ExRx.net

I'm off to a sports medicine place today - found this place that does free consultations. After that, I'll check out the chiropractor who does ART and sports medicine. No insurance, yet (although I got a job offer coming), so I need to be careful with my treatment costs.

I'm crossing my fingers that it's something easily treatable, and not a cracked bone or burst spinal disk or something awful like that. One really serious back injury could end my competitive career, and I'm not please at that. As they say, wish me luck!

Good Luck!

Also, if you can't find anyone decent, you should ask for someone at Defrancos - i'm sure they would recommend someone very good. Chances are you'll only need one session. For example, people with one sided back pain, allegedly, 'almost always' have a hip ROM discrepancy. A good therapist will spot this on the first session....

KPj

I'll ask them too, but I live 30 minutes (and 25 miles) from the gym, so I'd rather get a place near my house.

I just got back from two chiros. The first one was in a sports med place, and I got a free exam and x-rays. She ran me through motion tests and a physical exam. First thing she noticed - I mean, as soon as I lay down for the exam - was my hip mis-alignment - my right hip is high, my right shoulder is low. "You're left long. Or right short, one of those." And she commented that my spinal errector on my left side is more developed, but my lower trap is bigger on my right side, which is probably a symptom of that mis-alignment.

Preliminary diagnosis is a subluxated SI joint, but I go back tomorrow morning to look at the x-rays and make sure nothing else shows up. If it is, the prognosis is a short course of adjustment plus a to-do list for my strength training. She said it's not a surprise the pain stopped when I started doing reverse hyperextensions and hanging leg raises because they'd take the pressure off even if they didn't line things up properly.

The other guy I stopped at was busy with patients, but his receptionist was out so he came out to talk to me. I've got an appointment to see him Monday, although he gave me his phone number and said to call if it gets worse and he'll come in on the weekend to see me for my free initial consultation. Nice.

So my plan is - go tomorrow and find out what the one place says I need, go Monday and see what the other chiro says. And how much they both charge...since this is all 100% cash for me.

At least the nice thing about lacking insurance is that I don't need to worry about referrals, coverage, what's allowed, who needs what permission, etc. I just go right there and my checkbook makes it happen.

I'm just relieved that it's not a spinal injury! I was reading stuff about herniated discs and worrying a lot...

I got my Eric Cressey newsletter today. He listed 3 reasons why a client had such great results.

I found these very true in my case.



This has helped me with MMA, and with lifting. The environment at DeFranco's has been excellent and made a big difference. The crew at my MMA school are as dedicated to helping me fight better as I am to them. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

He also mentions having a good crew at home. It's true. My friends and family all support my diet, my goals, and while they tempt me with things that won't help (beer, staying up late, starchy carbs, whatever) they're never obnoxious or sabotaging. I do what I do and they won't stand in my way, and they'll help if they can.



Another good one. Physique follows performance. The stronger I get, the better I look. Looks aren't a big goal for me, but it's a hell of a nice bonus. It's like marrying for love and getting money, too. ;)



This one describes me to a T. I'm always hurt. Always, always, always. My back's hurt. My hip is misaligned. My wrist is sprained. My shoulder is battered from MMA. Usually at least one or more of those. Right now I can't jump, squat, press overhead, deadlift, or even do situps. But you look at my training log and you see hanging leg raises, prowler pushes, sled drags, reverse hypers, plate crunches, glute-ham raises, DB bench presses, and rows and pulls galore. I'm setting PRs and moving up in weight, getting stronger and working hard. I'm all messed up, but it's only changing my direction, not stopping my progress.


I just wanted to pass that one on. It's a good reflection on the important of those elements in training results.

Clearly I took more than 30 seconds between my sets:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mzoYuplauc

That's me in the background between flat DB bench press sets, slouching away. You can recognize me by my maroon Shooto t-shirt, with the big white circular logo on the back.

I do pushups between chairs, feet elevated just about every day, 3X15 alternated with bodyrows as a warmup, active rest, and I'd never thought of doing it on something unstable like med balls. Looks pretty interesting, Gonna have to try that. Bet the stabilization makes it much harder.
Tim

Give them a try, Tim. I was able to do barbell pushups for 25 reps, but it took two workouts before I got 16 reps on blast strap pushups. The instability really tests you, because you have to keep your form perfect.

As I understand it, instability work is good if the point of the instability is where you're working - so pushups on med balls are good, pushups with your feet on a swiss ball aren't.

Hey, sorry! That really sucks. That must be pretty frustrating for you. Don't forget ice. And maybe Rippetoe Rehab Sets.

It's fun to see you in DeFranco's video. I trust you'll be back there soon, in one piece.

The Bulgarians with added ROM look brutal. I was going to say something to imply that I thought that was the proper way to do Bulgarians, and that I'd been doing them that way all along with 30s. Then I realized that wasn't believable enough to even be funny, so I gave it up. By the way, I'm staying at 30 until my form cleans up. In fact, if I can't do them today without tottering all over, I'll go down on the weight for a while.

Maybe I'll start tomorrow with back extensions if I feel up to it. :)

I called my chiro today, but he was closed. Left him a message and he called right back - he's his own answering service. Had me come in and gave me a working over. It's not as painful as it was earlier - I couldn't stand up without excruciating pain. Now at least I can get around...and he said it's a spasm and pull, not a sprain or a tear. Woof. Anyway, he's got me using heat on it, it's past the point of the utility of ice.

I'll be good as new eventually. I'm glad I got a former competitive athlete to train me - not a word about training too hard or overdoing it. He always focuses on what specifically to avoid and what I can do to help make it better. Hope he knows what he's doing because it sure sounds good!



I'm thinking Thursday won't be so good. I'll probably need to wait until Monday...bleh. But now I know it's not such a big deal...

I'm just bummed I got lifting! I mean, hurt doing cable rows with good form? Geez...that must have been a muscle injury just waiting for the first chance to erupt. Not exactly a really hard, technical exercise fraught with peril. I feel bad telling my trainer I'm so easy to break. We already had to write off squats until I get my back in shape. This sure isn't going to help me catch up on face pulls.



I can't tell you how precisely I can map my gluteus minimus and hip flexor muscles today, just by soreness. They were so hard...I went all the way until my kneecap brushed the floor...it's hard to come up out of the bottom. I'm proud of the fact I managed with with 2 x 10 DBs! They look really y, but man, I almost started shrugging them up to get the motion started by the last few reps.

If you try these, get short box to use, and I'd do these the first time with little or no weight.

I've seen guys doing what they call a "speed skater" version - you do 1 1/2 reps. Down, halfway up, down, up = 1 rep. With extended ROM. It's amazing all the variations of lunges, step-ups, and split-squats I've seen at that gym.

Good luck squatting!

I got 5-across today, I was still wobbly on the split squats today. For one thing, I'm not being consistent with how I do them. I keep varying the height of the box I use for my back leg, and how far I stand away from it. I think I should decrease the weight a little and grease my form a little better.

The bench in our weight room is 19 1/2" high, and that seems too high to me. I have a box that is 14x16x18". I've used the 16" side of that a few times and the 18" side a few times. Even with the 18", my knee hits the floor before my lead thigh is parallel. It's closer to parallel if I stand a bit further away, but then I get less stable, and wabble around more.

I don't even know what my thigh position in. I keep my foot out far enough my weight rests on the whole flat of my foot, and I can push off my heel without coming forward.

Consistant depth is important, though. Find a depth that works for you. I use the same bench as everyone else, I just stand further out than the shorter guys. You might want to drop the weight slightly and try to get less wobbly reps. Maybe next time you mix up your workout, try doing some lower-weight ones for reps...8-10 reps maybe. Get a little bit more endurance...it's the last few that you probably wobble on the most.
If you're wobbling on all of them, I'd drop the weight and get a smooth up-and-down. You don't want to train your body to shift the weight suddenly. Or try to regain balance with a weight in your hands. You want to tax it all equally for when that comes up in real life.

Of course, I have some sloppy, wobbly reps too. I try to get a rhythm going so that doesn't happen too often.

I'm getting famous:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW-dh9sLEQo

Watch me row!

Actually, that kid doing 19 x 135# is really nice.

I'm guessing that's not the time you got hurt. I didn't see any reaction.

That was set 1 of 4. It was the end of set 4 where I got hurt.

Woo, I'm not only cleared to lift today, my chiro recommended I lift today. Yay!