Monday, 23rd January 2017.
TRAINING
AM
Upper Max
notes:
Bench felt strong. Hopefully I can do 4-5 reps of 90kg next week.
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Wednesday, 25th January 2017.
TRAINING
AM
Bike Hill Sprints
notes:
Woke up feeling a little tired, so I used the sam hill as last week. I was planning on finding a slightly steeper and longer hill, but was not feeling up for the challenge. Next week I will either do the same hill for 10 reps or I might find that steeper and longer hill.
Going down to the city for a few days for a little break. Will try to get a gym session in at some point and hopefully stick to my nutrition protocol 80% of the time.
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Ahahaha that’s my uncle Bird! You’re some man.
@furo: Thanks buddy. I wish I could be joining in with all the deadlifting fun, but Im not sure if my back will be ever ready for it.
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Does sprinting, distance running, or biking do anything to your back? I know biking irritates some people’s backs because of being bent over for long periods of time (depending on seat height and stuff it can be better or worse), and having good running mechanics is rare these days.
I am not saying they are the issues, but if the issue still continues and you don’t have anything else stressing your back it might be a good idea to check it out.
Injuries are the worst, birdie.
@Destrength: Hey buddy.
Biking actually makes my back feel better if anything. I no longer go for longer rides, just quick rides to the gym and back (5 km each way), and the once a week ride which is more short and sharp sprints up the hill.
I haven’t done much running lately. I would like to though. I think the ability to run 4-5 km’s at a decent pace is something every man should be able to do. Sprinting and hill sprints used to be my favourite form of punishment. lol.
At the moment Im just taking the approach that I avoid everything that makes my back pain go over the 3/10 pain & discomfort mark. Im confident that I will get to the stage where it will be pain free and with decent movement. I just don’t think Im going to risk things with trying to do deadlifts etc.
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Friday, 27th January 2017
TRAINING
AM
Upper Rep
notes:
Was not in the mood today, although felt much better once I was done. Later on the day I had visited my osteopath and he clicked my thoracic spine back into place and Im feeling like a million dollars.
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Yeah, sprints are really nice. Do you ever do 400 meter sprints? A 400 meter sprint going at 100% is one of the hardest things you can do for sprinting or running, and is basically the hardest thing a sane person would do.
I am not really a fan of aerobic work though. It’s really easy to get to a baseline, and after you get to a baseline you aren’t really going to get much better, and it’s very easy to lose it. You get some (which is probably the most literally anyone other than a distance runner will need) aerobic work in anyway if you do anaerobic conditioning, especially stuff like those 400 meter sprints.
I mean I’ve done plenty of aerobic work in the past, and I was conditioned (my best race time was something like a 21-22 minute 5K on really bad terrain and weather), but I was slow and being able to run at a moderate speed for a long time didn’t really carry over to anything much to my dismay about 6 years ago.
@Destrength: I used to 350m sprints all the time when I was training for football. Got me fit and lean. I would like to work them into my training program again one day.
I understand what you say about conditioning not been very lasting, although I feel so much better when I am conditioned. I suppose thats because I played football for many years where conditioning is king. I love the feeling of lean as well.
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I think it’s more about being lean than anything. Health wise it feels pretty bad when you aren’t lean in my experience.
Monday, 30th January 2017.
TRAINING
AM
Upper Max
notes:
Was hard to get out of bed as I had spent the previous 4 days down in the city. Running around seeing people, doing things and a disruption to my normal nutrition puts me out for a few days. Surprisingly I felt strong this morning. 90 Kg’s felt easy.
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I wish I could tell you what has worked for me! As you know my back used to be horrible - for the 8 years before my injury I had never managed to consistently deadlift, squat or even pistol squat for more than a couple of months at a time before really hurting myself. And now I’ve been deadlifting weekly since March with zero issues, and squatting and pistols have never given me more than minimal discomfort.
The only things I’ve changed are:
1) having to drop my lifts down hugely and build back up extremely slowly (my initial deadlift max in March was 140kg)
2) getting better at bracing my core
I know there are plenty of things I haven’t changed - I haven’t worked on my mobility or training my core or any new accessory movements.
Thanks @furo
Im actually no to fussed if I ever dead-lift again. My priorities now is just to be pain free and to be able to keep training at a decent capacity.
I have recently been looking into inversion tables. Research into these are limited, although there are people who swear by it. Anyone got any info on these?
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These two things make a huge difference, in my experience.
As to this, I’m not sure about the specific product. I am, however, hugely on board with spinal decompression. This can be as simple as
Seems to me that the first and last point would get you much the same benefits as using an ‘inversion table’ - tbh that thing looks like a waste of money from where I am, but to each their own.
Hope your back feels better soon mate. Injuries suck.
@TheWolfMan: Hey buddy.
I think “bracing my core” correctly is a major issue of mine.
I do practice handstand and hang from the pull-up often in between sets. Im not sure what you mean with the back extension apparatus.
The inversion tables aren’t that expensive. Comparable to a couple of trips to the chiro or massage therapist. I can see myself using it for 5-10 minutes at a time, 2-3 times week. Im not expecting miracles, but all I need it a 10% improvement in my condition and I will be good as gold!
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So that we’re on the same page, that’s the type of machine I’m talking about. Get into position, bend the hips as far as possible and hang for a couple of minutes.
Hmm. Im not too sure if that would be the best position for someone with some mild herniation of L1.
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Fair enough. I find it helpful, but I don’t struggle with chronic back issues the way you do (in fact I think I read a John Rusin article somewhere where he condemns the back extension machine as basically a biomechanically fucked up oddly angled deadlift). So yeah. YMMV.
Wednesday, 1st February 2017.
TRAINING
AM
Bike Hill Sprints
notes:
I used the same hill as I have been using for the past 2 weeks. Now that I have managed 10 reps is time to find a steeper and longer hill.
For those that have come late to the party, I have substituted “bike hill sprints” for my usual “leg day” at the gym. Im doing this to help with my recovery of a lower back issue, and also just to do something different and get more sunlight.
I have been thinking I wouldn’t mind adding another conditioning session in during the week. maybe skipping rope?
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Absolutely fair enough!