Progression update... Firmly added weight session into my week. Added another session on a Saturday to bring it more in line with Stronglifts (3x a week). Still doing a slow run from time to time too. 4.5K (give or take). Tried adding sprints but the session I tried on Wednesday was a complete wash out. Horrible shooting pains right up my shins and legs. Had to stop part way and walk grumpily home. Really annoying as that kind of endurance and output ability is what I need to work on. Grrrrrrrr.
Do you have access to an air dyne or spin bike? Sprints cause a lot of strain, I find myself and a lots of the more mature clients are able to do their energy system work on the airdyne without the wear and tear, recovery is often easier too, just make sure you stretch those hammies!
Nope. Part of the problem I think is that I live in a fairly rural location and everywhere now is too dark and wet to sprint on when I get home. I have used the footy pitch but it's not that level and very dark and so treacherous at night. Now I use a local tarmac carpark because it's lit well enough to see where to put your feet but obviously not very forgiving. The couple of sprints I've done on it before were OK (well as OK as you can get when a 40 year old man is attempting to sprint) but Wednesday was just awful.
Minor update. Still hitting the weights and while I don't really feel that different or any stronger my recovery and overall conditioning seem much better. Did a pretty heavy Karate sesssion on sunday that in the past would have had me knocked out with doms for a couple of days for sure. No ill effects today though (apart from where I caught a strong spinning back kick on my right hip). I'm now lifting double what I started with on all lifts (still low numbers though). So much so I've run out of weights on the deadlift and had to order some more! Got some basic weights from Johnno and my brother and they just aren't enough anymore. So that's some sort of progress at least.
If it looks like progress, and sounds like progress (which it certainly does) then it probably is progress Nice work Mr Smith
It's strange how previously I've found weights uber-boring to do. But now with a proper plan in place and progression mapped out in advance I'm actually looking forward to each session. It also helps that I'm in and out of the garage in 45 mins-ish including some warm up sets, mobility and core work so nothing's dragging on too much.
So...where to go with this log. I was all set to get back into things after the birth of my son, and some recovery from IT band pain, last year but then I did my back in. The idea of putting 70kg on my shoulders, like I was doing before chrimbo, fills me with dread frankly. Don't even think I could squat 7kg let alone 70. I don't even see myself as a martial artist anymore. I train so rarely. At the moment I'm doing a regular, yoga based, body weight routine morning and night (10 mins or so) and some "back buddy" massage. At work I've set a PC alarm so I get up regularly and move about, stretch off and foam roll my back, glutes and hips in a quiet corner. I've set out what I'd like to do each day training wise but the combination of back pain and baby duty is curtailing things.
Small SMART goals Paul. You've a lot on at the moment. Do little things when you can and try to build from there.
Firstly relax. Dread nothing. You can always start again at your own pace. Train less with the weights. And great news! You can do other types of the lift. Consider doing Zercher and other types of Front Squats. These put no direct pressure on your back. Zerchers are the easiest to do. Olympic Front Squat a little more technical. No matter. Smooth progression. And get back into it gently. Just a little bit of training regularly is all you need to 'keep your hand in' with martial arts. Could you 5 minutes a day after you're stretching etc? Good luck with the Nappy-Do and Colic Fu :Angel:
a small point i feel is important: the very fact that you're pondering the idea of squatting your pre-injury weight indicates the wrong mental approach (don't take it badly plz, i don't mean it in a derogatory manner). injuries mean inactivity, inactivity means atrophy, and atrophy means that even if the damage from the injury is healed, functionally you are at a subnormal level, and if your 'normal' is 'average', so to speak, then going below your normal level of functioning leaves you not very functional. therefore, approaching this from the angle of "resting it until it's ok" and then jumping right back is erroneous because you're skipping the process of actively restoring normal function. you CAN train, but you gotta focus on the right type of training first, and that is the type of training that will directly reverse whatever atrophy you have accumulated during the recovery period. and just like the strength training you were doing earlier, this will work best if you plan and program it correctly, for which you need either outside help (such as a physical therapist or similar) or the know-how to do it yourself (plenty of anatomy, some physiology, some exercise science, and so on). anyway, long story short, don't beat yourself up because you can't squat or train MA, just focus on regaining the baseline function that you lost on your back and then bit by bit you'll be able to build back up to, and beyond, your prior level of fitness.
Listen to The Fish, for he is wise! I'm getting back to training after my back issues, but I'm dropping the weights considerable. I am also thinking about exercise substitution that allow me to work hard but minimise the risk to my back and shoulders - bodyweight stuff, isometric holds, single leg work, floor presses with a football bar rather than bench presses. If you think carefully about your routine, you should be able to come up with something that allows you to train around your injury but still challenges you.
Yeah...I wasn't really going to go straight back to my previous best weight. I have learnt a thing or two from you more experienced bods. I was more describing how bad I currently feel by comparing what I was lifting to what I think I can now lift. As is it I did a very light weights session on Thursday with essentially an empty bar. Just checking my form and if there was any residual pain or discomfort. Didn't feel too bad but I'm sticking to body weight stuff, stretching and rolling for now.
cool still, i'd recommend you look into some dedicated back work that specifically targets your injury site (as opposed to doing unrelated even if otherwise useful bodyweight/yoga type stuff and hoping they'll deal with the problem) and most importantly that can be done very very very lightly (not just in terms of external load but also leverages, think pushup on knees vs pushup on feet) and gradually progress up to harder variations. what exactly was your injury, by the way?
Forgot about this... Stepped off a kerb carrying a baby. Stumbled and tensed so I didn't fall or drop the little scrote, back goes ping. Diagnosed as "facet joint" injury and that was about it. Anyway...I'm back on the horse so to speak. Last night was Squats, Bench and Rows. Starting way back on the weight and watching form as well as I can. Really trying to stress intra-abdominal pressure and core stability. No issues really. Some back discomfort was about it. Softly, softly, catchee monkey. Biggest step yesterday was really watching what I ate (something I've never done). Trying to stick to 600 calories every 6 hours (with a bit of lee-way). Afternoon was tricky to get through but it was fairly easy really. Had an extra protein shake after training that took me over 2000 calories but I'm allowed a treat or some extra if I train the same day.
If you find your back muscles spasming up after lifting, try putting a heat pack on the area - it works wonders for my post lifting muscle tightness.
i would highly recommend that you drop the squats for now (bench should be ok, rows would depend on load and variant) and spend about a month or so doing planks and back extension work (both strength based and kinesthetic*), or you stand a very good chance of reinjuring yourself when reaching a heavy weight again. *one possible example of what i'm talking about: without any weight, lie prone with your legs held down, contract your glutes and abs like you were doing a plank (this will reduce the curve in your lumbar spine and prevent you from hyperextending it and hurting yourself), and then slowly start extending your back piece by piece from your neck to your hips, as close as possible to doing it vertebra by vertebra, and go back down to the ground in the reverse order. think of rolling yourself up towards your hips like a piece of paper, and then unfurling back to the ground, taking at least 5 seconds to do each rep, as your goal is active control of your back musculature and careful mobilization of your spine rather than merely lifting yourself off the ground (in the same way that your goal when stretching a hamstring is to stretch the hamstring, not to reach forwards with your upper body).
