Hey, have you been working out?

[Al B. Sure!]

I did some wide squats, my toes right at the sides of the power rack. I only did it at 185lbs but it felt different enough that I wasn't going to be able to go 260+ my first time at it. I found it hard to go much below parallel though. I can't tell for sure unless I record myself from the side or something but looking at the mirror in front, it seemed like I could only go just barely under parallel, if that. No ass to grass this way lol

Did squats 3x5x185

Also back to Crossfit-style stuff with a quick metcon...

5 rounds: 1 clean & press (135lbs), 5 burpees. Completed in 4:59.

Cardiovascular conditioning leaves much to be desired, judging by the burpees. Sets of 5 burpees at a time never used to pack such a wallop before. My first run through this, I did it with 155lb clean & presses, but I didn't have the strength endurance to lock my arms on the press on the second set so cut the weight down on my second run.

[SpencerH]

Wide squats will take some getting used to. Compared to normal width squats, they work more glutes and hips (hence the strain I mentioned) while there is less strain on the lower quads. I think one of the reason my knees held together for so long was because of my wide stance.

[Al B. Sure!]

It’s hard to know when to rest and when to push through an injury. It kinda depends on the severity. If you’re lifting hard enough you learn to live with constant aches and pains but if it’s a sharp pain during or immediately after training then it’s best to wait until the inflammation goes down below that “sharp pain threshold” before hitting that same exercise. What I’ve learned to do as I’ve accumulated injuries over the years is to give it a couple of days. If I can move the injured part without sharp pain then I’ll train but I’ll use light weights or avoid that exercise completely for a few workouts. The key is to not re-injure oneself. Stop doing that exercise with any feeling of sharp pain.

Yeah it sounds like you have tight hamstrings and Achilles tendons. I have the same. When I first started out as a kid in the 70’s I weighed 120lbs and would do 315 lb squats for a few reps that looked like I was doing “good mornings”. Despite that the bar was moving a long way up and down, I wasn’t going anywhere near parallel. What I ended up doing to correct it was widening my squat stance from the traditional “shoulder width” (say heels 15” apart) to what is now a “power stance” (heels 36” apart). I also started training in combat boots which have a very hard sole and a raised heel. If you squat that way, and take the bar further down your back, you’ll keep a very straight back but there is a lot of strain on the inner thighs and the hip joints. I’ve improved my flexibility a little just by constantly working at it over the years so I can now get the needed squat depth with my heels 24” apart without bending at the waist but it wasn’t easy.

Yeah a really wide stance was the suggestion offered by a former Divison I sprinter I know who is training to qualify for the Olympics. He said my back didn't round much when I attempted a wide stance. I tried it out at the gym at 225 and it felt a little odd but I had just came back from sprinting so I wasn't in the best condition to do good squats. Will have to try a wide stance soon though I'll probably have to come down on the weight since it's different enough from what I have been doing.


I did some sprints and suicides today. Shins didn't feel too good after... wanted to ice but no ice in the house and the ice tray is gone

I'll probably switch over to more Crossfit-style training now though. I'm done with the pure strength routine and the suicides really showed that my conditioning has fallen way to the wayside.

[Jon Miller]

Yesterday I attempted to do biceps/back:

4/4/3 pullups
6/6/6 bent over rows 27/27/27
3/3/2 chinups
spine rotations
6/6/6 bicep barbell curl 29/26/26

This is based on not so good memory. Was a bit short, but I was short on time. Not sure why I wasn't' capable of much. Unlike the shoulder/legs/chest days this back day didn't leave any body part feeling sore. My triceps and chest were still sore yesterday though.

I was just weak.

JM

[SpencerH]

I don't know, Spencer. When I would experience shoulder pain right at the Acromion where the rotator cuff is, not doing movements which caused pain (bench, pushups, and dips) did not lead to any improvement after even 6 months. At that point, I said f- it and did pushups through the pain and sure enough, I stopped experiencing pain there on pushups and bench, although I still experience it mildly on dips. It went against all physical therapist/medical advice I was given but it sort of worked out. I was able to do pushups 'comfortably' at OCS. Dips still are a problem. There must be some mechanical difference in the way I do dips relative to pushups that is inflamming the rotator cuff.

Spencer, also I might have discovered a reason for my difficulties. I always figured I had some rounding of my back when I would squat but I felt it wasn't that significant. Well, I videotaped myself air squatting (no weight) and with a broom and wow, I really round my back and my upper body shoots forward. This may be due to a muscular imbalance somewhere such as shortened hamstrings.

I know I have hip flexor weakness diagnosed by a physical therapist but between my inability to squat below parallel while maintaining a lumbar curve and things such as I can not touch my toes or do a lying hamstring stretch properly (ie- with my knee not bent), these issues seem to be limiting me and may have contributed to my running injury woes.

Any thoughts on overcoming these weaknesses? I'm stretching now but any thoughts? Any good stretching routine you know from your lifting days?

It’s hard to know when to rest and when to push through an injury. It kinda depends on the severity. If you’re lifting hard enough you learn to live with constant aches and pains but if it’s a sharp pain during or immediately after training then it’s best to wait until the inflammation goes down below that “sharp pain threshold” before hitting that same exercise. What I’ve learned to do as I’ve accumulated injuries over the years is to give it a couple of days. If I can move the injured part without sharp pain then I’ll train but I’ll use light weights or avoid that exercise completely for a few workouts. The key is to not re-injure oneself. Stop doing that exercise with any feeling of sharp pain.

Yeah it sounds like you have tight hamstrings and Achilles tendons. I have the same. When I first started out as a kid in the 70’s I weighed 120lbs and would do 315 lb squats for a few reps that looked like I was doing “good mornings”. Despite that the bar was moving a long way up and down, I wasn’t going anywhere near parallel. What I ended up doing to correct it was widening my squat stance from the traditional “shoulder width” (say heels 15” apart) to what is now a “power stance” (heels 36” apart). I also started training in combat boots which have a very hard sole and a raised heel. If you squat that way, and take the bar further down your back, you’ll keep a very straight back but there is a lot of strain on the inner thighs and the hip joints. I’ve improved my flexibility a little just by constantly working at it over the years so I can now get the needed squat depth with my heels 24” apart without bending at the waist but it wasn’t easy.

[Jon Miller]

Actually, there is a red line on that shoulder (similar to ones I have gotten while working out in the past). I mostly just have an ache or something there. However, if I move it certain ways or forward or flex that area, then it hurts some.

Both my triceps and chests ache. In the good, after workout way. Just that shoulder hurts.

I don't think there is any inflammation, and I think I can just rest it for a while.

I know that machine squats don't provide accurate numbers. Especially due to the back and support muscles. Still, just comparing the amount of weight you do in a lunge or one legged split squat to what can be done in a squat isn't going to be a very good comparison either.

Maybe you should focus on flexibility Al? Take a yoga class or something?

JM

[Al B. Sure!]

I don't know, Spencer. When I would experience shoulder pain right at the Acromion where the rotator cuff is, not doing movements which caused pain (bench, pushups, and dips) did not lead to any improvement after even 6 months. At that point, I said f- it and did pushups through the pain and sure enough, I stopped experiencing pain there on pushups and bench, although I still experience it mildly on dips. It went against all physical therapist/medical advice I was given but it sort of worked out. I was able to do pushups 'comfortably' at OCS. Dips still are a problem. There must be some mechanical difference in the way I do dips relative to pushups that is inflamming the rotator cuff.

Spencer, also I might have discovered a reason for my difficulties. I always figured I had some rounding of my back when I would squat but I felt it wasn't that significant. Well, I videotaped myself air squatting (no weight) and with a broom and wow, I really round my back and my upper body shoots forward. This may be due to a muscular imbalance somewhere such as shortened hamstrings.

I know I have hip flexor weakness diagnosed by a physical therapist but between my inability to squat below parallel while maintaining a lumbar curve and things such as I can not touch my toes or do a lying hamstring stretch properly (ie- with my knee not bent), these issues seem to be limiting me and may have contributed to my running injury woes.

Any thoughts on overcoming these weaknesses? I'm stretching now but any thoughts? Any good stretching routine you know from your lifting days?

[SpencerH]

Attempts at least

warpup - pullups
8/5/6 overhead pullovers dumbbell (27/32/32)
4/1/2/2/4 machine bench press isolateral reverses (85/90/85/80/70) (1.4x/1.4x/1.4x/1.4x/1.4x) - means the reverse was 1.4x as heavy
spine rotations
8/3/3/4 - cable fly seated (35/55/50/45)
8/8/7 - incline press dumbbell (22/22/22)

I felt my right arm, shoulder start to do something, tear? Anyways, I stopped there. Probably won't be able to do shoulders this week. It still feels a bit... I hope it is OK.

It doesn't really hurt, I don't have restricted motion but I can feel it when I move.

JM

The sure sign of a tear is blood (bruising). OTOH you can probably have a small tear without seeing a bruise. Without knowing where the pain is and how you did it, I'd guess that you've hurt your rotator cuff. Welcome to the club. I've been a member since my days in the army (some 30 odd years now).

Treat the inflammation with ice and NSAIDS (aspirin is still best IMO). Rest the injury and when you restart training, stop what you're doing if there is any pain ("Doctor, Doctor, it hurts when I do this. Well don't do that!"). Remember, depending how you hold the bar and how much weight you use (proportionally), squatting can stress a rotator "big time".

[SpencerH]

Press: Untrained
Bench: Intermediate
Squat: Intermediate (note machine squat gives Elite, this is definitely incorrect, lunges gives Untrained so I don't really know what to put, Intermediate?)
Deadlift: Untrained
Clean: No idea, Untrained probably

I have been training regularly for 4 years.

JM

IMO, machine squats dont count. I'm not denigrating their value as a part of some peoples training routine (I never liked em) but there's a big difference between a machine squat and a real squat.

[Al B. Sure!]

It didn't tear. You would definitely know if you had a muscle tear and your ROM would be shot. I think I had a muscle tear once as a kid playing tackle football on concrete. My arm had zero mobility for weeks and it was a month before I regained full ROM. And I'm not even sure that was even a tear instead of a really bad strain. It is the scariest thing as a 7th grader to not be able to move your arm.

My shoulder problem which I mentioned before which becomes an issue on dips comes with a clicking sound in my shoulder as I rotate my arms (like if I were to do arm circles). Is that what you mean by you can feel it?

[Jon Miller]

Attempts at least

warpup - pullups
8/5/6 overhead pullovers dumbbell (27/32/32)
4/1/2/2/4 machine bench press isolateral reverses (85/90/85/80/70) (1.4x/1.4x/1.4x/1.4x/1.4x) - means the reverse was 1.4x as heavy
spine rotations
8/3/3/4 - cable fly seated (35/55/50/45)
8/8/7 - incline press dumbbell (22/22/22)

I felt my right arm, shoulder start to do something, tear? Anyways, I stopped there. Probably won't be able to do shoulders this week. It still feels a bit... I hope it is OK.

It doesn't really hurt, I don't have restricted motion but I can feel it when I move.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Attempts at least:

4/4/4 dumbbell lunges (29/29/29)
8/8/8 machine calf raise (98/98/98)
6/6/6/5 machine deadlift (30/40/50/60)
stomach
3 sets abductors (Setting 8)
3 sets adductors (Setting 8)
5/4/5 machine leg press (139/139/139)
back extension

Let's feel pretty worked out, as does glutes and lower back. I could still climb stairs though so I use to do harder.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Press: Untrained
Bench: Intermediate
Squat: Intermediate (note machine squat gives Elite, this is definitely incorrect, lunges gives Untrained so I don't really know what to put, Intermediate?)
Deadlift: Untrained
Clean: No idea, Untrained probably

I have been training regularly for 4 years.

JM

[Al B. Sure!]

I haven't been updating but I think this is where I left off...

Squats 3x5x260; Press 3x5x120; Clean 3x3x145 (cut on hand re-opened)
Squats 5x245 5x255 2x265 (decided to try it like this but couldn't get 5 reps at 265)
today: Squats 5x235 5x245 5x255 5x265; Clean 5x3x150; Press 3x5x120

My squats seemed to be plateauing again but I'll see if doing it with progressive loads allows me to handle it better. Looks promising so far. I'm hoping to reach 5 reps at 300lbs by the end of the month.

Here's a cool resource that tells you where you should be on the major lifts for your weight (these are 1RM's though)

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html

For an ESTIMATE on your 1RM based on other numbers, check http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html

[Jon Miller]

Attempts at least:

5 pullups to warm up
8/8/5 upright row 24/24/29
8/8/5 seated vertical dumbbell press 16/16/16
12/8/8 incline dumbbell bench press 22/22/22
spine rotations
8/8/8 lateral dumbbell raises 7/7/7
6/8/6 cable tricep pulldown 25/25/25
8/8/8 shoulder shrugs dumbbells 29/32/35

JM