Reboot

So quite obvious that things didn't pan out with my little experiment. Not a failure in that I did learn things but not a success. I thought it was a minor thing and I'd be back to form with rest but that didn't happen. I had seen how quick I improved when the back issue happened in December last year leading up to the Arnold. Same issue but just different exercise. I've had disc issues in the past doing beltless block pulls. The time that I was out for 7 months it had been doing stone of steel and it was going for the extension that it went. In December, it was a sandbag load and this last time, getting under a rep on viking press with too much extension. I'm not sure what I need to correct to keep this from happening. Chiro had told me back in December that I have narrow openings for the nerves in my spine so something that someone else might not notice would be noticed with me.

I tried doing things on my own with programming, looking back at what I did in training. While I've hit my best overhead on log in contest to date at NY Record Breakers and pressing was seeming to be on the upswing, I had wondered if perhaps when I was doing two pressing days a week with higher volume had been a better approach. I remember at the end of my one peak, I was hitting 300lbs or more each session in the last month and hit 300lbs for a double (2015) and a 200lbs dumbbell for a near triple. My form was crap but I was strong. So I took ideas from then and ideas from more recent training to try and piece something together for NY Strongest. I think my plan could work but it was too much too soon. I think what did me in honestly was the stone loads getting that full extension. Set me back so I ended up withdrawing from that show as well. Kept myself busy.

I then had another thought that back then, my overhead was really strong but I was slow on most things and my deadlift generally was beating me up in training but I managed to pull well at contest (made things harder in training). However, my deadlift had been it's strongest in 2011 when I was doing conjugate. Heavy pulls two weeks, box squat one week, always speed box squats. This wasn't always successful and I think that it stopped working when I got away from doing RDLs (sumo, regular and wide grip) after my main sets and doing GMs or front squats or snatch grip deads. My form was bad but I had good power off the floor. I was also doing heavy leg press on the speed day after squats.

But even with that plan being worked on, I think that it may be too much. Difficult to plan in events, especially coming back from injury again and fighting that temptation to just go all out. So my start to return kept getting delayed. I had hoped to be beginning of this month but pushed to the beginning of next month. Hard to keep motivated when progress with the back isn't going so fast. Insurance was fighting with chiro over coverage and this time, I wasn't feeling the relief I was getting like last time. Too pricey to be doing $65 a visit twice a week. I got some relief to the symptoms from the Nutra-Disc. Stocked up on those. Eventually I went to the ortho primarily to get prescribed prednisone and muscle relaxers to get my back to stop spasming as massage therapy wasn't cutting it. Monday was the last day of that.

I had been walking just about every day once things calmed down enough and for the past week, I've been doing rehab stuff on top of that. This is what I've been doing.

20 minutes TENS Unit Massage Setting
20 minutes TENS Unit Dry Needling Setting
15 minutes heating pack
5 minutes in the prone position
30 repetitions of a Mackenzie back exercise
20 reps nerve glides
5 minutes for diaphragm breathing
20 holds of the abs for 5 seconds
30 reps of theraband pullovers
20 reps each side of leg fall-outs.
20 lying clams
20 reps of glute bridges
20 table taps
alternating leg lifts was done for 15 each leg.
modified bird dog exercise for 20 reps each side.
30 repetitions of a Mackenzie back exercise with towel pressure
isometric crushing of couch cushions against the wall (10 sets of 10 sec each side).
30 hip hinges
30 hip hinges (wide)
2 sets of about 30 seconds for regular style planks
2 sets of 30 seconds for side hold planks

I'll admit that I haven't stuck it to well this week with holidays and other life things. I've also been doing nerve glides and back exercise throughout the day and I've just started doing hangs of my lower body off my bed for some light traction. Withdraw from Prednisone is something I haven't had before but I did this time. Got cramps and aches. I didn't realize that it weakened the immune system and suppressed cortisol in the body. Now I know.

Last Sunday I went to the gym to test out some of my ideas for returning to training. Some seemed good in theory but sucked in practice while others seemed to be knock outs. I was doing weighted dips with the slingshot and the traction from that made something shift and I felt instant relief. Still tender but it was great to feel that. Didn't feel like my spine was stuck in my left back pocket like it has for the past two almost three months.

I want to get back to training again. At this point, I've qualified for USS Nats as 308lbs class since I went for the heavier class at NY Record Breakers so I could do more weight on the farmer's hold.

USS Nationals – 6/27/20 – Minneapolis, MN (USS) 30 weeks out
Press Medley (log/axle) – 280lbs/300lbs, back and forth, start on either
Deadlift for Reps – 685lbs, no suits, touch and go allowed
Farmer’s Walk – 305lbs, 100’ course, turn at 50’
Husafell & Sandbag Carry – 350lbs/300lbs, 50’ each, run back for 2nd implement
Stone Carry and Load – 320lbs/340lbs/360lbs, 56” bar, staggered distances (15’/10’/5’)

Ideally, I would get my deadlift up to near the contest weight (685lbs). The other events, even injured, I feel I could do and not bomb right now but I can't guarantee I can do them and not get hurt or be out of commission for a few weeks. I don't want this to be another year where I've qualified and plan on competing but don't. There are other contests coming up but I need to be healthy first. It would probably be better if I qualified for under 275lbs (I'm down a bit from not eating as much) as that would be less weight I'd have to be prepared to move. But another part of me thinks just be HW, pro level doesn't have divisions in HW.

Looking at the year and timeline, everything is set to give USS Nats my best shot. 30 weeks is hopefully enough time to slowly build back. The smart thing (if anything I do strongman related is smart) is nothing besides this. I feel I need to be more selective of what shows I do as much as I hate to admit it, there may only be a finite amount I got. Costs for USS Nats aren't bad with everything (flights, hotel, entry, food) under $1,000 total. SC Nats hotel stay alone is in excess of $820 so not even going to bother with it this year (and to be honest, I'm sick of the "event issues" each year).

So back to light training this coming week, working with Mike Westerling again. Life is going, just doing my best to stay positive about things. Strongman has lead me to so many good things in my life. Be a shame to stop when it's not my decision to stop.