Just. Don't. Suck (Part 1)

You need a good sports PT. Looking up one on clinical athlete, that’s close to you, would be a good idea. Trying to fix these shifts on your own is very difficult.

2 Likes

my left leg is slow and still a bit weaker but slow. It just won’t go as fast as the right. I still can’t jog/run and my ankle ROM is also a bit short.

I just looked back at my videos from June when I finished SGSS and hit my PRs. No shift during squat or Deadlift. If there is any movement then I actually drift a hair to the left. My left leg has always been stronger. I think it’s from jumping in basketball and being my plant leg when I was pitching.

This seems to point to the injury in my hip more than anything. The good news is that there isn’t a new problem and fixing my hip should take care of the imbalance.

From what I can find on the internet it seems that my inability to keep my right scapula depressed during a pull up could be caused by a weak lower trap. I know if a couple exercises that I can do to address that.

1 Like

Could this and your shoulder pain be linked?

1 Like

I was wondering the same thing. I think I’ve always had a bit of a discrepancy but it was bad today. I guess it’s the first time I’ve been in front of a mirror while training in a while. It’s highly possible that it’s part of the cause or a result of my biceps tendon problem.

I’m probably crazy but if I end up heading down the road of hip surgery again then I’ll have shoulder surgery as well. I still need to talk to the doctors and a physical therapist to see if I’ve lost my mind. It seems doable to me though. I’d have the hip surgery first and then have the shoulder done three weeks later when I’m off crutches.

Two surgeries, one recovery. I’ll look pathetic when it’s over but I think it’s better than spreading them out and being on the shelf for eight months. Doing them together would only have me out for four months.

2 Likes

That sounds like a great idea, just get a green light from your doctor/PT.
Regarding looking like shit afterwards; if it helps you you’ll look better than when you go in a year after you do it. You’ll gain the muscle back quickly and with less/no pain you’ll be able to train harder and with less limitations.

Whatever you decide to do I hope it helps with your hip and shoulder/bicep tendon

1 Like

The human body bounces back quickly. Hell, I was released in mid-March last year. My left leg was skinny. Three months later I set PRs on the squat and deadlift in the same day.

I always train what’s healthy when I’m recovering from an injury. If I actually end up needing both surgeries and I follow through with my plan then I might not be able to train anything for awhile. That’ll be weird.

3 Likes

Exactly, it’s amazing

Well, calves and neck can never be thick enough. Also, I’m pretty sure having a bit longer breaks once in a while most likely won’t kill you :wink:

2 Likes

I’m catching up on your log since I’ve been out of the loop for a few months, and I feel for you with the hip and shoulder issues you’re dealing with. You’re handling it better than I did with my knee and shoulder, which was to stop going to the gym completely for 2 and a half months, so you can feel good about that. :slight_smile: I’m bad about going all or nothing, and it looks like you’ve gotten really good about working what you can, when some body part doesn’t want to cooperate, which is definitely a better way to go.

It looks like you might have to bite the bullet and get the surgeries, but you’ll definitely be better off down the road, and you’ve already demonstrated the ability to defer instant gratification for long term goals, and to do what it takes to recover properly.

2 Likes

Welcome back, @OTHSteve! Man, I feel bad for anyone who takes time off from here and tries to catch up on my log :smile:. I use this for mental health as much as anything and there’s been a lot of stress coming out lately.

All good now though!

I appreciate the comments. It’s not easy. I have a lot of days where I think “Screw it. I’m going to do what I want.” Somehow I’m able to hold back. Pain is a good teacher. I know that the body protects pain so if I try to train through it I could create new problems. Yesterday is a good example of that - doing a high pull with 155 lbs and seeing my weight shift to the right was eye opening.

1 Like

Last week I learned that my hip still cannot tolerate sumo deadlifts for any sort of reps. I’ll only be busting that out on the platform from now on. Conventional or squat-stance deadlifts for me from now on.

1 Like

1.14.19

Woke at 235.6 lbs. I was a little disappointed to see a jump but I lost seven pounds in five days. That’s not real weight loss. I think the increase was just filling up my glycogen stores with normal eating for a day.

5/3/1 Bodybuild the Upper/Athlete the Lower Trial Run

Modified for my injuries, of course

2 LAP DYNAMIC WARM UP

AIR RUNNER FARTLEKS (RUN/WALK)
30/30, 20/20, 10, rest 2:10, repeat for 3 rounds
9:50, 100 cals, 0.90 miles (missed my best performance by 2 cals and .02 miles!)

OHP (5’s PRO)
bar x 10
95 x 5
110 x 5
125 x 5

OHP FSL
95 x 10 x 2 sets
switch to
DB OHP FSLish
30’s x 10 x 3 sets
OHP kind of hurts my shoulder. I might switch this to all DB OHP or just do the FSL with DB’s. It’ll take some trial and error to feel out the weights.

ASSISTANCE (3 ROUNDS)
Push, Pull, Single-Leg, and Core for 25-50 reps

NEUTRAL PULL UPS
BW x 6

PUSH UPS
BW x 10

SIDE TO SIDES
10 ea side

WALKING LUNGES
BW x 10 ea

I ran this as a slow circuit. I wasn’t pushing for time but it definitely kept my heart rate up and the breathing rapid. I started out with the plan to do five rounds but then I realized the program calls for 25-50 reps today so I called it early. It’s the first day/week and there’s no need to max everything out. This template will have me doing push, pull, single leg, and core on every training day so we’ll see how that plays out.

I can’t follow the program to a T because I don’t have a prowler or sled. Monday and Thursday calls for running a total of 1600m. I’m going to continue to do my 30/20/10 Fartlek intervals. Tuesday has prowler conditioning and Friday is sled conditioning. It’s too bad I have no way to mimic those. I thought about loaded carries but it’s not the same for really any part of the body.

Anyone have any ideas?


Well, @littlesleeper, I couldn’t resist. I’ll be doing reverse lunges instead of squats and leg press instead of single leg work on the lower body days. I might try rack pulls in lieu of deadlifts but I’m not sure if that will work out. I don’t want to do them if I’m going to be leaning hard to the right. My other choice would just be barbell rows to force some low back work. I’ve also thought about a 45* back extension with barbell row at the top.

I’ve seen a movement where it’s basically a deadlift with a row but I can’t think of the name right now. I’m sure someone around here can help me out. That could be an option since my rowing strength would limit the weight.

And another option could be my high pulls. I’m about to bust out the scratch paper and put together the rest of the week and I really don’t want to forget about those. They’ll either find their way in as pulling assistance or they’ll be the main lift.

3 Likes

I think it’s called deadlift row, Brian Alsruhe has a video of all kinds of row and I think he has it in there.
Looks like a good program you’re trying to put together.
I think BB rows could be a good thing.
DB press after the BB OHP would be good too.

For Prowler… just push the patrol car around :slight_smile:
doesn’t Jim have any suggestions if you don’t have a prowler?

2 Likes

I’m taking Wendler’s assistance format from 5/3/1 Forever and running it circuit style too. I both love and hate it.

1 Like

I searched the forum for people who have asked for ideas when no prowler or sled is available. It seems the most common answer is to build your own rig for a sled. Well, I work out at a commercial gym so that won’t be happening. Running stairs is the only alternative that I found that I’m willing to do so I guess that’s what I’ll be doing two days a week. I’d rather push around the prowler.

Running hills is another good option but if I have access to a hill then that means I’m outside. If I’m going to take the time to do that then I could probably buy/build a prowler or sled and push it around at the house. I don’t want to do that though.

I have a new co-worker (rookie) who owns a gym. I think he has some strongman toys. I’m not sure if he has a prowler or sled but it’s quite possible. I’ll be doing workouts on Thursday and Friday before or after work which means I won’t have either of the kids and I could go to his place if I sign up.

The down side to these types of workouts is that I can’t do them during my lunch break. They’re too intense and I don’t really want to sweat that much and then have to go back to work. 30 minutes isn’t exactly enough time to warm up, crush a session, and shower.

1 Like

Looks good man.

I can honestly say that I’ve never pushed a prowler in my entire life, so I’m kind of useless for what would be a good substitute for it. But, if I were doing it at home, I might do some lighter/higher rep tire flips instead to get a good cardio session in that still taxes my entire body.

2 Likes

You could roll your stones around the yard!

I think the reason Jim likes it so much is that it’s concentric movements only for the legs. There is a low risk of injury but it still wears you out.

If it’s only in the program for conditioning then I can easily find something else to get me out of breath. I suspect it’s there for conditioning and leg training. But I’m not really worried about my legs right now so I guess I could miss it and be fine.

Haha there is a sight.

Yeah, you’re likely correct here.

1 Like

Turn off treadmill power, run on treadmill (if your gym allows it)

1 Like

That sounds like the new treadmill I’ve been using!

We have a loaded carry machine that has a belt on it. You can even adjust the resistance which is basically a brake. I think it’s designed to grab the handles and just run. That might be better than stairs. There aren’t any controls so distance is impossible to measure - guess I’ll have to do it for time.

1 Like