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I iced a lot on my surgeries, I was told to do this to keep the inflammation down. Going through #4 now. I have a always been curious, if inflammation is your bodies natural way of healing by sending blood and nutrients, etc. to the injured area, why would you want to stop this by icing? Is it better in the long run to ice for other reasons and that's why it’s suggested?
The only injury helped by icing is a muscle belly tear. It is essentially useless for anything else, unless you just like the way it feels. I don't think there's any evidence that icing actually interrupts or otherwise mediates the inflammatory process. Will/John/Sully?
Takagi, R, et al. Influence of Icing on Muscle Regeneration After Crush Injury to Skeletal Muscles in Rats. J of App Phys. February 1, 2011 vol. 110 no. 2 382-388
To sum this up, the researchers found the icing group actually showed decreased essential markers for inflammation and remodeling. This is not to be taken as a positive finding.
Use it for the local numbing effect. Nothing else. Don't overuse it.
Why is it good for muscle belly tears?
Probably because it constricts the bleeding. Possibly because it promotes blood perfusion as the tissue tries to warm itself after the bleeding has stopped.
N=1 case study. I know ice isn't much of a benefit for acute inflammation, other than the analgesic effect from the area becoming numb. That said, I had a lot of swelling after my elbow surgery, and once I was able, I put a warm compress on it just to see what would happen. I thought potentially it would increase the compliance of tight tissue, perhaps help with the swelling, and might make range of motion exercises easier to perform. I put the warm compress on for 8 minutes, and about 30 minutes after I took it off, my arm looked like Greg Valentino's arms. The increase in swelling was amazing. So, based on my findings, I'd say stay away from warm compresses during the acute inflammation stage.
I wanted to write and acknowledge the outstanding "mega camp" put on by Tom and Jordan in Melbourne, Australia this weekend. I've been lifting on my own since I read the Good Book, and have never been formally coached or had form critiqued other than by myself on the sets I endlessly video. I thought I was making reasonable progress technically, but couldn't pass up an opportunity to have everything fixed by the gold-standard bearers.
Whilst I'm happy to say no dramatics were required, the small changes to stance/grip width/sequencing in real-time, being encouraged at the right times and being validated by coaches as credentialed as these two individuals has dramatically improved my trust in my execution of the lifts.
More than my own gainzZz, what was particularly impressive was the ease with which the coaches molded their messages depending on the confidence (and competence) of the attendees. There was considerable variation in age, anthropometry, experience and current strength level - none of these variables would have been known to the coaches beforehand, and none of that posed a problem despite the exigencies of time.
The theory parts of the lecture were handled with panache by Tom and Jordan, who found a way to deliver the key messages about the model and its effectiveness whilst (I know that word is your pet peeve at the moment, Mark) being scrupulous in keeping to time.
The barriers to attendance included the AUD exchange rate and the timing of the camp on a long weekend. Suffice it to say, it was worth every penny for such high quality instruction. I hope future camps and possibly even a full seminar will be stewarded in Melbourne by these 2 gentlemen. They are sterling ambassadors of the Starting Strength brand and the coaching credential.
I was lucky enough to attend one of the camps in Sydney as well as a private coaching session with Tom a couple of days earlier.
I'd organized the session with Tom to work on my Power Cleans and Bench Press (lifts not covered in the camp). I don't think it's going to come as a surprise to anyone that I found Tom to be an awesome coach, able to identify and fix issues quickly and simply and give me good cues to rectify. He fixed my Power Clean/Deadlift set up from the floor with about 3 words.
As for the camp, it was amazing to me just how much stuff we covered in only 9 hours.
All of the lecture component was very detailed and interesting but at the same time, simply and logically presented such that someone with a non-scientific background (me!) found it easy enough to follow along and take notes for future reference.
The coaching provided by Jordan and Tom was simple, quick and easy to follow. As with shombre, I’m happy that no dramatic fixes were required, but all the little tweaks (set up, grip, stance width etc) were precisely what I’d hoped for in having experienced coaches watching my lifting.
A massive thank you to Tom and Jordan for making the trip to Australia. I'm glad I attended and will proceed with my lifting with more confidence.
If you get a chance to work with either Tom or Jordan, take it.
I attended the February 18 Sydney Sunday workshop and was impressed by the level of analysis and coaching competence. With 2 or 3 subtle cues and seemingly minor individual adjustments my three lifts were dramatically improved. As a perpetual novice my initial interest was in ensuring my lifts were safe and stable, and this was more than achieved.
Some insights for those considering a seminar:
Also Jordan's got a pretty good chance of dominating the open mic exercise physiology standup comedy scene, wherever he decides to start it. Laughter being great medicine, just normally not to be applied when you're pressing.
Thanks, Tom and Jordan, and other participants. A highly beneficial experience. Please come back to Sydney.
The Deadlift: In-Depth on the 5-Step Setup –Steve Ross
What To Do If Workouts Need To Be Shorter –Mark Rippetoe
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