[quote]chobbs wrote:
Wow I really appreciate you taking the time to give this detailed response. You hit the nail right on the head, my right labrum (the one that always rolls out) is torn and I’ve never got it fixed. To answer your questions…
- I would say no, I can’t tell you the last time I failed to get the number of reps I wanted for a set.
- I have no idea lol but I’m not going to stress about it bc I will more than likely just drop the laterals anyways.
- Sometimes rear delt raises and face pulls irritate it
- No
- I have not deloaded in at least 9 weeks more than likely 13[/quote]
You’ll need to find out the exact type of labral tear you have. You can then design a program around that (as well as any other past or current injuries). Otherwise, you’ll end up being another one of those people who stubbornly try to hammer a round peg into a square hole.
Without knowing the exact type of tear you have AND seeing how you perform the rear delt raises/facepulls, it’s next to impossible to determine why these or any other movements bother you. One possible theory is that IF you have a tear at the superior/anterior aspect (which would not surprise me), then the eccentric phase under load on the facepulls pulls the humeral head forward and perhaps slightly upward (based on your torso angle and the where the cable is attached), thereby creating the irritation. I want to stress that this is just hypothetical, as I do NOT know the type of tear you have and how you perform the movements in question.
With regards to deloads, it’s something you should consider. I don’t know what program you’re currently running and I don’t want to be that extra cook in the kitchen. However, when you start designing your own programs, I strongly believe that a deload every fifth week is worth consideration (eight weeks would be the maximum IME/IMO).
For every statistical outlier who can train heavy and hard year round, there are many others who will accomplish more in the long run (you’re in this for life, right?) by easing off the throttle every so often.
And remember, a productive deload can incorporate change in exercise, rep scheme, etc. The longer I’ve been doing this, the more I’m convinced that simply reducing the weight/volume on the same exact exercises is not the optimal deload method. Show me a lifter that claims he has no weak links and I’ll show you someone who is either delusional or a liar. Every new person I meet, I make a friendly wager that, based on their training history, I’ll expose a weakness in three exercises or less. And I’ve yet to lose.
Like anything else, how you design the deload should be based on your strengths, weaknesses, past or current injury as you enter that phase. For example, if someone strained their left quadratus lumborum dead lifting, then he’d be mistaken to do bb rows during the deload, as this would hinder the strain from recovering. However, the guy would argue that since he’s not dead lifting and he’s doing the bb rows with good form, it’s okay. Well…it’s not and you’d be surprised how many people make similar errors.
As previously stated, it’s best to accept that getting stronger without getting hurt is an intellectual challenge as well as a physical one.