Equipment Crew- Part III

[AttyGuy]

I haven't been lurking around too much lately so I don't have any nominations for new Crew members. Not even sure that I deserve mine anymore

You've always got a place in the York Gang!

[animalfan]

You've always got a place in the York Gang!

Thanks man!

[weisgarb]

Anyone have any idea what the cause of pain is in my left armpit when I get to the top of a flye movement? Just putting my left arm straight out in front of me and then moving it to the right produces a fairly sharp pain. I can feel it when I bench too and it's really annoying. Could it be a tendon somewhere or lymph node related? It doesn't hurt if I push on it (not any more than it should, I think).

My body doesn't tolerate dumbbell flyes well, and I'm not sure why. I tried them in 2009 for a few months and had to stop because I developed a sharp pain in my chest directly next to my armpit. It sounds like your pain might be in a slightly different area, perhaps closer to the tendon, but it still sounds like a muscle or tendon sprain. I had to eliminate all chest exercises for about 6 weeks to allow for recovery.

I tried to reintroduce flyes last fall and after a few months the same thing happened to the same area. I wasn't using much weight (only 45 pounds) and tried to use decent form without overstretching, but for whatever reason flyes cause damage that benching and weighted dips do not. I used to do a lot of cable crossovers in my mid-twenties and never had problems, but that was when I was young still enjoying my pre-injury era.

You seem to have run into a lot of physical problems over the past year or two. I guess that's not too surprising considering the pounds you've been lifting, but it's still worrisome that you've started accumulating injuries at your age. Your recovery and ability to heal is only going to decrease as the years go on, and you don't want to wear yourself out while you're still young. I understand your passion and that you've sacrificed quite a bit to get where you are, but do be careful not to go overboard. Lifting is a lifelong endeavor, and you want to make sure that you're still able to lift years down the road.

Did you ever get your appetite/fullness issue figured out? I understand you were going to get scoped to see if there were any problems.

[jfindon]

My body doesn't tolerate dumbbell flyes well, and I'm not sure why. I tried them in 2009 for a few months and had to stop because I developed a sharp pain in my chest directly next to my armpit. It sounds like your pain might be in a slightly different area, perhaps closer to the tendon, but it still sounds like a muscle or tendon sprain. I had to eliminate all chest exercises for about 6 weeks to allow for recovery.

I tried to reintroduce flyes last fall and after a few months the same thing happened to the same area. I wasn't using much weight (only 45 pounds) and tried to use decent form without overstretching, but for whatever reason flyes cause damage that benching and weighted dips do not. I used to do a lot of cable crossovers in my mid-twenties and never had problems, but that was when I was young still enjoying my pre-injury era.

You seem to have run into a lot of physical problems over the past year or two. I guess that's not too surprising considering the pounds you've been lifting, but it's still worrisome that you've started accumulating injuries at your age. Your recovery and ability to heal is only going to decrease as the years go on, and you don't want to wear yourself out while you're still young. I understand your passion and that you've sacrificed quite a bit to get where you are, but do be careful not to go overboard. Lifting is a lifelong endeavor, and you want to make sure that you're still able to lift years down the road.

Did you ever get your appetite/fullness issue figured out? I understand you were going to get scoped to see if there were any problems.

Thanks. I'm not actually doing any flyes, switched over to DB press, but I'm not sure when I actually started to notice this. I am at a point now where I need a break because I've stalled out on bench, so I'll take a week off from any chest movements and see how I feel then.

I hear you on the injury stuff and I know it's going to come back to haunt me when I get older, but I can't stop myself. I honestly see my body as an enemy and am so pissed off at it I don't care anymore, and I also know that's idiotic. I likely have some sort of mental illness when it comes to working out.

Good news is my knees are 100%, they were a big issue that made me stop squatting for awhile. As for the stomach issues, I had a gastric emptying test a month ago to see how my stomach handled food consumed and the results were normal, so apparently food doesn't just sit in my stomach and make me feel full. I go for the scope on Monday.

[twodog]

'cause he's stressing me enough to make me that way if I weren't already.

My son's hockey team made the division playoffs for the Little Ceasar's hockey and the Michigan Amateur Hockey division.

I haven't been lurking around too much lately so I don't have any nominations for new Crew members. Not even sure that I deserve mine anymore

Eventually everything will work out with your Dad, one way or another. I've had those family problems before and they can sure grind you down. The kids sure can help give you aim though.

Congrats to your sons Hockey team, hopefully they finish up the season strong !

Finally, You've posted almost as much as me . I'm on, but just for short bits at the moment, life seems to keep us really busy at times, Slow down and try to find a little time for yourself... to preserve your sanity, lol.

[Wildtim]

Animal, I've been around less than you. Probably working out less too. I just haven't been able to get motivated since my mom died. I've also got this nagging shoulder thing that is messing with any of my pressing movements. Sorry to hear about your dad. Just like weight loss though you can't force people to change they have to choose to. Good luck and God bless.


I'm toying with the idea of taking up Tai chi as a supplemental general health workout. Anyone here a practitioner.

[animalfan]

I wish I could make him change, at least a little. Real life sucks sometimes, huh?

Motivation has been coming and going, sometimes I just go through the motions. Better than nothing, but kinda pointless feeling. Tai chi would probably be a good thing to do, but I've no experience myself.

Keep on keepin' on, Tim.

[weisgarb]

I hear you on the injury stuff and I know it's going to come back to haunt me when I get older, but I can't stop myself. I honestly see my body as an enemy and am so pissed off at it I don't care anymore, and I also know that's idiotic. I likely have some sort of mental illness when it comes to working out.

You haven't had to care because, aside from the appetite issue, every injury has been short lived and healed on its own. It's the recurring or permanent injuries that give you pause and make you wonder if you could have done things differently.

I was the completely non-athletic skinny kid with the bad stutter throughout most of school. I was usually picked second to last during gym class--there was always some poor SOB even worse off than I was. At the beginning of my junior year of high school I realized my future career was going to entail sitting in an office and decided I didn't want to become a blob, so I started working out. A year later, as the senior class trip to Florida was approaching, I decided to give it my all and purchased a bunch of extra weights--if I was going to spend 3 nights a week in my basement lifting, I may as well get something out of it. So it was the quite the surprise to most of the graduating class when the formerly 140 lb smart kid showed up at Wet and Wild (the water park, not the Playboy video series) weighing 175 pounds and in better shape than almost everyone in attendance. After college, I evened out in the mid-eighties while trimming a little off my waist.

A combination of injuries and a health issue has knocked me down to 172 lbs, and to say I'm a bit annoyed at my (lack of) progress is an understatement. There are times when I look in the mirror and think "I've worked out over 20 years and this is all I've got to show for it?" Then I look up some of my former classmates on ********, see the former jocks now rocking the Mama Cass line of menswear with 46" waists, and I feel better. Ok, that was a little mean, but God, did some of those guys pork up. In any case, I figure I'm still much better off than I was before I started working out, so despite the fact that I'm type-A as hell and never satisfied, I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

You're an unusual case. When I joined the site last year I occasionally would see a poster refer someone to this "jfindon" guy, and eventually my curiosity got the best of me and I looked up your post history to see what the fuss was about. Gaining 100 lbs--and lifting more weight than, well, almost everybody--is borderline unbelievable. Even if you've lost some strength and weight, you've still come incredibly far, and you should be able to appreciate that. Not being satisfied and being willing to put in the work to change is a great quality to have--and one that's in short supply these days--and without that drive you would have never made it this far. But there's a difference between wanting to improve and just being neurotic about it.

Eventually you're going to hit your limits, both physically and mentally. Maybe you've starting bumping up against them already. When that happens, you're going to have to find something else to motivate you, and not just angrily grind yourself into the ground. You don't get as far as you have without knowing what you're doing, but stubbornness has a bad tendency of making people stupid.

Although I've been treading water for years, I still approach my workouts with the intention of making a little progress here and there, partly because I refuse to give up. And partly because I'm a moron.

Anyway, keep pushing yourself, but be realistic, appreciate how far you've come, and remember to take care of yourself along the way. You're (hopefully) going to be doing this for a long time.

[ProtienandIron]

All this explains why the EQcrew thread has needed a lot of artificial bumping as of late, and I don't really feel I've played my part either. Some inspirational, heartwarming, and interesting posts in this thread over the past few days, I wish I had the time to acknowledge them with a proper response, but truth be told, most of mine are flying visits too. My year long shoulder injury is still with me, I'm working 75 hr weeks at hard manual jobs, and am currently having tests for an iron deficiency, all in all I'm pretty ****ed off with things too. Do I even lift- right now it feels like I don't, but I'm waking up every morning battered. Lurking, reading and laughing at the things in this forum keep me going through my rehab to be honest, so I'll be repping individually with a response over the next few days, if you don't get a rep then its because I'm on spread. I wish everyone on this forum and this crew well. Times will get better.

[Hishiad]

Yeah long time no posty....I tweaked my back a few weeks back and it's still sore, but put some Blue Emu on it last night before bed and that has helped a bit. Going to heat pad it tonight before put the Blue Emu on. Also have been told to get/use Biofreeze thoughts?

[rlundregan]

All this explains why the EQcrew thread has needed a lot of artificial bumping as of late, and I don't really feel I've played my part either. Some inspirational, heartwarming, and interesting posts in this thread over the past few days, I wish I had the time to acknowledge them with a proper response, but truth be told, most of mine are flying visits too. My year long shoulder injury is still with me, I'm working 75 hr weeks at hard manual jobs, and am currently having tests for an iron deficiency, all in all I'm pretty ****ed off with things too. Do I even lift- right now it feels like I don't, but I'm waking up every morning battered. Lurking, reading and laughing at the things in this forum keep me going through my rehab to be honest, so I'll be repping individually with a response over the next few days, if you don't get a rep then its because I'm on spread. I wish everyone on this forum and this crew well. Times will get better.

Just to offer some encouragement to everyone, this thread has kept me going at times as well, even though I am not an official crew member. It seems to me like this thread is where folks go when they are tired of the "how much do weight plates weigh" and "help me get into shape so I can kick people harder" threads that clog up the rest of the forum at times. I see actual friendships being formed here, and guys who really care about each other, and that is attractive to me. I have personally benefitted a lot since I started posting here--it has been good for me to have a place to stop by and just "check in", with no stupid questions, no arguments with idiots, etc. I haven't posted here very much, but I plan to spend more time here moving forward.

[rlundregan]

A combination of injuries and a health issue has knocked me down to 172 lbs, and to say I'm a bit annoyed at my (lack of) progress is an understatement. There are times when I look in the mirror and think "I've worked out over 20 years and this is all I've got to show for it?" Then I look up some of my former classmates on ********, see the former jocks now rocking the Mama Cass line of menswear with 46" waists, and I feel better. Ok, that was a little mean, but God, did some of those guys pork up. In any case, I figure I'm still much better off than I was before I started working out, so despite the fact that I'm type-A as hell and never satisfied, I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

.

I can relate to what you are saying. I was working at a "family fun" place part-time until a couple of years ago. I ran a rock climbing wall and a ropes course. I found quickly that there were a lot of guys who couldn't do half the things I could do (physically) at age 40. Not bad for a guy who was also picked last to get on a team in gym class! I've come a long way. I'm still a small guy, but I have a lot to be proud of. I think we all do in some way--cheers!

[animalfan]

NDMIKE (or anyone else who can help:

The gym I go to is looking for a Hammer Strength incline press, preferably with weight horns on it. They are also looking for a HS tricep/dip machine. If anyone knows where there is one relatively close to MI please let me know.

[ndmike99]

NDMIKE (or anyone else who can help:

The gym I go to is looking for a Hammer Strength incline press, preferably with weight horns on it. They are also looking for a HS tricep/dip machine. If anyone knows where there is one relatively close to MI please let me know.

I sent you a PM about this.

[animalfan]

I sent you a PM about this.

Thanks!

[OSUDimond]

Whats up equipment crew. I got sucked into the misc firearms crew thread and have been living in that world for a little while buying all sorts of weapons. I see a lot of you post in there too. I finally ran across a deal I think I am going to jump on. Do any of you have experience with the Cybex FT360 functional trainer? I have an opportunity to buy this in a package for $1000. Selling off the treadmill for $600. I'll end up with 2 adjustable cybex benches and the ft-360. Any guess what I could sell that for if I decide not to keep it. I have never bought or sold one of these before.

[Wildtim]

Wait a minute that guy has a total gym, a water rower and not one but two leg presses but is selling off that bench??

[OSUDimond]

Wait a minute that guy has a total gym, a water rower and not one but two leg presses but is selling off that bench??

sorry to confuse you Tim. That is just a picture I snagged off google.

[trimble006]

I'm toying with the idea of taking up Tai chi as a supplemental general health workout. Anyone here a practitioner.

I'm more of a hot chocolate man myself, but I hear Chai Tea is quite enjoyable.

[daniel327]

Wait a minute that guy has a total gym, a water rower and not one but two leg presses but is selling off that bench??

Well, the Total Gym does replace $20K worth of bulky gym equipment.

It is disappointing though, that he hasn't folded the Total Gym for convenient storage in a closet or under a bed.

[KBKB]

2nd page bump...

I got these photos during a hike with my wife at Spur Cross a few weeks ago.

Two burros - well, at least I think that's what they are:



A view of Elephant Mountain:



A mountain biker:



Views as the sun started going down:

[Accutron]

2nd page bump...

I got these photos during a hike with my wife at Spur Cross a few weeks ago...
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...515[/img]

Wow KB, great scenery and beautiful pics as always! Are these pictures far from outside a city (do you have to travel far to country like this), or is it a common nature in your area? Thanks.

[KBKB]

Wow KB, great scenery and beautiful pics as always!

Thanks!

Are these pictures far from outside a city (do you have to travel far to country like this), or is it a common nature in your area? Thanks.

We drove about 45 minutes to get there, but Spur Cross is just outside of the town of Cave Creek.

We have mountains and desert vegetation in and around the town in which I live too. Below are a few photos I got in late January while hiking a trail that overlooks Fountain Hills. There were some pretty good clouds that day - cool looking clouds make for better photos. You can see parts of the town from a few of these photos. Trailhead parking is about a ten minute drive from my house; you have to walk over half a mile (along specially marked sidewalks) through a gated community to actually enter the park.

A view while hiking down the backside of the Western Loop Trail in the Fountain Hills portion of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve:



A rock formation along the Overlook Trail. The day that I was there was the first (and so far only) time I had hiked it. Whoever built it put a lot of work into that section of trail, but it's a heck of a long ways out, maybe around 4.5 miles or so. I think that in time the town will open up a somewhat closer access point.



A view from the Sonoran Trail as we were returning:



The lower slopes of some of the McDowell range in the foreground, parts of the town of Fountain Hills beyond, and the Superstitions far off in the distance. If you look closely, you can see Weaver's Needle on the sky line towards the right edge of the photo.



Another view of the Sonoran Trail. If you look closely, you can see my hiking companions hiking along the trail. There were only three of us at that point; we started off with seven at the beginning of the day. We hiked over eleven miles that day.



A view of the highest peaks in the McDowells. Tom's Thumb is visible in this photo as is the East End, the mass off to the right.

[ProtienandIron]

Stunning photography, and as always I am jealous of the hiking oportunities you have on your doorstep KB.

Now if you don't mind, I think this pic should be the official equipment forum 'Bertstare'....
lol

[irongrandpa]

KBKB, you should look into using your awesome photography skills as a part time job for any local or state tourism venues.

[rlundregan]

Stunning photography, and as always I am jealous of the hiking oportunities you have on your doorstep KB.

Now if you don't mind, I think this pic should be the official equipment forum 'Bertstare'....
lol

They'll have to be photoshopped to look just a little more menacing......

[animalfan]

Kinda bummed, second year in a row I couldn't make it to the Arnold. I've got a few friends competing in powerlifting meets down there, and I owe Keet payment from a bet (still say "GO BLUE" though).

[Keetman]

Kinda bummed, second year in a row I couldn't make it to the Arnold. I've got a few friends competing in powerlifting meets down there, and I owe Keet payment from a bet (still say "GO BLUE" though).

You might as well just wait till next November anyway.....then you can buy me lunch and dinner !

Don't forget you have some equipment here to pick up as well. However, more importantly its just cool to see you when you come, and I just figured we could catch up in the summer. My buddy that brings his kids over in the summer has changed his schedule....in a good way....so we can have almost unlimited pool parties this summer with our kids. You know you can come anytime, so don't sweat not making it for the Arnold.




KBKB..... I went to a "Ghost Town" in Arizona a few years ago that had donkeys walking all over the place. This was one of their "claims to fame" and they were said to be descendents of the donkeys that belonged to the miners that left them when they deserted the town. When I saw your picture, I thought maybe you'd went there! I am not going to Vegas this May, so I won't be able to explore the wild west like I usually do every couple of years. I will miss our day trips out there.....what a beautiful part of our country.

[BloodType3R]

Stunning photography, and as always I am jealous of the hiking oportunities you have on your doorstep KB.

Now if you don't mind, I think this pic should be the official equipment forum 'Bertstare'....
lol

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...nt+stupid+post


Complete with link!







ps.. Terribly sorry to have destroyed your awesome pic, KB. Please forgive me.

[rlundregan]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...nt+stupid+post


Complete with link!







ps.. Terribly sorry to have destroyed your awesome pic, KB. Please forgive me.

I'd say that is just about perfect!