28 July - Rock Solid week

22 July

0930 hrs
Yoga -Yin Yang Class
Fantastic class. Only a few things i could not pull off. Actually more than a few. I did leave with my low back feeling great and my hip is definitely starting to adjust to the increased ROM. Finished the day off with my rehab movements and prepping to hit the gym in the Saturday AM.

23 July

1040 hrs
Slow moving today. I let myself sleep in, nearly 10 hrs of sleep according to my CPAP. I had short shifted myself a few days this week and with my impending return to work Monday night i want to make sure I am not remotely in any sleep debt. Had a decent breakfast of scrambled eggs and Brown Sugar Cinnamon Oatmeal with a coffee.
Rev Hyper
1 x 20 x machine (Zero Weight)
1 x 11 x 20 lbs
1 x 11 x 40 lbs
1 x 11 x 60 lbs
This felt great. From here on out i will add a little bit weight every time out. All reps are done with a 1 sec pause at the top, followed by a controlled decent. I don't madly swing with these the movement is controlled, trying to force /feel the lower back muscles doing the work. No hip pain or annoyance of the glutes.
GHR 4 x 5 x Bodyweight
I did feel a little triggering in my glutes of the muscles that need "reawakening" so I was little sore from this. I kept the reps low and worked a pull up in between sets to create a rest period
TKE's 4 x 21 x Pro Light (Orange) EFS Band
Keeping the knee's healthy by keeping the VMO strong(er) and active
Back Extensions 4 x 11 x Bodyweight
Rev Incline Bench Db Shrugs 4 x 11 x 15 lbs
Rec Incline Side Laterals 4 x 11 x 15 lbs
These three were supersetted together i guess you could say, back ext then to the bench for shrugs and then it just felt natural to do some side laterals.

24 July
Sled Pulling with Rope 8 x 45 ft x 135 lbs
Db Farmers Walk 2 x 30 ft x 35 lbs + chains
Db Shrugs 6 x 21 x 35 lbs + chains

A great afternoon session in the hot Sun. Still using the 1/4 inch rope to pull the sled. Looking at purchasing 1.5 inch diameter x 50 ft of Manila rope next payday. I don't normally care about the weight of the chain, in this setup however strapped to the Db's i would say they weigh in around 35lbs. Both farmer's walks i finished off with a set of shrugs.

25 July 
Pool 
Silly walks 2 x 20 ft
Fin Kicks 1 x 5 min
Squats,  cossack stretch, leg swings, high knees in the pool. Slow and control testing out the movement.
Front crawl 10 min

The apartment pool is a small salt water pool so you feel extra bouyant after 30 min in the water. Squats and the cossack stretch was merely testing my ROM in a different environment. The swimming was a slow leisurey pace with just my arms. I did try breast stroke but no go with the hip doing frog kicking just yet. I plan on doing 20-30 min in the pool any day I am in the city. Just makes sense since it is 2 min away and it allows me to try things in a nearly non weight bearing environment. The Silly walks were high knee /stepping lunges trying to work as much ROM as I can.

26 July
0210 hrs
First midnight shift session. Everything went fantastic until I went to put things away.
Push Ups 5 x 15
Pull Ups 5 x 1
Dips 5 x 3
Head Harness 4 x 15 x 35 lbs
Neck Crunch 4 x 15 x 25 lbs
As i picked up the Kb to put it away my low back ever so slowly cramped up and my low back slid out of joint. Just enough i knew things would be crappy. I got on the floor and worked Cobra pushups and some other stretches that I know help for about 15 min.
(later in the day) Physio Notes:
-PT made an attempt to put my low back in but it was not quite ready to go. She did get it moving so it felt a lot better.
-lots of hip mobilizing /sliding or whatever she calls it. sucked at the time, felt great a few hours later

27 July
Low back was still out so I decided to forgo trg while on shift. I had pushed it all day so I decided to give it a few hours off. When I got home from work I stretched and did more ROM work. Later in the evening I went to the gym and really got things moving.
Rev Hyper 
1 x 10 x 20 lbs
1 x 10 x 40 lbs
1 x 10 x 60 lbs
1 x 10 x 80 lbs
1 x 10 x 100 lbs
GHR 5 x 5
TKE's 5 x 21 x Pro Light (orange) EFS Band
Pull Ups (Parallel fat grips)
10 x 1
Last couple of sets I did pulled to the top and did a slow negative (hold) at the top maintaining an extremely slowed (paused) decent
Heel Touches 
1 x 10
3 x 5
Box Squats (2" high)  3 x 5 x bodyweight

28 July
Yoga (Basic Class)
Even with my back being askew this was an excellent class for me. My ROM, strength and Endurance have come a long way. I was able to actually move though alot of the postures. As I told my Physio "I now look like a regular guy that goes to Yoga class". I am still able to get through class without trying force anything. Most of the time even when I use the blocks (aids) a few seconds later I am moving them out of the way because my body readily adjusts to the position. Still have a position or two that are completely out of the question, yet even those are progressing a little.

29 July
Physio Notes: 
-finally got my low back reset. It was actually funny, it reset while she was putting me into position.
-continue with the Banded Clamshells and Cobra Push Ups.
-Added in Hip Flexor ROM exercise.
-I need to get my glutes firing and hip moving, these two things will take the pressure that is still on my low back. The quicker I can get those two sorted the sooner and safer  will be loading my spine.
- the traction stuff was much less today, my internal and external ROM is coming along nicely.

21 July - Striding forward...

15 May
1340 hrs

First session back and I slowly stalk around the weight room because I don't want to limp.It might just make me a little more intimidating. HA! 

I had considered going to Yoga in the early evening. Two factors came into play that made me decided against that idea; I had promised myself at least a day in between sessions so as to let me body adjust the first few weeks, and because this was my first official weight room session Post-Op and I fucking crushed it! Walked away fatigued yet energized. I did a lot of this by feel and with the mindset of pushing the reps and feeling the muscle in all exercises except the Incline Bench, it was treated as a movement.

Warm Up:
Rev Incline Bench Rear Delt Rows
1 x 21 x 20lbs
3 x 21 x 25lbs

Main Movement:
Incline Bench
1 x 11 x Bar
1 x 11 x 65
1 x 11 x 85
1 x 11 x 95
1 x 11 x 105
1 x 11 x 115
Why Eleven reps? Because it is one more than 10 and even numbers are the devil's play thing.
Felt very solid. Flexed the lats hard at the bottom, keeping the bar about 1" off my chest consistently. Grip was narrow (ring finger on the ring)

Accessory /Supplementary /Muscle building stuff:
Pull Ups 5 x 3 reps
Rope Pull Downs 5 x 21 x 115
Rev Incline Bench Rear Delt Laterals 5 x 11 x 15
Rev Incline Bench Db Curls 1 x 33 x 15
Meadows Shrugs 3 x 21 x 15 lbs
Face Pulls 3 x 17 x 70 lbs
The little bit of work i have been doing at home paid off. I did not have one those first day back after a long lay off sessions where your muscles just fatigue and drop off mid set. Finished up the evening by stopping in to watch a Jits class, get my head back into grappling so when I make a return things will be fresh in my mind. Tonight's class covered a variety of collar chokes with the Gi. Just to work on as many little things as I can, just a sprinkling at a time. A glass can fill up with water just as easily one drop at a time.

16 July
0745 hrs

Swimming (life jacket)-  approx 400 m x approx 10 min
I decided to swim out to the Anchor Buoy today. My estimation of distance is way off. I started swimming and realized hey this is way more than 100m. Thought about turning around for about 0.5 of a sec and then thought nah fuck it I said I was swimming to the Buoy so that is what i will do and kept going regardless of how ill conceived of an idea it may have suddenly seemed. I was swimming in calm water and with a life jacket on.

1300hrs
Yoga -Yin Yang Class
This is a slower paced class designed for people stressed out, hurt and junk. Much slower and less challenging for my hip (and mind) from a muscular stand point. A lot of the poses I did find borderline painful (in a good way) which made for an interesting session. This is what I am looking for moving into and out abnormal positions so that my hip regains full ROM and mobility.
As I am right now I cannot sit on the floor crossed legged. It is little things like that I want to change.

17 July

1440 hrs
Swimming - 400 m w/ Life Jacket and Fins (less than 10 min i guess)
The Fins add resistance for the legs and glutes. It felt decent enough. Doing a lot more combat side swim, do it properly it requires a greater range of motion. Not quit there yet but trying to challenge the ROM a little every time out. Swim felt great then stepping out of the water onto the dock I managed to tweak my glute, painful but not damaging, had to take a second to breathe and let the muscles calm down.

18 July
1040 hrs
Physio Notes:
-I moved back to my city Physio. I transition back to work next week and I wanted to get this piece of the puzzle back in place first.
-she beat the crap out of me for nearly an hour.
-from her testing she determined my ROM needs some work, so in the mean time no thera bands.
-clamshells by intervals of 50 are in order.
-cobra push ups and side planks are back on the menu as well for the time being.
-during her testing we discovered my low back (S1, L5, L4) is stiff and not moving at all forcing the work load higher up. This is the same problem pre-surgery except now we can address it properly with my hips back in alignment.
-just we 10 cobra push ups the ROM through my hip increased by 30 degrees. Hence the reason the lower back mobility is so important for now.
-Abductors are soft and weak, hence the clam shells as well the internal rotations.
-alot of bending and twisting and turning alot of which i will admit fucking hurt but is a necessary punishment to get things moving.
-She covered how to smash up my scar to keep it free floating and not allow it to bind up to the muscle tissue in my leg.
Exciting stuff overall. I walked out of there sore but feeling better.

19 July
1545 hrs
Single Arm Sled rows 3 x 70 ft x 90 lbs
Floor Press 
1 x 10 x Bar
1 x 8 x  95
1 x 8 x 115
3 x 8 x 135
Sled Face Pulls 3 x 70 ft x 90 lbs
Lying Tricep extensions 1 x 50 x Chains
Rear Delt Laterals (head resting) 1 x 50 x 15 lbs
Hammer Curls 1 x 50 x 15 lbs
Plank L 10 sec R 30 sec
Cobra Push Ups 1 x 25
Outside /Inside yard session in the afternoon sun. Just enough stress on the recovery side. I started the day with 25 cobra push ups and 100 clam shells. I will finish the day with another 100 clam shells before going to sleep. Already things are less "twingey" and "burny" through my glutes making things feel strong(er) and stable.
20 July

Due to the ferry I missed Yoga class so i did 20 min at home with a few stretches and movements that i know help my low back.
1330 hrs 
Got in the gym for a short session before meeting some friends.
Rev Hyper 25 reps total
GHR 5 reps total
Back Ext 25 reps total
Meadows Shrugs 2 x 25 x 20 lbs
So it was meant to be some light testing to see mow my low back is holding up and if I would have any reaction to the direct strength /movement work. A few hours later everything feels strong(er) and tighter so I think I can start increasing the frequency and volume of this these exercises. I will finish up the day with more cobra push up,  clam shells, and side plank.

21 July 

this is my style of cpap mask. It is NOT sexy. HA

1205
Yoga -Basic class 
Everything felt slightly better than last week. Still problems with transitions and getting out of some positions yet overall I could feel improvement. I had originally intended on swimming until I woke up and felt my low back. It felt stiff and sore in a great way. I will repeat the series from Wednesday again Saturday morning and then make a point of swimming in the afternoon. When I left Yoga class my low back and hip felt much better allowing me to do an evening session with the sled.

1550 hrs
Sled Drags w/ Harness
1 x 70 ft x 45
1 x 70 ft x 90
11 x 70 ft x 115
 Another back yard session. I did get a sweat on, mostly due to the 35 deg weather. This allowed me to simply build some GPP through my legs and hips so when i do start Deadlifting and Squatting I will have a slightly bigger gas tank. It also felt good to simply flush my leg out. My yard has gentle contours so the weight get lighter and heavier at certain spots which helps to break things up.

14 July 2016 - Fawk the God of Death

10 July
0900 hrs

Went to the gym for the first since surgery. No plan other than to see what i could and could not do.
Rev hyper - No weight for a few sets of 10. felt good
GHR - not quit ready, no pain but a few more days until they feel strong and coordinated.
Single Leg step up (10" Step) - Multiple sets of 10. got this exercise from my ACL rehab

I wear a shirt and don't hold my arms out for balance. 

Pull Ups - 5 reps total
Back Ext -1 set of 10 reps. I need to continue to stretch out my pirformis and low back. I did these reps on the GHR. Next time I will try on the 45 deg bench.

11 July
1345 hrs

Jason Momoa apparently drinks a nice Chianti on Sunday evenings? 

Completed outside in 30 deg Celsius and sunshine.
Sled Drags 2 Lengths x no weight
Db Curls 2 x 20 x 25 lbs
Single arm Side Lateral 3 x 11 x 20 lbs
Head Harness 2 x 15 x 20 lbs

12 July 
1010 hrs

Starting out slow and with some very basic stuff. Completed outside in 30 deg Celsius and sunshine.

Db Side Laterals 5 x 10 x 25 lbs
Sled Walks 3 x  Length (approx 30 m) x 45 lbs

Face press Lock outs 3 x 21 x 65 lbs
Sled Face Pull 1 Length x 45 lbs

Sled Rows 1 Length x 45 lbs

Rev Curls

Reverse Curls 1 x 50 reps x 25 lbs
Head Harness 3 x 21 x 20 lbs

13 July

0640 hrs

Swimming 2 x 40 m
This may not seem like much but i crossed the threshold and finally got in the damn water. Now to keep the momentum. Also i kept it short to see how my body would react. Also playing around with a life jacket between the legs until I pick up one of those swimming peanuts. If the water was a little deeper I could try water running, I will have to venture out a little further into the bay I guess.

1610 hrs

*For the Sled Pulls I set up approx 35 ft of  3/8" rope and toe strap. So the distance includes resetting the rope.
Hand over Hand Sled Pull 3 x 100 ft x 45 lbs
Arnold Press Supersetted with Side Laterals 5 x 10 x 25 lbs
Upright Rows
1 x 15 x 65 lbs + chains
3 x 10 x 65 lbs (took chains off, being conservative with hip stability)

Chain Shrugs 1 x 100+ x Chains (ea hand)
(I only half assed counted definitely well over 100 reps though)
Lying Ext w/ Chains 1 x 50 x Chains
(Supersetted) Barbell Push ups (Body at 30 deg) 1 x 23

Hammer Curls 1 x 50 x 25 lbs

Hand over hand Sled Pull 
1 x 100 ft x 45lbs
1 x 50 ft x 45 lbs

One thing I have always been able to do well is pull cable in manholes for days. So i guess for this session it was going back to my roots just a little. Heat advisory today so waited until just after the hottest part of the day to start my session. If you are going to fight the forces of evil you have to be able to do it on their territory under their conditions so it feels more like home. From Thailand to Afghanistan to Kingston I have always been able to step up in the heat and humidity to crush out some truly great training sessions. This was just a warm Up session, feels awesome to be finding a groove.

14 July
0930 hrs

Soon, but not yet. Not Yet.

Yoga class -Basic
I read or heard a long time ago the movement you don't use, you lose. As much as things are advancing daily for me at things point I still want to do as much as I can. The class was a nice slow beginner class. I will say for as far as I have come there is still a lot I cannot do. Biggest take was my simply transition through poses. Time and work I can tell it will all come back. This was also a good way to test and push the glute muscles. In addition even signing up for Yoga class is something out of my comfort zone as this is a community i don't readily bump into or interact with. Along side with the normal frustration /finding patience of simply trying to do basic Body weight movements any 4 yr old can do, yet still struggling through them. Side effects is body awareness-position in space-time (proprioception), as well as strengthening of all the support muscles I may neglect, and trying to force my mind to quiet itself and focus.

1555 hrs

Swimming -10 min
Swam out further with a life jacket on. Tried a few more kicking strokes to see how things hold up. I was huffing and puffing when i finally came back in get out of the water. I did feel like i could have gone longer although due to the winds, waves and unknowns that still exist I am taking it slow everyday and building a little more every day. This felt great getting in the water especially with the high humidity. I will start building on this session after a day off (Friday Off, Sat Morning ON)
This session was questionable for parts of the day due to weather forecasts so I am happy I got it done.  

07 July 2016 - why have I not gone swimming yet?

07 July

- discomfort /pain is still changing every few days or so. which is still progress. Still mostly glute issues still. I did have a little bit of low back at some point, yet it cleared up within an hour or two. Sitting has become my biggest focus. How long I sit, how I sit, and my posture when I sit.

-squatting to chair and standing is coming along. still above parallel though for solid movement.

-Sunday night /Monday was interesting. Every time i stood up or was on my feet for longer than 5 min a deep ache would kick in. I would describe it as; "I feel like I am growing bone right at this second". Due to this I added a small foam mattress to my extra firm mattress. (Yes princess in the pea syndrome). Anyhow that seems to have work as I have slept great the rest of this week.

-standing other than the two mentioned days is consistently good. I feel even and balanced. I can stand tall with my low back feeling lined up. I make a point everyday of standing more and more so that when i get back to work it will hopefully make for an easier transition. I do find continuous movement helps

I think this needs to go on my bucket list. 

-I am doing daily upper body TRX work for Back, Rear /Side Delts, Biceps, and Triceps. as well as a ton of Face Pulls. It feels as I can contract everything in my upper back correctly again. I have attempted some single leg stuff keeping the reps to 3 or less, it is coming along every day.

-Physio has advanced me to the Green Theraband so I rotate through the three of them in a day. I have not done anything major with Physio other I show up. He makes me go through the same exercises and then he either adds resistance or adds a new exercise. Tells me everything is getting stronger and moving better. Then send me on my way without any treatment for any of the discomfort or tightness I have. I am transitioning back to my city Physio soon so it be interesting if things change at all.


-realized yesterday I need to dust off my head harness and get after the neck girth again. Not sure why I did not think of it sooner.

-I dropped the cane last Friday /Saturday and even went shopping for groceries on my own without it on Sunday. Ah, Come to think of it the leg discomfort Sunday night might have been from the 25 min i spent in Cost-Co walking around on their cement floors. As well the days activity overall. (THIS kind of information is why i keeping a running journal)

-still no swimming, i simply have not worked it into my schedule which is ridiculous since I am sick leave from work. I will get my ass in the River by the end of the weekend.

-make a point of reminding myself and saying out loud everyday. "This is definitely better than it was a few weeks ago". It helps at those points of the day where I stand up and just have to stand their while my mind and my muscles have to loosen up so that i can walk. Remember  said if i sit for too long everything in my left side tightens up. It feels like I did an insane leg day yesterday, with only my left leg, EVERYDAY. HA!

-as of today I will be starting my day with a BLUE HEAT self massage of my left leg, hip, and the scar. I did the same thing with my knee and it seemed to help (or at least in my head)

1 July 2016 - 6 weeks already

Happy Canada Day

1 July

Highlights from the last week:

-I really stepped up my time with the TENs Unit. Which expedited a lot of minor issues healing up.

-Glute pain /tightness ceased to be an issue Monday /Tuesday. In its place my groin seized up. More TENs unit and it cleared up by Wednesday. Progress is progress.

-Physiotherapist (PT) put me on a stationary bike. It was not too bad, ROM is solid except for coming out of full extension.

-Seated Internal Rotation is solidly improving moving to a heavier band today. (Yellow to Red Theraband)

-Increased Band tension for some glute exercises (straight leg extension backward). (Yellow to Red)

Straight leg Extension Backward

-minor groin tightening during side leg raises (standing). (Yellow)

standing side leg raise

-I have yet to get in the River for a swim. Today is out because of thunder storm warning. Tomorrow perhaps.

1045 hrs 
Pulled out the TRX today.

Rows 2 x 25
Y's 1 x 25
Face Pulls 2 x 25
Bicep Curls 2 x 25
OH Tricep Ext 1 x 25
Chest Press 1 x 25
Squats (to F'n Parallel /90 Deg) 1 x 11
Slow shadow boxing 4 min

It is a start. Good muscle pump in my rear delts and back. Squats felt good. Still in the experimentation stage with what I can and cannot do. Which almost changes hourly some days (good and bad changes).

Walking full time around the house without the Cane. Standing is preferred to Sitting. When I sit longer than 5 min I am stiff getting to my feet.

Going Out I still bring the Cane with me. There is not always spots to rest. In addition having the Cane works as a notice to other people to stay away (don't get bumped by mindless people) and if they do get in my bubble i use the cane to suggest they get out (not above hitting people with me cane to protect myself. Ha)

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)