starting strength gym
Page 1 of 9 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 83

Thread: Putting back together the broken pieces

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Oakland and Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,160

    Default Putting back together the broken pieces

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
    • starting strength seminar jume 2024
    • starting strength seminar august 2024
    I've been keeping a log on a spreadsheet, but I figure I'd make a log here, too.

    Age: 35
    Height: 6'1"
    Weight 245 lbs

    Not really sure how this works out, but here's a brief history of my barbell training since starting SS.

    I started the program in early May of this year. Saw Paul Horn in L.A. who diverted me from disaster by making sure I was doing the movements correctly. I think everyone who starts the program should see a coach ASAP. Some time a few weeks later, I strained my intercostal muscles on the right side and I couldn't squat for a week and a half. Performing the valsalva was really painful. A few weeks after that, same thing happened on the right side.

    Once my squat got to about 265 in mid-June, I strained my right adductor from what I now know was poor recovery. I stalled on 265 on a Friday, attempted to repeat it on a Monday and was clearly under-recovered, but I didn't know what that felt like or meant at the time, so I failed again. I attempted it again the following workout and felt the glorious pain of straining one's adductor in the hole of a squat. I took three consecutive days to sit on my ass and went back into the gym doing the Starr rehab protocol, squatting with just the bar.

    Once I got back up to around 240, I started getting really bad anterior hip pain, or hip in my flexors/crease of hip. At this point, I saw Tom Campitelli in Oakland and he was able to make a few adjustments to my squat to make things a little better, but nothing was looking off so much that it would cause that pain. I kept chugging on.

    Meanwhile, I injured a facet joint in my low back, which put a hard stall on my press (around 160lbs) and my deadlift (at 330lbs). Moreover, I'd started to develop elbow tendonitis in both elbows from low bar squatting. I tried the pin firing method, but it only made it worse. Much worse. This started affecting my bench press, so I've basically been bench pressing the same weight for 2-3 months.

    At the very end of July, I hired coach Michael Wolf to guide me through my LP. Because of my aching hips, I took a week off of squatting. My hips hurt so bad that I couldn't even tie my shoes, and getting in and out of bed or my car were excruciatingly painful. When I went back to squatting in August, I started light and slow, back at 135 pounds. I LP'd my way back up to the mid-200s with Wolf's guidance and many hours of video analysis, but my hip pain came back just as bad as ever. At this point, I'm thinking the squat gods hate me. I've tried brief warm-ups, very long warm-ups, stretching, not stretching, foam rolling, lacrosse ball, etc. and nothing helps. These days, I just squat through the pain, and some days are ok and others are horrid.

    My facet joint started to feel better and I took a big reset on the press and deadlift, and went about my LP more carefully this time. After 2.5 months, my press and deadlift are back to where they were pre-injury.

    Anyway, I could ramble on, but basically everything is OK except my squat, which hurts like hell. After walking around in Mexico for a few days and being poorly recovered, I strained my adductor again this week, but nowhere near as bad as before. It's minor, and wrapping my entire thigh with a knee wrap for compression is letting me squat. Hips still hurt, though, and to every coach that's ever helped me, I thank you and apologize for frustrating you with the mystery of my hips.

    Oh, and I think I bruised/cracked a rib last Friday. Not 100% sure.

    November 11
    Squat: 315x2, 290x3, 275x3x2
    Bench: 255x5x3
    Deadlift: 315x5

    November 14
    Squat: 275x3x3, 250x5 (I did more volume knowing I would be out of the country and wouldn't squat again for an entire week)
    Bench: 275x2x2, 265x2 (switched bench and press days for my back--I don't want to deadlift when I press)
    Power clean: 145x3x4

    November 16
    Press: 155x3x3
    Deadlift: 325x3

    November 22
    Squat: 245x5x2, 245x3 (I thought I could easily squat 245 for sets of 5 across coming back from working in Mexico, but I still wasn't recovered and my hips hurt like HELL)
    Bench: 235x5x3 (Played it safe since I was still fatigued from travel, elbow pain 7/10)
    Deadlift: 315x5

    November 25
    Squat: 245x2, 265x1, 285x1, 225x3x2 (I started warming up to do triples of 290, but was still so clearly fatigued and in so much hip pain that I decided to drop back down to light weight and call it a wash)
    Bench: 255x5x3 (easy and only mild elbow pain, lowered bar way too fast on second rep of final set and felt a very sharp pain/pop in my rib)
    Deadlift: 330x5


    November 29
    Squat: 265x3, 265x1, 245x4x3 (Again, I had it in my head that I would do 265 for sets across, but PAIN. Had to wrap my thigh and I couldn't even do fahves of 245)
    Bench: 265x2, 275x2x2 (Felt intense pain in the area where I hurt my rib the last bench session, which has lingered for a few days now)
    Deadlift: 335x5
    Last edited by marcf; 12-02-2016 at 03:58 PM. Reason: Added relevant links to stuff

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Oakland and Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,160

    Default

    Still feeling pretty fatigued today, and I'm attending a squat seminar tomorrow, so yeah...

    SSB squat: 60x5x2, 110x5x2, 150x5x2
    Press: 165x3x3
    Deadlift 340x5

    Hip and adductor pain were present, though not awful due to light weights. Used SSB because getting my arms up and chest back for low bar squats was hurting my ribs really bad.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Oakland and Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,160

    Default

    Went to a squat workshop Saturday, but didn't do much intensity or volume, so I decided to work out on Sunday--completely forgetting the gym closes early that day...

    December 4


    Squat 315x2x2, 265x3, 245x5
    (Gym closed and couldn't finish my workout)

    Hip pain was surprisingly not present during actual squats. I went home, took a shower, and everything was fine. But an hour or two later, the usual hip pain in my hip flexors was back and I also strained my right groin again when I stepped on a dryer sheet and slipped. FML.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Oakland and Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,160

    Default

    Ribs are still in pain so I still don't want to bench until it feels better. I'd rather wait a little longer than hurt it all over again by rushing back into bench pressing. Felt very fatigued.

    December 6


    Squat High Bar 185x5x2
    Deadlift 405x1x2, 340x5

    Had some low back ache during my warmups for the deadlift as a result of squatting twice over the weekend. I could feel it on my last few set of squats on Sunday.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Posts
    1,041

    Default

    I admire your persistence - hope the injuries clear up for you!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Oakland and Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,160

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by brkriete View Post
    I admire your persistence - hope the injuries clear up for you!
    Thanks, I hope so, too!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Walled Lake, Michigan
    Posts
    6,681

    Default

    Welcome. You were very wise to consult with coaches. Keep up the good work.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Oakland and Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,160

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by carson View Post
    Welcome. You were very wise to consult with coaches. Keep up the good work.
    Thanks, man. I think every novice should definitely see a coach to make sure they get started in the right direction. Saves a lot of time and potentially injuries and aches.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Oakland and Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,160

    Default

    Been feeling a bit wonky lately with sleep and how work is affecting sleep. I really need to do better with recovery, but my sleep situation seems out of my control. If I'm not getting enough hours, I'm waking up in the middle of the night and having to control my asthma.

    December 9

    Squat 300x3, 320x3 (I was supposed to do another set of 300x3, but my hips were starting to ache too much) video of my 320 squat: Squat 320x3 - YouTube
    Press 155x3x3
    Power Clean 135x3x4 (reset because of some back pain)

    My rib/sternum pain is gone, but I didn't want to take any chances so I decided to take it slow with bench press today and see how it felt during warmups. The pain is totally gone, but I'm still going to go slow just in case and ramp up in 3-4 weeks.

    December 12

    Squat 265x5x3 (felt so tired that I didn't think I'd make all 5 reps in the last two sets--was getting light-headed)
    Bench 225x5x3
    Deadlift 350x5

    Had a little ache in my lower back during my deadlifts, but nothing that would keep me from doing them. As usual, my hips felt a little achey, but started to really hurt about an hour or two after my lifting session. Hopefully they don't get worse so I can have an easy light day on Wednesday.
    Last edited by marcf; 12-12-2016 at 07:57 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Oakland and Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,160

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by marcf View Post
    Age: 35
    Height: 6'1"
    Weight 245 lbs
    I must have been on drugs this day or something because my bodyweight is actually 235. Derp.

Page 1 of 9 123 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •