[Off Topic]: Long term effects of squats, deadlifts, bench press

[ClippedOn]

Hello,

I apologise for the Off-Topic post, but after spending hours scouring the internet with little luck finding advice from qualified people I thought I'd ask the qualified people directly. I'd be very grateful to anyone who can offer some advice.

My top priority when it comes to resistance training is avoiding long-term chronic injury to my body (joints, back, etc). Most people in the lifting community follow the mantra that squats, deadlifts, and bench pressing, are necessary in any routine and if done 'well' will only do good things for your body. However there are some who think that even if you pay a lot of attention to your form, these exercises will wear out your cartilage and cause long term damage to your joints. For example squatting regularly will apply excessive compressive force to your spine and even a hint of forward lean turns this into shear force which will greatly increase your risk of back issues.

There are safer versions of these exercise I could substitute which don't have these problems, but will probably result in inefficient progress. For example, instead of squats I could do a mix of bulgarian split squats and single leg presses, both of which are much safer for my back and involve lower weight since they work one leg at a time.

I am happy to do that if doing squats/deadlifts/bench presses will carry with them a high risk of these issues. I'm no expert on these issues and good information has been hard to find so I wanted to ask whether you all think that the conventional weight training exercises, even if done with good attention to technique, are likely to cause long term bodily damage?

PS I should add that in any case I don't intend on going very heavy. I would stop at squats and deadlifts for 1.5x my bodyweight and bench presses at 1x my bodyweight.

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[DarkHorizon]

Hypertrophy

 

[ClippedOn]

Hypertrophy

Lol! OK, I should be more precise/concise.

I realise this is off topic but you seem like a very qualified group of people to ask

Most of the internet says that squatting up to 1.5x your bodyweight with good attention to technique is good for your back over several decades because your bones, tissues, and muscles, adapt to the load and all become stronger, so you can expect less back problems in your old age.

Other parts of the internet say that squatting that much regularly will apply excessive force on your spinal disk, and any slight forward lean/spinal hyperextension will turn that from compressive to shear force which is even worse for your spinal disks. Either way they say that this will wear out the cartilage and greatly increases the chance of back problems later in life.

I can find similar disagreements for deadlifts and bench presses (the other heavy weight lifting movements) and when it comes to other joints (knees, shoulders).

So when it comes to preventing injuries in the long-term , will squatting (and deadlifting/bench pressing) reasonably heavy (1-1.5x bodyweight) weights have a positive or negative effect?

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

The only thing shown consistently to improve your overall health in the future is light to moderate exercise 30 minutes a day. This means cardio. For everything else, proceed at your own risk. I personally would not put shear stress on the joints, which is why I do elliptical instead of running.


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[ClippedOn]

The only thing shown consistently to improve your overall health in the future is light to moderate exercise 30 minutes a day. This means cardio. For everything else, proceed at your own risk. I personally would not put shear stress on the joints, which is why I do elliptical instead of running.

Thanks for the reply. I have read reports on things like Wolff's Law and Davis's Law which state that bones and tissues adapt positively to moderate levels of weight training over a period of many years (5+) and that such adaptations persist for many years after ceasing the training. This seems like it would be beneficial for overall health in the old age, would it not? Or have these results not been proven consistently?

Also, can I infer from your comments that shear stress is the main culprit when it comes to joint damage, as opposed to compressive stress?

On a side note it is good to hear that you think the elliptical is safe, as that is what I use for cardio too.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

I’m not an exercise therapist so I don’t know the answer to your first question. As for the second, too much compressive stress is also bad, but shear is the worst.


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[tf21594]

The biggest risk factor for chronic joint injury is time. Your joints are going to break down anyway. I don't have any evidence to back up this statement, but I believe that doing the compound lifts with good form make you less prone to acute injuries, and if done well, minimize wear and tear on joints by maximizing their efficiency in every day life (i.e. good biomechanics walking, picking up boxes, etc.). Sitting in a chair all day is much worse for your joints than following a squat/dead/bench/press exercise program. Do them if you want to and don't live in fear of what might happen decades down the line.

 

[bonemann]

bench press -> distal clavicular osteolysis

 

[FutureDoc1088]

Take a look at Ronnie Coleman now compared to 10 years ago and back when he was the 8-time Mr. Olympia. Turns out his “light weight” bought him 4-5 back surgeries and bilateral total hips. Nothing but a peanut.

(I must admit I do lift weights despite this)