Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: The Knees Know When to Say "Enough"
There was a time I thought my knees were indestructible. I was leg‑pressing 380 pounds and feeling smug — stronger than most of the guys around me. I was aiming for 400, the max on the machine. I’d hop on after some strong fellow and match his weight just to prove I could. It felt glorious. Then my sister, a massage therapist, found out. She didn’t congratulate me. She said one word: STOP. Apparently, cartilage doesn’t care how proud you are. It cares about pressure. And mine was getting plenty. So, I listened — reluctantly. I dropped to 200 pounds, which felt embarrassingly light at first. But my knees stopped complaining. The strain faded. One of the trainers showed me a machine that lifts the lower leg to strengthen the joint without crushing it. He said if he were my age and could press 200, he’d pat himself on the back. He was amazed I could still push 300 for a single rep. I smiled, but I also heard my sister’s voice again: STOP. Now I take Move Free and collagen — maybe th...