Everyone plateaus and then the gains come on significantly slower. For sure, lower the weight if mass isn't your goal, that is perfectly fine. I like to get up to a max weight workout, then drop down again and work on sets of ten, and after a couple months go back to the max weights. Works for me and I think everyone gets burned out and sore. By its very nature, it is supposed to make you sore, but not aches.
There should be concerns when there is chronic aches and pains...sometimes you can be stressing the body too much or not providing yourself with enough rest between workouts. And this is where we need to listen to our bodies...some people need more rest than others, and it is not always the same.
There are of course supplements out there, I don't really get into them too much.
Good job hitting it hard for nearly five straight years!
|