12/06/20
Giant set:
Dumbbell row: 2x10x15, 3x5x33
Overhead press: 2x8x20, 3x5x35
Ab wheel: 3x5
Giant set
Dumbbell curl: 10, 9, 9x10s
Press up: 16, 12, 10
Band pull-apart: 15, 15, 20x black band
Lateral raise: 8, 8, 10x5s
Felt rubbish today, not sure why, so I took it a bit easier and didn’t go for an AMRAP like I usually would.
13/06/20
Run: 2.38km - 13:33 (PR)
Ran the whole thing again.
Wrote out a plan earlier for my training and diet once I’m back at the gym. Really got an itch to get back now and feel like I’m going to have the best year of training yet.
16/06/20
Giant set
Dumbbell row: 10x15, 4x3x33, 8x33
Overhead press: 10x20, 3x35, 39, 44, 1x48, 8x35
Ab wheel: 5x5
Band pull-apart: 5x20
Press up: 4x8, x15
19/06/20
Run: 2.32km - 14:18
20/06/20
Giant set - 90s rest
Dumbbell row: 5x3x33, drop set: 10x33-12x15
Overhead press: 5x6x35, drop set: 10x35-7x20
Ab wheel: 5x5
Giant set - no rest
Hammer curl: 15, 10x10s
Press up: 15, 10
Band pull-apart: 15, 12x black+red
Lateral raise: 10, 8x5s
This was a tough but good one, I’m pretty pumped up. I did plan to do ten sets of the first giant set but got bored so did an AMRAP instead. Not entirely sure what it is but I get fed up of workouts in my garage insanely fast. Like, I do a warm up set and already want to leave probably more than I would at the end of my worst gym workouts.
It does make sense. I was going through your 2019 workouts, and you were always ramping up to a few heavy sets. Going from that to a ton of straight sets does get boring pretty fast
Oh and also, my left hip is really playing up at the moment. For like the last year or two I’ve had intermittent pain in it and occasionally my SI joints around the same time, which usually got worse the day after squats. However, the last week or two it’s started to hurt quite a lot at the bottom of squats too. Three times in the last fortnight I’ve done a set of squats and left straight after.
I’m at a bit of a loss what to do with it now. I haven’t really been doing anything with it and I know I need to do something, I just don’t know what.
From what I have done I’ve noticed when I externally rotate it it sort of locks whereas my right hip doesn’t - occasionally it’ll crack/pop and feel better but often it’s just stuck. It first became noticeable around the time I started working in an office. I was sat 8+ hours a day, driving 10+ hours a week and then sat at home for probably 2+ hours more each evening so I wouldn’t be surprised if sitting so much contributed to it - that is the only change I can think of that could have caused it. I’ve also got a decent amount of anterior pelvic tilt and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s related.
@j4gga2, I’m sorry to ask for free advice when you could probably charge for it but you’re one of the guys around here that seems to know his stuff - if you get chance and have any ideas what I can do, would you mind helping?
Yeah I really enjoyed those workouts and got a lot of results from them too - I can’t wait to get back to them once the gym is open.
There’s no good reason I can’t do it at home too, with the equipment I’ve got but I just really lack the energy to be honest. I have kind of been ramping to top sets with the overhead press and rows but overhead press especially feels more like a full body exercise than a shoulder one so I don’t feel like my muscles are failing really, more my body which isn’t really the same.
The main thing is I just need to put my effort in but it’s easier said than done. I’m enjoying running though and being outside which is going well so that’s a positive. I think one thing I might try in the garage gym is to simply change the light bulb. The current one is really dim and yellow and with no windows it’s pretty dark and gloomy in there, maybe a white LED one would make me feel better.
Unless the gyms take too long to open, I wouldn’t sweat it
I’m not counting on it being too soon - things don’t seem to be going too well in the UK.
No problem at all man, I’m always happy to contribute if/when I can.
Without knowing too much, here are the things I’d always consider checking with long-standing pain
The most useful thing would be some footage of your squat, but a cursory look through the log makes it look like you’re stuck on home workouts? If that’s the case, even videos of bodyweight squats - preferably barefoot, front-on and side-on views - are still super helpful.
Secondly, could you try the following test and let me know what your results are?
The test:
Thanks so much. So I tried the test lying on my back:
With both legs I could get by knees to my chest however when pulling the left leg to my chest my glute and hamstring felt a lot tighter than the right leg and when pulling my right leg to my chest I also felt a bit of a pull/stretch in the inside of my left leg.
I’ll get some videos of a bodyweight squat in the next few minutes and post them.
Finally, some additional info: I have been going through my log today while I have some spare time, to write down some of my PRs and I noticed when I started complaining about my SI pain was about six months into working that office job I mentioned before. I do not work there anymore but the pain seems to have stayed. Another thing I forgot about before is that if I sit with my legs straight and at 90 deg to my body, like when I am sat on my bed on my laptop with my back against the headboard; after about five mins I start feeling a stretch in my left hamstring and after about 10-15 mins my left leg starts getting numb, especially my foot. Afterwards it feels pretty good.
Thanks once again.
@j4gga2 here’s the video of some Bodyweight squats. I can get some of actual barbell squats either tomorrow or the day after if they’ll help too. This was the fifth attempt I filmed so 45 BW squats and my left hip is kind of achy now.
Cheers for the info man, it’s a really late right now so I’m going to sleep and have a (hopefully) more helpful respond tomorrow morning. In the meantime could you do one more test for me? Lying on your back, just do a single-leg active straight leg raise, looking for approximate ROM per side and any discomfort
No problem, thank you.
Just did the leg raises:
With my leg straight I can get my left to about 60 deg with the floor and with my right to about 70 deg. The limiting factor is the stretch in my hamstrings. If I bend the leg I’m lifting I can get the left one to around 90-100 deg from the floor, but then it feels tight in my hip and with my right I can go to probably about 120 deg. My left hip is kind of achy now too, not like painful but feels like it’s worked sort of thing.
Okay well, I’m going to suggest a few drills that often help, but to be honest I’m not 100% certain they’ll help here. When you do this, go ahead and test-retest your hip flexion, straight leg raise and squat before and after each drill. I hope these help
Drill 1: Crocodile breathing
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAOvX9RHngp/?igshid=rqsgn47msjs5
Make sure you get a full exhale (ribcage comes down, abs come on) and keep your ribs down and abs on when you inhale
Drill 2: Front-Foot Elevated Split Squat
Try to perform it just like Pat coaches here:
Drill 3: Camporini Deadlift
Thank you very much. I’ll give those a try tomorrow and let you know how I get on.
With drill 3, try to feel the inside heel of the back leg
23/06/20
Giant set - 2 mins rest
Dumbbell row: 10x15, 2x5x33, 12x33
Overhead press: 10x20, 2x8x35, 10x35
Ab wheel: 2x8
Just a quick one.