Dude, Where's My Bar?

The babies

Bigger kids

My current favorites, thanks to my ever supportive hubby.

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
Honestly, I want to totally rock Chris Colucci’s next check-in thread.[/quote]

… Or you’re just in time. Either way. :slight_smile:

Really very sorry to hear about your issues. It’s been 3 months already though? Geez, time flies when you hear about people having babies on the Internet.

All the best.

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
osteoarthritis in hips and knees
hypoglycemia (which is getting better with diet changes)
hormone issues - low everything right now
[/quote]

:frowning:

squats and milk?

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
Honestly, I want to totally rock Chris Colucci’s next check-in thread.[/quote]

… Or you’re just in time. Either way. :slight_smile:

Really very sorry to hear about your issues. It’s been 3 months already though? Geez, time flies when you hear about people having babies on the Internet.

All the best.[/quote]

You must have bionic hearing or something. lol The next thread. You can even call me out if I chicken out, promise. :slight_smile:

Oh, it’s alright. Most of it was self-inflicted anyhow. I’m not out of commission yet.

Thank you and time does indeed fly!

May I ask you two questions since they’re up your alley? Taking into consideration about the arthritis in my knee, if I were doing a turkish getup and afterwards had pain in my left knee (meniscus area), is that a common area to hurt if your form is bad? I’m trying to determine if my form is indeed terrible or if I should axe that movement. Also, when doing snatches, is it uncommon to pull an erector? It’s only on the right side and I’m pretty sure that’s what is causing it.

You really deserve have your own spill and thanks for readily answering questions, with a sense of humor to boot.

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
osteoarthritis in hips and knees
hypoglycemia (which is getting better with diet changes)
hormone issues - low everything right now
[/quote]

:frowning:

squats and milk?[/quote]

I wish. Now I am the queen of front squats and quarter squats…but I like them. Don’t be sad for me though. I will get there again. Just no maxing out every session anymore. lol

Oh, I guess I should have posted those before.

BP 135
SQUAT 200-something? It’s been a while.
DL 225x2
OHP 90
FRONT SQUAT 175x5
PIN PRESS 185
PULLS FROM BELOW KNEE 285

That’s not really my goal anymore though. Not if I don’t want to end up in a body cast anyhow. lol

Welcome to old folks home.

Always listen to bulldog and PeteS never Edgy

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
You must have bionic hearing or something. lol The next thread. You can even call me out if I chicken out, promise. :)[/quote]
My slightly oversized ears were burning. No problem. And okay, fair enough. Quoted and noted.

I don’t usually like to do injury (or technique reviews) online. They’re too tough to do in words only or in limited pics/video. But I’ll give it a go.

With the get-up, certainly if you have current knee issues, they can flare up on an exercise that has you doing a full lunge (or squat, depending on technique) from the bottom up. Even if your technique is spot-on, with limited weight and controlled movements, it’s such a big movement that it works all joints through their full ROM.

If you want to include it, I’d thoroughly warm-up beforehand, including some lower body mobility drills. For example:

With the snatch, again, you probably know the answer. To way, way, way-oversimplify the movement, it’s a deadlift-to-extreme upright row. If you can strain an erector during a DL, you can strain it on a snatch. I wouldn’t say it’s “common” but it’s not unimaginable. If your technique is off (starting with too much back, uneven grip, overextend on the drop/catch, etc.), then for sure it could be a problem.

It could also be as simple as driving too much through one leg which throws the whole chain out of whack. Kind of a newbie issue, but if you’re a newbie to an exercise, it’s worth paying attention to. The other “easy” answer could be your posterior chain not being used to an explosive stimulus, and your right erector being the specific weak link. Even if you did speed deads in previous training, snatches are another animal and need to be worked up to, volume and intensity-wise.

Yeah so, hope that helped a bit. Basically, yes, sorry, but you can still keep hurting things. Follow the Wendler Maxim: Start low, progress slow. There’s no rush. Seriously.

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
having babies at 38…my body is slowly wanting to get back to its previous weight but it’s much slower than I ever could have anticipated. It’s been very discouraging, actually. [/quote]

This is probably your biggest challenge. When your hormones are in charge, that means you are not and progress will be as the hormonal state allows you to progress but you can stay active to prevent a very painful return.
Even in the absence of progress DO stay active. The progress in this instance is not allowing regress.
Building up from 0 is better than coming back from -1. [quote]

At 3 weeks post-partum, I had a gigantic setback when I began to hemorrhage and the treatment was rather unpleasant [/quote]

So sorry to hear.
I am glad it is over and you are out of it.
Did the treatment involve shutting down pituitary or any other hormonal interference? [quote]

A few things that I must work around:

osteoarthritis in hips and knees
hypoglycemia (which is getting better with diet changes)
hormone issues - low everything right now

[/quote]

I have no experience with hypoglycemia or osteoarthritis ( except for some joint pain on my right hand after some drastic hormonal treatment which shut down my pituitary and I suspect is related to that ) but if you want we can look a little closer at your hormonal history:

Were you on bc before? if yes, how long and are you back on it or planing to return to it?
Are you currently breast feeding, if not, why not?

What was your blood work like before the pregnancy and during? Any complications?

Do you have recent blood work numbers including LH and FSH and DHEA-S? And how is T3 and T4 free and total?

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:

Taking into consideration about the arthritis in my knee, if I were doing a turkish getup and afterwards had pain in my left knee (meniscus area), is that a common area to hurt if your form is bad? I’m trying to determine if my form is indeed terrible or if I should axe that movement. [/quote]

I would avoid any twisting and complex movements due to the excess weight and the blood loss and the stress and the changes from the pregnancy.

And specially if your hormones are low: your body could be in a fragile state just from that.

I would keep it simple, steady and purposeful.

You can add power and complexity after your hormones are at least in the normal range.

That’s a very interesting thread. I’ll be watching. Entering my experimental KB week today, 2 hands anyhow on the program, maybe sth. For you as well?

However I would consider building up core, abs strength, or however you like to call it. We’re 3 month ahead with the child, so I’m a bit familiar with this topic, secondhand. No need to hurry. 3 month in is still a wink.

[quote]Derek542 wrote:
Welcome to old folks home.

Always listen to bulldog and PeteS never Edgy [/quote]

haha Will do and thanks. No worries about Edgy, he asked me to post a picture once and now he doesn’t talk to me. I had no idea he was so anti-gun.

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
You must have bionic hearing or something. lol The next thread. You can even call me out if I chicken out, promise. :)[/quote]
My slightly oversized ears were burning. No problem. And okay, fair enough. Quoted and noted.

I don’t usually like to do injury (or technique reviews) online. They’re too tough to do in words only or in limited pics/video. But I’ll give it a go.

With the get-up, certainly if you have current knee issues, they can flare up on an exercise that has you doing a full lunge (or squat, depending on technique) from the bottom up. Even if your technique is spot-on, with limited weight and controlled movements, it’s such a big movement that it works all joints through their full ROM.

If you want to include it, I’d thoroughly warm-up beforehand, including some lower body mobility drills. For example:

With the snatch, again, you probably know the answer. To way, way, way-oversimplify the movement, it’s a deadlift-to-extreme upright row. If you can strain an erector during a DL, you can strain it on a snatch. I wouldn’t say it’s “common” but it’s not unimaginable. If your technique is off (starting with too much back, uneven grip, overextend on the drop/catch, etc.), then for sure it could be a problem.

It could also be as simple as driving too much through one leg which throws the whole chain out of whack. Kind of a newbie issue, but if you’re a newbie to an exercise, it’s worth paying attention to. The other “easy” answer could be your posterior chain not being used to an explosive stimulus, and your right erector being the specific weak link. Even if you did speed deads in previous training, snatches are another animal and need to be worked up to, volume and intensity-wise.

Yeah so, hope that helped a bit. Basically, yes, sorry, but you can still keep hurting things. Follow the Wendler Maxim: Start low, progress slow. There’s no rush. Seriously.[/quote]

Thanks for understanding. Body image has long been an issue for me and now that has just been compounded. However, I’ve committed myself to the next check in thread so I guess I had better deal with it in a hurry.

Thanks so much for the links (you always go so over-and-above what I would ever expect, advice-wise) and, the good news is, everything in the first link you posted, I’m already doing with the exception of the x-band walks which I used to do and will incorporate again. The assessments in the second link, I’m going to try those when my husband gets home tonight so he can watch the little one. Curiosity is overwhelming me to see how well I will fair with those.

Point taken about the get-ups. Perhaps it’s best if I put those on the back burner for a while until I can rebuild my foundation a little bit first. I’m not entirely sure if it’s a movement I will be able to add in down the road or not but at this point, the pain is kind of counter-productive since it’s preventing me from not only doing other lifts and movements but just general things you’d do throughout the day. Time will tell for this one.

The snatches though, I REALLY like those and am going to figure out what the issue is there. They are a lot of fun and I’d have done them years ago had I know how much so. I think you’re probably right on with the weak posterior chain and starting with too much back - that is something I want to do naturally with my deadlifts too.

Slow and steady, you’re right, as usual. Thanks for the suggestions and articles and everything else. I’m excited to try those assessments later on today.

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:
Welcome to old folks home.

Always listen to bulldog and PeteS never Edgy [/quote]

haha Will do and thanks. No worries about Edgy, he asked me to post a picture once and now he doesn’t talk to me. I had no idea he was so anti-gun.[/quote]
He is from Cali, you know they are all tree hugging hippies out there.

[quote]Alpha F wrote:

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
having babies at 38…my body is slowly wanting to get back to its previous weight but it’s much slower than I ever could have anticipated. It’s been very discouraging, actually. [/quote]

This is probably your biggest challenge. When your hormones are in charge, that means you are not and progress will be as the hormonal state allows you to progress but you can stay active to prevent a very painful return.
Even in the absence of progress DO stay active. The progress in this instance is not allowing regress.
Building up from 0 is better than coming back from -1. [quote]

At 3 weeks post-partum, I had a gigantic setback when I began to hemorrhage and the treatment was rather unpleasant [/quote]

So sorry to hear.
I am glad it is over and you are out of it.
Did the treatment involve shutting down pituitary or any other hormonal interference? [quote]

A few things that I must work around:

osteoarthritis in hips and knees
hypoglycemia (which is getting better with diet changes)
hormone issues - low everything right now

[/quote]

I have no experience with hypoglycemia or osteoarthritis ( except for some joint pain on my right hand after some drastic hormonal treatment which shut down my pituitary and I suspect is related to that ) but if you want we can look a little closer at your hormonal history:

Were you on bc before? if yes, how long and are you back on it or planing to return to it?
Are you currently breast feeding, if not, why not?

What was your blood work like before the pregnancy and during? Any complications?

Do you have recent blood work numbers including LH and FSH and DHEA-S? And how is T3 and T4 free and total?

[/quote]

Hi Alpha. :slight_smile:

That’s just it. I don’t feel in charge at all. My body is not doing what my will wants it to. Staying active is the name of the game now.

note that guys or anyone with a weak stomach may not want to read this

Thank you for that. The treatment was me taking a drug called methylergonovine for three days. It gives you contractions again and by the third day, you feel like you’re in full-blown labor again. All the while, you’re hemorrhaging. The midwife missed part of the placenta and your body tries to purge it. It was easily the most awful thing I have experienced. Other than that, I have no idea how it affected me, hormonally or otherwise.

okay, finished gross part

Sorry about your hand; I’ve never heard of that happening before. How odd. Do you think that it’s permanent?

BC, yes, almost 10 years and I will never touch the stuff again. Yes, I am nursing and will continue that. That is why I can’t use progesterone now. Blood work was just the routine stuff they run for pregnancy but no trouble. How I know that mt hormones are screwed up is because of a biopsy I had a couple of years ago. While in Canada, I had pushed doctors to test me and they refused.

The biopsy showed my progesterone and estrogen “were so low they could almost give it no measure”. That is what the doctor told me. I asked him for the values and he would not give them to me. He only offered me a prescription or surgery and I told him what he could do with both. I would like to have tests done here though and will hopefully soon. Any ideas? I know you aren’t a stranger to all of this.

Thank you for your advice about lifting also. You are correct that I need to be careful and take it slow. Especially with twisting.

[quote]Avocadoshake wrote:
That’s a very interesting thread. I’ll be watching. Entering my experimental KB week today, 2 hands anyhow on the program, maybe sth. For you as well?

However I would consider building up core, abs strength, or however you like to call it. We’re 3 month ahead with the child, so I’m a bit familiar with this topic, secondhand. No need to hurry. 3 month in is still a wink.[/quote]

Hi Avocadoshake. :slight_smile: This is probably painfully obvious but what is sth? :s I will probably feel stupid when I find out.

I saw your log and you seem to be doing well with your kettlebells. You’re ready for bigger ones this month!

Oh boy, ab and core strength are a must - It feels like I don’t have any anymore. Getting there…the back is the weak link here.

Congratulations on your new addition. :slight_smile: It’s nice to have someone to compare notes with.


Okay, I will be quiet now and post workout later this afternoon, in full. My apologies, people. At times I can be long-winded and end up with more of a blog than a log.

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
This is probably painfully obvious but what is sth? :s I will probably feel stupid when I find out.

I saw your log and you seem to be doing well with your kettlebells. You’re ready for bigger ones this month!

Oh boy, ab and core strength are a must - It feels like I don’t have any anymore. Getting there…the back is the weak link here.

Congratulations on your new addition. :slight_smile: It’s nice to have someone to compare notes with.
[/quote]

Thanks and be prepared to feel stupid. Sth. is an abbreviation for something. BUT I have already been asked about it before.

I cannot quite compare notes with you, since I didn’t give birth and my wife doesn’t really lift. But what I took from it, is that the abdominal muscles and the back take time to re arrange. Not to mention the glutes.

The little one (almost 6 month) creeps now over the floor and MY lifts became quite challenging today, because I had to move from one side of the room to the other. Always followed by that creepy little fellow, lol.
So to compare that, she’s pretty fast with that. Enjoy the time when they’re still quite immobile, lol!

The two hands anyhow, however were quite enjoyable.

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:

Hi Alpha. :slight_smile:

That’s just it. I don’t feel in charge at all. My body is not doing what my will wants it to. Staying active is the name of the game now.

note that guys or anyone with a weak stomach may not want to read this

Thank you for that. The treatment was me taking a drug called methylergonovine for three days. It gives you contractions again and by the third day, you feel like you’re in full-blown labor again. All the while, you’re hemorrhaging. The midwife missed part of the placenta and your body tries to purge it. It was easily the most awful thing I have experienced. Other than that, I have no idea how it affected me, hormonally or otherwise. [/quote]

You are kidding me! I would have slashed her throat…this all seems like you experienced a lot of violence to that area. It’s double trauma ( giving birth would be a trauma though positive because the baby makes it so but the midwife mistake and the subsequent “birthing” again is just brutality ).

Wow. I am glad you survived it! You probably thought you were going to die at some point if not several.
The drug seems very powerful. I did a quick read and the mechanism of action does indicate it interferes with you serotonin and dopamine levels. I personally cannot have anything upset my brain chemistry SPECIALLY dopamine. I am so sorry.
My experience also with such powerful drugs is that once administered and your hormones and/or brain balance is thrown out of balance, it does take a while ( months ) to get back to normal. My experience has been anything between 6 to 9 months - nothing less.
This is not to say you will be better sooner because after all you do have a variable I never had : the little baby and are breast feeding and that adds goodness to your natural sense of balance.

All this to say: your femininity has taken a violent blow. Physically, mentally and emotionally.
Always forgive yourself - every day if necessary - for being weak and feeling vulnerable [ and fat - you know what I mean: the loss of an intimate connection with you inner godess :slight_smile: ]

Remember you are strong and it is just you have left a lot of if not most of your strength on that operating table. You delivered a living baby and beat death yourself.
We tend to take for granted how women risk their life by giving birth and it is an act of nature but it is also an expression of a woman’s courage.

I have to admit I am afraid of it. But I trust that if I were to get pregnant the monstrous amounts of progesterone would compensate for my cowardice.

Look at the little baby and see a 600lb deadlift. If we were to ask the men which would they rather train for: delivering a baby with 24 hr labor plus a missed placenta and 3 days of bleeding and labor again or puking to a deadlift of 600 lbs?
I think we know the answer. [quote]

Sorry about your hand; I’ve never heard of that happening before. How odd. Do you think that it’s permanent? [/quote] Well, it is just a bit stupid that I have all my fingers and yet I can’t really grip the bar ( I am specially depressed about how it affects my favorite lift: deads ). Hormonal imbalances can be debilitating. I mentioned more so you can have awareness of how it can weaken you and your ligaments and joints - be careful. And I just have to be humble and lift light, maybe. :…( [quote]

BC, yes, almost 10 years and I will never touch the stuff again. [/quote] Wise. I have refused also [quote] Yes, I am nursing and will continue that. [/quote] Excellent. Given all you went through I am inclined to think this could be very healing for you. I would really enjoy this phase of your life and focus on nurturing that baby. Manage your weight primarily with diet and cardio like swimming which will be easier on your body that has already taken a lot of punishment. The strength for lifting may not be what you desire for a while so it is good to manage the “horror that you see in the mirror” through other means that do not ask of you what you do not have at the moment.
Remember you left a lot on that operating table. And pregnancy does turn your body into mush. [quote]

That is why I can’t use progesterone now. Blood work was just the routine stuff they run for pregnancy but no trouble. How I know that mt hormones are screwed up is because of a biopsy I had a couple of years ago. While in Canada, I had pushed doctors to test me and they refused.

The biopsy showed my progesterone and estrogen “were so low they could almost give it no measure”. That is what the doctor told me. I asked him for the values and he would not give them to me. He only offered me a prescription or surgery and I told him what he could do with both. I would like to have tests done here though and will hopefully soon. Any ideas? I know you aren’t a stranger to all of this. [/quote]
Been there sister, with the doctors.
Here you can go to LEF.org and order your own blood work. I have been doing this now since my endocrine problems have not gotten better with time.
I wish I had done blood work before so I knew what was my normal throughout all my cycle.

The standard measurements mean squat. Unless you know what is normal to you individually, I find that you can be unbalanced and still fall within the “normal” range from the scientists.

The goal is to do the tests and check the numbers with the current symptoms and get to know your normal from your abnormal.
And to make sure you are not falling outside which would clearly indicate a problem but not necessarily mean that there will be a solution.
Admittedly the female endocrine system is complex: tampering with it is not easy. [quote]

Thank you for your advice about lifting also. You are correct that I need to be careful and take it slow. Especially with twisting.[/quote]

You are very welcome.

Having more insight into what you went through I just have to add that if you can lift and feel good about it great, but if the strength is not there and you find yourself frustrated or defeated, please try not to make lifting the primary way to get your body back.

It takes humility to truly be great and at such times the power is all in bearing the weakness with grace.

Glad to help a bit.

[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
Point taken about the get-ups. Perhaps it’s best if I put those on the back burner for a while until I can rebuild my foundation a little bit first. I’m not entirely sure if it’s a movement I will be able to add in down the road or not but at this point, the pain is kind of counter-productive since it’s preventing me from not only doing other lifts and movements but just general things you’d do throughout the day. Time will tell for this one.[/quote]
Could be that you’re just not physically prepared for the exercise yet, or it could just be totally contraindicated (a no-go) until your knees are healthy enough. Lunges can obviously stress the knees a bunch.

But some technique tips just to keep in the back of your mind:

^ I really like the video in this second article. Note how each section of the movement is deliberate and slow, basically pausing for a quick sec after each transition almost like yoga.

I just realized that I was assuming you meant barbell snatch. (yes, hello, Felix Unger.) Were you talking kettlebells? If so, then definitely a 1-arm KB snatch can bring up some back problems. Especially if, instead of from a deadstop, you start/continue each rep with a “swing” back between the legs. It also calls for much more stability from the glutes straight through the core to the upper back in order to secure a stationary lockout, since there’s a bit of rotational force at the top.