snap - I have read it. He has a very convincing argument for deadlift singles. I found that more volume and frequency of pulling in the beginning of my lifting career was beneficial but now I think I will always train singles.
mim - My knees don’t bother me too often. But I think that;s because I’ve learned how to avoid the things that hurt them. I no longer can kneel, squat, jump off of things, twist, etc. All of those things are very uncomfortable and my knees would blow out for sure if I tried them. It’s a very uneasy feeling. I remember reading in your log about your knees. I’m sorry that it’s so bad.
Best $20 I’ve ever spent. The first 10 minutes, the doctor left some heating blankets on my hip. The rest of the appointment was focused on my piriformis, sciatic nerve, hip flexors and IT band. It was painful but in a therapeutic way. I feel awesome right now and can’t wait to go again. He asked me to attend a stride and gait seminar next week to analyze my movement as I run. It’s free but I don’t know if I feel like going. Anyone think it would be worthwhile? I hate running and never plan to run more than the time it takes me to run from my car to my house in the rain. He continues to think that my goals are to run competitively again even though I thought I was pretty clear that I have no interest in that anymore.
He wants to help me become a runner again. He seems to specialize in rehabbing triathletes and runners and doesn’t understand my goals. I think getting my gait and stride analyzed might be beneficial if it could show some imbalances I guess. I think I just need to verbose with the doctor about what I want.
Press
bar x 10
bar x 10
50 x 5
55 x 5
60 x 3
70 x 1 + 0 push
65 x 5
75 x 1
80 x 1
85 x 0
85 x 0
55 x 5 or something
Chins
5,5,4,3,3
Push ups
Notes: Real bad day. I woke up this morning to find out some asshole stole my debit card and spent over $1,000 of money that I was saving up for grad school. Registration starts in a week and IF I get the money back from the bank, it will take weeks. I am fuming with anger about this. The dumbass has been spending it in local gas stations, delis, and supermarkets so they WILL find him. They better keep his/her identity from me because I’m PISSED.
To top that off, I clipped my chin twice during the last push press set. I don’t know what happened. I’m wondering if maybe because I went from heavy singles to such an easy weight and I was moving too quickly. Whatever it may be, I dealt with the first one but the second one made me feel confuzzled.
Oh no!!! I had something like that happen to me with paypal and I just remember the sheer panic attack I had when I saw it. I’m sooooo sorry, Dani I really hope you get the money back. (I’d totally be there with you if they found the guy. I’d give you a weight to swing around.)
Boo on clipping your chin twice. It probably was the lower weight and not compensating for the speed change. Got to remember to look up for those two seconds while the bar clears your chin then push your head forward. Hope you don’t bruise.
And yeah, about the doctor, he clearly needs to be reminded of YOUR goals. Would it be a bad thing to get the gait analysis done? It won’t hurt anything and, like you said, it might help point out some imbalances that you can work on.
Sorry to hear about the debit card fiasco. Awful! Dishonest people suck! Does your bank insure you against some of this type of fraud? I’ve had someone buy plane tickets with my Visa card before, and there was no problem getting my account credited. Maybe debit cards don’t have that kind of insurance? I’ve been luck enought to not have to find out the hard way.
BUT - I just caught up with the PRs over here. 110 on your bench! SWEET! Congratulations, you!! I’ve been itching to try my 1Rm again again. It’s been awhile. Nice pressing, too. You are certainly coming right along. Good luck with your hip rehab plan. Sounds like the ART guy you found might really be helpful.
haha Pixie, you’re hilarious. We’d be a dangerous team! I don’t have a dangerous props but I’m methodical and insane so I think that’s a benefit.
Ppuff - Hey, haven’t seen you in a while! Thanks for the compliments.
I did get reimbursed for the purchases and I also got a detailed report of the times of the transactions to give to the police. They’ll be looking at the tapes to catch the people who do it. Pfew!
11/7/2011
ART session #2
My knee/hip were killing me today for no reason. Not in the normal way. Like a sharp, painful hell in my knee everytime I put weight on my left foot. I told the doctor that and he spent a lot of time on my lower back, piriformis and behind my knees. It was amazing and I think I want to marry this guy or at least enslave him as my personal masseuse. Too weird?
Deadlifted right after, BAD IDEA.
95 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
165 x 3 (HARD, WTF???)
175 x 1
190 x 0
165 felt like 200 pounds, I almost put it down on the first rep. I have no idea what happened. My thinking is that the PT before the deadlift session was a bad idea. My muscles felt wayyyy too relaxed and loose. I couldn’t get tight and I was tired.
Unfortunately, I am thinking of taking a break from lifting. After getting so psyched up about the meet for so long, it’s disappointing to have to stop but I think it would be in my best interest for the long run. There will be more meets and I don’t think it’s worth destroying my body over.
I missed your note last week, did you end up doing the gait clinic? Even though you don’t have goals of running, getting your gait assessed would be invaluable at seeing weak areas, and if you can do it for free, I think it’s totally worth it. As far as I’m concerned, gait is the foundation of other movements
Sometimes loosening new areas up results in new aches and pains, which is disappointing, but from my experience, not always permanent. Are you giving your body proper healing time after these treatments? I listened to a speaker about this, even treatments like foam rolling provide the same trauma to the muscle as a workout, so they require proper rest time too.
Ok I got carried away there, apologies. Good luck figuring it out, you’re a smart cookie and it’s clear you are smart about listening to your body.
Dani: I’m so sorry to read that you don’t feel up to competing. It totally sucks when our bodies break down and don’t cooperate. I sure hope you get some relief from your pain soon.
I’m still debating on whether or not I’m going to do it. I was too quick earlier to say that I was bailing.
If I keep putting off meets, or anything for that matter, I’m never going to accomplish anything. I’m not going to push myself to the point where I ruin my body but I still hope to muster up the courage to lift in a few weeks.
Thanks miM, I still have to deal with the bank/police. It’s a fucking nightmare.
11/10/2011
Deadlift
95 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
165 x 3
175 x 1
190 x 1
190 x 0
190 x 0
135 x 5
135 x 5
Hyper
Bw x 10
Bw x 10
Bw x 10
Chins
3,3,3
Notes: I lied when I said I’d be finishing my deadlift program. I put my heart and soul into this today and was very disappointed that I couldn’t finish. My hip felt fine going into it but it bugged out on the second single. My new plan is to restart 5/3/1 and lower my maxes significantly. It’s less fun but probably the smartest option.
It’s funny because 190 for a single would have made me very happy a month ago but I left the gym very disappointed. Some guy even walked by and said, “YOU’RE using this weight??” I should have taken it as a compliment but it actually pissed me off. I just feel like I should be pulling more with the amount of work I’ve put into my training.
Sorry to hear about the continued ugliness with your hip. Lula is right in saying that sometimes once you loosen up one area new aches appear out of nowhere. You’re really going through the process of unlocking muscles and getting them to fire again. Give your body some recovery time and do any rehab your ACT doc has given you and it will help
The most painful one by far. I felt like I was going to puncture the table from squeezing it so hard. He was digging into all of the small ligaments connecting to my hamstring and he said there’s definitely a sign of overuse. I’d also like to say that after only three treatments, I feel absolutely amazing. I squatted down today to get something and felt no pain/tension. I almost cried. No, literally. I feel very emotional about the thought of someday being able to do daily activities without horrible pain. I highly recommend this to anyone considering it.
There was definitely nothing ugly about that 190 pull. Looked really good to me.
So, how many weeks did you get in to the Gary program? How many singles at 190 were you supposed to pull? Your takeaway wasn’t positive, I gather. 5/3/1 is such a switch since it focuses on reps. I hope it works for you. Again, though, I thought the 190 looked mighty fine.
I really hope you get the money back. (I’d totally be there with you if they found the guy. I’d give you a weight to swing around.)
