So I was reading miked96's article "Don't be 165 pound Weakling" (which hits close to home as I'm a 170 pound weakling).
This part stuck out to me:
The dissenting cry for the weak-minded is that it’s not healthy. First off, lifting weights to the extent where you would be reading this article is probably not the healthiest thing for you. Is it really good for me to squat and pull over 500 pounds three to four times a week? Is that the best thing for my knees and spine? The answer is no.
So I got to thinking, is this really true? My own knees and back have never felt better since I started lifting but I haven't been lifting long or anywhere near 500lbs.
I know plenty of retired people, otherwise healthy, who can't bodyweight squat past paralell, who have back problems, shoulder problems etc and they never lifted a day in their lives. Not trying to pick a fight with Mike here, just using his article as a jumping-off point.
1. Could some older, strong (500+ squat/pull) lifters chime in here? How's your joint and spine health?
2. Are there any studies on this? I'd be interested to see some kind of comparison between career weightlifters/strongmen/powerlifters and the general population.