1.16.23
Just some random training thoughts. Skip to the end for the TLDR versionā¦
I love playing basketball and I love to deadlift heavy weights. How do those two things go together? Are they conflicting? Maybe. What about leg training in general? 
Well, Iām trying to figure all of that out. Iāve been dealing with a decent amount of pain in my right knee for about 6-8 months now. It sucks. Iām good with day to day movement, but it takes 5-10 minutes for me to warm up to jog and give me a nice sharp stabbing pain right where my patellar tendon meets the bottom of my knee cap. I played basketball last night and it went surprisingly well. The last time I played prior to that was three or four weeks ago and it was a struggle. It actually took the joy out of the game. I didnāt want to run because it might create the need for a sudden stop of change of direction. I didnāt want to jump. I walked away from that night wondering what the heck I was doing.
I reached out to my awesome physical therapist and finally accepted that it was time to let go of basketball for awhile. I still want to play and I still want to be able to jump, but I have to fix this. I stopped all leg lifting four weeks ago. Iāve been doing wall sits instead of squats and RFESS. I havenāt given up deadlifting and Iām doing clean pulls instead of power cleans. My form on the catch puts a lot of stress on the anterior knee and thatās bad. I have 10 PT sessions scheduled over the next four weeks and I have a long list of things to address.
Back to my original question about basketball and leg training. The reason I bring that up is because my body feels pretty awesome compared to usual and the biggest change is the removal of squats and leg lifting. Iāve read multiple times that we average adults donāt need to squat and deadlift. We can get away with choosing one for our heavy lifts. Iāve been stubborn with that, but those smart people might be on to something. I can still deadlift 500+ pounds and Iām pushing to 1RM, 3RM, or 5RM each week (something I got from the Tier Training). Iām just finishing up a four week cycle of training like I did when I lived at the US Olympic Training Center way back in 2007 (minus all the squat movements). The reason I decided to go back to that program is that it has two workouts that you do twice a week. The second time you do it each week you drop the weights by 20% and it seems to really help with recovery. That was also the time that I hit my max vertical and thatās something Iād like to get back. I know I wonāt get it all back, but a few more inches would be nice.
Iāve been training consistently (like usual) and getting in about two cardio sessions a week (favoring the elliptical these days). My knee feels better, but itās not healed. I think the official term for my problem is patellar tendinopathy. Iām not sure if Iāll ever be pain free, but Iām hoping for some sort of relief. The reason I say that is because I subluxed my right patella in high school and never had it cleaned up. The leftover junk from that is causing problems now (in addition to the patellar tendon issue). On the training front, Iām going to start using the Tried and True Bodybuilding Template. My training goals are pretty simple - maintain size, find my old strength on bench and OHP, and basketball performance. Iāve been trying to improve my bench strength for like the past year and I donāt think itās going anywhere. I should also probably lose some weight. Iām fighting the urge to go back to the Y where I can use machines again. I have access to two high school weight rooms and my home gym so it seems like a waste of money. On the other hand, my joints might benefit from the machines.
Well, that about sums it up. Iām just about the same as I was last year and the year before that and the year before that.
TLDR Version: I still train consistently. My deadlift is still 500+ pounds. I havenāt squatted or done any leg training besides deadlifts, hang clean pulls, and calf raises for the past month and my body feels the best it has in years with the exception of my knees. My right knee has patellar tendinopathy and I start physical therapy this week. The cause of the knee pain is basketball and leg training that moves my knees forward and puts stress on the anterior portion.
For strength purposes, I had to change the set-rep scheme for each dayās main lifts. At the time, I was working out at Planet Fitness and doing flat Smith bench, standing DB OHP, and Smith low rack deadlifts. With the changes I made, I found the program both beneficial and recoverable.
