Exodus Strength

If you didn't follow my log in Egypt, here's the story. Nah, the story is too damned complicated.

TL:DR - my spinal colum, being fucked by congenital defects and a decade of football with concomitant injuries, causes me chronic pain which impedes my progress both in training and training to become a physician as a 42 year old geezling changing careers as a mid life crisis.

More recently I had a very bad pain spike so I stopped lifting altogether. And two things happened. My back hurt less. Yeah! But my shoulder (old football injury which ties into the thoracic spine) began hurting worse. Boo!

So I need to find some sort of compromise. Kind of like being buzzed. Not sober, but not drunk. The Middle Road.

Sooooo....I will begin experimenting a bit. Focus is NOT on strength, but reducing pain. Period. Whatever means gets me there is The Good Path. So how to do that? Some lifting. But also slowly increasing general fitness, GPP, whatever you want to call it. I want to be less sick, and more healthy. And focusing solely on strength has not gotten me there.

Cycle 1
Wk 1A
243.2 pounds (down from record topping 249), resting HR 73

Sun salutations
Press - 135 x 6,6,6
Hammer curls, lat raises

GPP
- mowed the yard without using self propelled which means it's a heavy assed lawnmower

Glad you’re here.

Pain is a bitch. I had some luck doing yoga stuff for a while. Seems like it’s working for you as well.

Yoga does indeed help. It just doesn't burn off stress quite as well as weights do. So it becomes a chore. Which is kind of weird because about 7-8 years ago, I used to love yoga.

You made it. Didn't want to mention this site by name in your Egyptian log lest I bring down the wrath of the pharaoh.

Yeah, I went through my pain spike right about the time The Pharaoh went bat shit crazy on what PTSD is and isn't. It was pretty pathetic and insulting as one who treats people with PTSD. That was the final straw for me. So it was a good time to move over.

Cycle 1
Wk 1B
242.0#, resting pulse 71

Hector Press - 225 x 10,10,10,10
Step up 12", TRX bw rows, static back extensions for 3 rounds

Conditioning
- biked to and from gym taking more scenic route home for about 6 miles total

Glad to see the Hector press made its way over here with you

Por supuesto!

Cycle 1
Wk 1C
240.2, resting HR 66

Bench - 225 x 6,6,5. A little too ambitious as I forgot to check my log from Egypt.
Lat pulldowns, dips, concentration curls x 3 rounds

Ran out of time for anything else. Lots going on personally and work related. Have next week off. Can't come fast enough.

Paid for bench the next few days. Lesson learned. Electric fences hurt when you piss on them.

So these things happened. More or less.

Cycle 1
Wk 1D
Weight around 240-241, resting pulse around 68

Sun salutations
SGDL - 135 x 6,6,6,6
Hector Press - 225 x 10,10,10,10
Farmer walks - 40s x 4 x 33.63 yards
Static back extension - 25 sec x 4

- why SGDL? Because my posterior shoulder hasn't responded to press solamente for pain so I needed a pulling movement. The knot in my right rhomboid/levator is visibly apparent. Back didn't change for better or worse so there's that.
- why farmer's walks? Because my grip is weak AF.

Cycle 2
Wk 2A

Press 150 x 3,3,3,3
Pulldowns and dips (7,6,6) for three rounds
Hammer curls but can't remember


Conditioning scattered throughout
- yoga hhmmmmmm, once, I think
- some short bike rides
- some short Airdyne

Cycle 1
Wk 2B

Sun salutations
SGDL - 135 x 6,6,6,6
Hector Press - 225 x 10,10,10,10
Farmer walks - 40s x 4 x ~35 yards
Static back extension - 25 sec x 4

Cycle 1
Wk 2C

Press 225 x 3,3,3,3
Wife grip cable rows (100,90,80), dips (8,7,7), Hammer curls (35,30,25) x 3 rounds

What's a hector press?

JC wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 3:04 am What's a hector press?

Leg Press.

The real question is what is a wife grip cable row?
hehehe

augeleven wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:27 pm The real question is what is a wife grip cable row?
hehehe

It's where I get a really wide grip and start screaming, "Siri, you stupid illiterate piece of shit!"

Cycle 1
Wk 2D

Sun salutations
SGDL - 150 x 3,3,3,3
Hector press - 225 x 10,10,10,10
Farmers walks (50 x 4) paired with static back extensions (25 sec x 4)

Cycle 1
Wk 3 conditioning
243.0, resting pulse 67
Airdyne intervals 15:75 x 5 rounds

Wk 3A
234.2, resting pulse 69

Sun salutations
Press - 162.5 x 5 doubles
Dips - +10 x 5,5,5,5 EMOM
Lat pulldowns (100,90,80) and stirring the pot (20 sec) x 4 rounds
EZ curl bar (20,20,15) and Lat raises (15,10,5) x 3 rounds
Treadmill - 7% incline x 2.3 mph x 7 minutes

- weight has been going the wrong way but that's because the main macronutrient has been ethanol this week
- pain has been hit or miss between my back and shoulder. Still haven't hit that sweet spot.

vanslix wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:00 pm Press - 162.5 x 5 doubles

My target weight for press this afternoon, though motivation is pretty low with an exam looming in a few days.

Sun Salutations

- weight has been going the wrong way but that's because the main macronutrient has been ethanol this week

SocHx:
-Diet: \_ _/
-Ex: yoga bunny
-EtOH(+) x drown your sorrows/wk

Chris wrote: ↑Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:08 am SocHx:
-Diet: \_ _/
-Ex: yoga bunny
-EtOH(+) x drown your sorrows/wk

It's actually been a combination of celebrating one's ass off in addition to drumming up new clients for when I finish residency. It's a pain in the ass trying to start your own business while finishing. Regardless, I thinking I'm sweating hops now and my back is not enjoying life as I just finished a 28 hour call after getting about 3-4 hours of sleep all week. Clearly I'm not staying true to my programming but life gets in the way. I'm going to try a new medical approach to improving my back this month. Enter prednisone.

Cycle 2
Wk 3B

SGDL - 165 x five doubles
Hector press - 275 x 8,8,8,8
Farmer walk (60 x 1 lap) and static back extensions (20 seconds) for three rounds

Cycle 3B Conditioning
HIIT airdyne - 15:75 x 6 cycles

Cycle 2 Wk 3C
Bench - 242.5 x five doubles
Push ups, hammer curls, abs x 3 rounds

Conditioning
Treadmill - some hill setting, level 3 x 20 minutes

Conditioning
Treadmill - 5.0% x 2 mph x 20 minutes

Wk 3D
SGDL - 165 x 5 doubles
Hector press - 275 x 10,10,10 paired with wide grip cable rows - 110/100/90 x 10s for three rounds
Farmer walk 60s x 2 laps paired with static back extensions 20s for three rounds

Conditioning
Treadmill - hill L5 x 2.1 mph x 20 minutes. More conditioning for my back than cardiopulmonary.

Cycle 1 Deep Thoughts
- pain is NOT improved but I feel like I’m getting pieces set up for it to improve. At least I hope.
- I’m working nights getting 3-4 hours of sleep and it shows. I can’t even count what cycle this is correctly.
- so given that and the three variables of volume, intensity, and frequency, I think consistency is going to be the most important. Even if it means going easy.
- conditioning is taking a bigger priority. So new goal is at least a 1:1 ratio between lifting and conditioning. I hate conditioning so it’s easier to just lift but I’m starting to hold myself to this. Again, even if it’s easy or short. Something is better than nothing. And going light consistently is better than going hard and then being in too much pain to do anything for 3-4 days.

Here's to continued improvement and lessening of pain for you.