[quote]Koing wrote:
I strained my hip flexor at the comp and it makes squating MUCH MUCH MUCH harder then it is even with 120kg less weight! So I can only imagine how much harder it is when you have flexibility issues. But as my injury is healing up it feels A LOT better. I should be better by Thursday or so?
Keep at it and be patient. You will get there
Ditch the power cleans. Do full cleans. Go a slow as you can and it will help your mobility also.
Koing[/quote]
I recently strained my hip flexor too (feb 12). They suck. How long ago did you do it and what did you do for recovery? Im finding squats are getting better, but I took an entire week off any sort of hip flexion/extension as they both bothered me and iced it a bunch.
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Comp on Saturday, woke up on Sunday and it was sore, stretched it out on Monday carefully at lunchtime and after work. Tuesday it feels a lot better. Went to the sauna and had a cold shower a few times. Feels quite a lot better. I’ll probably rest it on Wednesday or may do some lifting. My strain was probably a lot smaller then yours as I seem to be recovering well. But it was a weird feeing not being able to lift my knee up properly!
When I was squatting facing a wall my stance got pretty sumo wide (knees had to go somewhere). It took me a while of yanking myself down inch by inch and then pulling myself back up inch by inch with what felt like my hip flexors in order to do one rep. Could hardly pull my legs back together after one of those efforts cause they would kinda seize up. Would spend 30 minutes to get 10 one rep max’s out. There was no way I could do 3 sets of 10 that were specified in my program. (Turns out he meant for me to do fast quarter squats and didn’t think I’d take his ‘go as low as you can go and then go a bit lower’ instruction terribly seriously). My flexors would ache for the rest of that day and the following. Then it was leg day again. Took some time to realize that I wasn’t adapting to the movement and it wasn’t just DOMS. So… I guessed it might be tendonitis. But they definitely were / are short. And they got kinda cranky. Guess that is all I know for sure.
My hips are feeling a lot better already from my spending some proper time stretching them. Fairly certain that I’m able to get a nice bottom position with an upright back that feels comparatively strong, and now just working on getting from there to standing and back again smoothly and comfortably with an olympic sized broomstick. Hard to hold it in the rack position since it is so light but the lightest bar is 10kg and while I can front squat it my form disintegrates a little so think it is a bit soon for me to be doing that. There is some kind of trade-off that I’m going to have to figure between feeling much stronger and more comfortable with a narrower (just outside shoulder width) stance though not feeling as balanced / stable on my heels since my knees can’t come forwards anymore - and feeling mechanically disadvantaged / weaker with a wider stance (and feeling it in my hips a little) though feeling a lot more stable balance-wise. In the near future forcast I am seeing proper shoes, probably with the biggest heels I can find.
To be fair to the gym guy… My initial goals were the vague ‘want to be stronger and fitter’. He works in the evenings and I work out in the mornings so he doesn’t see me turn up everyday and he doesn’t see how hard I work or what kind of progress I’m making. I also didn’t tell him that I wanted to learn the oly lifts because that is a fairly recent discovery for me. So when he heard that I was hurting my hips with a sumo facing the wall squat it was kinda reasonable for him to suggest a sitting back box squat (for general strength training). I’m not sure if he knows anything about olympic lifting but it could well be the case that someone who works there does since the gym has a heavy weights room with olympic bars / plates and a lifting platform. Guess there is likely to be a club or something in the vicinity. I’d kinda like to make a little more progress with my broomstick activities before I ask about that, though :-/
If you can do a dead-hang chin-up (which I can’t quite but almost) then how much (bodyweight percentage-wise) should one be able to strict military-press? I’m not complacent at all
Since I’m making some progress with my broomstick overhead and front squat does a jump squat seem like a reasonable next thing to do (to try and jump from the hang and turn the squat into a catching kinda movement? If I try a hang clean (with just a broomstick) at the moment then my squat form disintegrates (forward lean). I have been doing some hang power cleans with 10kg and my timing isn’t quite right - but seems good with the broomstick. I guess I was thinking I should nail a hang power clean with 10kg and a jump front squat with 10kg before trying a hang clean with 10kg. But perhaps I should ditch the hang powercleans altogether if they aren’t a useful lead into hang cleans.
Forget the jumping. Just keep working your mobility. It hurts because your stiff or your not ‘warmed’ up enough when you try and work your mobility. You can’t work mobility if your not warmed up. Do 5mins of skipping or rowing to warm yourself up a bit.
Chin up doesn’t correlate to military press that I know of. You will see few people in a gym military press 1x bw. But you obviously have those that can.
Once you can ohs properly and front squat properly you can do more lifts. Theres nothing from stopping you learning the lifts now. Just that you can’t ‘receive’ in the ideal position. I recommend doing more lifts now and and your mobility will be improved.
I’m not sure if he knows anything about olympic lifting but it could well be the case that someone who works there does since the gym has a heavy weights room with olympic bars / plates and a lifting platform. Guess there is likely to be a club or something in the vicinity. I’d kinda like to make a little more progress with my broomstick activities before I ask about that, though :-/
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You wouldn’t happen to go to ANU would you? If so, go to the heavy weights room Mon, Wed, or Fri around 5pm, there will be someone (usually me, Jon) from the Weightlifting club in there and ask about coaching.
I do happen to go to ANU. Only… I’ve got an off peak membership (need to be in the door before 2pm).
I knew that there was a weightlifting club there, but I was a bit nervous to pursue that since I’m still pretty crap and wasn’t sure whether there were other women / how welcoming people might be etc. Thought you might need to actually be able to do the lifts or something first. I haven’t been into the heavy weights room yet… Should probably just get up the courage to go in there and suss things out. I see someone practicing the o lifts on some mornings when I walk past… Is it you who keeps relocating the broomstick??
The only issue with coaching is that I’m a terribly broke grad student who is having enough trouble saving up for my off peak gym membership this year (on a one month to tide me over) :-/ I guess ( figured you would need to actually be pretty good to get club coaching or something.
[quote]alexus wrote:
I do happen to go to ANU. Only… I’ve got an off peak membership (need to be in the door before 2pm).
I knew that there was a weightlifting club there, but I was a bit nervous to pursue that since I’m still pretty crap and wasn’t sure whether there were other women / how welcoming people might be etc. Thought you might need to actually be able to do the lifts or something first. I haven’t been into the heavy weights room yet… Should probably just get up the courage to go in there and suss things out. I see someone practicing the o lifts on some mornings when I walk past… Is it you who keeps relocating the broomstick??
The only issue with coaching is that I’m a terribly broke grad student who is having enough trouble saving up for my off peak gym membership this year (on a one month to tide me over) :-/ I guess ( figured you would need to actually be pretty good to get club coaching or something.[/quote]
OLifters are very welcoming as there are very few of us to start with!
I’ll stop by and check my budget re: forking out for a full membership. I really shouldn’t complain since their rates really are awesome compared to most gyms.
@alexus: Not a problem; happy to help anyone interested in lifting. Also, we’re having a small club comp next Friday if you want to come along and watch, starts around 5pm.
I’ll aim to stop by next Wednesday after Easter so if you happen to be in there and you see some chick looking a bit lost in the heavy weights room its probably me.
My squats are (slowly slowly) getting better. Small plates under my heels help a lot with balancing with a narrower stance. I was reluctant to use them because I thought that was cheating but I guess it isn’t cheating when you aren’t using them to hit or break paralell and when you are only using them 'cause you don’t have the proper shoes. My hips don’t seem to be a problem anymore with a narrower (regular) stance. My hip flexability has improved heaps. I’m doing things I didn’t realize were possible. Now my problem seems to be spine mobility (or the lack of it). Trying to do some work to mobilize that now and my upright position at the bottom and on the descent really is getting better. Working mostly on my overhead squat since I was figuring that the front squat should take care of itself if I get the overhead one right.
Added 5kg to my military press (though moved from dumbbell to barbell so that might make things a little easier). I wasn’t sure about the relationship between chinups and pressing. Guess I thought they might mirror in some way (push-pull) so that if you could do a few chin-ups then your military press should be about comperable bodyweight percentagewise. But I didn’t really know. Can powerclean 1/2 my bodyweight (occasionally) and I think my timing is pretty good now. Have to be careful about pulling it too close to my chest, though, 'cause I have parts that get a bit in the way lol. Makes me a little scared to give everything I’ve got to the second pull so need to practice aiming properly, I guess. Can’t powerclean more because my pull is too weak and I certainly can’t get under something that heavy. Trying to soften and lower my catch with 10kg but really need some shoes because I wouldn’t trust myself to clean with plates under my heels rather than the proper shoes and without the plates my stance wants to go wide for balance again. Getting better with broomstick cleans but sometimes land on my butt and hip issues again with the wider stance lol.
Great! I’ll be in around 5,and I’ll probably be doing power cleans or deadlifting.
Sounds like you’re on the right track with your training, and you’re right, plates under your heels isn’t cheating (you’re not competing), it’s helping to maintain proper form.
About the stability/balance issue; what sort of shoes are you lifting in now? If they have a pretty spongy sole, that could be an issue and you may want to give barefoot a try. Definitely wouldn’t do any of the o-lifts with plates under your heels though, too many opportunities for accidents.
I can clean (catching properly in a deep squat) 10kg and did 15kg for a few times today after being able to front squat it (my front squat has gone up too!! Yay legs!!!) I can almost hold 10kg over my head in a deep squat, too.
I’m so happy right now
It does feel very different from powercleans though. Maybe because I only need the tiniest budge from my hips before I swivel my arms and get under and if I pull it too hard it only seems to land harder for the catch because it has further to fall.
P.S. Um… Does anybody else get this massive high feeling after doing pulls from the floor to over your head? I’m trying not to stay bent over the bar for too long so the blood doesn’t rush to my head too much… But I do get this wicked high feeling sometimes and I really don’t think it is just about feeling dizzy…
Woo hoo.
I’m lifting in New Balance crosstrainers :-/ I do have some chucks, though (both the ankle boots and shoes - though the tread on the shoes is pretty gone and they are a bit slippy) but I could try those out sometime. I’m not sure that sponginess is the problem at present (since the weights are so light) but the lack of heel height certainly is. And I haven’t tried training in the chucks to compare sponginess. The bigger the plates I stand on (well, I’ve tried up to about one inch) the narrower my stance and the straighter my back. I really will see about getting some proper shoes soon. See you Wednesday!
I can clean (catching properly in a deep squat) 10kg and did 15kg for a few times today after being able to front squat it (my front squat has gone up too!! Yay legs!!!) I can almost hold 10kg over my head in a deep squat, too.
I’m so happy right now
It does feel very different from powercleans though. Maybe because I only need the tiniest budge from my hips before I swivel my arms and get under and if I pull it too hard it only seems to land harder for the catch because it has further to fall.
P.S. Um… Does anybody else get this massive high feeling after doing pulls from the floor to over your head? I’m trying not to stay bent over the bar for too long so the blood doesn’t rush to my head too much… But I do get this wicked high feeling sometimes and I really don’t think it is just about feeling dizzy…
Woo hoo.
I’m lifting in New Balance crosstrainers :-/ I do have some chucks, though (both the ankle boots and shoes - though the tread on the shoes is pretty gone and they are a bit slippy) but I could try those out sometime. I’m not sure that sponginess is the problem at present (since the weights are so light) but the lack of heel height certainly is. And I haven’t tried training in the chucks to compare sponginess. The bigger the plates I stand on (well, I’ve tried up to about one inch) the narrower my stance and the straighter my back. I really will see about getting some proper shoes soon. See you Wednesday![/quote]
Get proper shoes, it makes a BIG difference, more so if your flexibility isn’t fully there yet.
Your not use to the valsalva maneuver (holding breath in, squeezing out with your trunk to make your trunk tight). You get use to it, but don’t stay down too long or you’ll get a head rush and feel faint. Take a smaller breath of air.
