the name’s FattyFat, friends and lifting pals call me Jason (don’t call me Jace, though)
turned mid-30s, recently
track & field from mid 90s to 2000, picked up weight lifting in 2000, trained seriously until 2011
used to be strong and muscular until about 2011
the last 4 years had me jump through hoops due to a host of injuries and maladies I couldn’t recover from nor make sense of (nor could our noble docs) - this seriously impacted my training
training had become very unreliable: what used to be one of the things I could always turn to, seemed to not be an option, anymore
one by one, my arsenal ran dry: exercises, strategies and food that had worked for more than a decade became no-nos
got pretty fat during the last 4 years despite maintaining a healthy diet and a regular training regimen
I’ve invested most of my fortune into reclaiming my health: after lots of trial & error, I think I’m on the up and up, again â?? shed lots of fat the past 9 weeks and reclaimed most of my muscle
I have a demanding job (don’t we all?) I’m very passionate about which can get in the way of healthy lifestyle habits
I had to rethink my whole approach to training and nutrition: I have very little leeway for mistakes and need to respect my body. One rep too many could lay me low for weeks on end (speaking from experience)
Here’s what this log is going to be about, should you decide to tag along - it will
not be about 1RM PRs
be about training, nutrition, supplementation and maybe self-experimentation to get as healthy, lean and muscular as possible
explain training limitations as a context for my exercise selection
hold me accountable: feel free to call me out
delve a bit into existing and conquered maladies here and there (maybe, as far as it pertains to my training/recovery and should the mood strike me)
Fuck yes, you were / are one of the few guys that no matter what you posted on I read. Im all in for this log, and am happy you got your training back together. Looking forward to learning from you.
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
Fuck yes, you were / are one of the few guys that no matter what you posted on I read. Im all in for this log, and am happy you got your training back together. Looking forward to learning from you.[/quote]
Agreed and same here.
Love the idea for your log. I’ve seen some of the threads where you discuss your health challenges. Congrats on getting healthy enough to train and eat again.
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
Fuck yes, you were / are one of the few guys that no matter what you posted on I read. Im all in for this log, and am happy you got your training back together. Looking forward to learning from you.[/quote]
[quote]Derek542 wrote:
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
Fuck yes, you were / are one of the few guys that no matter what you posted on I read. Im all in for this log, and am happy you got your training back together. Looking forward to learning from you.[/quote]
Agreed and same here.[/quote]
Matty, Derek, I’m flattered. I also enjoy reading about your thoughts.
Glad to have you aboard - I’m also looking forward to learning from you.
You should know I’m an expert at (self-)demolition, though
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Sounds interesting. So many of us struggle with physical limitations here, whether temporary or permanent.[/quote]
It’s unavoidable, both with training and non-training folks. Some comes down to bad luck, but I have to admit that most of my injuries have their roots in good old hubris.
I remember reading about your lifting adversities and you being sidelined multiple times. Glad to see you’re having none of it.
[quote]LiftingStrumpet wrote:
Love the idea for your log. I’ve seen some of the threads where you discuss your health challenges. Congrats on getting healthy enough to train and eat again.[/quote]
Feel free to ask me anything health-related. I’m pretty open about all this stuff and don’t mind sharing.
It’s less about me beating adversities (because, hey, chances I’ll ever reach my past performance are pretty slim) and more about putting out how to overcome certain ailments. For example, I’ve lost (and luckily reclaimed) a whole foreign language, once. Just like that. Doesn’t happen everyday.
my core is miserable and has been so for almost 7 years, now
reasons:
disc herniation at L4/5 in 2008
disc herniation at L5/S1 in 2011
several bouts of lumbago in the meantime
lax right SIJ
functional leg length difference
didn’t properly rehab my first disc herniation and just kept on trucking along without changing my training
severe APT
ruptured right SCJ (sterno-clavicular joint) in 2010: this is my most debilitating injury - the SCJ is the only connection of the shoulder girdle to the actual skeleton
lax SCJ severely impacts core exercises: side planks are not possible - had to work my way up to my current core circuit
lax SCJ makes scapular retraction a high-risk movement
lax SCJ doesn’t allow for supination (external rotation and SCJ don’t get along)
dilemma: lax SCJ benefits from a strong core
in 2013, I couldn’t stand on one leg for more than 2 secs without falling over
in 2014, I could stand on one leg without falling over for a good 90 sec - albeit with extreme lordosis
in 2015, I can stand on one leg without falling over for at least 120 sec and an almost neutral lumbar spine
yes, there’s a lot of muscle to it, but also a lot of fat.
I started my journey a few days before last Christmas at three bills and less muscle than I’m carrying now
thanks to Adrenal Fatigue (and other factors), I have trouble with water retention. The weight difference can amount to 10 lbs. This has gotten better over the past 10 weeks, but it’s still far from optimal. I might be seeing a nephrologist about this in the near future. Sadly, I’ve developed quite an aversion to most physicians during the past 10 years, but my ego will have to suck it up.
IMPROVE MY WORK CAPACITY
when I started out again 10 weeks ago, my work capacity was laughable
I could lift for about 15 - 20 min and had to stop either due to shortness of breath, nausea or lumbar pain and slightly numb right foot (nerve compression in the lumbar region)
my system was easily overstressed just by doing 20 mins of cardio or lifting: brain fog, abdominal bloating, water retention - you name it
piece by piece, I was able to increase my work capacity - of course, I’ve also employed a few supplements to tip the scales in my favor (will cover that in a separate post)
CORE CIRCUIT (planks for time, serratus crunch with dbs, bird dogs for at least 5 reps per side)
CABLE DL (2 warm-up sets, 4 straight working sets with 5-8 reps each)
max 30 sec rest
5x Super Set 2
CORE CIRCUIT
KNEEING UNILATERAL LAT ROW (at least 5 1.5 reps)
UNILATERAL CABLE SHRUG (1 warm-up set, at least 8 - 12 reps)
max 30 sec rest
B (aka DISCO MUSCLES)
2x Super Set 1
CORE CIRCUIT
UNILATERAL LATERAL RAISE: 3 alternating sets per side (15 - 25 reps per set)
UNILATERAL TRICEP PUSH-DOWN: 3 alternating sets per side (6 - 10 reps per set)
DB CONCENTRATION HAMMER CURL: 3 alternating sets per side (5 - 8 1.5 reps per set)
max 30 sec rest
1x Super Set 2
CORE CIRCUIT
UNILATERAL LATERAL RAISE: 3 alternating sets per side
DB NEUTRAL SKULL CRUSHERS: 3 alternating sets per side (6 - 10 reps per set)
as a bare minimum, I try to get in at least 2xA and 1xB in any given week
additionally, I’m getting in at least 30 min of incline treadmill walks per day
sometimes, I feel fresh enough to perform A and B on consecutive days, but not always
I try to have no qualms about taking a day off lifting
Let’s talk progression:
ground rule: to account for my Adrenal Fatigue and to make sure I can get in all my weekly lifting sessions, I timeboxed each lifting session to 55 min
next: I’m slowly increasing intra-workout volume
then: I’m slighly increasing loads
after that: I’m increasing frequency
having an optional 2nd B-day might come across as contradictory, but it ain’t: the second B-Day simply accounts for my daily form and my work schedule (I have a one-way 2h commute and work at least 11 hours a day) - you could see it as a bonus of sorts for weeks I’m feeling a tad fresher
Originally, I wanted to decrease training time as a first progression step. Knowing myself, I decided against it to minimize the risk of injury.
All unilateral exercises are performed with consciously maintaining good lumbar-hip alignment.
For example, when I perform unilateral shrugs/lateral raises, I consciously brace my glutes and obliques of the non-working side.
Especially with the shrugs, the lateral pull gives the lumbar-hip alignment thingy a competitive touch - I like!
Also, I stop doing an exercise once my core shuts down. Poor man’s auto-regulation
Planning is all nice and dandy, but let’s get started with actually logging my training.
My numbers don’t seem like much, but they get the job done.
Also, take into account that constant tension (cable) is a different animal. I feel I’m getting out more of every single rep compared to using dbs and bbs. This is a moot point, though: can’t use bbs, anyway.
03/02/2015
A (aka FUNCTIONALS)
6x Super Set 1
CORE CIRCUIT: plank 30s, serratus crunch with dbs: 10/8/7/7/8x 10 lbs dbs, bird dogs 5 reps per side
CABLE DL: 2 warm-up sets, 8/6/6/5 x 165 lbs
5x Super Set 2
CORE CIRCUIT: plank 30s, serratus crunch with dbs: 8/6/5/5/5x 10 lbs dbs, bird dogs 5 reps per side
KNEEING UNILATERAL LAT ROW: 7/6/5/5/5 x 66 lbs
UNILATERAL CABLE SHRUG: 1 warm-up set, 12/11/10/8/8 x 77 lbs
CORE CIRCUIT: plank 30s, serratus crunch with dbs: 7/7/5/4/3x 10 lbs dbs, bird dogs 5 reps per side
CABLE DL: 2 warm-up sets, 10/8/6/4 x 165 lbs
1x Super Set 2
CORE CIRCUIT: plank 30s, serratus crunch with dbs: 8/6/5/5/5x 10 lbs dbs, bird dogs 5 reps per side
KNEEING UNILATERAL LAT ROW: 9 x 66 lbs
I had to cancel yesterday’s training session.
From the get-go, my abs wouldn’t engage.
I can be more specific:
the recti abdomini were loath to pull their own weight.
after screening (standing on one foot doing contralateral lateral raises with 10 lbs dbs) I concluded that my obliques were working just fine on both sides
my glutes were also doing their jobs
During the cable dl, my hip hinge became kinda stiff: I pulled more from my lower back.
Consequently, my lower back became ever more lordotic after every dl set until I felt an increasing pinching pain in my lumbar spine. Also, my abdomen started to get distended.
So I cancelled the session.
Afterwards, I tried my luck on the treadmill, but had to stop after 25 min. Lower back pain.
In the end, I was sporting a big stress belly (roughly 10 inches on my normal belly circumference) that abated after about half an hour of lying on my back. So I did the only reasonable thing and called it a day.
I ate some protein (minced meat), went to bed and slept for roughly 10 hours.
Let’s try to play detective, here:
I only slept about 90 min from Thursday to Friday
and I only slept about 3 hours from Wednesday to Thursday
I sat around a lot (working from the home office - whereas in the office, I usually walk around a lot - big office space, lots of interaction)
I was sporting a moonface and my ankles hurt: a look in the mirror showed me it was one of those water retention days I spoke of earlier
water retention usually goes hand-in-hand with lack of sleep (Aldosterone)
my spine didn’t get the downtime it needed
Today, I had my wife release lots of trigger points in my e. spinae, mid traps and glutes.
We both had dry needling training.
To be clear: I hadn’t had this kind of setback for about 2 months.
On another note:
the day before yesterday, I performed self-prolotherapy (dextrose-based) on both my ulnar wrists
