Friday Dec.5 2008

WOD (workout of the day) One (1)minute of deadlifts @ 225lbs (NOT fast) 1 minute squated overhead press @20lbs (because of flexibility had to go this lite) 1 minute row for calories on rowing ergometer, 2 minutes rest repeat 5 times. My numbers were 8/17/11, 10/16/10, 9/15/11, 8/16/12, 9/13/15. The deadlift numbers I'm proud of because, one they show my strength and stamina is improving and two, they show that for now if I continue to take my time I will improve steadily towards my goals.

Lately

12-1 57.5Kg push press (I hate patience) 12-3 The worlds slowest "Fran". Fran is a crossfit workout; 21-15-9 reps of 42.5kg thrusters (full front squat with a push press) and pullups for time. I used a sundial LOL.

What's Happening

Been Crossfitting for about 5 or 6 weeks (still the slowest in all of the classes) but I like the classes because I don't have to worry about program design and my cardio is improving I'm getting leaner and I'm jumping higher. Last week I did 3x3 of 230lb deadlifts and the week or two before I managed a couple sets of 60 kilo clean & jerks. Also some 24" box jumps. Overall I'm stoked!

Disclaimer

There are those who say I need a disclaimer. Well..... don't do anything until someone who should know better says you can do this or don't do that! I'm sorry, I just think people can and should think for themselves. There, that is my Disclaimer.

Hope my girlfriend or Chiropractor doesn't read this!

Some numbers from today 1rm test Back squat- 247lbs, deadlift-252. I could have done more weight but I was doing this in a crossfit class and I didn't want to hold the class up plus I was just being cautious.

My new goals

It is now 16 months since my back surgery. In the coming months I will be Crossfitting for awhile to try something new. But I have some very real goals. A 315lb Back squat, a 90kilo squat clean, 60kilo snatch or power snatch and a 100kilo front squat. I might think about improving my pressing power with a 80 or 90kilo jerk. This will take some time. I imagine about 24 months barring any setbacks(injuries). Wish me luck (or God bless) your choice.

What to do now

If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being in bad back pain or knowing you need surgery the first thing you need to do is get answers. What I mean by this is get answers that satisfy you 100% with NO DOUBTS ! There are health care professionals out there that can answer all of your questions, you just have to do some digging around but you will find your answers. Or contact me and I will help you get the advice you need.

A little more about myself

I'm only including this stuff so you will get an idea as to why some of this matters. I'm 47 years old. I love volleyball but was never as good as my friends. I achieved an "A" outdoor rating, all my friends were AAA or pro. I love weight training but being 6'3" it's hard to get very strong. I love the Olympic lifts but I was never very fast. Just a little about me.

What I'm doing now

My injury did illuminate an issue that I might have swept under the rug. Although Dr Chris Barney had told me repeatedly that my two ankle dislocations (one at 18 years old #2 at 33) are what probably lead to my many minor low back problems. The lack of a decent range of motion in my left ankle caused my left to act "long". What this means is that instead of my left hip acting like a rotating joint it acted like a "hinge" joint. I had poor adduction and internal rotation at my left hip. When I would squat or pull something heavy off of the floor (deadlift, cleanpull, snatch) my left hip would ride higher then my right. The cure for this in the past was a wedge in my right shoe. However since my surgery and subsequent physical therapy and anatomical therapy, I'm back to doing what I love to do and doing it pain free.

How did it happen

As you will discover, most injuries that do not involve someone or something else are usually because the victim is poorly trained or in my case overtrained. The term "overtrained" refers to someone who has worked out too long, too frequently or both. In my case I had been training the Olympic lifts and squating three days a week nonstop for about eight months before I noticed anything other then fatigue. Well that anything other was what should have told me I needed some time off. There is a term in training called "periodization". It means to vary training volume, intensity and frequency. It also means taking a week off in my case every ten to twelve weeks. Dr Stuart McGill has a great illustration of this phenomenon in his book "Low Back Disorders" on page 13 figure 1.2. This illustrates the "overtrained" injury sequence perfectly. Thats how mine happened.

Why I'm Blogging

I've been a personal trainer for 25 years in Orange County CA, and I have seen soooo many people give up after an injury. So I thought why not keep a blog to show people how far someone can return from a devastating injury. At one time I could Back Squat 405lbs and deadlift 365lbs. I could also Clean 90 kilos and Power Snatch 60k. The Olympic lifts came when I was in my early 40's so although there not that heavy, they show what my goals will be in terms of what I want to be able to do again.

Personal Trainer gets spinal surgery

Say it ain't so. After 30 years of trying to turn my marathoner body into an anaerobic stud, I herniated l5s1 and almost lost use of my left leg. A MRI showed a 11-12mm rupture at l5s1. Dr Robert Jackson performed a mircodiscetomy on June 14th 2007, after 6 weeks of no BLT (bending, lifting or twisting) I started rehab and started playing volleyball again. More to come later