Echoing Chiro and/or Physio to work out the issue mate.
I’ve done something similar it seems, managed to hit swings ok but other things anger the lower back atm.
Rest, heat, massage, light stretches for me.
Alas work etc doesn’t stop for us mere mortals either.
Forgot to add, nothing wrong with some vanity arm sessions too!
Forced Deload - d4
Wednesday - 31 August 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning, 0530-0625 (55 minutes)
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 15 minutes (to park)
Easy run - 9 laps, about 1750m - 10:43
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 16 minutes (from park)
Fasted.
Wow! Today really shows just how bad last week’s run really was: Beyond just getting up and getting out, I absolutely wasn’t pushing today, and I was less than 10 seconds slower than last week.
Yesterday was the best I’ve felt since before last Thursday’s deadlifts, so I decided to try a “normal” Wednesday morning. Some dull ache on the left side, but no worse than other times I’ve complained about my SI joints acting up.
Thinking of trying some bodyweight moves for my lower body later today, maybe the Cooper WOD (sans burpees) or the Basic B*tch Booty Blaster—something relatively low-impact to see where things stand.
@Sam2 - Thanks for dropping in, man! With PR sets, I always have a number in mind, so in that sense, there’s a cap. But it’s usually aggressive so sometimes—like last week—my body quits before I hit the number I want. In that sense, I guess I run PR sets like @boilerman: Go until I can’t!
@raven78 - For better or worse, I’ve been through this issue before with my right side, so between what I learned from PT with that and the great resources @QuadQueen, @shaneinga, and others have recommended, I’m well on my way to recovery.
That, and not being quite as stupid as I was the first time, haha!
I am definitely going to give “Limber 11” a good go too! Thanks so much for sharing that!
Good job, man. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. No matter how small the steps are, you’ll keep moving forward!
Forced Deload - d4
Wednesday - 31 August 2022
Workout: More conditioning, 1900-1935 (35 minutes)
Bike@120-140 bpm - 10 minutes
Basic B*tch Booty Blaster WOD - AMRAP, 15 minutes
5 full rounds + 20 reps (finished last 60 reps in an additional 2:05)
Feeling pretty good coming into this, except that it’s later than I’d like. Anyway, quick warm-up on the bike to get the joints lubricated, then into the WOD. Everything felt good, even the lunges.
I’m late to the party but chiropractors keep me on my feet. I have a bulged L3/L4 disc and my L5 vertebrae likes to rotate which pushes my SI joint out of whack. I can usually adjust myself but occasionally I get “stuck”. I’ll go to the chiro 3-4 times over two weeks and I’m usually cured.
I don’t think one should “tough out” an injury involving the pelvis or spine. Modern medicine is a great thing. Don’t be afraid to use it. If you’re stuck out of alignment, then you could be creating a long term problem unnecessarily.
I don’t want to engage in a back and forth here but you don’t need an adjustment. I could explain that in scientific/ medical terms but whenever I do that in a public forum, people tend to get angry if they’re very convinced about the modalities and their believes are challenged. I’m not out to argue on the internet but when it comes to medical claims, I kind of feel obligated to at least say something. If you’re on the fence about it, I’m happy to provide those informations in a private setting.
I certainly welcome everyone’s input and opinions, but yeah, let’s save the arguments for PWI threads, haha.
Cheers, all!
Forced Deload - d5
Thursday - 01 September 2022
Workout: Conditioning, 0630-0650 (20 minutes)
Bike@120-140 bpm - 10 minutes
1-pump burpees + 28-kg KB swings - 25 + 25
Fasted. Burpees were pain free, but not without some discomfort. (Yes, there’s a difference. At least in my mind.) Likewise, some (minor) discomfort on the swings, but only in the down-and-back portion—mostly a good stretch in each move, probably because I’m still a bit stiff.
My mind is elsewhere this morning, but I managed to get this much in before daily activities kick into high gear. I’m finding it very hard to focus when the question is, “What am I up for today, and how do I find the line without crossing it?” as opposed to, “Chaos is the plan, and I’m ready for anything—what can I destroy myself with today?”
And really, I’m not great at the latter, so you can imagine how difficult I’m finding the former, haha!
So… The “plan” for the remainder of today is to get some light barbell work in with all of the main lifts to see how I’m feeling. I should be ready to go hard again by Sunday (or really, Monday, w.r.t. barbell work anyway), but I’m not just going to walk in and start squatting. I’ll feel more confident if I know I can do it without pain beforehand.
That’s the plan, anyway, so let’s go!
I’m interested in your point of view. I’m not a regular attendee of the chiro, but I feel like it’s necessary when I get “stuck”. And for me that means there’s a visible difference in my SI joint.
Feel free to share a bit more in my log.
I really like how willing you to just do. Back hurts, so let’s do some random movement where I don’t have records to harken back to. It’s awesome stuff.
Forced Deload - d5
Thursday - 01 September 2022
Workout: Barbell work, 1215-1305 (50 minutes)
Squat - 115x5, 145x5, 175x5 | 205x5, 240x3, 270x1
Press - 55x5, 70x5, 85x5 | 100x5, 115x3, 130x1
Bench - 95x5, 120x5, 150x5 | 175x5, 200x3, 230x1
Deadlift - 135x5, 175x5, 215x5 | 255x5, 290x3, 330x1
Still fasted.
So those weights are the warm-up and working set weights for the 5s week of Hardgainers using the TMs for Cycle 16. Obviously no PR sets, no supplemental work of any sort, and I didn’t even do 5s PRO for the work sets. But, nothing hurt, not even the deadlifts. I was VERY aware of my PC for those, and the eccentric was uncomfortable, but was not painful at any point. In fact, I was surprised at how quickly the top set broke the floor.
I’m hoping to have my belt sooner rather than later—I went with the 13mm Inzer Lever Belt because… well, when @throwawayfitness speaks, I listen!—but it hasn’t even shipped yet. Even so, I’ve got a week until I deadlift again, so I’ll be that much more healed and the belt has that long to get here, I guess.
If I’m still feeling well tomorrow, I’ll do a dry run through some of the heavier daily work, and maybe push the sled around for a bit, once again just to see how things go. Current thinking is that I’ll run Weeks 4-6 of Hardgainers using the TMs from Weeks 1-3 again. I was probably going to do that anyway, but it seems even more prudent now.
I’d like to get another quick ride on the bike or a weighted vest walk in yet today, and I’d like to knock out last Saturday’s Poundstone curls (I owe 134 unbroken reps), but that’s gonna depend on how the afternoon goes. I’ll just edit in whatever I get to after I get to it.
Edit: In case future-me forgets, those deadlift sets were all strapless and I took two minutes between 255/290 and four minutes between 290/330, just to give something time to bark loudly if it wanted. All of the other sets across all of the other lifts were plate-change rests only.
Edit 2: Learned from Pwn’s log today that Hardgainer’s bench follows 5x5/3/1. I’ve seen that in Forever, but it didn’t click initially and I think I called it, “Last Set Last,” which is decent name (if I do say so myself). Anyway, at least I know the real name now!
Did you go for a custom color, or just black? The former tend to take a while. Inzer makes great products, but their customer service skills suck. A phone call can sometimes help with the process.
Just black. But a call to check-in wouldn’t hurt—thanks for the tip!
BTW, I realize now YOU recommended that belt first. @throwawayfitness just seconded that motion in a way that left me with no choice, haha.
Maybe once I have a bit of time and can decide how deep I want to dive in. 
Forced Deload - d6
Friday - 02 September 2022
Workout: Conditioning & BB curls, 0600-0640 (40 minutes)
Bike@120-140 bpm - 10 minutes
1-pump burpees + 28-kg KB swings - 25 + 25, 25 + 25
BB curls - 134 (rep PR) or maybe 144 (rep PR)
Fasted.
Did 50 burpees and 50 swings in back-to-back sets today with only minor and totally intermittent discomfort, so that’s a win. More than 60 seconds but less than 120 between those sets.
BB curls were a disaster. Took 8:11 today, lots of pausing at the top after the first 84 reps, but that’s just what it took to get through them today. Counted 34, 50, 30, 10, 10, but I also got interrupted after what was, I think, rep 20 in the mental set of 30. I wasn’t 100% sure about that, so after the second mental set of 10, I did another set of 10 just to be safe. So maybe I did 134 unbroken, maybe I did 144, but it’s a rep PR either way.
Daily work testing—probably a handful each of the row variations, C&Ps, clusters, and sled ground-to-overheads—and then a few trips up-and-back with the sled to see how all of that feels. I’m expecting no problems there, because I’m still feeling pretty good after yesterday’s barbell lifts.
Forced Deload - d6
Friday - 02 September 2022
Workout: Daily work test + sled test, 1300-1330 + 1645-1700 (30 + 15 minutes)
Wendler row - 90 lbs - 20
Clean & press - 125 lbs - 10
Kroc row - L/R - 65 lbs - 10
Cluster - 125 lbs - 10
CS DB row - 2x45 lbs - 10
Sled ground-to-overhead - about 70 lbs - 10
Sled push - 6x50 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
Time: 7:02
Quick run through of daily work movements to see how my back is feeling: Everything was hard—guess that’s what I get for not doing my daily work daily—but there was no pain, no discomfort even, in any of the moves. My back was fatigued by the end of the sled ground-to-overheads, and I didn’t push toward high reps on anything, but I should still be alright next week, as long as I pay attention.
That just leaves a quick test with the sled. I’ll edit that in once it’s done, probably after the kids get home from school.
Edit: Okay, sled felt fine, too—lungs and quads burning moreso than anything else, but might’ve been getting close to the point where my back would get fatigued, too. Also haven’t done continuous pushes in a while, so I’m sure that contributed. But I should be good for next week. Anyway, that’s it for today—enjoy your weekend, everybody!
Forced Deload - d7
Saturday - 03 September 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning, 0600-0635 (35 minutes)
25 1-pump burpees + 28-kg KB swings
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 15 minutes
25 1-pump burpees + 28-kg KB swings
Fasted. Went with an old school 7WP, Deload Saturday morning for this one because I was feeling a bit tweaky—that’d be either Thursday’s barbell work or yesterday’s daily work and sled, and likely both. The walk was shorter than it used to be way back when, but whatever: still got the HR up on those hills and kept my body moving.
I’m going to hit up some kind of WOD later to keep things as loose as possible, and I might move this week’s BB curls into Sunday—goal is 135 unbroken—because I did 134 miserable reps just yesterday: my elbows might not like it much if I push them too far…
But I’ve now realized tomorrow’s travel plans will compress my schedule significantly, so I should probably do tomorrow’s run of The Last Castle today to make sure I get it all in…
Or something… Because Pwn is right: Chaos is the plan.
Guess we’ll see what happens!