31-Oct-2009: Training with Cressey Mesocycle 11, Week 4, Day 4
Warm-Up: ~30 min of foam rolling and dynamic mobility
Lifting
Highlights
Bench Press: 265x1 5 lb PR GOAL ACHIEVED
*The good: I achieved my goal and got a new PR. The CGBP, board presses, and band work seem to have helped me strengthen that sticking point as this slowed down about where it usually does but I was able to press through it. The bad: This wouldn't pass in comp, it wasn't paused. And my elbows hurt right in the bottom position, which causes me to lose a bunch of tightness. I think I am good for another 5-10lbs if they are not hurting.
Neutral Grip Standing DB Military Press: 65x6
Pullups: BW+55x6 GOAL ACHIEVED
Light static stretching
Misc
Good workout to finish up my training with Eric Cressey. My elbows are a little problematic right now. The cause is 100% my grip when I squat. I am going to have to work to adjust it so that I can have a good balance between squatting and benching. The time is now as I can lower the weight and work on it. I have ART this coming week, so I will have him go at them as well.
At first I read "I hit the beach" and I thought...it's nearly November! Then I reread. I wasn't sure if you were lifting yesterday. Thought halloween parties or something may have affected your schedule. Looks like you had a good day in the gym yesterday.
I thought you solved your grip problem before? Any reason you moved your grip back in?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha Zulu
I got a little curious about what competitions are on the horizon and took a look at the schedule. I was planning on not competing again until spring, and I won't be doing a full meet until then most likely, but I was feeling a little bit of the itch and I noticed there's a DL only comp early next year (I think it was Jan 30) that I am now leaning towards doing.
You got me thinking about meets a little bit. I will consider the one in January, but I'm actually more excited thinking about competing in the Navy Open in late February. I think It'd be fun to lift at the Naval Academy. (Hopefully they allow out-of-staters.) So I may wait another month and do a full meet. I don't know.
Weight: 167.8 lbs (+2.6lbs)
*I will just have to assume that the reading last week was low for some reason. I'll obviously be holding intake steady this week.
TRAINING
As I said, this was my last week with Eric Cressey. I really had a stellar four weeks to finish it off. I nailed all my short-term goals and have been making some good progress. My elbows are a bit of a concern but I think I know that the solution lies in simply giving them a little bit of a rest and then adjusting my squat grip accordingly, so I am not very concerned about it. My knee has not bothered me at all for about a week now either.
Now its time to focus forward. I am now responsible for my own programming, which is something I haven't done in a year now. I have been in my head a bit too much thinking about what I am going to be doing but I just need to sit down and think it out. This coming week, I am probably just going to go in a few times and dick around a little bit. I want to look at my squat grip, try a couple random feats of strength, and get well-rested. I am pretty certain I will do the Potomac Open Bench/DL meet on Jan. 30, 2010 (doing DL only). It will be with 100% RAW so it'll will be interesting to experience a new fed. So after this coming week, I will have 12 weeks to prepare. I'll have a full plan by next weekend.
Non-Quantifiable Goals
Continue to put great focus on staying healthy (rolling, mobility, stretching, and ice/heat when needed): Check but I have been cutting my stretching a little short recently. I need to make the effort to slow this down a little.
Complete and absolute focus in the gym: Good job this week. I was actually pleasantly surprised because I was without my iPOD all week. Usually, I use that as the primary means to get me focused and to drown out any other distractions. But I dropped a weight on the ear buds on Monday so they are broken and I went the whole week just using my own brain to get in the zone. It seemed to work out OK.
Pick up the pace: I am hit or miss with this. Sometimes I go fast, sometimes I go slow. I think I am going to establish set rest intervals on all accessory work.
Take better notes in my training journal: FAIL
Short-Term Goals (Nov. 1, 2009)
Squat: 335x3 -- Achieved (340x3)
Close-Grip Bench: 235x3 -- Achieved
Bench: 265x1 -- Achieved
Sumo DL: 375x4 -- Achieved (400x4; really blew this one out)
Pullups: BW+50x6 -- Achieved (BW+55x6)
Can't ask for any more than that as I think those were all pretty ambitious goals too. It wasn't a walk in the park by any means. New STers in the next week or so (it will really depend on how I structure my training).
Medium-Term Goals (Jan. 1, 2010)
Squat: 385x1
Bench: 275x1
Deadlift: 455x1
*I think I am very much on pace to give all of these a run.
Long-Term Goals (July 1, 2010)
Squat: 405x1
Bench: 305x1
Deadlift: 505x1
Ultimate Goal
1471lbs @ 198
DIET
I am going to have to make a real commitment to diet for the rest of the year. This is typically the hardest part of the year to stay on a good, clean diet. In addition to the holidays, its when football season really starts to pick up, especially with the NCAA bowls, which lends itself to a lot of opportunities to stray. I think having the meet in January will help me stay on track as I will not be making any efforts to drop to 165, so I'll need to be as solid as possible to be competitive in the 181s. That means a good diet.
Non-Quantifiable Goals
Make sure I am eating as close to my meal plan as possible: Pretty good.
Eat more variety: Finally getting a bit more variety in my foods, but it seems like I am eating just variations on the same meal. For example, salad with steak and X veggies vs. salad with chicken and Y veggies. I need a few more "go-to" meals, but the ease of making stuff I know I can just throw together quickly usually wins out over my desire to have a new taste sensation.
Increase calories in a smart and effective manner: I am not sure if I added too many calories this week (it really wasn't that much) or if I just had an "artificially" low reading last week (or high this week). I am leaning towards the latter. In any case, I am going to hold my calories steady and really stick the meal plan and see where that takes me.
Short-Term Goals (Nov. 1, 2009)
167lbs
*Funny how that works out as I just made this. I am still relatively lean. If I am not bloated or just fed (which is usually the case, but not in the morning or late at night), I still have some faint abs to show off.
For early December (ST goal), I am aiming for a 169 and change.
Medium-Term Goals (Jan. 3, 2010)
171.25lbs, low fat gain
*I don't think I'll quite be here, but I'll be close. Expanding this timeframe a little, I'll continue eating in this manner through the DL comp. At that point, I am anticipating being a little tired of eating at a large surplus and I will probably take 4 weeks to just eat at maintenance to let my metabolism and appetite get back to where they need to be to start shoving it in once again in the March time frame.
Long-Term Goals (July 1, 2010)
181lbs
Ultimate Goal
Solid 198er
MISC
Non-Quantifiable Goals[list][*]Be in bed lights out by 11:00pm during the week, with 30min prior to that to relax and unwind: Very good this week. I am sleeping better too. If I can get down to averaging getting up to pee only once per night (right now its probably 2), I'd be set. But I don't know if its worth reducing my water intake.[*]Keep these goals in mind all the time and do not deviate from the path that allows me to achieve them all: As I said above, the last few months of the year are historically the hardest to stay on track. I need to really make sure my diet especially remains tight.
I am really excited for the next 13 weeks. This meet is already starting to play in my mind and I am getting very excited about it. I know my training will reflect this. And although I would prefer to continue training with Cressey, I have to admit that I am excited to put the things I have learned from him to use and do some of my own programming.
Warm-Up: ~30 min of foam rolling and dynamic mobility
Lifting
Bench Press
225x5
225x5
225x6
*I had done a 3x5 with 225 way back when, just before my shoulder starting giving me problems. I got that pretty easily today. I did 6 on the last set, I am probably good for 7-8 though, if I am really going balls out, but this is a little bit of a recovery week, so I just racked as opposed to grinding out more. I should note that my elbow pain was very minimal today, which is great news.
Bodyweight Pullups to Positive Failure
BWx21
*My best previously with this grip was 15. I also did 18 neutral grip pullups last September, so who knows how many of those I can do, since I am considerably stronger with that grip. I don't think I personally know anyone who can do 20+ good pullups, so I am pretty impressed with myself. I think if I focused on it, I could make a run at 30.
Brady Band Series
Mini band (choked up) x8 each direction
*This is a great upper back exercise. It fries me. I can't find a link to it, but essentially it is band pull-a-parts straight across the body for 8 reps, then 8 in a diagonal (right hand goes high/left hand goes low), then 8 in the opposite diagonal plane, and then 8 behind-the-head pull-a-parts. Its one of the myriad exercises that I was doing as my assistance work with Eric that never made it into my "highlights" each day. Hopefully, I will have more good ones to share as my training continues.
Light static stretching
Misc
That was it. For the first time in a long time, I am able to post my full workout. It went well, I just wanted to get in there and fool around a little bit.
The real fun starts next week. That will be 12 weeks out from the Potomac Open. I already drew out my training. It looks like this:
Weeks 1-5: "Normal" Training
Weeks 6-9: Double Secret Cressey Deadlift Prioritization Training
Weeks 10-12: Moderate Taper
Obviously, the goal is to get my deadlift up since this is a DL meet. There is also bench at this particular comp, but I doubt I will do that.
I have some secondary things I am trying to achieve:
I will be doing a lot of box squatting. One thing I learned training with Cressey is that if you can kill two birds with one stone, do it. The box squatting will accomplish a few things. A) It will keep me squatting. Since I haven't done a whole lot of squatting since July, I want to make sure it doesn't get neglected for the next three months. B) It forces me to squat with a little lighter weight, which will be very beneficial in healing my elbows and adapting to a new grip that eliminates that problem for good. C) In the past, whenever my box squat has gone up, my deadlift has as well. I guess the extra PC work carries over pretty well.
I will also not be flat benching heavy except 2 sessions (in weeks 8 and 9). While I get this elbow/squat grip sorted out, I don't need to be putting any additional stress on the joint. So I am going to do some OH Press and some Incline work. If my shoulder starts to act up because of these two things, I'll have to make some rearrangements, but that's the plan for now. I will be doing speed bench, with and without bands, throughout this period, so my technique will hopefully stay fresh.
There are probably 6-8 guys at the gym considering doing this meet as well. I really hope some of them decide to give it a go as it will make the training atmosphere at the gym a whole lot of fun (not to mention the meet itself).
Warm-Up: ~30 min of foam rolling and dynamic mobility
Lifting
Front Squats
225x1
250x1
275x1
295x1
315x1
*I've never done a single for fronts so this is a default PR - I've doubled 295 - and I think I may have 5-10lbs more on this lift. More than one person at the gym wanted be to try another set, but I didn't want to push too much. One of these days I'll have my 2x BW front squat. Still, very pleased with this.
Pullthroughs
150x10
150x10
150x10
Half Kneeling Cable Chop
80x8/side
80x8/side
80x8/side
*A very cool core exercise and another exercise that has been in my rotation for the last year, but never made an appearance in the journal. I used to hate these, but have grown to love them.
Light static stretching
Misc
Pretty good session. I'll make it in one more time this week to dick around some more and then it gets good starting next week.
I managed to splash some very hot olive oil on my arm cooking dinner. Got a few blisters; nothing to worry about but my roommate looked at it and was like "Your forearm is all swollen" when in fact it is not swollen at all. He then realized I just have jacked forearms
I bet you had another 10 lbs on it too. This just got very interesting. Care for a little friendly front squat competition?
Also, impressive BW pull-ups from Tuesday. You've done a good amount of heavy pull-ups recently. Is that what helped get your BW pull-up capacity up?
Sure...I won't be doing them again for a while, but maybe after this training cycle concludes I can prioritize them a little.
I suppose the weighted pullups is the only real explanation. I don't recall going over 6 reps on any of my vertical pulling, so I certainly haven't trained for much endurance.
Warm-Up: ~30 min of foam rolling and dynamic mobility
Lifting
Squats
315x9
BB Press
135x7
Light static stretching
Misc
I'm pretty satisfied with both of these, especially since I don't really train either with a huge amount of frequency (I haven't done BB Press in a year in fact) . I just repped out on each. I may have had 10 in me on squat but it would have been a grinder and I didn't want to do that. I probably should have waited another day since I just maxed out on front squats 48hrs prior and I am feeling a little unrecovered but I wanted to take the whole weekend off to jump into my 12 weeks fully recovered.
I absolutely enjoyed squatting for reps. I have never really done that and I don't recall going over 4 reps at any point the entire time I was training with Cressey. It was immensely fun and I like the challenge. I may have to do a high-rep squat cycle after this DL meet.
But for now, I have one focus and one focus only and that is the (hopefully) solid 12 weeks I have laid out for myself going into this meet. All my other training aspirations and curiosities will have to wait until February and I will have to push them from my mind. I think that if I am on point the entire time, I have a good shot at 500, so that is all that matters. I am getting amped up just thinking about it. LET'S GO.
Weight: 166.4 lbs (-1.8lbs)
*Lost weight. I think I am going to have to make a decent sized increase in calories.
TRAINING
This was just a random week to mess around. I enjoyed it. Time to get back to work though.
Non-Quantifiable Goals
Continue to put great focus on staying healthy (rolling, mobility, stretching, and ice/heat when needed): I am feeling really good right now. My elbows aren't bothering me and everything else is in line. Now I just need to keep it that way.
Complete and absolute focus in the gym: I was intentionally letting my mind take a little bit of a break this week too. Nothing but focus from here on out though.
Pick up the pace: I assigned resting times for everything except my first exercise on my heavy days. Obviously, if I need more time, I will take it, but I am going to try to adhere to the times pretty strictly.
Take better notes in my training journal: FAIL
Adjust squat grip: I have some box squatting in this cycle. Its for speed and the weight won't be going over 240, but I'd like to work on my grip a little. The problem is that I need some weight on the bar to really feel if its a good position. I am integrating one heavy work up on the usual speed day, so we'll see.
Switch to using a hook grip exclusively on DLs: This may take some time, especially since I haven't hooked in a while, but I hope to get to this point.
Short-Term Goals (Dec. 13, 2009)
Rack Pull from Knees: Stand by (I honestly have no idea what to expect out of these tomorrow)
Sumo DL: 415x3
OH Press: 155x3
DB Rows: 120x8
Box Squat: 340x1
Bench Press: 250x3
Neutral Grip Pullups: BW+65x6
DB Bench Press: 100x8
Its a long and aggressive list, but I have five weeks to work towards knocking them out.
Medium-Term Goals (Jan. 1, 2010)
Squat: 385x1
Bench: 275x1
Deadlift: 455x1
*I'll be close on all of these I think. I won't find out on squat but tests for the other two are in my training around this time frame.
Long-Term Goals (July 1, 2010)
Squat: 405x1
Bench: 305x1
Deadlift: 505x1
Ultimate Goal
1471lbs @ 198
DIET
As I said last week, this is the toughest time of the year for me to really hold on to a good diet. But with this meet and now apparent battle my metabolism is going to give me to get over 170, I am going to need to be on point.
Non-Quantifiable Goals
Make sure I am eating as close to my meal plan as possible: Nice job so far.
Eat more variety: I mixed it up alright this week. I had some baked sweet potatoes, which is something I haven't done in a while. I bought some catfish and experimented with that. I had never prepared it before but remember liking it when I had it in the past. It turned out OK for my first go. I have about 4 lbs of flank steak thawing right now. Flank is great for stir fry and that is exactly what I plan on doing with it. Having a good variety becomes very important when appetite starts to max out.
Increase calories in a smart and effective manner: I'll be adding more. Probably a bigger increase than I have made up to this point, but these smaller increases seem to work for about 5 days and then my metabolism just nullifies them.
Short-Term Goals (Dec. 13, 2009)
169
Medium-Term Goals (Jan. 3, 2010)
170lbs, low fat gain
*I should get 170 by year's end if I can keep my appetite up. And by the meet, I'll hope be another 1-2 pounds heavier.
Long-Term Goals (July 1, 2010)
181lbs
Ultimate Goal
Solid 198er
MISC
Non-Quantifiable Goals
Be in bed lights out by 11:00pm during the week, with 30min prior to that to relax and unwind: Very good week sleep-wise. I was lights out around 11:00 every night but one, where I was up to midnight watching the World Series. I am reading before bed as well. Currently, I am reading The Last Lecture which is going quickly. Its a good read. I'll need to pick out something else soon.
Keep these goals in mind all the time and do not deviate from the path that allows me to achieve them all: Game time from here on out.
Well done AZ!! You've made some really amazing progress lately mate! A real inspiration!!
I like the way you have taken the trouble to realize your short-long time goals - we should all take a lesson there!
Just keep doing what ya doing man!!
Do you drink alot of milk? I find milk essential to adding more weight.
Thanks TKD. The past two or three months have been very productive for me. I hope I can keep it up here.
I don't drink a lot of milk. Probably a gallon of whole milk each week. I used it much more last year to break through a bit of a plateau in gaining weight. I really like milk, but I have a slight bit of lactose intolerance (it used to be WAY worse). I can get away with the amount I drink now (its bloats me a little bit) but I noticed last year when I was drinking a lot of it that I just in general felt like crap a lot of the time. If I need to, I will start with more though.
Also, something I just edited into my post...I am going to be working on my hook grip a lot with all this deadlifting I am going to be doing. If I can switch to using it exclusively, I'll be very happy.
like the way you have taken the trouble to realize your short-long time goals - we should all take a lesson there!
Agreed! It's a great example of goal setting and achieving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha Zulu
Short-Term Goals (Dec. 13, 2009)
Rack Pull from Knees: Stand by (I honestly have no idea what to expect out of these tomorrow)
Sumo DL: 415x3
OH Press: 155x3
DB Rows: 120x8
Box Squat: 340x1
Bench Press: 250x3
Neutral Grip Pullups: BW+65x6
DB Bench Press: 100x8
That's a big list of goals for this month. Looks really good. Oh man, good luck working on your hook grip with those bars.
Quote:
I have about 4 lbs of flank steak thawing right now. Flank is great for stir fry and that is exactly what I plan on doing with it. Having a good variety becomes very important when appetite starts to max out.
What do you do for stir fry flank steak? Any particular combinations of vegetables or spices or sauces that go well with it?
Why do you want to practice the hook grip in the deadlift?
Yeah, I do love my milk too. I just have to be careful about it.
Mostly to eliminate the possibility of tearing a biceps using an over-under grip. But its also way more badass.
Quote:
Originally Posted by /JV/
What do you do for stir fry flank steak? Any particular combinations of vegetables or spices or sauces that go well with it?
Well, I've done it a couple different ways. I have a recipe for the sauce that I've used and then I've bought all the veggies and chopped them up myself and pretty much made the whole dish from scratch. I can post that up if you'd like. It's very good, but by the time you make the sauce and chop all the vegetables and slice the meat and then cook the whole thing, it can be very time consuming...Today I took the easier way out. I bought a big bag of "Stir Fry Vegetables" at Costco and then a bottle of Kikkoman Stir Fry Sauce and just used those two, with sesame oil in my pan. Its obviously not as good as the first way, but its much quicker so its a trade-off. Chicken and shrimp also work very well in both of these.
Whatever the case, I always add some sriracha sauce to kick it up a notch.
Yeah, if you don't mind posting it or sending it to me, I'd like to give it a try. All I've done so far with flank steak is a recipe for stir fry with snap peas and bell peppers. It's a really good dish, but I'd like to try some more.
I still have a lot to learn about cooking, particularly when not following recipes. I'll probably try your stir fry sauce + bag of veggies when I'm in a hurry. And maybe with chicken or shrimp sometime like you suggested.
I also want to investigate Costco sometime, see if it makes sense to do something like that. I've heard good things about the meat department.
09-Nov-2009: DL Prep Phase I, Week 1, Day 1 - Lower Body
Warm-Up: ~30 min of foam rolling and dynamic mobility
Lifting
Rack Pulls from 1" Below Knees
385x3 (first rep hooked)
385x3
315x3 (all reps hooked)
*I did not like these at all. I think my technique is altered a bit from a standard pull. I was going to do them for three weeks, but will scrap them for the next two. I don't have the time to start light and get these right, which is unfortunate, because I think these can be valuable. And I don't want to go any heavier to the point that these would be worthwhile because I think the change in technique was involving my lower back too much, which is a huge warning sign in my situation. I'm looking into other options, hopefully with some input from the PL section here:
Quadruped Extension Rotations
3 sets of 8 per side
Reverse DB Lunge From Deficit
45x8/side
50x8/side
55x8/side
Pallof Press with 10s Iso Hold
40x3/side
45x3/side
50x3/side
Ghetto GHRs
3 sets of 8 negatives/assisted positives
Wall Ankles Mobilizations
3 sets of 8/side
Light static stretching and some additional foam rolling
Misc
I'll have a new exercise in the top spot next week. I wish I had time to focus on the rack pulls, but at the same time, I'm eager to try something new as well.
I'm wondering if I've given myself enough work on this day as far as number of moves goes but I need to remember that I didn't push too hard on the first exercise which would certainly have made a huge difference. And I started these 5 weeks with a low volume week to get acclimated, so total volume will be climbing too.
Hooking up to 385 is my best ever. My thumbs were certainly not used to that abuse though.
Yeah, if you don't mind posting it or sending it to me, I'd like to give it a try. All I've done so far with flank steak is a recipe for stir fry with snap peas and bell peppers. It's a really good dish, but I'd like to try some more.
I still have a lot to learn about cooking, particularly when not following recipes. I'll probably try your stir fry sauce + bag of veggies when I'm in a hurry. And maybe with chicken or shrimp sometime like you suggested.
I also want to investigate Costco sometime, see if it makes sense to do something like that. I've heard good things about the meat department.
I fully expect this formatting to be off since I am pasting from Word, but it should be legible.
Ingredients
-2-3 lbs chicken, pork, beef, or seafood
-1 cup sake or sherry
-4 oz bean sprouts
-3 cups shredded red cabbage
-20 baby carrots or 3 large carrots
-3 cups chopped cilantro leaves
-4 cloves garlic
-4 tbsp peanut or sesame oil
-2 large onions
-3 cups chopped scallions
-8 sweet peppers or a 2-3 bell peppers
-2 tsp ground ginger
-Salt and pepper to taste
-6 cups water
-4 star anise
-1 tbsp Spenda
-Thinly slice the meet
-Simmer soy sauce, water, black pepper, anise, and garlic for a few minutes in a sauce pan
-Add the wine, Splenda, ginger, 2 cups of scallions, and 2 cups of cilantro. Refresh with remaining scallions and cilantro as the cooking progresses
-Place a large skillet on high heat and grease with some of the oil. Cook the meat and vegetables on the skillet, adding oil and water as necessary and spooning the sauce over the meat and vegetables occasionally. (I'd cook the veggies for several minutes first, before adding the meat, since they cook slower)
I think you could also have some fun adding water chestnuts, peas, mushrooms, or broccoli.
As far as recipes go, what I will usually do is just look up several online for the same type of entree and then kind of just take the general idea and experiment with it. Then you can refine from there. I've only had one or two occasions where what I made was too f'ed to even finish eating it. I've gotten a few good tips and pointers watching Food Network too.
In my opinion, Costco is a must. It pays for itself ($50) very quickly, particularly from the meats (although I do buy a ton of cottage cheese, PB, and produce there as well). I go once a month and usually get 10lbs chicken, 5 lbs ground beef, a bunch of eggs, ~5lbs steak (sirloin or flank are good and cheap there), ~7lbs of pork, and some sort of seafood (catfish this month). All the other stuff like olive oil, fish oil, seasonings, etc... is fine to get there as well.
I'm not a big fan of the rack pulls either for just the reasons you mentioned. It feels a little different from how I do a standard deadlift and if I'm not careful, I can feel my back doing too much work and rounding like a caterpillar. OK, that's an exaggeration, but it's what I visualized at the time. I've had some success avoiding that by arching my back and fully activating the glutes prior to initiating the lift and I have also been adjusting my setup in a way that positions me closer to where I think I would be at that point in the deadlift. But I still hate them and can't wait until they're over.
Thanks for the recipe. So can I just go into a Costco to look around or do you have to have a membership to even get in the door?
Someone PM'd me your log because of my back injury in march of 09. I see you suffered a L5S1 injury. My PT diagnosed me with Degenerative disc disease and my chiropractor said that I had a strong case of lordosis @ about 60 degrees arched.
I injured myself squatting I believe, mind if I throw you a PM. I'm trying to figure out a good recovery program. I also found this thread at stronglifts that you may enjoy.
I'm not a big fan of the rack pulls either for just the reasons you mentioned. It feels a little different from how I do a standard deadlift and if I'm not careful, I can feel my back doing too much work and rounding like a caterpillar. OK, that's an exaggeration, but it's what I visualized at the time. I've had some success avoiding that by arching my back and fully activating the glutes prior to initiating the lift and I have also been adjusting my setup in a way that positions me closer to where I think I would be at that point in the deadlift. But I still hate them and can't wait until they're over.
Thanks for the recipe. So can I just go into a Costco to look around or do you have to have a membership to even get in the door?
I can see the value in them, but I would need to take several weeks to get it right and I don't have that kind of time. Maybe after the meet I can work them in.
I would imagine you can just go in and look or ask someone to let you do that. It would be bad business to not allow that. A girl at work asked me the same question today, strange...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire8085
Someone PM'd me your log because of my back injury in march of 09. I see you suffered a L5S1 injury. My PT diagnosed me with Degenerative disc disease and my chiropractor said that I had a strong case of lordosis @ about 60 degrees arched.
I injured myself squatting I believe, mind if I throw you a PM. I'm trying to figure out a good recovery program. I also found this thread at stronglifts that you may enjoy.
Sure, feel free to PM me with any questions or simply shoot me one to remind me to send you a few thoughts on what I did. Also, go to t-nation and read Cressey's lower back savers series of articles. That will give you a good education and place to start. Cressey was the engineer in my recovery, so those articles will give you a lot of insight into what I did. I have a bunch of degeneration in L4-L5 in addition to the problems with L5-S1. Its certainly a manageable issue.
Warm-Up: ~30 min of foam rolling and dynamic mobility
~15 min of GPP work
15 min on treadmill
Light static stretching
Misc
I am only going to be doing GPP once per week from now on. I am trying to free up some time in my life to do some other things. Anyways, that left me with either going today or Thursday (the flexibility there is also nice). I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. I was very tired all day today but my back was pretty tight all day today (I get a little bit lordotic myself when I use too much back pulling) from the rack pulls so I knew I would be better off going in and working some of that out. It helped a bunch, I am glad I didn't put it off until Thursday.
Based on some input I received in the thread I posted yesterday about DL lockouts, I am going to sub the GHRs out and give RDLs a shot (also suggested by a lifter at my gym) in their place. I think it makes sense in helping me lockout and keep a tighter arch, which were the two biggest issues with my last big pull.
I like the idea of RDLs. Nearly suggested it yesterday but I didn't think you'd be able to go heavy enough to address the lockout issue. I never thought of RDLs as a ME exercise. But that might be because I don't like going heavy on them.
Sounds like you have a good plan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha Zulu
I would imagine you can just go in and look or ask someone to let you do that. It would be bad business to not allow that.
That's what I thought, but I had to ask to avoid being the one doofus that didn't know you needed to know the secret password to get in the front door.
I can see the value in them, but I would need to take several weeks to get it right and I don't have that kind of time. Maybe after the meet I can work them in.
I would imagine you can just go in and look or ask someone to let you do that. It would be bad business to not allow that. A girl at work asked me the same question today, strange...
Sure, feel free to PM me with any questions or simply shoot me one to remind me to send you a few thoughts on what I did. Also, go to t-nation and read Cressey's lower back savers series of articles. That will give you a good education and place to start. Cressey was the engineer in my recovery, so those articles will give you a lot of insight into what I did. I have a bunch of degeneration in L4-L5 in addition to the problems with L5-S1. Its certainly a manageable issue.
Thanks for the advice. I've been doing a lot of reading myself and consulting a few professionals. How long did it take for you to pick up squats and deadlifts again?
What was the main thing that helped you heal your back? Stretching?
Do you always use a belt now?
Edit: I also have 2 books, one by mckenzie and one by stuart mcgill, going to check it out.
I like the idea of RDLs. Nearly suggested it yesterday but I didn't think you'd be able to go heavy enough to address the lockout issue. I never thought of RDLs as a ME exercise. But that might be because I don't like going heavy on them.
Sounds like you have a good plan.
Those won't be the ME exercise. I'm just going to move those in place of one of the assistance exercises.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire8085
Thanks for the advice. I've been doing a lot of reading myself and consulting a few professionals. How long did it take for you to pick up squats and deadlifts again?
What was the main thing that helped you heal your back? Stretching?
Do you always use a belt now?
Edit: I also have 2 books, one by mckenzie and one by stuart mcgill, going to check it out.
Well something I found out is that professionals who actually know enough to make lifting heavy a possibility again are few and far between. I went to a bunch. Several PTs, several orthos, and a chiro and only got marginal success out of them and none of them were ever really fully supportive of powerlifting. I have a chiro I go to still (about every 6 weeks or so; actually going tomorrow) but he is also an ART practitioner, which is equally valuable and what I usually go in for. He is also a competitive BBer, jacked, and understands that lifting heavy does not automatically equal injury.
BUT...The best thing you can do is educate yourself. Learn the anatomy. Learn the biomechanics. Learn how one joint/muscle/movement compensates for an injury, "de-activation," or lack of motion/mobility at another. Learn the rehab theories. It sounds like you are doing that, especially with McGill and McKenzie. Keep it up. Read Starting Strength if you haven't, it will put things into perspective as far as the proper biomechanics of moving a barbell and get you thinking in a way that you should when looking at exercise.
My last serious aggrevation of my back was early Nov. 2007 (just realized that its been two years). I was front squatting by April 2008. Back squatting around June 2008 and I think I probably pulled heavy for the first time in Dec. 2008 or January of this year. DLs were done in a progression with rack pulls and trap bar work being the first steps and conventional pulls being the final step. Let me be clear though; just taking time off and then starting out light is not going to accomplish anything. You'll likely just re-injure yourself once you get heavy again. You have to address the source and causes of the injury. You have to learn proper mechanics. You have to strengthen your weaknesses (I say that both in the context of actually getting stronger in the relevant muscles, but something like soft tissue constraints or flexibility deficits would also be considered weaknesses in this context.
Stretching is probably over rated. At least static stretching. Sure, you may have some lack of motion in your hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, or any number of other places. But dynamic work and a lot of soft tissue/foam rolling will be better. I can't point to any one thing as being the most important. Learning how to properly utilize the glutes, hamstrings, and posterior chain all the way up to your thoracic spine is up there and it is what prevents back injuries in the first place IMO.
I wear a belt when I need to. Generally, that only applies to squats and deadlifts (any variants of either pretty much) and for sets under 4 reps. Although I will wear them for an all-out high rep set too (as I did in my 315x9 the other day) because form can go pretty quickly after 8 reps or so, IMO.
This is a quote from a PM I sent to another forumer who asked me about some of the stuff I was doing with Cressey.
Quote:
I foam roll and do a mobility warm-up before every session. That is probably one of the most important things. I do a ton of other mobility work to, in between sets and on my off days...stuff that works on ankle mobility, hip mobility, glute activation, psoas activation, thoracic mobility, scapular stability, lumbar stability, some hamstring mobility, and a little bit of static stretching but not much. I think that covers most of it.
I do a lot of work on my upper back, rotator cuff, and lower traps (prior shoulder injury as well). More pulling than pressing. Lots of single leg work. Whenever I DL or squat emphasis is on keeping the back in extension and really working through the hips (glutes, hammies, adductors). Before working with him, I was using far too much lower back, but once my posterior chain "woke up" I started using my hips and feeling comfortable pushing the heavy weights again. We didn't squat or do a regular DL for the first several weeks. DLs began as rack pulls, trap bar DLs, and speed DLs before I got back to conventional heavy pulling. I still don't squat that often, but I still PR it regularly, so I don't mind. We will push it every other month or so, but IIRC I haven't squatted twice in a week while working with him. I've DLed (in various variants) as much as three times a week. I do a bit of front squatting as well. We would do a bit more squatting if I had access to safety squat bars, cambered bars, and buffalo bars, but I work out at Gold's so that's not an option. His preference is certainly for pulling and single leg work over squatting.
I should also note that exercises are completely swapped out every four weeks and my ME/Heavy work goes out usually every two weeks. This is also important for maintaining balance.
Finally (I know this is long) we really hammer the core work, but not in the typical fashion. The focus is on anti-extension and anti-rotation. The point is that the lower back should always be as immobile as possible with all motion coming from the thoracic spine and the hips. In pretty much every movement the human body makes. Anti-extension is things like ab wheel rollouts and planks. Anti-rotation would be stuff like side planks, Pallof presses, and cable chops. Always heavy.
I genuinely feel for you and if you can learn from my experiences, then that makes two of us. I know I am better, both physically and mentally, for having been through it, so I hope it works out for you.
11-Nov-2009: DL Prep Phase I, Week 1, Day 2 - Upper Body
Warm-Up: ~30 min of foam rolling and dynamic mobility
Lifting
A) Speed Bench with Mini Bands
8 sets of 135x3 (60s rest intervals)
B)Barbell Shrugs
225x8
225x8
*Done with a hook grip. I am most likely going to do these at least a couple of times over the next few weeks (high work weeks) with an explosive triple extension and each rep deloaded in the rack at the knees. Other weeks, I'll just do them slow and controlled like I did today. Trying to help my lockout.
C1) Neutral Grip Pullups
45x6
45x6
45x6
50x6
*My reference is 4x4 with 60. I may be good for a 4x6 with that weight at the end of these 5 weeks.
C2) DB Bench Press
80x8
80x8
80x8
*PR is 90x8, and these all moved pretty easily, so that should fall as well.
D1) Cable Face Pulls w/ External Rotation
70x10
75x10
75x10
E1) Single Arm Kneeling Triceps Pressdown with Choked Mini Bands on High Bar
2 sets of 20/side
*Longest exercise name ever
E2)DB Hammer Curls
25x10/side
27.5x10/side
*Trying to get a little blood flowing through the elbows with these last two exercises.
Light static stretching
Misc
Pretty good session. I had to reign myself in a little bit. I need to be mindful that I have five weeks to work with here so building a little momentum at lower weights will be important for being able to really throw it down in weeks 3,4, and 5.
Note that I alternate sets of exercises grouped together with a letter. I.E. the speed bench is the only exercise with letter "A" so those sets are done consecutively. But the pullups and DB bench are both grouped as "C" so its one set of pullups, rest, one set of DB bench, rest, repeat.
11-Nov-2009: DL Prep Phase I, Week 1, Day 3 - Lower Body
Warm-Up: ~30 min of foam rolling and dynamic mobility
Lifting
A1) Speed Box (11") Squats
8 sets of 225x2 (90s rest intervals)
*My lockout is so fast. Off the box, not so much.
A2) Scapular Wall Slides
7 sets of 8
B1) Good Mornings
135x5
145x5
155x5
*I'm really just trying to get a feel for these as Eric only had me do them on the rare occasion. I can really feel the stretch and recruitment in my hamstrings and I think the stability gained in the upper back is also going to be very valuable. I have a bit more weight in me, but these are a particularly risky exercise if form collapses, so I am being extra careful
B2) Bent Over T-Spine Rotations
3 sets of 5/side
C1) DB Bulgarian Split Squats
45x6/side
50x6/side
50x6/side
Misc
Pretty much everything today was pretty easy. I don't like forcing myself to ease up a little but I know its necessary to make the latter weeks more productive. The ab rollouts were the exception, those are always hard with the band resistance.
Squats felt good. A lot of pop but I would still like a little more strength out of the hole. GMs, even at light weight, will probably leave me sore tomorrow. I could tell in both exercises that my back is still a bit fatigued from the beating it took with the rack pulls on Monday.
I also experimented with setting up reverse band deadlifts as I have gotten some positive feedback on those for helping with lockout strength; the main takeaway being that if you position that bands so they lose all tension before your lockout, you are locking out straight bar weight. I doubled up my minis and if the pins are in the 8th hole, they deload at just below mid-thigh, with a significant amount of the tension falling off right around the knee. This works out because that's about where I need it. I also fooled around and I think they are giving me about 65lbs of tension at the bottom (the bar loaded with two 10s, sank to nearly the ground...it floated just above, right about where it would be with 45s). So hopefully I can be locking out weights around my 1RM for 2-3 reps on Monday.
Finally, today I was just looking around the gym while doing my pre-WO rolling and noticed a few of the bench and curl jockeys. These kids are pretty funny, mostly about my age I suppose, and they tend to stare at the corner of the gym at the racks where I, or one of the several other successful, serious guys at this gym tend to spend the majority of our time. I'll give them some credit, most have decent sized arms and chest, but they are attached to these spindly little legs and torsos. I mean these guys have no width, no upper back thickness, no erector development, no glutes, no hammies, and usually no quads. I think its hilarious. How can you be so oblivious?
And the worst part about it is that these big arms and chests they have were all attained (as far I can figure out) from newb gains because in the year and a half I have been lifting at this gym, none of these guys has made any noticeable gains. They look the same and lift the same weight. Meanwhile, these guys will stare at me like I am an alien when I am covered in sweat and caked in chalk pulling a heavy DL off the ground. Well that's fine with me. I am almost 30lbs heavier than I was when I arrived. My shirt collars don't button any longer. Short sleeves that were once loose are now tight on my arms. My belt is still only one size larger than it was, if that. Oh...and I've added a couple hundred pounds to my total
I'm sort of intimidated by good mornings because it looks like they could be dangerous if not done properly. But I'd like to try them sometime. Sounds like they're a very worthwhile exercise.
Your description of those guys in your gym reminded me of that Red Stripe commercial of the bodybuilder with skinny legs. I bet you've seen it. You make a good observation about lacking an overall thickness. In the past year and a half, my view of an ideal build has changed quite a bit so I don't get where the widespread desire to be thin and ripped comes from. I see thin people and think if this person would add a decent muscle base, he would look more healthy. But it seems that much of the population that isn't overweight wants to be skinny. I was glancing through one of the other sections of this site a few days ago and saw that someone created a thread asking how to make his traps smaller. It blew my mind that anyone would find something wrong with big traps.
I don't pay attention enough to notice what other people are doing in the gym, but I do wonder what their routines are like, what results they actually see, and how they stay motivated.
I wasn't sure if you were lifting yesterday. Thought halloween parties or something may have affected your schedule. Looks like you had a good day in the gym yesterday.
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