5/3/1 and Nagging Injuries

Training 5/3/1
1

Dear Jim (or whoever wants to offer some input),

I’ve been making awesome gains w/the 5/3/1 V 2.0 for the past couple of months. Strength just kept shooting up for a while, in very rapid fashion without any injury or discomfort, in spite of existing complications. I went from deadlifting 500X1 to 525X6 after about three or four months, squatting 405X5 to the same weight for almost 10, and made commensurate increases in rowing / pressing movements.

Unfortunately, there was a two week period where I fell extremely ill, and was unable to lift. Like an idiot, I tried to come back too close to where I left off, and while I was able to make the sets/reps, I aggravated some old injuries.

I suffer from chronic hamstring tendonitis, incurred from repeated tears during highschool football, which seems aggravated by a tendency to overpronate w/my left foot. (I do use orthotics, now, but constantly have to check them and replace them). The injury hadn’t been bothering me at all up until I got sick and tried to come back (almost) full steam.

There also seems to be some kind of tightness in the piriformis on the same side. I’ve been aware of these issues for years, but they only seem to become really bad when I either overdo it, or take months off of lifting at a time and try to come back too quickly.

Anyhow, I’ve taken a month, at this point, to cut back on the weight for my leg movements. I basically did a 4 week de-loading phase, in terms of volume and intensity for squat and deadlift. I added some very light single leg movements, started to work the abductors and adductors, began to stretch more intensively, and also began more intensive SMR than usual on the affected areas (hamstring, left butcheek and abductor area, etc.)

There was a shooting pain I experienced for a bit that wrapped around from my left butcheek to my hamstring, and it seems to have disappeared for now. But whenever the bar touches the floor when I deadlift, especially on light deadlift days, I get this pinched feeling in the back of my hamstring where the chronic issue has been.

Any suggestions? Last time my hamstring bothered me like this, I went to a pretty decent sports chiropractic type place. They massaged it out and basically told me no deadlifts for six weeks minimum, told me to lose some weight and to gradually re-incorporate eccentric-accentuated movements like slow-negative alternating leg curls, assisted GHG raises, etc. While this approach worked, I am simply wondering what I might do to not fall off the deadlift train completely, and still rehab this chronic injury.

Thanks,
James D.

P.S., I’ve attached a video of my deadlift PR. I have a hunch that my form indicates a lack of flexibility in the hamstrings that isn’t helping me, but figured I’d ask for some verification.

2

tendonitis aint’ somethin to mess with man. I’d suggest going to a massag therapist or finding someone that does graston to work out that scar tissue in your hammy.

3

Thanks for the reply. I just spent the better part of 45 min. stretching and crushing the shit out of the thing with a wooden rolling pin, doing some releases against pressure, etc. I can feel the affected area, deep in the belly of the upper to mid hamstring, and it is feeling better. I’ll keep this up on a daily until next scheduled leg workout. We will see how it goes.

For me, the idea of paying for soft tissue work leaves a lot to be desired, especially because my insurance won’t cover it. I am always afraid I’m going to end up paying $100+ for an hour spent with some pencil-necked ninny who simply isn’t strong enough to apply the requisite manual force, and who doesn’t appreciate or understand why I feel the need to keep adding plates to the bar.

4

The answer is simple: rehab and come back slowly. Even in your rehab… your energy and focus isn’t where it needs to be - be where you need to be (that is in the “now”). Take care of that business first. Then get back in the game. Don’t worry about your lifting. It will come when you are healthy.

5

you should be able to find a good massage therapist for less than 100. just make sure you go to a dedicated massage parlor. Nor a spa with all the amenities. Then all you’re paying for is the time on the table. I don’t go anymore, but I used to have a place that charged 35 for 50-60min on the table. 5 to get ready, 5 to relax and get dressed, 50min of work wherever you wanted it.

6

Jim & others, thanks. Each suggestion seems sensible enough.

A few more questions. Anyone is welcome to chime in.

  1. Anyone know of a powerlifting-specific rehab routine for this particular injury? I’ve done physical agilities and trunk stabilization previously, and I’m not sure I buy into it. Sure, I got better, but I think that was more from simply not doing the offending movements with significant weight for 6-8 weeks than from carioca, skipping, plank holds and depth drops. Bottom line: I don’t want to stop squatting and deadlifting unless its absolutely necessary. Even if I have to go as low as 20-30% of previous 1RM’s, so be it.

  2. Squat seems fine as of today, hit 405X6 with no hamstring pain or real bother in the piriformis etc. Is there any explicit reason I should stop trying to make progress here? I understand the role hamstrings play in the squat, but I’m not sure if the injury is acute enough to warrant backing down, even if I have to for the deadlift.

  3. For a situation like this, is there an explicit “ramping” phase one might start after rehab, but before jumping back into 5/3/1? What I have in mind is a 3-4 week progression, from say 50% of 1RM all the way to the first 5/3/1 workout. The extant guidelines I could find gave me too much leeway to overestimate my readiness.

Ideally, there is a single answer that satisfies both questions (1) and (3) simultaneously. Lastly, if I have to cut back on the squatting too, or even eliminate both the squat and deadlift both for the next two months, I suppose that’s fine. But I don’t want to let them go unless I absolutely have to. I would prefer to keep these two movements, in whatever variations and however light, as part of my rehab routine.

Thanks again,
James

7

When I had chronic tendonitis the only things that helped were rest and eccentrics. I don’t know what eccentrics you could do for high hamstring stuff. But that was my experience. I also responded really well to cortisone towards the end of it, eg the last 2-3 weeks that I had it.

From most people I’ve heard from, rest is the biggest relief factor.

8

Yeah, the rest thing sounds about right. The thought of not squatting or deadlifting for 2 months straight is very irksome for me. I am actually considering prolotherapy. With my limited knowledge, the injury seems insistent and old enough to warrant it. If I go for it I will update.

9

Personally if I was having lower body problems I’d do the Defranco limber 11 several times a day, take a lacrosse ball to my hamstrings afterward, and then stretch. For the workout I’d warm up for about 10-15 minutes, do the same mobility work, and then do whatever rehab work I thought I needed to do. For the hamstrings I would probably do either an rdl, sldl, or good morning with just bar weight for high reps followed up with high rep and ham curls focusing on slow controlled reps. But that’s just me.

10

  1. Any program will do, just do what doesn’t hurt. But, as mentioned above, work at getting better. Nothing else matters.

  2. See answer #1. A PR today means nothing today if tomorrow you are in the hospital with a ripped hamstring. I would rather take a 50% deload then a 100% forced stop.

  3. Again, who cares. Get better. Just take a few steps back and figure it out from there. On a personal note, I found that starting slowly is the best approach. Nothing wrong with ramping it up once you are 100% sure you are better.