January 30, 2014 – Week 2, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Dumbbell Front Squats
50x3
100x12
100x12
100x12
100x12
100x12

Leg Extensions
155x12
160x12
185x12
195x12
205x12

Lying Leg Curls
80x12
90x12
100x12
110x12
120x12

Standing Cable Rope Abs
160x21

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Knees felt a little achy going in to this session. Decided to just do the same weight for all sets since the heaviest dumbbell is 120lbs and it was suggested I go no heavier for this exercise. The weight is light enough that I can think during the set and feel where my form is lacking. I noted a few times were I wanted to drift forward and I'd correct it for the following rep. Legs were sore after the first set and I had four more to go. I only went up 20lbs on the leg extensions to start as last time I couldn't budge 200lbs. I think it was more that I'm not used to the exercise. I was planning to make small jumps but the weight was too easy. Made a 25lbs jump after having to wait while someone jumped on the machine while I was getting a drink of water. I did 10lbs from then on. Did the 10lbs jumps for lying leg curls as well. Not used to the machines so I imagine I'll be able to handle more weight shortly. Finished up the day with abs. Didn't remember if I kept my back support on or not last time so I just left it on to be on the safe side.

January 28, 2014 – Week 2, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Barbell Incline Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
135x3
165x3
195x5
215x5
235x5
255x5
265x5

Seated Dumbbell Presses
80'sx12
80'sx11
80'sx8
80'sx7

Incline Bench Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises
35'sx19
35'sx16

27 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I woke up with cramps in my stomach so I wasn't really expecting much today. The discomfort went away eventually and I had a good session. For incline, I widened my grip out about 4" each hand to be similar to my overhead grip. The session didn't call for narrow grip like last week so I thought this would be better. I felt more control at the bottom but the lockout is still tough. My triceps were sore before even getting to 255lbs. 265lbs was sloppy but I'll take it. I picked something that I thought would be doable for seated pressing for 10-12 reps. Haven't done dumbbells in while, let alone for higher reps. Tried my best to keep pressure off my lower back and got my goal the first two sets. Shoulders fatigue fast and only got 8 and 7 the following sets. Increased the weight on the rear delts and that was good too.

January 25, 2014 – Week 1, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

Pulldowns
50x5
100x5
150x5
Add Straps
200x12
210x12
220x12
230x12
240x12

Incline Bench Dumbbell Rows
110'sx8
110'sx8
110'sx8
110'sx8

Sled Drags
300x50'
300x50'
350x50'
350x50'

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Kind of weird to just go right in to a session for some back work. Arms were getting pretty fatigued from doing all the pulldowns. I felt like sets of 12 would be fine. I planned on doing the same for the dumbbell rows but pre-fatigue made the weight challenging so only did sets of eight. Drove home to do sled dragging outside in the cold. Loaded up my little wooden sled with as much weight as I could. Not bad, felt good. I could probably add more weight putting sandbags on top of the weights. Forgot to charge my camera's battery so no video this time. One week down.

January 23, 2014 – Week 1, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Dumbbell Front Squats
53x3
53x3
55x1
80x12
90x12
100x12
110x11
120x13

Safety Squat Bar Step-Ups (24")
60x8/8
70x8/8
80x8/8
90x8/8

Leg Extensions
135x25
135x20

Standing Cable Rope Abs
150x21

25 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: First lower body session after time off. Even though the stuff is light, the ortho wanted me to wear my rehband back support while lifting to keep my back muscles warm. I probably should have worn it last workout. First up was a dumbbell squat variation. I'm not sure if I did them right but I did my best. I worked on trying to stay upright and feel the hips and glutes working. Paused in the hole as well. I lost count on the second to last set and only did 11 so I did another rep on the last set. So far, so good. Next was step-ups with the ssb. Nothing new here but this was probably more of a test than the squats in that it would put more lateral stress on my back. This went well too. Next was leg extensions. I haven't done this exercise in over a decade. I used to be good at them haha. I tried budging 200lbs but that wasn't happening so I went with the lowest number my ego could handle. No knee issues so happy about that. Last item of the day was standing ab work. First rep I felt something shift in my back but rather than pain, I felt relief. Maybe I just needed to do a sit-up this whole time haha. Stretched out and called it a day.

January 21, 2014 – Week 1, Day 1

Starting my new training today. I'm working with my friend Brett Somerville. I'm gearing for the Capital Classic the first week of May. Training is going to be little different in that the first half will be working around the back issue while getting my weak points strong, then the second half will bring event specific stuff back in. What have I got to lose?

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x5
295x5
315x5

Band Face Pulls
AB+LBx10
AB+LBx10
AB+LBx10
AB+LBx10

Incline Bench Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises
30'sx21
30'sx17

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Back to lifting finally. Form felt fine but strength was definitely lacking from time off. Would have liked to have done another 20lbs for a small PR but it wasn't happening today. Face pulls are weird with the higher band tension since it really tries to pull me off balance. I moved these and the rear delt stuff quick as the gym was closing early due to the snow. I've done more than 30's but I felt like going light and going until I couldn't do another without taking a breath. Finished up stretching at home. Hopefully this is just the start of something good.

January 13, 2014, January 15, 2014 & January 17, 2014

Dynamic Warm-ups

Pull-ups/Push-ups Ladders

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bwx(1/3,2/6,3/9,4/12,5/15)
bwx(1/3,2/6,3/9,4/12,5/15)

One Leg Standing Leg Curls
50/50x25
50/50x25
50/50x25
50/50x25

27-29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: This is the week before I actually start training and the idea was to just do high volume stuff for my upper body and legs that wouldn't stress my lower back. I did the same workout all three days. Will have to see how actually lifting will feel this coming week. I added back in the two shakes I dropped and add back in HMB. I feel so much better with the added calories back in my diet.

January 13, 2014, January 15, 2014 & January 17, 2014

Dynamic Warm-ups

Pull-ups/Push-ups Ladders

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bwx(1/3,2/6,3/9,4/12,5/15)

One Leg Standing Leg Curls
50/50x25
50/50x25
50/50x25
50/50x25

27-29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: This is the week before I actually start training and the idea was to just do high volume stuff for my upper body and legs that wouldn't stress my lower back. I did the same workout all three days. Will have to see how actually lifting will feel this coming week. I added back in the two shakes I dropped and add back in HMB. I feel so much better with the added calories back in my diet.

Update

Haven’t been posting. Nothing to post, just like last time. Injuries blow and I was letting this heal on its own. I figured some days off work from the holidays would give me plenty of time to recuperate. But then on Monday, December 30, my left foot kept on feeling like it was cold and going to sleep while I was at work and I panicked. If there is one thing I know about back issues, it is not a good thing to have stuff radiating elsewhere. The earliest I could see someone was that Thursday with the holidays. I went to the gym to do some reverse hyperextensions to see if that would alleviate some of the symptoms. I went to the ortho and they took x-rays but they were inconclusive so I was scheduled for an MRI the following Tuesday. I had my chiro send over my old x-rays to compare with the new ones. Never had an MRI done before but it was noisy and very confining. The good news is that it doesn’t appear that my current problems are skeletal or nerve related. Most likely muscular in nature. The MRI did show that I had some disc herniation in the T12 spine and deterioration in my lumbar spine. Current treatment is another 12 day taper of Prednisone that I started on Thursday. The hope is this will fix the swelling that is bothering my left side. I’m not feeling the anxiety I felt last time when I took it so that is a plus. I’m also going to be prescribed some muscle relaxant cream to use after workouts.  I met with the ortho again on Friday to discuss some other things. The main concern was how long can I keep doing this? Can’t be doing this routine every six months. I’d like to be able to do this into my mid-Forties but my folks seem to think I have another 3-5 years tops. The sport beats you up and I’m already feeling pretty old at this point. Do I want to push it at the risk of being unable to play with my (theoretical) children and grandchildren? So where do I go from here? I’ve cut my food intake considerably and lost about 18lbs of weight and I’m not in the best shape. The best I got right now is to hit the gym light this week and hopefully start doing stuff after that.