Hi J Maier 
nice log. Been reading thru some of it. I too strained my calf. Started running some kind of distance up to about 5 km. Then I did some sprints 200 - 400 m which was ok. Then I did it 2 times a week Boom. Strained my calf and my knee was hurting too. Took me months to get over. So maybe sprinting 3 times a week is too much.
Regarding the change in motivation you are experiencing. I’ve been there a few times before.
Wish I could say what worked for me to reverse course, but every time I hit that point, I just went with it. Golfed a ton, biked, whatever. I don’t think those stretches would have set my physique back as much if I would have kept my diet in-check throughout. Problem for me is that I’d usually do the opposite and end up eating like shit while doing those random activities.
You will eventually get a lifting groove back. The strength and mass will come back fast and it’s always enjoyable. But for me, I always hated clawing my way back to a level of acceptable leanness after going through those stretches. Good luck.
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Thanks for dropping by my log. I think the reality is that my body is going to take a long time to get back into sprinting shape. It makes sense. It’s been years since I’ve run all out. Basketball and recreational league softball don’t really get me moving at the same intensity.
Thanks for the support. I think I’m just going to go with the flow. Considering I’m not training for anything in particular it’s probably good to actually have a phase of less structured training. I’ve seen some coaches/people throw in a short phase where nothing is planned. You just go to the gym and do whatever you feel like for the day. It’s not a good approach if your goal is to hit a certain number on a lift but it’ll work for a GPP approach.
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##7.19.17
Woke at 218.0!!!
Yesterday’s Nutrition
2710 calories, 269g carbs, 60g fat, 224g protein.
As you can see from the past two days. If I come in way short on my daily calories I tend to drop weight pretty easily. I looked pretty lean this morning. I wish I could look like The Rock but years in the gym have taught me that my body prefers the lean and athletic look. I have muscle, but I’ve never really been huge. Perhaps if I was 6’ then I’d look bigger, but the reality is that my muscle mass is quite spread out. On the plus side I think it’ll be more feasible to maintain my physique as I age.
I’m planning to go to the Y and do some random lifting and cardio today.
##For those of you that consider yourself a runner, here’s what my wife did this morning:
3 mile warm-up
10 x 800 meter runs at 7:10 mile pace (so 3:35 each) with 45 seconds rest between
I don’t even want to do her warm-up.
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##My Training
I made it to the Y and the only part of my workout that I knew I would do before getting there was the bike workout at the end.
Hang Clean & Push Press
135 x 3
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 1
185 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1----Missed this last week so it was nice to get it (PR is 245)
Hang Clean & Push Jerk
215 x 1
215 x 1
215 x 1
215 x 1
215 x 1
Push jerks were awkward. I had two good reps and three that I either didn’t explode on the push or didn’t drop enough on the catch so they ended up being weird half jerk, half press to lockout. I intended to keep increasing the weight because I’m pretty sure I split jerked 265 last year but these were so awkward that I decided to stay at 215.
DB Bench
75 x 5
80 x 5
85 x 3
90 x 3
100 x 2
110 x 1
superset with:
DB Row
75 x 10
80 x 10
85 x 6
90 x 6
100 x 4
110 x 2
I went straight from DB Bench to DB Rows and then rested a minute. The idea was to double up on pulling so whatever the reps on bench were meant that I did double that on rows. I actually really liked this superset.
Conditioning
Exercise Bike:
2 minutes figuring out the machine and different levels of resistance
Then Fartleks: 20 seconds hard/20 seconds cruising lightly at level 5
5 x 20 sec pushes at L15
3 minutes at L5
5 x 20 sec pushes at L12–this allowed me to move my legs faster
3 minutes at L5
5 x 20 sec pushes at L12
3 minutes at L5
20 total minutes, 5.06 miles covered
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Note to self: hang cleans aggravated my QL. The pain and tightness set in slowly but it won’t let up. It’s probably a 1 out of 10 but it’s quite annoying. And I thought hang cleans would be the safest pulling option due to the lighter weights and less hip hinging.
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Dude you gotta rest this body of yours, all these niggling injuries are going to keep adding up if you keep pushing.
Maybe start swimming instead of sprinting?
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I’d sink like a rock. I was hoping the lack of squats and deads were letting my QL heal/relax but apparently it’s made no progress.
I’m actually quite confused because it’s not a strain or other acute injury. The muscle is knotted up and I’m pretty sure it’s what causes my hip pain.
I’m planning to jog Friday and I’m not sure what I’ll do next Monday and Wednesday for running. I’ll definitely be backing off. I might just jog every day…even though i hate it.
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BAM! right there! Learn to swim. Learning new shit is not only good for your mind, the outcome is a better (debatable) alternative to jogging. If getting lessons from a pro is off the cards than get your missus or someone to help you through it.
I love swimming and if it was more accessible to me (only one, very busy heated pool in town) than I would be so into it!
If you really don’t want to swim ( kind of a cop out 
) than how about swapping some running days for bike riding outside?
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I know how to swim just fine, but extended workouts in the pool such as lap swimming damn near kill me. I have no natural buoyancy to help keep me afloat. It’s all on me so when I tire I start to sink lower into the water. It would definitely burn some calories though.
There are lots of ways to train my cardiovascular system for overall health. My HR was in the 150’s during my bike workout yesterday and other than some quad fatigue I felt fine throughout the whole workout.
I like to be able to sprint and move fast. I don’t need to do it often but I like knowing that I have the ability. I’ve learned that if I’m “in shape” but not running hard then when I actually run I still feel out of shape. It’s just such a specific movement. I haven’t found a way to task the legs in a manner that’s similar to running. The combination of using so many different large muscles AND breathing hard make it unique. I haven’t figured out a way to do that on an exercise bike or elliptical machine. I can make it hard for my legs but it’s always focused on my quads instead of quads/hams/glutes. And to make it hard, I have to increase the resistance and I end up moving slower which goes against my goal of being able to move fast.
EDIT: I know I can hit lots of muscle groups using barbell complexes and doing CrossFit style training but the speed of the movements is slow compared to sprinting.
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##7.20.17
Woke at 220.8 lbs. I was surprised by this because I was under my calories again yesterday. I think my workout caused my muscles to hold on to glycogen and water or other stuff that helps them recover from training, thus increasing my weight from yesterday.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
2797 calories, 271g carbs, 69g fat, 264g protein (thanks to deer burgers).
I won’t be training today. I’ll be working until about 7:30 tonight and really don’t have anything to do since I did full upper body lifting and cardio yesterday. Jogging or yogging tomorrow… I don’t know; the J might be silent.
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Neither does Michael Phelps. When a person is reasonably lean they’re relatively unlikely to float.
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I know. And it sucks when you would like to float. I never said I wouldn’t benefit from swimming. Swimming would be a great alternative if I was looking for something new for cardio, but I still want to be able to run fast. I won’t ever be competitive sprinter fast, but fast for my body. I enjoy playing rec league basketball and softball and I usually join a league randomly so I don’t really have time to prep for it. I enjoy playing in our police softball tournament in the fall. I don’t ever want to be the guy who blows a hammy because it’s the only time of the year that I move fast (or attempt to).
For now I’ll try to heal up (although it’s difficult). My nagging hip pain forced me to drop squats long ago. It didn’t go away so I dropped deadlifts and all other leg training. The track workouts were my replacement. I was hoping to really improve my conditioning since I wasn’t lifting legs and the result has been more nagging minor injuries. I enjoy feeling like I’m in shape (you know, not getting out of breath after a few flights of stairs). It’s hard for me to give up the intense cardio sessions in addition to lifting. It’s actually a depressing thought.
I’ve tried to modify and reduce so many things without success that it seems like the only solution for my hip/QL is to completely shut it down until it’s healed. That means no sprinting and no lifts that tax my low back for support. I feel like that’s a great recipe to be out of shape and weak…
It might be necessary but it’s still a tough pill to swallow. That’s why I’ve been pushing in different ways and continuing to struggle.
Just making sure. I’ve been doing weighted walks, but I’m considering switching to swimming for my LISS work.
Have you looked into sprint technique at all? It does seem a bit unusual that you seem to strain something consistently.
Do some light work with it. I am not sure where this muscle is but it sounds lower? Body Weight Luinges or Squats.
You have kind of inspired me to add some sprints back into my training. I will be going REALLY slow though.
And now to the important stuff:
Gawd Damn now THAT is a party!!!
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Unless I’ve fallen apart during my time off then my form should be good for my purposes. My wife helped me out years ago and I think I’ve maintained the new form.
The QL (quadratus lumborum) is attached to the spine and runs to the top of your pelvis. You have one of each side. I believe the tightness in mine is pulling on my pelvis enough to cause pain in my hip right under the greater trochanter (that notch that sticks out at the top of your femur).
Until yesterday I haven’t felt any pain with the QL but my hip still hurts. I’ve been doing stuff to target the QL like side planks and suitcase holds but I haven’t done much for abs lately so it’s been getting skipped.
Isometric suitcase holds feel good so I’d better get back to them. FYI, if you hold something in your right hand then your left QL kicks in to keep you upright.
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Mr. Maier i really don’t like you
Thought that 5x400 m looked great.
So hey I’ll try that.
1000 m warm up with a couple of 100 m building up speed.
then 5 x 400 in under 1:45 each 2:30 rest. First was waaaayy too fast in about 1:30 difficult to keep pace
My legs are killing me today and yesterday evening too.
Thank you for the inspiration. After the summerholiday I’ll run some sprints every week.
By the way, stop running for a couple of weeks. Do some cycling in stead or just walks.
Torn muscles in the hip area/deep Abb muscles like the Psoas or QL (neighbor muscles) is not something that just go away.
Give them damn muscles some rest
Keep up the good work
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I’m trying to rest–I just suck at it! In the past I continued to train the best I could even after shoulder and knee surgery. I’d just use the three good limbs.
I have a bike and could just start cruising around town.
Glad I could inspire you to punish yourself!
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Have you ever thought about taking like 2-4 week break from all lifting? It’s not like you would all of a sudden lose your muscle. You’ve been at it for quite some time now.
I had a friend back in Seattle with a similar QL issue and he took 4 weeks off from all lifting, running and sports. He did hot yoga 6x a week and 3-4x a week light swimming as in stretching your body and going through the motions. Not going for lap times. More for leisure than anything.
He came back stronger than ever. Went from grinding out reps at 405 on back squats to after 3 weeks from returning back to lifting doing them for clean and explosive reps.
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