Got the MRI results back and pretty much what the Chiro had said. Some slight bulging in the L4 and L5 region but nothing worth noting. He mentioned the arthritis in the mid thoracic again. Basically keep a eye on it and if something happens come back in. It was expected but more reassuring to hear a final answer, for now. Amping the training up slightly as long as irritation is minimal which so far it is. I felt it there ready to be angry. Saturday I squatted up to 325lb with no issues. Obviously, still doing rehab work and not treading too far into the danger zone like keeping my feet up on the bench when pressing. Plan is to work up to some decent weight by end of year. I pulled a bit as well but keeping that light. Deading was what originally fired up the low back a few months back. Not really winning in any department currently but such is life. Plod on. Excited to get back more of the breathing work while training. Not that I stopped but now that the back is not cramping or dropping me like I fainted I can execute more. Been a trying year all around, just happy to be upright.
11/18
Activations with tim tam
Accessory work
Close grip pulldowns 10x12
Standing close grip supered with standing ab pulldowns 6x10 per
Old School behind the back tricep extensions 8 sets with pauses.
Kb concentration curls 3x8
40lb ball toss over shoulder for 10 mins
3 sets of 100lb med ball loads
Tossed the Hundo over the shoulder for 6 or so reps.
Had the MRI read
11/17
1 lap sled with 2 plates, 2 10 min walks
Light activations
Bench with feet up. Softee pad worked up to 370x1 and back down with close grip 315x5, 275x8, 225lb x whatever x twice
11/16
1 lap sled with 2 plates, 2 10 min walks
Lot of activations with the tim tam and boomstick
Duffalo bar free squats with squat buddy. worked up very slowly with two warm ups at each each weight till 325x5x2 sets
Deadlift sumo with pause off floor andmultiple pauses throughout 225x 4 sets
Reverse Hypers 4 pre, 2 post x 12
11/15
20 min stepper
Various activations
Straight arm pulldowns 8x10
Under over standing pulls 10x10
Machine press 10x10
Pushups on smith machine bar 5x10 moving hands out a inch after each 10 for 3 rounds
Half get ups 4x3 per side
Bug back walk with 25lb Kb with straight leg ab work after each round 3 rounds.
11/14
Tim tam activations
1 30 min walk
11/13
Tim Tam and boomstick activations
Planks regular 4 rounds and side x2 rounds
2 10 min walks and 1 10 min round of drag with new strap after training
REverse hypers 6x12, 4 pre 2 post training
Machine Squats 8 x8 working pauses again and breathing throughout. Still rehabbing back slowly. I don't really want another round of 4 weeks slowly moving around
Used same squat to do a semi one leg gm. One leg on platform and back leg doing Gm workload. 5x5 per side .
11/12
1 30 min walk
11/11
2 10 min walks 1 2 plate sled drag
Tim Tam and boomstick activations. Started back with the hanging bands for posterior activations. First time doing this since the back catastrophe month or so ago. This week I will get the MRI results from the Ortho. Seem to be mending with no deblilitating episodes.
Light accessory to finish up from yesterday.
Hammer rows 10 regular, 10 alternating, 2 to 5 pauses. 5 rounds
Dumbbell rows worked up to 75x8 per arm.
Fat bell concentration curls mixed with rolling triceps and a bit of flyes. 4 or 5 rounds
11/10
1 heavy sled drag , 1 walk lap, trained and did 1 light lap and 1 walk. Tested out the strongman harness with a new version of strap material. Much lighter and a newer tail design was added to increase smoother pulling and more power utilization. Digging it so far. Gonna put it under a larger load to check comfort levels this week.
Bench with feet on bench. Worked up to 320 off softee for one and several sets at 275 and a couple at 225. Started out with my feet up under but the back said, "No No" after a couple of sets. Nothing great but they felt pretty good. With the lack of training because of the back issues, of course my weight jumped up 10lb. So the 233 helps alot as well.
11/9
Sled drag for 1.5 plates for two laps, walk if off for 1 lap. After training, 1 one plate lap and 1 walk off
Reverse Hypers 6 altogether 4 pre and 2 post
Light high box squat with SSB for 8 x5 sets.
Showed someone how to do the old school GHR(Nordic Curls). When she was squatting she seemed to have a load and transfer issue in the bottom of the squat in the hamstrings. After trouble shooting in my head some I showed her this version. It is the tougher one to do correctly with lots more direct loading on the hams and glutes. After several sets of a few reps she was a bit frustrated as we all get when a exercise doesn't go the way you think it should. As she was packing up to leave, I checked out the hamstrings from afar and asked her how they were. I already knew they were trashed as they had swollen to meet the butt with inflammation and blood. Basically, I call it two butts when the hamstrings poke out like another set of but cheeks. Ha..
11/8
2 10 min walks, 1 sled drag light
Activations with tim tam. Used the XWife to do some gut tempering.
LIght machine pressing again with some pulldowns. Still high volume work to heal up more.
11/6
2 10 min walks, 8 drags with the stretcher sled 190lb
Reverse Hypers 5x10
Belt squat 8 sets with breathing and pauses.
Next week I will get the MRI results with the ortho. In the meantime, the chiro took a look at it and could not see much in bulging or herniated discs so good news there that no
nerves getting smashed leaving his diagnosis as a muscular tear(maybe the QL) Very light pain now so gonna work my way back up alittle each week again. I have been working some light sled back in a couple times a week and that is helping as well.
11/5
1 30 min walk
11/4
# 10 mins walks
Tim Tam activaions
Back to some rehab work
Planks regular and side 3 each
Bird dogs 4 sets
11/3
2 10 min walks , 1 sled drag
Activations
Machine pulldowns 15x8
Machine tricep pushdowns 8x10
Light bench with feet on bench 6x12
11/2
1 10 min walk, 2 laps sled drag
Activations
Reverse hypers 6x10
Squat with bar 5x6
11/1
2 10 min walks, 1 10 min walking stair
Pulldowns with Mag Grip 12 x10
Incline with just bar for super wide for 8 or 10 sets of warm up work. End goal was a 2.5 min set with pauses throughout
Also being tender to the back and body till we can sort it out more.
10/31
2 10 min walks
First visit to ortho yesterday. The back is healing up fine and having less and less spasms but I am also not hitting anything hard. Lots of other things going on in the mix but scheduled a visit mainly to get a MRI done so I know what I am really dealing with. Even though it is to a point I think I can amp up the training, I know i will be right back in there so once I get the MRI and know the results I can make a much better plan to keep it from reoccuring in this manner again.
I use my same ortho office as before but my regular guy is just upper extremities so he is out. I gamble and just pick one of the choices as I was really just wanting to get in with my regular guy and have him give me a recommendation but that was not to be. The minimum I hope for is a younger doctor with maybe some different viewpoints. Well I get the younger doctor. We do a few simple tests after he hears my short story. He immediately wants to go with PT for 4 weeks and then do a MRI if it is not better. He gets a bit more backround on my track record of surgeries and injuries and my own PT methods.
I look at him and say I would rather go straight to the MRI and not waste time. He says insurance will more then likely deny the MRI unless I do the PT first. Well, I say, " I would rather know now then wait 4 weeks of PT to get the MRI done. It is only a matter of time before something else happens and I reinjure this again. " I tell him I will pay out of pocket for it. His eyebrows raise like he is trying the do The Peoples' Eyebrow but not great.
He says okay I will schedule the followup after the MRI. We talk a bit about my surgery hijinks under Dr Green and his Nurse.
10/25
1 20 min 1 10 min walk
Added some volume without the wheels falling off my back. Applying breathing into movements again now that the pain and spasms are subsiding.
Activations with the Tim Tam
I beam(MB Powercenter) Pulldowns around 10 sets with varying grip. THis thing is tough on the fingers and forearm!
Bench 6 sets
Long ab strap pulldowns 6 sets
Push up on Bosu ball 5 sets
10/24
1 30 min walk
10/23
Tim Tam activations
1 10 min stepmill, 2 10 min walks
Little bit of training today
Belt squat light for set of 10 close and 5 wide for about 8 to 10 sets
10/22
Early morning activations
30 min walk
