I used to play rugby and was in the gym 2-3x per week. I’m long retired, and now work out 1x per week at home. I’m not as strong as I used to be, but still strong for my age relative to average.
Strength training isn’t all or nothing. Just because you can’t go to a gym and lift heavy doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing some form of strength training. I have a very minimal setup - 2x 40 lb dumbbells, a set of rock rings (for pull ups), and a mat.
That’s all I need to maintain strength. I’m not looking to build strength. I don’t get injured. And I rarely crash (MTB). Being strong helps with both.
I’d say - continue with some form of strength training. Do it at home to avoid the 40 min drive. It’s a good habit to get into to preserve physical well being as you age.
Maybe I exceeded my optional recovery, lowered volume to recover more. I am not new to strength training, but when I visited gym more often and perused better physic I haven’t trial run. All the pounding and going up and down really takes a toll. Hope to adapt and progress my strength training. My current leg workouts are towards injury prevention, my itb flares from time to time. Thanks for the advice.
I’ve also heard that jumping works better than lifting, and indeed peak forces in a jump (specifically on takeoff) are higher than in almost any lift, but the effect sizes in this paper are negligible and there’s no comparison even attempted between a lifting treatment and the jumping treatment.
The bone benefit from jumping or running does not come from push-off, it is from impact which provides stimulus for osteoclasts and blasts to remodel bone. Of course, too much impact can result in injury, as stress fractures are not uncommon in new or highly competitive runners.
Yes, I was on TRT for much of that time. I came off completely in spring 2020 and regained a moderate portion of my natural test levels. Considering my levels since coming off have come back in the low/moderate low range, I have still maintained considerable mass and in some ways I’m nearly as strong, pound for pound, as when I was on. I’m just 155 lbs instead of 220 lbs lol. As with most bodybuilders, there was a fair amount of body dysmorphia going on. Looking back to old photos it’s wild how huge I was. In many ways I’m actually happier with my body now.