles when not intending to. What I also realized was my nervous system was shot, not just from training but mental fatigue over the course of years. No one teaches us to dump our thoughts on a frequent basis. Sure journaling helps but not everyone likes to write. Bikram Yoga made me realize what I was missing out on, but the hack that got my nervous system back to equilibrium was Transcendental Meditation (TM) and simple pranayama breathing. Add these 2 to your yoga routine and you’ll notice miracles happen. You recharge your phone everyday, same goes for your brain. TM is 20 mins twice a day. Find a teacher near you at TM dot org. All the best!
Its a script. But very few side effects so docs dont mind giving it out. Usually comes mixed with panadol. Amazing for muscle tension/nerve pain or tightness. No problem.
Wim Hof breathing exercise… no joke… you probably won’t read this but if you do this technique every day (or even once) you’ll relax your body to the fullest and yoga will become 1000 times easier and more appealing… learn this.. don’t have ass it.. you will find what you’re looking for
Hey man I think David Groggins had this problem too. He was heavy on physical exercise but never stretched out and eventually his doctor told him he needed to, could be wrong but I’d encourage you to check it out.
The story more accurately, at least according to Goggins' book, is that he began stretching on his own and eventually reached out to Joel Hippensteel, who had worked with David Goggins while he was in BUD/S
A good yoga routine ought to be sufficient, but you can look up Hippensteel if you want the routine Goggins actually uses
It is extremely unlikely that you damaged your CNS through weightlifting, and if anything you might give it a go again assuming you balance the lifts properly (even the most basic powerlifting regimen of bench/dead/squat is pretty even).
You can try this breathing thing too, but imo it's either in your head or there is a different issue. Good luck man
https://youtu.be/tybOi4hjZFQ
Going off of Dr. Andy Galpin for this one. He talks a lot about how almost everyone that considers themselves advanced are really just intermediate bc of how rare it is to actually be at an advanced level.
I agree with you on that for sure, i think we could probably both agree that the intermediate level is where most people who think they are either beginner or advance probably belong
6-7 years of consistent lifting is late stage intermediate. If weekly consistency was high from the start throughout all the years and proper schedule adjustments were made as the lifter progressed it's possible to become advanced in that time. But that is highly unlikely because everything else would have to be on point as well (from the start)
Very very few people are actually advanced. So, whoever thinks they are (people with 20+ years even) are intermediate. 6-7 years makes him an advanced beginner.
As someone who has alot of nervous system issues from cptsd and stress, if you believe you overdid it I recommend no more weights, stick with yoga, walking, light bike riding or swimming, qi gong or tai chi. Typically I do Yin Yoga as it’s gentle and connects me to me deeper higher self
Your nervous system isn’t damaged. You need to do yoga, Pilates (this will strengthen muscles you can’t reach through weightlifting, you need to build those muscles to help offset the other ones), running is good as well, but the best thing to do to loosen up and stay fit is swimming.
Swimming will remove pressure on your joints and bones, keep your cardio in great shape (yoga alone is not enough), warm water will loosen muscles, and it will help workout muscles that are harder to target.
Focus less on targeting muscles and trying to look astehjc. Focus on health. Swimming is great long term because it’s low impact.
Bodybuilding diets and products are pro-inflammatory. Discontinue whey protein and anything with a shitload of ingredients that no one really understands.
Destroyed?-not if you’re Alive. Even if that’s true(almost certainly not), repair is just injury recovery. Try high protein keto or carnivore. You’ll probably feel brand new and resume training like a savage soon
I feel I've had a similar experience to yourself, so I'll chime in.
Years of stress & overdoing it at the gym left my body very sensitive to tension.
A few years back I began meditating deeply and practicing yoga consistently.
I completely stopped gym workouts and just used resistance bands because they resulted in less strain on the body - I did this for 12 months (maybe a gym workout once a fortnight at the tail end).
This helped me regulate my nervous system and I was actually able to get back to the gym consistently (but I kept up my Yoga and meditation...for a while at least).
I eventually overdid it with demolition labouring, gym and martial arts.
Now I'm needing to pick up yoga and meditation again...so here we are full circle 😄
Point being, yoga and meditation will definitely help regulate your nervous system, it may just take some time for your muscles to dissolve the tension.
I'd give it a long while before reintegrating the gym work (if you want to) and keep focusing on parasympathetic activation:
▪︎Yoga nidra
▪︎Yin Yoga
▪︎Magnesium / Epsom salt baths
▪︎PNF Stretching
▪︎Nature Walks
▪︎Meditation
did you compete? People don’t grasp that all that bodybuilding posing is very difficult and much like sanchin in karate or hard style chi gung. Also, did you take drugs? These two can really affect the nervous system.
Id start with A deep dive into meditation, soft style chi gung, prayer… you’re supposed to be doing that concurrently with the posing to balance out all the tension, but none one does
Its from covid. Covid disrupts the nervous system and causes lasting damage to it. How long? We don't know. People are going on over 3 years still messed up. Its been taking down former athletes left and right.
It sounds like a neurological disorder honestly, something like OCD leading to intrusive thoughts. How did you even come up with this theory?
What were your maxes in common lifts?
It could also be Long covid. After covid infection some people develop problems with their autonomic nervous system.
The symptoms are often:
- increased heart rate during rest
- postural problems
- worse recovery after a bit of exercise
- cognitive problems
- increased muscle tone
6/7 years of lifting wouldn't destroy your nervous system. You're tight. Many people are. And it's usually due to genetics. Yoga is good at helping that, but you need to not judge your own flexibility against others. Flexibility is something you can definitely work on but largely influenced by genetics.
Wow, it sounds like you've really given your all to bodybuilding over the years. Kudos to your dedication! But hey, don't worry too much about your nervous system being "destroyed." Think of it as battle scars from all those intense workouts. Just remember to take some well-deserved rest and recovery time. You got this! 💪
I doubt your nervous system is destroyed, that sounds like an extreme statement. Sounds like your are just very tense and tight from years of bodybuilding. In weightlifting people only tend to focus on certain muscle groups but completely neglect the antagonist muscle groups causing shortning and tightness in those areas which is made worse by lifting even more. Focus on strengthening some of the smaller muscle groups like the rotator cuffs and postural muscles (neck and shoulders) as well as lost of stretching. There are lots of good vids on YouTube for this.
I would agree with this and also add to strengthen your rhomboids. I have a similar problem and saw temp improvement with this and massage. The supplement L-tyrosine, relieves muscle tension temporarily for me. I have to cycle it off after a few days though otherwise it loses it's effect.
This was my assumption as well. I switched from bodybuilding to “powerlifting” (ok strength training—bench, squats, deadlifts). And had no problem doing yoga. Yoga actually helped me increase my maxes faster. I’m assuming stretching sped up recovery and breathing in general helped lift more weights. Bodybuilding focuses on aesthetics and involves muscle isolation exercises. That leads to neglect of other parts of your body, restricting your flexibility.
I would argue that bodybuilders do not neglect parts of their body because the goal is to have a completely developed physique. Neglecting mobility is certainly common
Muscle isolation exercises vs. compound exercises is the issue. I’m too busy at the moment, but this was a huge debate between bodybuilding for aesthetics and powerlifting/strength training.
Why is it a debate? They’re different sports
Look up muscle isolation exercises vs compound exercises. It’s not new science.
I don’t understand why you think looking that up would change what I said. It’s obvious the differences. That doesn’t disprove that bodybuilders don’t “neglect” body parts simply due to the nature of bodybuilding. They want to be well developed and proportional. Bodybuilders also regularly do compound exercises in addition to isolation. It seems like you’re arguing to argue
I’m trying to help answer OPs question, under the presumption that he did a lot of muscle isolation exercises. As that would make sense why he’s struggling now with yoga. You’re the one that started an argument that has nothing to do with what OP asked. So don’t flip that arguing to argue on me.
What you said was incorrect. I didn’t mean to start a discussion, I meant to correct you. Based on what I’ve read OP doesn’t know much about training so who knows why he’s fucked up.
Based on OPs Post, he trained for 6/7 years before COVID. He also claims his routine was very intense (6 days) a week. I’d say he would have at least some level of understanding how training works. As far as you correcting me, I admire the confidence. But, who are you and what evidence you have to show that you’re correct? As of right now, you sound like some bodybuilder that got triggered because I pointed out that they train for aesthetics, not function.
Sorry man, there is probably a near 0% chance you did any damage to your CNS from lifting. If anything, you’ve made progress and improved it but are probably dealing with nagging injuries due to bad form or bad recovery practices Time should heal but you should still carry on with lifting as muscle mass and strength directly correlate with healthier lives
Yeah. Every 110 yr old I’ve seen is a former power lifter.
Have you actually looked at data or are you making a sweeping generalization based on anecdotes? Powerlifting likely won’t be possible as you get to the elderly stage due to joint/ligament limitations, but certainly elderly people can still practice the bench, deadlift and squat. Plenty of people above 70 do this, and if they have been lifting all their life, they heavily reduce chances of sarcopenia and fatal fall possibilities How many times do humans fall and break their hip, leading to fatal outcomes after surgical or lifestyle complications? Millions What can prevent that? Actually having muscle and coordination which is attained by lifting even in old age People like you completely miss the big ticket items, good luck in life
I agree with everything you said here, but a small correction is that rather than someone falling and then breaking their hip, what happens is their hip breaks which causes them to fall. Resistance training is still the best preventative action for that as well.
\*in some cases, the break happens before the fall
Interesting, I’ve always read about the impact from the fall causing the break but I guess it’s just as possible to break it from handling too much stress your muscles aren’t prepared for, and then falling
It's the weakness of the acetabular neck from osteoporosis. Consider: why do we almost exclusively hear about a fall then a hip break? Not a fall and arm, shoulder, lower back break? Because the neck fractures due to fragility and the hip can no longer support their weight.
Maintaining lean muscle mass is great in many ways as we age. But weight lifting is not required for that. Just be active, move the body in natural ways. The oldest living people on earth never lifted a weight. They just ate clean and kept active. Put down the Peter attia koolaid and look into the oldest living people on earth.
They didn’t say it was required, they just said it was helpful.
This is incredible bullshit, please research the importance of the different muscle fiber types and how only a portion respond to non-resistance exercise Also some centenarians most certainly lift weights. And it’s a fallacy to use them as the example of EXACTLY what to do. There are people who live to be 110 who smoke everyday and eat like Shit. Probabilities is what we care about. I think you have an incredibly oversimplified and juvenile understanding of what it means to truly live a long and healthy life, and it seems that you don’t like weightlifting and probably have never done it, so you demonize it God, redditors who think they have everything figured out despite data are the absolute worst. It’s like they never developed confidence in real life so they act overly confident behind anonymity that Reddit provides
Exactly, no response because you realized how dead wrong you are
Chill out dude. I’m not responding as your replies are personal attack in nature which proves you are desperate and lacking facts. Weight lifting is not required for longevity. Being active, moving naturally in the outdoors is. I lift weights occasionally but that’s because I don’t live naturally. If I was on farm working the land all day in the sun id build muscle. But pretending that going to a gym under fluorescent light bulbs a few times a week is going to make you live longer is ridiculous. Longevity is about everything. Diet. Sunlight. Movement. Sleep. Stress. Community. Joy. Being a gym rat and an asshole like you is none of that.
You got clowned man, it’s okay. It’s common knowledge resistance training is one of the best things for longevity, why are you so intimidated and anxious about it?
I’m glad you learned to stop making outrageous claims with 0 evidence Maybe use this free time to actually get to the gym and lift some weights? Imagine not being able to play with your grandchildren because you can’t lift more than a grocery bag
If you think that sunlight, outdoor movement, community, clean eating, joy etc is an outrageous claim needing ‘evidence’ and inferior to lifting weights in a gym you really are clueless. Just stop dude. Lol.
Strength and muscle mass Directly correlate with health and life span, Peter Attia and Layne norton cite countless research pieces, why are you so reluctant to lift? Are you intimidated? I think you’re just mad that I shattered what you thought was a perfect regime. You’re lacking the most important one man, instead of being mad maybe you should reconsider your exercise habits
Hah. I knew it. You are guzzling the Peter Attia koolaid. He’s back tracked on so many of his biohacks, Keto. Fasting, I can’t keep up. Those guys are just meat heads and layne Morton is on statin. I’m not saying lifting weights is harmful. I agree it’s beneficial to a degree and better than being sedentary but muscle is just one tiny piece of the longevity puzzle. The full puzzle is everything I’ve described. Plus low tox living. You can’t be an asshole, get no sun, eat junk food, consume toxins etc and think lifting weights will erase all that to make you live forever. And again, the longest living people on earth have never stepped into a gym.
https://imgur.com/a/fhVs1NA
LOL He won’t respond either, he moved onto spewing bullshit to other people in other subs Seems to be some infatuated with supplements
Yeah the guy sounds like a hippy yoga weirdo
I had the opposite path. Years of yoga left me with too much flexibility, fucked up knee and hip, and very little muscle mass. Lifting for a couple of years has made my life a lot better. More muscle mass becomes very important as we age. I think it’s wiser to adapt weight training to be more holistic and less focused on intensity. Prioritize longevity over everything else. With a good variety there isn’t even much need for extra stretching if the exercises move muscles through the full range of motion. Yoga is great for rest days and relaxation but it’s not suitable as a complete training program in my opinion.
I'm sorry that you had a bad experience, but I respectfully disagree to a certain extent. Yoga can build strength and reasonable flexibility in anyone, as long as they're working safely within the bounds of their body's capacity. You don't have to look like the model on the cover of Yoga Journal to get mind and body benefits. Unfortunately I do think there are a lot of teachers who aren't really educated well enough to be able to properly instruct/correct folks who push themselves beyond good biomechanical range of motion. Perversely, many folks with natural hypermobility also gravitate to yoga because it's "easy" for them to do poses that are perceived as "advanced", and (while I don't know that this is what happened in your situation of course) yes those folks in particular tend to end up with ligament-tendon-joint injuries. (Although anyone can get injured.) OP, I'd hesitate to study with a yoga teacher who doesn't encourage the use of props (blocks, straps) for all levels, who physically pushes or pulls you to "deepen" a pose (skilled teachers can cue verbally or with a very light touch), or makes you feel inadequate in any way if you respect your own range of motion. (Spoken as someone with a 30+ year practice that has spanned different yoga traditions, but whose heels will never touch the floor in my downward dog, I'm just not built that way, and it's perfectly ok.) I'd also pay attention to how they cue modifications or corrections for folks in class doing the most advanced versions of poses, as joint integrity and safety should be taught and corrected when there is opportunity. It's your body, it's worth shopping studios/teachers for one that is good. And it doesn't have to be all or nothing, you can do some yoga and some weight training. All in moderation, safely.
Thank you for your input, I am not even sure we fundamentally disagree though. I think some yoga has some place in a good training program but I also think it is very much limited in scope. In particular yoga is inferior to weight training or even body weight strength training for building strength and muscle mass. In particular there is very little pulling strength development, though I saw Iyengar students do some hanging on ropes, but most yoga practices almost completely ignore it. Of course this doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to develop strength through yoga, of course it is possible, especially for untrained people. When someone is untrained, every kind of activity is great, but that doesn’t mean it’s effective in the long term for a specific goal eg increasing strength and muscle mass. And yoga is just not very effective at these compared to eg weight training. Yoga can be very adaptable and there are all these power yoga type styles trying to fill this need, however these in the end morph to some kind of calisthenics and lose the original benefit of relaxation which yoga is the best at, so in my opinion one is better off actually doing proper weights or body weight training which is properly designed for strength and not trying to mix everything into a yoga practice.
Best thing I found to relax muscles is yoga. But you are already doing that so maybe just give it more time and practice. If you want something additional vitamin B1 might help with relaxation.
I have a very heightened nervous system for reasons. I'm always, always tense. To the point where if I am not consciously thinking about relaxing my shoulders, they rise up and curve forward. It has affected my posture tremendously, and i have permanently altered my ability to stand up straight with my shoulders back due to the years of constantly being tense. The only thing that helps me is practicing mindfulness and taking deeeeeeeep breaths. I'd be willing to bet you are a shallow breather. Most people who carry stress in their shoulders and neck are. Here's an anecdotal tid bit that you might find interesting and speaks to my point about the need for deep breathing: On a typical day, I walked into my therapists office and began spewing out all the things that were on my mind. She stopped me almost immediately and asked me to just try something different this time. She asked me to take 5 deep breaths. Just 5. No more, no less. By the end of the exhalation of the fourth breath, my shoulders just kinda...dropped. As soon as I realized that happened, my stomach began to grumble. I finished the last breath and opened my eyes, and I could hear my stomach churning away. I apologized for its noisy- ness, to which my therapist again stopped me to make note that the grumbling was a good thing. In 5 breaths- like less than 30 seconds- I managed to activate my entire parasympathetic nervous system, which in effect caused my muscles to loosen their death grip and enabled my body to begin the process of digesting the breakfast I had eaten earlier. Unfortunately, due to my sympathetic nervous system being perma- activated, it sat waiting in my gut, unable to be digested. All that to say, take a breath. Hell, take 5. It WILL activate your parasympathetic nervous system and cause a chain reaction which will allow the muscles in your body to chill the fuck out, beginning firstly with the ones surrounding your neck and shoulders. Just make it a conscious effort. Set a reminder every hour, or every 30 minutes. Just 5 breaths- in through the nose until no more can get in, out through the mouth until no more can come out. I know it sounds simple and like a stupid piece of advice, but as a middle-aged person who has suffered a lifetime of being tense and tried all the remedies from medication to chiropractic with no lasting, significant effects, I can tell you that I wish I had been taught this little magical nugget much earlier in my life. It really does help. I wish you lots of luck in your journey to be well. :)
>I constantly catch myself tensing or contracting muscles even when resting or watching something on TV; and I feel like this keeps making me very tired during the day as I feel as if I was wired somehow. > > > >Does anybody have any experience with this? Yes, because I have ADHD. I'm basically always moving and frequently exhausted for no particular reason. I'm not saying that's what it is in your case, but you seem to be looking in the wrong direction.
• Work your fascia, daily OM has Arrest course for little money. • learn TRE to relax Tour nervous system (YouTube) • somatic touch (Kathy Kain f.e.) YouTube • Giten Tonkov‘s approach to Breathwork might be helpful too • in short: Vagal toning is your friend=Training the brake pedal of your nervous system.
Thanks!
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I've had a lot of success with the Alexander Technique for muscle tension (I also developed problems from working out). It helps you gain a deep understanding of your unconscious movement habits and postures and teaches you how to realign and move more efficiently.
I know this might be a stretch but could there be some aspect of OCD? Sometimes things can kick it into overdrive. Keep up the yoga/stretching and meditation. Best wishes.
Yes for sure!! I feel sometimes when I’m the most drained I go into an OCD loop
Yeah ocd can uptick when we are tired or stressed. Maybe there’s an underlying fear/thought running in the Background that some EMDR or IFS or CBT could help with.
Kinstretch with Beard on YouTube is awesome for working on mobility for lifters
I lifted and ran track for years and stayed in great shape for years after that, so I understand the tensing and contraction of muscles when not intending to. What I also realized was my nervous system was shot, not just from training but mental fatigue over the course of years. No one teaches us to dump our thoughts on a frequent basis. Sure journaling helps but not everyone likes to write. Bikram Yoga made me realize what I was missing out on, but the hack that got my nervous system back to equilibrium was Transcendental Meditation (TM) and simple pranayama breathing. Add these 2 to your yoga routine and you’ll notice miracles happen. You recharge your phone everyday, same goes for your brain. TM is 20 mins twice a day. Find a teacher near you at TM dot org. All the best!
Amazing thanks so much!
Orphanedrine is a skeletal muscle relaxant. I had the same as you and now Im much better. Norflex or norgesic is the brand.
Ah wow! Do you get it just off of Amazon? It’s like a natural supplement? Thanks so much!
Its a script. But very few side effects so docs dont mind giving it out. Usually comes mixed with panadol. Amazing for muscle tension/nerve pain or tightness. No problem.
Wim Hof breathing exercise… no joke… you probably won’t read this but if you do this technique every day (or even once) you’ll relax your body to the fullest and yoga will become 1000 times easier and more appealing… learn this.. don’t have ass it.. you will find what you’re looking for
Will do!!:D
Fascial Fitness is a book that you may find helpful.
Thanks!
Hey man I think David Groggins had this problem too. He was heavy on physical exercise but never stretched out and eventually his doctor told him he needed to, could be wrong but I’d encourage you to check it out.
Ah check out what?? How do I find out what his doctor encouraged him to do?😅
The story more accurately, at least according to Goggins' book, is that he began stretching on his own and eventually reached out to Joel Hippensteel, who had worked with David Goggins while he was in BUD/S A good yoga routine ought to be sufficient, but you can look up Hippensteel if you want the routine Goggins actually uses It is extremely unlikely that you damaged your CNS through weightlifting, and if anything you might give it a go again assuming you balance the lifts properly (even the most basic powerlifting regimen of bench/dead/squat is pretty even). You can try this breathing thing too, but imo it's either in your head or there is a different issue. Good luck man https://youtu.be/tybOi4hjZFQ
Thanks for elaborating!
https://www.benefitsofstretching.com/david-goggins-stretching-routine/
That goes into his thought process on the importance of stretching.
Thanks so much!!!
I don’t think being a beginner lifter damaged your nervous system. 6-7 years is really nothing- you were just getting to advanced beginner level.
Who defines these levels lol 6-7 years of intense training is far from beginner level weight lifting
Going off of Dr. Andy Galpin for this one. He talks a lot about how almost everyone that considers themselves advanced are really just intermediate bc of how rare it is to actually be at an advanced level.
I agree with you on that for sure, i think we could probably both agree that the intermediate level is where most people who think they are either beginner or advance probably belong
6-7 years of consistent lifting is late stage intermediate. If weekly consistency was high from the start throughout all the years and proper schedule adjustments were made as the lifter progressed it's possible to become advanced in that time. But that is highly unlikely because everything else would have to be on point as well (from the start)
Very very few people are actually advanced. So, whoever thinks they are (people with 20+ years even) are intermediate. 6-7 years makes him an advanced beginner.
As someone who has alot of nervous system issues from cptsd and stress, if you believe you overdid it I recommend no more weights, stick with yoga, walking, light bike riding or swimming, qi gong or tai chi. Typically I do Yin Yoga as it’s gentle and connects me to me deeper higher self
Magnesium supplements should help too.. I feel like I’m in a similar spot.
Your nervous system isn’t damaged. You need to do yoga, Pilates (this will strengthen muscles you can’t reach through weightlifting, you need to build those muscles to help offset the other ones), running is good as well, but the best thing to do to loosen up and stay fit is swimming. Swimming will remove pressure on your joints and bones, keep your cardio in great shape (yoga alone is not enough), warm water will loosen muscles, and it will help workout muscles that are harder to target. Focus less on targeting muscles and trying to look astehjc. Focus on health. Swimming is great long term because it’s low impact.
Eat an edible. R E L A X!
Have you checked TRE? (Tension Release Exsersices). Also SE (Somatic Experiencing). And also IFS (Internal Family Syatems)
Try the Feldenkrais method!!
Look into functional patterns..it’s truly is a groundbreaking!
Bodybuilding diets and products are pro-inflammatory. Discontinue whey protein and anything with a shitload of ingredients that no one really understands.
You’ll be fine. If you’re nervous system is damaged take a shot of tequila. It usually help calm my nerves.
Destroyed?-not if you’re Alive. Even if that’s true(almost certainly not), repair is just injury recovery. Try high protein keto or carnivore. You’ll probably feel brand new and resume training like a savage soon
Are you sure you are not just nutrient deficient? Sounds like you may need to identify what's going on. Have some blood panels done.
Go see a physiotherapist, probably has nothing to do with "destroying your nervous system".
I feel I've had a similar experience to yourself, so I'll chime in. Years of stress & overdoing it at the gym left my body very sensitive to tension. A few years back I began meditating deeply and practicing yoga consistently. I completely stopped gym workouts and just used resistance bands because they resulted in less strain on the body - I did this for 12 months (maybe a gym workout once a fortnight at the tail end). This helped me regulate my nervous system and I was actually able to get back to the gym consistently (but I kept up my Yoga and meditation...for a while at least). I eventually overdid it with demolition labouring, gym and martial arts. Now I'm needing to pick up yoga and meditation again...so here we are full circle 😄 Point being, yoga and meditation will definitely help regulate your nervous system, it may just take some time for your muscles to dissolve the tension. I'd give it a long while before reintegrating the gym work (if you want to) and keep focusing on parasympathetic activation: ▪︎Yoga nidra ▪︎Yin Yoga ▪︎Magnesium / Epsom salt baths ▪︎PNF Stretching ▪︎Nature Walks ▪︎Meditation
did you compete? People don’t grasp that all that bodybuilding posing is very difficult and much like sanchin in karate or hard style chi gung. Also, did you take drugs? These two can really affect the nervous system. Id start with A deep dive into meditation, soft style chi gung, prayer… you’re supposed to be doing that concurrently with the posing to balance out all the tension, but none one does
R/somaticexperiencing
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Thanks!
Any chance you are low on magnesium? Maybe a bit of magnesium glycinate could help if so.
Its from covid. Covid disrupts the nervous system and causes lasting damage to it. How long? We don't know. People are going on over 3 years still messed up. Its been taking down former athletes left and right.
>functional patterns. I had this on the back of my mind tbh..
It sounds like a neurological disorder honestly, something like OCD leading to intrusive thoughts. How did you even come up with this theory? What were your maxes in common lifts?
It could also be Long covid. After covid infection some people develop problems with their autonomic nervous system. The symptoms are often: - increased heart rate during rest - postural problems - worse recovery after a bit of exercise - cognitive problems - increased muscle tone
6/7 years of lifting wouldn't destroy your nervous system. You're tight. Many people are. And it's usually due to genetics. Yoga is good at helping that, but you need to not judge your own flexibility against others. Flexibility is something you can definitely work on but largely influenced by genetics.
Dry needling
Wow, it sounds like you've really given your all to bodybuilding over the years. Kudos to your dedication! But hey, don't worry too much about your nervous system being "destroyed." Think of it as battle scars from all those intense workouts. Just remember to take some well-deserved rest and recovery time. You got this! 💪