Physio Notes:
So I had my second and final appointment with my new Physio. We covered a lot of stuff. The Plantar Fasciitis is mostly gone so we shifted focus a little. I was an end of day appointment for him so instead of the usual 20 min we went longer. Gave him a chance to experiment with a few ideas and I got more answers.
-The heel pain and the pain through my glute may be linked.
- It seems I have been having nerve pain in my left glute. (that "catch" stretch relfex i keep talking about)
-this is related to my L4,L5,S1 being locked up tight
-He did some testing then traction and my Hamstring strength doubled (I went from fatiguing over 5-7sec to holding him off the table with ease.)
-After the Traction work my Glutes did improve but not a lot.
My Home work is:
-Continue with everything else I am doing, (McGill big 3, Bridging single and double leg, Planks, Side planks, cobra push ups, piriformis stretch and clamshells)
- Added in is Leg swings performed with a straight leg, moving through the hip and with the foot turned out. This is to floss the Nerves through my leg.
-L4 /L5 peanut work: lay on the peanut for 2min at a time a few times a day
-Wall Slides with a strap, again foot is turned out
The last two days I am have been pretty damn sore so I think I pushing into new territory, so I will count it as a good thing.
I pulled out the TEMs Unit today for nearly an hour on a few spots and I plan on utilizing it a lot more over the next few weeks.
I have an appointment to go back and see my RMT the "Shaman" early in the new year while I wait for work to sort out the Physio situation.
Understand I am extremely happy and excited for how far I have come physically since surgery. In no way am I content yet with where things are though. I know I am capable of a lot more physically once these few minor things are sorted out.
Moving Forward:
I am not going to be making a bunch of resolutions. I already have a fairly stable yet fluid plan in place.
-The next major step is getting back on the mats figuring out ROM I do have and get back to at least practicing a little Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It will be a long time before I can train and roll like a regular person. I will get there. I have not been on the mats for any length of time or any consequence actually since I tore my ACL in 2012. So yeah it has been a long time.
-Muay Thai is going to be back in the mix as well. Starting with Heavy bag work probably next week when I am home. Again, taking it slow to figure out where my body is at and what it can handle.
Training: -I am pushing the Conditioning back in a little hard for the next 12 weeks. I am working with a 3 days lifting /3 days Conditioning Schedule. I may do some 2 a days with the second session being lighter and more for recovery, getting a sweat on. So it seems that my hip, leg, and glute feel better doing the extra conditioning.
-Lifting I am sticking with a simple 5/3/1 Template: Mon Squat /OHP(light for Volume), Wed Bench, Fri DL /OHP(5/3/1 percentages)
-Pull Ups still have a priority
-Conditioning I was planning on doing exclusively Prowler work, waving the weight from session to session. That plan had to be adjusted, I ended up not having full time access to a Prowler at my work gym. So instead lots of Step Mill work, some swimming, some treadmill walking and the 20lbs Weight vest is back in the mix.
I will lay out in further detail in next week's Log.
Update 23 Dec:
For the last few days I started my trg sessions with 2 simple sets of 8 reps of Back Ext.
Yesterday i added in Rev Hyper's by holding onto the the GHR. These two things combined have stripped out the soreness and my low back is feeling slightly more mobile. I hope I am onto something. I always prefer one or two simple movements that strengthen and work ROM over a half dozen Physio /Rehab movements.
This sums up how it has felt for the last few weeks of training. Hard, fast, and intense. It feels awesome to be putting everything back together piece by piece. Starting this program 6 months post Hip re-surfacing was definitely ambitious
Disclaimer: Although this 5/3/1 Building the Monolith is the program I am referencing the changes I made make it no longer the program Wendler Wrote. Let's say inspired by.
I write this having only completed 5 of the 6 weeks knowing full well I will complete the final week in the next few days. So I feel good about writing /typing out my notes and perceptions of the Template /program.
I will say this is not really a "Rehab program" or a program for someone just returning to lifting after a long of hiatus as I have had. It did feel great to push some heavier weights 3 days a week, eat a ton of food and gain some confidence back in my body's ability to do things.
I only started Squatting, Benching, OH Pressing, and Deadlifting in Sept. When I started all of those lifts my low back still required time to stabilize and strengthen in all of these movements so I took light and progressed slow. This program showed up at a good time for me. The Volume and the heavier percentages felt very good.
My intention going in was to complete every day and every movement as prescribed (except of course for the adjustments I will note.)
I have 2 out of the 3 down, working on the lifting heavy part.
Training:
- I set up my TM based off where my Lower Body is capable of doing with solid form. As always I started Light with my TM. By no means did this make things easier as the soreness I felt the day after was always uneven. Having the TM kept me from doing anything stupid.
-Conditioning on the off days was not as prescribed. instead I did my rehab and took my dog for longer walks. This suited my Hip and Glute better as they needed the added recovery time between training days.
-Monday Squats were as prescribed. Friday Squats during Weeks 1-3 I used a box (only to touch), Weeks 4-6 I set the pins in the Squat cage so that I would touch just below parallel. Both of these methods gave me feed back to make sure I was squatting level. By level of soreness I had the day after I would say it did not make things any easier.
-Due to not lifting as heavy with the lower body I did push the AMRAP sets hard with OH Press
- I Benched before DLing due to wanting this to be the focused lift and my DL numbers were low so not a lot of warm up sets and using the Bench to warm up with felt more natural for me.
-Wendler takes the simplest things and they turn out to be awesome. All the extra stuff made me feel like a million bucks without over taxing things.
-Face pulls and Band Pullaparts were complete in 1 set of 100 reps.
- Shrugs I changed to DB Shrugs and "Ran the Rack" Starting at 75lbs, dropping in 10lbs increments until 100 reps were completed.
-Curls for 100 reps I changed from week to week but it was simply one or two exercises with a light weight completed for a total of 100 reps no rest.
-I used the Box Squats on Fridays because my lower back was usually still jacked and having the box keep me at parallel felt safer for my lower back at this time.
- I like the layout of this program a lot. Mon- Squat /OH Press /Pull Ups, Wed-DL, Bench, Db Row, Fri- Squat, OH press for volume, Heavy Pullups. I like it enough that going into my next 6 weeks of lifting I am doing something similar.
-I was sick at the start of Week 4 (sore throat and mild fever over the weekend), I did the required lifting for Squats and OH Press on the Monday but cut all the reps in half for everything else. This was enough to let my body not completely crash again.
-At the start of Week 4 I increased my TM for BENCH, DL, and OH Press. I left my Squat numbers the same. This may seem counter to the program, it is, for me it allowed my body to continue to smooth out my squat motion. I can tell that the tension and stretch reflex in my glute is much smoother than Day 1 Week 1. Which in really is what I am after long term, getting my squat movement to feel natural and smooth.
-Reps for the DL felt great and yet still very taxing. My lock out is still questionable at times, as the glute learns to fire it is getting much better.
Nutrition:
-You have to eat. I avg 8-10 eggs a day and 1 lbs of ground beef a day. For me with the lighter numbers it was enough. Something happens when you eat this much protein, I stopped craving junk food and was not hungry between feedings. Go figure. I am taking this info moving forward. My next training log will explain why in greater detail.
-This is an excellent program to use in Dec as excess Cal (if you eat the Protein first) is not a worry. You need to eat for this template to not crush you
-There were days where I felt bloated, fat and gross. I sucked it up and got on with things. Those also happened to be followed by rockstar like training days. Sacrifice for the end goal, get bigger and strong(er)
Recovery:
-Sleep. I work shifts so this is always something I pay attention to. Even more so since getting my CPAP last Feb. I like the fact my CPAP tells me how long I was "sleeping" (aka had the machine on). I made sure to take naps whenever possible and if I could get more than 8hrs I took it. Sometimes I only sleep 5-6hrs. a night because of the changing schedule and my body simply getting screwed up.
-As I stated earlier I did all my hip rehab as well as foam rolling, Lax balling and stretching on the days I was not lifting.
-See nutrition section because that is key for recovery on this program.
-McGill big 3 were also completed on off days and some days when I had extra time.
Increases over the 6 weeks:
-Week 1 day I completed 60 total pull ups. Week 6 I completed 87 pull ups. I did pull Ups through out the session without compromising recovery between sets
-Weighted Pull ups Week 1 was 5 x 5 x 5lbs, Week 6 5 x 5 x 12.5lbs.
-Squat and DL feel smoother.
-PR OH Press AMRAP
Summary:
-You walk out of the gym after training feeling as though you just prepared to stand next to Thor ready to battle the Ice giants. It really does give you a boost of self confidence. -I want to pull this program back out in 10-12 months when my body is strong(er) and I am further out from my body adjusting to surgery and the stuff that has come with it. I know in advance how gruelling it will be and I look forward to it.
-I hand wrote every day with all the numbers written in advance. This created a focus through a sense of perceived obligation (to myself) to complete this program. This helps when you are sore and tired and have those moments of weakness. It helps lock in the discipline.
-Overall this program did for me exactly what I wanted it to going in. My lifts are strong(er) and feel smoother with no side issues of my lower back feeling weak. My confidence is increased and I will finish this program with a sense of achievement. Despite my adjustments this was still grueling to get through some days.
If you decide to do this. Buckle up and prepare to be smashed down but walk away feeling awesome.
OK making sometime for this. I have been putting this off.
I am not quite this stiff in Yoga class. OK well maybe my left side does in certain positions.
I finally got back to Yoga this week. I have been doing it daily on my own. Not quite the same as a guided practice.
Physio Notes:
So at this point i still have not seen my physio. I will not get too far into it, she had surgery, had some minor complications, so she has transferred to a new PT with a full assessment coming next week. I do need an assessment because things have shifted in the past month leading to me having minor plantar faciitis (PF) in my left foot. I just want to figure things out before it gets out of hand. I had PF 8 yrs ago and I kept training through it until i could barely walk and then it took months to fix. So get it early, figure out what is causing it.
Training:
Training wise, to quote good old Jim Ross "Business has definitely picked up!"
I had been using a basic schedule of Upper Day, Lower Day, Conditioning Day, repeat. Doing Physio Exercises daily. I was Squatting, Benching, DLing and Pressing. Single leg and Barbell work with alot of bodyweight movements. Volume was high sessions were long. Overall despite making improvements it was not going to work long term and I was not feeling like it was measurable. I needed a program with a timeline and goal. My numbers Squatting, Benching, and DLing are still low. Really though, who cares? 6 months ago I could not lift at all. Fuck 3 months ago i could not lift. This time last year i could barely Bench, Squatting was done, and DLing felt dangerous even at light weights.
What Jim designed this for was a simple, hard work, high volume, mass building program. Using the 5/3/1 percentages it would be grueling and yet still safe considering where I am at day to day.
To be honest I did not know going in how I would be able to hold up. A day, a week, the whole 6 weeks? Being near the end of week 3 already I am doing well.
I chose this is because I knew I would have to put everything together. No slacking on sleep. No slacking on rehab and daily recovery activities. Lastly, I need to eat. Whenever Wendler suggests you need to eat in regards to one of his templates he fucking means it. Eating like a Starving Giraffe is a fast track to being crushed by weights or ending up sore and beat down. It has a set timeline I required, it would be measurable, and it is goal orientated.
When I have this finished this program in another 3 weeks I will write a full synopsis as to how it felt. My experiences moving through it. Any complications i had due the hip or in regards to working shift work. Finally where it leads me too next. (I have that planned out already)
The Core of all Wendler programs are simple Squats, DL, Bench, and OH Press. He Keeps things simple and streamlined.
I am crushing it so far. It is pushing me to my limit and keeping me focused. "Dialed in"
I still have some other things to put in my schedule. I have already rambled on enough. I will lay those plans out next week.
To say A lot has changed is an understatement. At the time of writing this EVERYTHING has changed. I still have a long way to go. I now feel like I am moving forward with intent and purpose again. The repair of my hip did not just bring that. It helped. The other major factor has been my time with the Demon Hunter. The past month we have found some rather large Demons in the deep dark forest of my mind. I still need to work past or above them, for now at least having found them when even I had forgotten they were there is the change in head space and timing I have needed.
Things don't feel so empty and hollow any more. I am looking forward and setting real goals and dreaming about doing other things (That i am writing down and plan on figuring out how to achieve them.
Surgeon's News and Notes
I will be requesting copies of my X-rays for posterity's sake in these logs.
I saw the surgeon about 2 weeks ago. It was nothing but fantastic news. Everything has healed as it should. No cracked bone, no signs of movement (shifting). The replacement is ROCK FUCKING SOLID.
So I started pumping out the questions that I needed answered. The short version.
At this point anything that would break my hip would break a normal hip. Which means I have gotten my life back. More so if you count the fact i KNOW i only have a limited timeline with this joint. So there is NO time to waste.
I am going to continue to work on the soft tissue stuff aka get the muscles and the movement patterns back to 100%. The glute has come light years since the day after surgery. My lower back is feeling solid. Movement is still stiff and quality of my stretch reflex leaves a little to be desired. The example i tell people:
If I bend over to tie my shoes I have to stand upright in between shoes or else my left glute hamstring locks up and it is incredibly painful when I stand up.
I am making strides daily. My training has evolved to a full time training template as of this week. I am still doing rehab and lower back prehab it just does not have to be the sole focus anymore.
When I say Full Training Template I am actual mean this:
In the Last Month I am now able to Squat and DL!
The numbers are low and no where near my PR's or GYM PR's. When that happens everything I have done to get those PR's will feel so much sweeter.
Next log will start to cover my actual training. I figured after little over a month i needed to write something to get back into the swing of things.
Squats 5 x 10 x BW KB Swings 5 x 15 x 16 kg Lunge 3 x 5 x BW SLDL 3 x 5 x BW Pallof Press 3 x 15 x 60 lbs Monster Walk 3 x 20 m x Red & Green Thera band Plank 3 x 15 sec Side Plank 2 x 15 sec Cobra Push Ups 2 x 10
10-11 Sept
Working 3 mid shifts. Decided to take the night off on the 10th In between sleeps during the day i did the usual rehab and stretching. The 11th I only worked a half shift due to an appointment.
12 Sept
Drove back home. Decided we were doing a Hike the following morning I simply relaxed, hydrated, and stretched. Solid night's sleep.
13 Sept 1000 hrs
Tetsmine Trail 11+ Km
3 hrs 30 min
Set a fast consistent pace. A little too fast as I was feeling it by the last Km. Later in the day the hip started to stiffen up and feeling weak from fatigue.
14 Sept
Spent the day on the couch and floor alternating between stretching, ROM exercises, Foam Rolling and Lax ball smashing. The piriformis felt really stiff and semi-painful. Overall my left hip felt weak and semi un-stable which is why I kept moving around to a minimum. I had nothing else really planned as it was a day off any how. Ate some food with Turmeric in it for the anti-inflammation properties and drink Litres upon litres of water. I think part of the problem was not simply the pace, it was the lack of rehydration post Hike.
15 Sept
Woke up still feeling stiff. I felt alot better than the previous day. Got out to do groceries and dog walking. More stretching and Rehab.
16 Sept 0900 hrs
I went to bed early in prep for Hike today. Unfortunately i slept 5 hrs and then spent the rest of the night searching for sleep. I rolled out of bed re-thinking my decision to hike. I kept moving, had breakfast then simply decide to go anyhow. Laying in bed the previous night I did have a simple thought.
3ft beside the trail, at head height, nearly invisible due to colouring, I did not stick around long to see how active it was.
"Surgery put me on a ticking clock. Eventually one day the decision to hike would be gone. The next surgery is going to change everything and something as simple as a hike in the woods will be gone for me. Depressing thought for some, motivating in my head. Until then, I need to do everything I CAN do. No regrets when sand in the hour glass runs out."
So with all that being said I got in the car and drove out to the park.
The Yellow Sign has the Mystery Phrase on it. this is what you look for while out hiking the marked trails. (I have whited out the mystery phrase.)
Gibson Lake Trail 15+ Km
4 hrs 20 min
The Beautiful, yet sort of creepy Fen. Possibly the home of Swamp Thing or a Mutant Snapping turtle?
It is great getting out in the fall air and hiking. This trail completes the half way mark of the Hiking Challenge. The Fen was cool to see if not a little creepy, hearing distant sounds without being able to see the animal that made them. I can only suspect it was Swamp Thing or a mutant Snapping turtle. I started out much slower than Tuesday. As I got warmed up my pace naturally increased. My hydration during the march was still a little lax, which I have been making up for the last few days.
I spent the weekend making sure to Rehydrate and stretch. Oh and eat. Plenty of food.
19 Sept 0800 hrs Physio Notes:
-Still doing extremely well.
-I explained the Glute tightness /pain. She checked it and replied "yeah there is a divot here". A joke saying the muscle is so small and weak it is non existent.
-Which means even more clamshells in my future.
-Moved to Blue theraband for Clamshells. I will be waving loading thorugh the multitude of Therabands.
-she also moved my leg around, jacked me in an odd position, stretching my glute.
-a quick use of the cups on my thigh
-off the table and BAM! able to squat almost fully. Exciting day indeed.
1850 hrs Warm Up: KB Swings 3 x 15 x 16 kg (feeling better everytime out) Band Pull-a-parts 119 reps in 4 sets w/ EFS Pro Mini Band Pull Ups (done throughout) 10 x 7 reps OH Press
1 x 10 x Bar
1 x 10 x 85
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 3 x 125
1 x 3 x 145
1 x 1 x 170
That was a grinder of a single. It is time to use 5/3/1 to rebuild my OH Press. Combat Chassis, Hips, and glutes all felt solid tonight. Now that things are stable I will stop simply trying to increase every time out and apply a lifting template.
OH Press
2 x 5 x 115
2 x 5 x 105
2 x 5 x 95 Side Laterals 2 x 11 x 30lbs Rear Laterals 2 x 11 x 20lbs Plate Raise
1 x 50 x 10 lbs (Oly Plate)
1 x 100 x 10 lbs Banded Pull Downs 1 x 87 x EFS Monster Mini
At this point I did a set of OH Press and then one or two of the exercises in between sets and /OR a set of Pull Ups if I felt ready. The goal with Pull Ups is complete the 10 sets in under an hour. No timed rest just moved from exercise to exercise. Finished up the session with non-stop side plank, 30sec L&R then 15sec L&R then 10sec L&R.
2 Sept 0930 hrs Yoga - Hot Yin & Yang Class
I was dripping sweat midway through this class. Not so much challenging as the movement just induced sweat. Almost all of my movement now is becoming smooth. A few minor transitions still to figure out, yet compared to when I started in July I am doing outstanding if I do say so myself. The work the physio did on my hamstring /thigh earlier this week I could tell paid off, still a tiny bit of "gluey" muscle in the hip, nothing the Lax ball and foam roller cannot smash on until I see physio again.
3 Sept Hiking Noon Akron Lake Trail 11 km (approx 4 hrs)
This was challenging to put it lightly. We still have longer trails ahead of us. Thankfully and quite by accident we started on the harder part of the trail and finished on the easier section. We stopped for 20 min just past the half way mark as well as a few 5 min breaks along the way. My body overall held up. i could tell that my Glute and leg were smoked near the end. I did adjust my climbing technique just a little to put more effort through my right side as my left glute after 9 km was not always up to the task. Thank goodness for my walking stick. Barely any of the trail felt entirely flat and parts of it were a pretty rugged climb up or down, no rope required, the rocks do make you consider your steps and balance though. The canopy overhead kept most of the heat at bay except for a few small sections where we came out along a pond and another on the ridge line above the lake.
04 Sept 1020 hrs
Recovery day from yesterday, trying to balance everything out and get the blood flowing.
Lying Leg Curls
1 x 30 x 50
4 x 10 x 75 Face Pulls 3 x 21 x 37.5 (weird cable machine) Rev Hyper
1 x 25 x 50 lbs
1 x 20 x 100
1 x 15 x 150
1 x 15 x 100 GHR 5 x 8 Scarecrows 2 x 17 x 5 lbs (super slow tempo and pausing throughout the movement) TKE's 2 x 23 x EFS Medium Band (Grey) Battle Rope 10 x 20 Sec on /20 sec off x 50 ft 2 inch Rope
Finished up with a ton of Clam shells, Bird Dogs, Cat-Camels, Boat Pose, Plank, Side Plank, and Monster Walks. I hit the sauna for 20+ min and did some Dead Bugs and McGill sit ups
5 Sept 0920 hrs TKE's 2 x 23 x EFS Medium Band Face Pulls 1 x 50 x EFS Monster Mini Incline Db Press (slight incline)
1 x 15 x 20
1 x 8 x 30
1 x 8 x 40
1 x 8 x 50
1 x 8 x 60
1 x 8 x 70
A reps were fast and explosive today. Everything felt tight, solid, strong and explosive. great feeling. no issues sitting or getting up with the Db either which was awesome. Db Pullover
3 x 10 x 35
Demonstrated these and ended up doing a few sets because they felt good doing them Hammer Curls 4 x 8 x 45 lbs Side Laterals 4 x 8 x 25 lbs Plate Raise 3 x 20 x 25 lbs
Moved through these three exercises with intent. Just kept cycling through them until all sets were completed. Rest was transition or stopping to scribble in my trg log. OH Cable Tricep Ext (Rope)
1 x 10 x 120 lbs
3 x 10 x 110 lbs Rolling Triceps
1 x 5 x 35
2 x 10 x 20 lbs
I always feel stronger going into these and then crash and burn hard. Head Harness 1 x 35 x 16 kg
I simply wanted to do some head harness today and ran out of time so I did one giant set to failure and called it a day.
Finished Up with a Ton of Monster Walks, as well as Lying Clamshells, and Planks.
6 Sept 0905 hrs Head Harness 5 x 15 x 20 kg Lunge 10 x 5 reps Single Leg DL 10 x 5 reps Neck Crunch 5 x 15 x 25 lbs
The Lunges and Single Leg DL were done as a superset along with either a set of head harness or neck crunch in between. Left Hip /Glute is still weak. I can feel improvement over last week though so I am headed in the right direction. Shrugs 5 x 15 x 135 lbs Rear Delt Laterals 5 x 11 x 15 lbs
A fast superset. Testing out the low back /glute with a bar in my hands. Stable for the most part, glute is not quite strong enough to brace properly on the left just yet. Little steps.
Cable Rotation 2 x 10 x 50 lbs Pallof Press
1 x 10 x 50
3 x 10 x 60 Single Leg Calf Raise
3 x 15 x Bodyweight
2 x 10 x Bodyweight
One more odd superset. Single leg calf raises seem to challenge the glute almost as much as the single leg deadlifts. Step Mill
5 min /64.8 Cal /29 Floors /Lvls 12-16
Just a little conditioning work to prep for more trail hiking next week.
07 Sept 1820 hrs
This was a session that was pure garbage. They are going to happen from time to time. I shut things down early so as not to do something stupid. I got a little frustrated because as is human nature I want everyday to go smooth and progress. Today progress was simply realizing my Glute needed a rest. I went in wanting to train and smash the world, instead my body had other designs.
BW Squat 5 x 25
I started out using the EFS light bands as handles for balance. By mid way through the 3rd set I let go of them and simply squatted free. All reps were to parallel if not lower. So that is definite progress. Stiffness through the glute and hip sucked, at times slightly painful, not damaging, simply uncomfortable. I will be ready to squat soon. I finished every set fighting off pain and then semi limping as the muscles were fighting me and trying to stiffen up. The one giant take away thinking about it now, there was no pressure on my lower back or through my sacrum. Just have to keep digging for those pieces of gold in every session even the crappy ones.
This is a movement I will be doing daily now.
KB Swings 2 x 15 x 16 kg
This challenged my glute like it has not been challenged since surgery. The Hip feels stable enough to perform the motion. The issue is that to push the hip through it directly challenges my glute in a fashion that causes stabbing like pain directly in the glute. So i will keep the volume low and push this daily as well. Not really ready for any other KB movements until I squat a little deeper, i know they will return.
Dead bugs and Foam rolling my hip /Leg to finish up. Overall this session was frustrating because everything seemed to cause some sort of pain. Nothing was easy. Metaphor for life sometimes I guess. I made a point of focusing on how far I have come already, I am still excited for how I still have to go. Just some days I wish i could pick up the pace a little bit.
Sticking to the plan. Everything is going as it will. Everything is improving daily. I just have to keep putting in the work.
08 Aug 1140 hrs It’s in your moment of decision that your destiny is shaped. Choose well. -Tony Robbins Lax Ball on Glute, hip, and hip flexors as well as stretching with a few Split squats (BW) to get things feeling loose. My morning Rehab has fallen off of late which is part of the reason I think for last night's craptacular session.
1740 hrs
Motivation was high going into this session. Especially after yesterday's humbling. When you lose a fight and survive you re-group, clean up, re-load and get back at it asap. The earlier session with the Lax Ball paid off a little.
Pull Ups (completed throughout) 10 sets of 6 reps (wide neutral grip)
Reps were quick and strong. Excited to have these get back closer to sets of 10 reps. Warm Up: TKE's 2 x 23 x EFS Medium Band BW Squats 10 ,10 (things are still stiff, movement is starting to be smooth on the first few reps though) Kb Swings 2 x 10 x 16 kg (less pain than yesterday so progress)
So to explain the Glute pain think of doing an extremely high rep set of arm work. That burning and stabbing from the muscle fatigue and acidosis in the muscle? yeah that is what most reps feel like when I say pain. I have spoken to my Physio about this, she explained it the muscle "waking up" /being turned on while being re-trained to fire correctly.
So far Single leg DL, Split squats, clam shells and Kb swings cause this sensation the most intensely and most often. Everyday it feeling less intense or I can get more reps completed before it starts. So as I keep saying PROGRESS. OH Press
2 x 10 x Bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 3 x 135
1 x 3 x 145
1 x 1 x 165
OH press felt great. Combat chassis is feeling strong(er), still some work to go until it feels mountain-like solid, definite improvement on a few weeks ago. Even though I felt like there more reps and weight in the tank I decided to call it there. This was an increase of 20 lbs from last time so that is what matters. No need to tempt fate by entering the red zone just yet.
So at this point I jumped into a circuit of: 3 rounds of Step Mill 5 min x Lvl 14 (67.5 Cal /30 floors) Pull Ups (these counted toward the 10 sets mentioned above) OH Press 10 reps x 105 lbs
This was not crippling by any means, I would say I was in the 70% range throughout. Lots of sweat pouring off me. By round 2 i stopped breathing heavy even though I did move quicker between exercises.
Finished up with Side Laterals, Rear Laterals, Banded Pull downs, Banded OH Ext, and Plate raises. This was definitely the session I needed to have after yesterday.
26 Aug 1700 hrs Yoga - Hot Yin /Yang class
After spending 3 hrs driving this is exactly what my body needed. My lower back felt a lot better. The hot room is not that bad and my ROM is still improving. It is still odd to be able to do some things with ease and then other positions I look like I am a thousand years old with centuries of arthritic build up in my joints.
27 Aug Day off to eat food, a lot of it and relax.
28 Aug 1010 hrs
Leg Curl
1 x 20 x 50
1 x 15 x 75
1 x 10 x 100 Back Ext 3 x 10 Side Hold 3 x 25 count
GHR (completed between Prowler) 5 x 10
To say I am feeling solid and smooth on the GHR is an understatement. This movement came back back very quick. I am hoping now this will hep with opening my hip and strengthening my lagging glute. Prowler (HH:High Handle, LH: Low Handle, P: Posts)
2 x 20 m x 90 lbs (HH)
2 x 20 m x 90 lbs (LH)
2 x 20 m x 140 (HH)
1 x 20 m x 140 (LH)
2 x 20 m x 140 (P)
1 x 20 m x 140 (LH)
My goal today was simply to not let the Prowler bring me to my knees. Mission success! Still hot so I did take my time between sets but not an exorbitant amount.
Rev Hyper
1 x 15 x 50 lbs
1 x 15 x 100 lbs
1 x 15 x 120 lbs
The weight is still creeping up on these. I did have a good snap crackle pop on my first few reps. My lower back felt even more in place and settled after that.
I finished up with some Cobra Push ups, Hip bridges and McGill Situps before hitting the sauna for 15 min.
29 Aug
Traveled back to the city. Stretched but not much else. My lower back, glute and body needed bit of a rest after Sunday. The Glute especially, something I talked to my physio about. It is extremely weak and endurance in it sucks so when I push it afterwards it almost feels like a mild glute strain. This effect is fading after each passing session, still something I have to manage though.
30 Aug 0230 hrsCobra Push Up 3 x 10 Cat-Camel 2 x 10 Bird dogs 2 x 2 (15sec Hold) Pull Ups (completed throughout) 10 sets x 5 reps x Bodyweight OH Press
2 x 10 x Bar
1 x 5 x 85
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 145 Side Laterals 3 x 17 x 20 Head Harness 5 x 20 x 16 kg Plate Raise 1 x 53 reps x 25 lbs Neck Crunch 2 x 20 x 25 Rolling Triceps
1 x 8 x 35 lbs
1 x 10 x 30
1 x 12 x 25
1 x 14 x 20
1 x 16 x 15 lbs OH Tricep ext 4 x 17-20 reps x 90 lbs ITWY 1 x 5 x 5 lbs (ea movement) Rev Incline Bench SCARECROWS 1 x lots x 5 lbs
This session was tremendous for me. Ignoring the Devil's hour timing which is always fun to train when your mind is weakest. This i counted as a precursor to putting a barbell on my back. In short I was testing my low back and hip to handle a load. Feedback I got was maybe another week or two. Everything felt strong and solid. Afterwards though i could my "Comabt Chassis"(Harry Selkow) was fatigued when I went back to work. Being away from OH Pressing for as long as I have I am ok with the weight, it moved fast and strong. I actually called it at 145 lbs not because of upper body strength but I could my support structure was fatiguing /too weak to handle more. Also decided that heavier tricep work is in order for the next month or so. 31 Aug 0800 hrs
PHYSIO NOTES: -Extension in hip is great, still a little gummy though. ROM is almost equal
-She suction cupped my outer thigh /Hamstring, it was like majic the discomfort in so many movements disappeared instantly.
-I will have to foam my out thigh /hamstring for the next few weeks to keep things loose.
-I asked her to check my pelvic alignment because things still felt off. Sure enough my right leg needed a quick 2 sec adjustment (yank my leg) and i felt fantastic.
-Lower back is feeling a lot less stiff already and getting better.
-There is not too much for physio to do at this point. I will see her in 2 weeks approx to maintain everything.
-Glute strength is key, I have to be doing a lot more Clamshells, Monster walks and Hip bridges. -Sitting at a desk for an 8 hour work day is shutting my glute off.
-the ball is still in my hands for this recovery which is exactly where I want and need it to be.
0310 hrs
TRX Lunge 3 x 5 TRX Squat 3 x 5 TRX Single Leg DL 3 x 5
So at this point I decided to slip in a high rep set of Rows with the TRX. It snapped at rep 11. I have had this TRX for over 8 yrs. I will be emailing it back. On a side note: I AM OK. When it broke i was at the bottom of the Row motion so I was about 24" from the floor. I crashed hard as you do when you unexpectedly fall. Hip and back hit as one, I laid there for about a minute doing a systems check in my head waiting for pain, no pain, check, nothing feels out of place, check, hip is good, check, double check, triple check.
I got up and carried on, i figured it would be the only way to truly know if i was good to go.
The take away from all this, I proved to myself I am not so F'n fragile after all.
Completed in Squat Cage (Bodyweight) Lunge 7 x 5 reps Squat 7 x 5 Single Leg DL 7 x 5
I prefer the TRX version because i have noticed in the past I do have a tendancey to over use the cage for support and balance. I did shorten the Single Leg deadlift ROM on the last few sets as the glute got grumpy and stiff.
Barbell Rows 3 x 15 Barbell Push Ups 3 x 15
Something quick and easy to help recover from the previous day. TKE 1 x 40 x Medium EFS Band
1 x 25 x Medium EFS Band Seated Clamshells 2 x 30 x Green Theraband
Called it a morning at that point. Almost no rest except to record numbers or sip BCAA's throughout.
Not starting a diet. I just found this extremely funny, like almost pee'd my pants funny
1 Sept 0625 hrs Back Ext 3 x 10 (slow tempo, hold at top) Side Hold 3 x 30 count Knee Raises 1 x 20 reps L & R Football Bar Bench
3 x 10 x Bar
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 155
3 x 10 x 125
I will not get into all the messing around I did with using plates under my feet. Just know that I am using standard 35lbs to put my feet onto as my hip extension /ROM is coming along. Still not any real leg drive while Benching. My stability is better and there is no weird discomfort in my hip, I attribute that to the work my Physio did on monday. Rev Hyper
1 x 20 x 100
1 x 20 x 140
Not really a Bench assistance exercise. doing these because I have access to the RH, I need to do them for my low back healthy and my back felt like it needed these this morning. CSR
1 x 20 x 45
1 x 10 x 100
1 x 8 x 110
1 x 8 x 120
I am doing a ton of Pull ups which is great. I have decided that I need to start making my Rows heavier without frying my low back just yet. Face Pull 1 x 83 x 37.5 lbs Rope Curls 1 x 50 reps x 32.5, 22.5 lbs Scarecrows 1 x Lots & Lots x 5 lbs
Hiking in Frontenac park 1700 hrs 2 trails x 4.5 km total
Registered for the Frontenac Challenge. It is 11 Trail loops that when completed will total 108.5 Km. today we took on to of the smaller trails, Doe Lake (3km) and Arab Lake Gorge (1.5km) as a warm up. It is fun being out in nature and just having nothing but silence around you.We have from 1 Sept till 31 Oct to complete all the trails. More on this as we complete more trails.
TRX Alt Lunge 15 x 10 reps Neck Crunch 5 x 11 x 25 lbs Plate Raise 5 x 11 x 25 lbs Barbell Curl 5 x 11 x 55 lbs
So this was quite simple. A set of Lunges, followed by an exercise. Then a set of Lunges followed by a set of Neck crunch, repeat for 5 sets and then switch the second exercise. The TRX works well for re-strengthen my leg and re-build motor patterns. I am able to take just enough weight for me to complete the reps. Hip and glutes were very fatigued by the last few sets. TRX Squat to Bench 1" High
1 x 11 reps
3 x 21 reps Parallel
7 x 21 reps Rev Incline Posterior Deltoid Laterals 5 x 11 x 20 lbs TRX Rollouts 5 x 21 reps
Doing the lunges before squats was one the ideas I had last week. It worked out well. I did do some standing hip openers after the first few sets of squats. Then when the hip felt loose I used a lower bench. For now I will keep using the TRX for squats, it takes the pressure of the muscles to fire perfectly every rep, which IS what I am attempting to do, unfortunately my body does what it wants at times. If there is a slight shift or twinge holding the handles keeps me even and balanced and cognizant of what my body is doing. I also did an exercise after every set of squats like I did with the Lunges previously.
19 Aug 1950 hrs
I missed Yoga class because I arrived back from the city about a half hour later than I need to in order to attend the 5 pm class. So instead I headed into the field house for a second lower body session. I was running on about 3 hrs of sleep after shift. Food intake was high so I figured I would be OK. Prowler
1 x 100m x empty (High Handles)
1 x 100m x empty (Posts)
1 x 50m x 50 lbs (Posts)
1 x 50m x 50 lbs (High Handles)
1 x 50m x 100lbs (Posts)
1 x 50m x 100lbs (High Handles)
Legs did not turn to jello like last Prowler session and more weight. Field House was still humid as F**k so it feels like gravity has been turned up because of the rubber field house track. Switching between the high handles and posts is fun. Something I have not been able to do in a long time. Prowler is one of my keys to getting my legs ready for squatting both in volume and weight. As a side effect my bodyweight should start to drop as my endurance with the sled increases. GHR 7, 7, 7 Reverse Hyper 3 x 15 x 50 lbs
I started jamming my feet together on the last set. This puts the emphasis on the lower back throughout the movement as opposed to the glutes. Standing Leg Curl 2 x 20 x 20 lbs
I attempted a heavier weight, My left glute was having none of it. I rounded out the session with Cat-Camels, Cobra Push Ups, and Bird dogs.
20 Aug 0845 hrs
Back Ext (45 deg) 2 x 15 Side Hold (45 deg) 2 x 25 count
First thing in the morning rather than doing cobra push ups i do the back extension to get things moving and warmed up. Slow-medium paced reps. Side hold to make sure my stabilizers are awake. Football Bar OH Press
1 x 8 x Bar ("All bars weigh 45lbs" -Harry Selkow)
1 x 8 x 55lbs
1 x 8 x 65
1 x 8 x 75
1 x 8 x 85
1 x 8 x 95
5 x 5 x 75lbs Fat Handle /Neutral Pull Ups 10 x 3
Pull Ups completed in between sets of OH Press. I was breaking my rule of no axial loading. I made a point of contracting the combat chassis super tight and called the weight when things became at all challenging. The time for testing is later when everything from my feet to shoulders is working as a unit and stabilizing better. no wraps, no belt. Rev Hyper 2 x 15 x 70 lbs
Weight is increasing on this slowly. I have started cramming my feet together which put more of the movement on the low back as opposed to the glutes. Getting excellent traction on the lower back. Side Laterals 3 x 21 x 15 lbs Meadows Shrugs 3 x 21 x 15 lbs
Battle Ropes
30 sec on 10 sec off
20 sec on 15 sec off
15 sec on 20 sec off
20 sec on 15 sec off
20 sec on 20 sec off
20 sec on
This proved to me my conditioning is shitty.
A little bummed, both Airdyne bikes are broken. So I opted for battle ropes instead. I really did want to push the prowler, thought better of it as I will be doing a longer session with it tomorrow. Super humid and hot in the gym so I took my time this whole session, chugged water and still completed in just over an hour.
21 Aug 1520 hrs
When I woke up on a pleasant Sunday morning I decided to push this session to later in the day to let my back warm up and stretch a little more naturally. It was also just damn pleasant to sit on the front Porch with a Sunday Morning coffee watching the rain.
Prowler
1 x 100 m x No Weight (Low Handle)
1 x 100 m x No Weight (High Handle)
2 x 20 m x 90 lbs
4 x 20 m x 180 (Posts)
6 x 20 m x 90
I alternated the pushing surface between the three handles throughout for any sets not specifically labelled. The Prowler brought me to my knees twice at the finish line. It felt awesome to be pushing through fatigue and desire to quit. My brain lit right up, sometimes you need to yell at yourself especially when your body says enough, there is always a lot more in the tank. To say i hit the showers with a mild quad pump and an attitude is an understatement. Rehab is about pain. Rehab is about sacrifice. To achieve at anything you first have to ask yourself how much am I willing to sacrifice? How much pain and deprivation am I willing to endure? I know where my limits are, this recovery has a long way to push me before I am even willing to consider throwing in the towel. I am coming out of this better than before, full stop.
Rev Hyper 2 x 11 x 100 lbs
Decompression and recovery for the lower back. The weight on this is creeping up slowly. Every time out it feels better and better. Alt Hanging Knee Raise 3 x 5 L/R
This was a test for my body to see how these would go. I also figure I wanted to see how my hip flexor and abdominals work to together now with a big piece of scar tissue in the middle.
Finished up the evening with lots of water and food.
22 Aug
Yet another travel day. This time off to visit my parents. My dad turns 75 this week, kind of a big deal. So Rehab stuff only along with hip mobility.
23 Aug 1345 hrs
Today's session was a journey home. I started lifting in the CFB Borden Gym at the age of 13, getting kicked out for being too young when the staff caught me. The Weight room has doubled in size and there is a giant field house attached. In the field house is another training area, along with a KB Corner, a fight trainign corner and another area with Db's. So overall the gym is an awesome facility. Did i mention it also has an Oly sized swimming pool? Other than a reverse hyper machine this gym is not missing much. Back warm up: Back Ext 3 x 15 reps Lying Clamshells 3 x 30 reps x Green Theraband Side Plank 3 x 25 count
Today's training inspiration. I walked into the field house and saw the same four post push sled. Which i will nick name the Batman Sled. After warming up with the sled I attached a 15 meter rope.
Batman Sled Push
3 x 30 meters x empty
4 x 15 m x 45lbs
4 x 15 m x 90 lbs 1. 5 inch Rope Pull 4 x 15 m x 45 lbs
This was a taxing, which means it was fun. The left side strength is becoming less of a factor and I am starting to get to a point where my conditioning sessions feel like I may pass out or vomit. Neck Crunch 3 x 17 x 25 lbs (Oly plate which added an extra balance component READ: MORE NECK TENSION) Hanging Ab straps 2 x 13 Extra Wide Grip Pull ups 3 x 3 Ring Pull Ups 4 x 3 Slight Incline Db Bench
1 x 20 x 40
1 x 20 x 50
1 x 20 x 60
The big take away from these was the fact i was able to get the Db's into position and my hip was not a factor. The hip feels strong(er) and solid.
Devil's Tricycle 6 x 20 Cal x 1 min rest
Let's be honest riding the Airdyne with any kind of intention makes it suck, which makes you more awesome. The better your condition, the more punishment you can withstand and the quicker you recover. Finished up with some Plank and Side Plank, Scarecrow's and Y's. 24 Aug 1015 hrs Warm up Back Ext 1 x 20 Cobra Push ups 1 x 30 Plank 4 x 20 sec Hammer Strength Chest Press
2 x 20 x No weight
1 x 13 x 25 lbs (a side)
1 x 13 x 50
1 x 13 x 60
5 x 8 x 40
This machine felt completely foreign in terms of movement. Which made this all the more fun and no ego in regards to the weight. i have never used it before so nothing to judge it against. Weights noted are per side. Hammer Strength Pull down (Wide neutral grip)
1 x 20 x no weight
2 x 20 x 25 lbs (a side)
1 x 20 x 50
1 x 11 x 75
5 x 13 x 50
Lots of burning lats and rear delts. I wish i had access to this machine full time. I had to concentrate to keep the movement even and to make sure my right side pulled down correctly. I could definitely see an imbalance there that this machine challenges. Wide Neutral grip Cable Rows 3 x 11 x 105 Rope Face Pull 3 x 21 x 75 lbs Strap Row (Tbar)
1 x 25 x 45 lbs
1 x 25 x 55 lbs
This is an attempt to start strengthen my low back and glute indirectly. Rear Delt Destroyer
1 x 30, 60, 20 x 55, 25, 10 lbs Devil's Tricycle 200 Cal x 14:30:00
I went to bed thinking last night I would ride to 500 Cal. i shifted the plan upon awaking this morning. My hip and leg are not quite ready for a ride like that just yet. Maybe next week. I finished up with side plank, bird dogs, cobra push ups and McGill sit-ups.
Yesterday and today were two very solid sessions, this gym has a great setup as already mentioned.
25 Aug 1030 hrs
Warm up Cobra Push Ups 2 x10 Back Ext 2 x 10 Hip Bridge 2 x 20 Step Ups 2 x 10 Batman Sled Push
3 x 90 ft x 45
2 x 45 ft x 90 lbs
2 x 45 ft x 135 lbs Batman Sled Push then Rope Pull
4 x 45 ft x 45 lbs
This mean I pushed the sled out four times and pulled it in four times. The Humidity was high so I was drenched by the end of this and the increased friction from the floor it was a tough slog pull the sled everytime. Battle Ropes
8 x 20 sec on /20 Sec rest Side Laterals
3 x 21 x 20 lbs superset with Leg Curl
1 x 10 x 50
2 x 10 x 100 lbs
Last training session at my old gym before heading back east. Everything felt solid and strong. Progress was made and that is all I can push for everyday is another 1% better. Felt great to be slogging hard and pushing myself again where I can.
Yes this was early so I knew going in I would have to warm up my low back before beginning. Back Ext 5 x 6 reps Side Hold 5 x 10 count Football Bar Bench (All bars weigh 45 lbs)
2 x 10 x Bar
1 x 10 x 65
1 x 10 x 85
1 x 10 x 105
1 x 10 x 125
5 x 3 x 125
Felt great. No tightening of the shoulder as I get with a straight bar usually. I did have to use plates under my feet because the bench felt a little high still, my hip flexor did not have enough ROM. Also only minimal ability to brace and no leg drive yet through the hip. Fat Man Pull ups (Rows) 5 x 10 x Bodyweight Airdyne Intervals 8 x 20 sec ON /40 sec OFF
This was an experiment to see how the hip would hold up to airdyne intervals. Felt solid overall, not a passing out-puking session, my HR did rise though and no adverse affects on the hip. I will continue to progress this.
1740 hrs
Working evening shift, it was 12 hrs later, lots of food. So time to finish up the morning's session by filling out the Assistance and supplementary movements. Pull Ups 10 x 4 reps (alternating between narrow & wide neutral grips) Neck Crunch 5 x 20 x 25 lbs Dips (to a bench) 5 x 10 Cobra Push Ups 3 x 10 Hip Bridge 3 x 20 reps Pulldowns
1 x 23 x 110 - 1 x 30 x EFS Monster Mini Band (superset)
1 x 16 x 130
1 x 16 x 110
1 x 14 x 140
1 x 14 x 110
1 x 13 x 150
1 x 13 x 110
1 x 11 x 160 - 1 x 51 x EFS Monster Mini Band (superset) Lying Hip Ext 3 x 10 Black Band Face Pull 3 x 20 x EFS Monster Mini Band Clamshells (Double leg) 100 reps x green theraband
Great session everything felt on point, even the iPod music.
16 Aug 1740 hrs
Heel Touch
3 x 10
3 x 5 Cobra Push Ups 2 x 15 TKE's
3 x 20 x EFS Medium Band (Gray)
3 x 20 x EFS Light Band (Orange)
These were done left leg 1 set grey, then 1 set orange. Then move to right leg. Etc. Plank 2 x 25 sec, 1 x 15 sec Side Plank 2 x 10 sec L/R Cat Camel 2 x 10 Squats (Bench 1" above parallel) 5 x 10 x Bodyweight
These went better than last week. Left glute still randomly has issues overall it is feeling better every week. I have some ideas to help my squat movement further. Doing the Heel touch first definitely helps. Single leg Calf Raise
1 x 17 x Bodyweight
4 x 10 x Bodyweight Clamshells 1 x 50 reps x green theraband
In the work gym so access to lower equipment is limited. It forces me to work only the minimum and what needs to be done. Bare bones session. 17 Aug
0900 hrs Swim 12 min x Front Crawl (4 x 1min Rest)
I front crawled as fast as I could pushing the pace for 12 min. Taking a break when I really could not control my breathing.
2000hrs Swim 10 min x Fins x Kick Only
I extended my arms and with the fins on I kicked hard and kept the pace up for ten minutes. I am not counting laps for either of these sessions because this was in the 15 meter Apartment's saltwater pool. 18 Aug 0125 hrs
So to have full disclosure everything is 5 sets of 15 reps because I left my trg book on my desk in the office. This was the easiest way to remember the set /rep count. It worked out fantastic though. The hip stability comes along a little everyday. I will keep saying that but it is true. Simply sitting up on a bench after a set of neck crunch feels better every week if not every session. Incrementally it all adds up until I have to remind myself 3 weeks ago I could not do something that I can now do easily. Clamshells 1 x 75 reps x Green Theraband Superset TRX Rows 5 x 15 Neck Crunch 5 x 15 x 25 lbs Super Set Incline DB Rows
1 x 15 x 40
4 x 15 x 35 Head Harness 5 x 15 x 16kg Superset Arnold Press
1 x 15 x 30
4 x 15 x 25 Side Laterals
1 x 15 x 20
4 x 15 x 15 Superset Wide Bar Facepulls 5 x 15 x 80 Pallof Press
1 x 15 x 60
4 x 15 x 45 Rear Delt lateral (Rev Incline)
1 x 15 x 10
4 x 15 x 5
Superset Cobra Push Ups 50 reps Prone Hip Extensions 50 reps
Rotate back and forth between the 2 exercises until the total reps completed.
A Solid late night /early morning session simply to get some solid work in and to sweat, A LOT. This session was probably one of my best feeling in a while. Starting to feel normal and that I am making up some larger ground.
2000 hrs Swim 10 min x Fins x Kick Only
Got up and getting ready for midnight shift. A short swim to get the HR up and wake me up for my last midnight shift of the shift string.
