Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf

[Michael Wolf]

Did some stuff today. Nothing good. I'm suspecting this knee thing may be a tear rather than tendinitis; may get it scanned to see what there is to see.

Squat
45x5x3, 95x5x15
Notes: Trying to ramp up hasn't really worked, so going to do lots of volume, perfectly, at very light weight and see what happens. I prefer lots of lower rep sets to a few higher rep sets, obviously. Started with these, then continued between press sets.

Press
45x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x5, 135x5, 145x5, 165x5x2
Notes: 165 wasn't as easy as it should be. It's also been a while since I've done anything legitimately hard (5-6 weeks now?) that I have a bit of trouble focusing and getting into the zone before a set. Need to step my mental game up, too.

Power Clean
45x5x2, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 145x3, 155x3, 165x3, 175x3, 185x3x2
Notes: Was good that these didn't totally suck today, though 185 was, again, not as easy as it should be. Better than nothing at all.

C2 Erg
30/60 x 6
Paces: 2:00.7, 1:53.2, 1:48.6, 1:42.7, 1:43.2, 1:42.7

[Rob Israel]

Jesus dude.... This sucks!

My knee is finally feeling better. My all time low was 3 weeks ago when I had to completely shut down my squat session. Since then I've been doing banded TKE 2-4 times a day and icing a little bit after the workout (sometimes). I'm squatting heavier than ever and my knee is feeling the best it's felt in months and months.

I've been dealing with it for over a year now and the only thing that really seems to help are the TKE's. I don't know if you've been doing them, but if not, definitely try them. 3 sets of 15 at least twice a day and also prior to squatting and pulling. Use a heavy band. I like the version where your heel comes off the floor.

Really sorry you are going through this... Hope it's not a tear-- all the best!

[Michael Wolf]

Jesus dude.... This sucks!

My knee is finally feeling better. My all time low was 3 weeks ago when I had to completely shut down my squat session. Since then I've been doing banded TKE 2-4 times a day and icing a little bit after the workout (sometimes). I'm squatting heavier than ever and my knee is feeling the best it's felt in months and months.

I've been dealing with it for over a year now and the only thing that really seems to help are the TKE's. I don't know if you've been doing them, but if not, definitely try them. 3 sets of 15 at least twice a day and also prior to squatting and pulling. Use a heavy band. I like the version where your heel comes off the floor.

Really sorry you are going through this... Hope it's not a tear-- all the best!

I'm glad one of our knees is feeling better! I'm gonna get mine scanned; I do suspect something more serious at this point, given the persistent nature of the pain and very very slow improvement. It doesn't seem to fit the classic mold, but I'd guess it's a quad tendon tear of some kind. Guess we'll see. I did do 3x10 banded TKEs today - I did some on Friday, too, but off a very short step with my bodyweight. I like the banded idea better, as it's more of a true TKE and I can control the ROM and resistance better. I'll increase volume and intensity on them slowly, as I go.

Either way, glad you're on a run of low pain and PRs!

[Michael Wolf]

Finally discarded my stubbornness and began a new program today that excludes the squat. I'll be squatting a modified Starr protocol, which I will include in my logging, but it's going to be very light and go up even more conservatively than normal. I'm finally resigned to not progressing in the squat for the immediate future, and getting the scans will be a first step towards figuring shit out.

I may adjust/change this, but right now I'm looking at something like the following:

Mon: Press, Bench Press, Power Clean, Clean Pull, Prowler
Tues: Power Snatch*, Snatch DL, (Weighted) Chins, BB Rows, (Arms?) *Power snatch will be very light, if loaded at all, at first, as I try to re-establish ROM
Weds: SMR/Mobility, light C2 Erg
Thurs: Bench Press, Press, light Power Snatch, Chins
Fri: Power Clean, Deadlift, Chins, (Arms?), Prowler
Sat: SMR/Mobility, C2 Erg, Chins and/or Ring Rows

Sets and reps will change as I (hopefully) move from the light weights I'm using now to heavier and then new PRs (?!?!?!). And hopefully I'll be able to put squats in there and resume my 4 day split TM at some point, too.

Did Monday as planned today:

Squat
45x10x2, 95x10x7
Notes: Knee felt ok for the most part

Press
45x8, 85x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x2, 170x5x2, 175x5, 135x10
Notes: As is often the case when resuming heavier weights after an extended layoff from them, the work sets here felt heavy. But I filmed a set and they moved pretty fast and smoothly. I'm still mentally used to 175 being at least one (if not 2-3) warm-up set removed from my press working weight, so it's disheartening to feel that weight in my hands as heavy, but at least the vids showed it wasn't slow as it felt (though it did slow slightly over the set). Shoulder felt fine.



Bench Press
45x10, 95x5, 135x5, 165x5, 195x5, 215x5, 225x5, 235x5
Notes: IIRC, first time benching without shoulder pain in about 6 weeks (during which I've hardly benched at all; haven't tried to force it). Here, too, 225 and 235 felt heavy-ish. Didn't film them but I bet they moved really fast; I'll re-adjust as weight goes up.

Power Clean
45x8, 95x4, 115x2, 135x2, 155x2, 175x2, 185x2, 195x2
Clean Pull
235x2, 255x2, 275x2
Notes: Man, it's hard to believe I was power cleaning this much weight (270 or 275x2, can't remember) only about 6 months ago, in a place where I wasn't allowed to drop the weight, so missing wasn't really an option - and I was still confident enough to do it. Felt like I could barely accelerate 275 off the floor. But on the bright side, 195x2 was still pretty easy.

Sled Push
Westside Butcher - 1 round trip, empty; 4 round trips + 70 lbs. 2 minutes rest between.
Notes: Kinda hard. My rowing last week was kinda weak sauce so this was the first moderately hard conditioning I've done in a while. Pathetic.

[Michael Wolf]

why are you going to do a Starr Protocol?

If it's a tear, it's not going to help, and if it's tendonitis, it's also not going to help.

If it's not a tear, I'd try something eccentric for the quad tendon. I've had really amazing results using eccentrics for my shoulder and knee, they definitely are the biggest contributor to fixing my shit, and they are starting to get some serious research supporting it.

try single leg extension eccentrics, assuming you've got access to the machine. Use both legs to extend the knee, then go as slow as possible for 3x10 on the eccentric with the single leg. Like, up to 5-6 seconds each rep.

Along with the no squatting, you should know within about a month at the most if it's helping.

I'm not doing a Starr protocol; I'm doing a modified Starr protocol. Without getting into more detail than I have patience to type, I don't necessarily agree with your assumptions that high rep/light weight squatting *might* not help it; nor do the physical therapist and physician (both of whom lift SS style) who I discussed it with. I/we are far from certain that it will help, but it may.

Eccentrics are exactly what bother it, irritate it, and piss it off the most. Controlling a forward lunge after initial foot contact; stepping down; staying tight in a LBBS. I don't have access to a knee extension machine to see if open chain eccentrics would be the same. Suppose I can try manual resistance. I actually tried HBBS today and they felt a lot less irritating than LBBS, as counter intuitive as that may seem for a knee issue. The lack of requirement of eccentric control and staying tight/the allowance for the knees to just come forward without resisting them, that usually make HBBS harder on the knee, in this case make it less uncomfortable.

[Michael Wolf]

Since I was supposed to do everything but the C2 yesterday, I took it easy on everything today so I wouldn't be fatigued for tomorrow.

Squat
45x8x2, 95x8x5
High Bar Squat
95x8x3
Notes: The squats didn't feel bad, but tried the HBBS after realizing what I wrote above about eccentrics, and they felt better. I can still feel something going on in there, but less so with the HBBS.

Power Snatch
A million reps between 15-63 lbs, first the teaching progression then triples at progressively "heavier" weight.
Then 65x3x6
Notes: The goals here were to actually do the movement, and for my shoulder not to fall off. Successful on both counts. I don't think I've done an actual PS in about 2.5 years, and haven't snatched regularly in more like 4 years. I never really did them regularly or focused on them, but I do recall always jumping significantly too early, so I really worked on waiting for the jumping position today.

Felt awkward and sluggish; may need to keep my arms straight a little longer. BUT I did some reps and my shoulder didn't fall off.

Snatch Grip DL
135x5, 185x3, 225x3x2
Notes: I was gripping the snatches about 2 inches inside the collar (within the range, but a bit on the wider side to make it easier on shoulder). Moved grip in to index finger on the olympic line for these; still a lot wider than my DL grip. They were super easy, but wanted to keep fresh for tomorrow and build up slowly.

Chins
BW x 3 x 4

C2 Erg
30s Row / 75s Rest x 8
Paces: 2:00, 1:51, 1:46, 1:42, 1:39, 1:40, 1:38, 1:37
Notes:Certainly not blazing, but good to be back in the 1:30s. Will increase speed and rest soon, and plan to begin doing some harder 20s intervals as well.

[Rob Israel]

I actually tried HBBS today and they felt a lot less irritating than LBBS, as counter intuitive as that may seem for a knee issue. The lack of requirement of eccentric control and staying tight/the allowance for the knees to just come forward without resisting them, that usually make HBBS harder on the knee, in this case make it less uncomfortable.

That is fascinating and quite perplexing. I just hope the image comes up negative and you can rehab thru whatever is going on.

[Michael Wolf]

That is fascinating and quite perplexing. I just hope the image comes up negative and you can rehab thru whatever is going on.

Thanks Rob. I'm expecting it to come back positive, but I'd love to be surprised.

[Michael Wolf]

It's still very frustrating when recent warm-up weights feel heavy, but just gotta build one step at a time.

HBBS
45x6x2, 95x6x2, 115x6x2
Notes: Felt pretty decent.

Press
180x5x3
Notes: Felt heavy and slow. It doesn't look slow on the vid, but I know the feel I get when my press starts to slow down just before it fails altogether, and this wasn't so far off that. 185 was pretty recently the warm-up before my last warm-up on a regular basis for work sets, so this kind of sucked.

Bench Press
45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 255x5x2
Notes: First set at 255 felt hard and heavy. That ticked me off enough so I was more aggressive with the second set and it was easier.

Power Snatch
45x a few sets, 65x3x3, 75x3x3
Notes: Felt a bit better today. Also did some OHS with the technique bar, and just a little bit of practicing footwork for the split.

Chins
BW x 4 x 5

[Michael Wolf]

Nothing impressive today, but felt a bit better overall.

Power Clean
45x5x2, 95x3, 125x2, 145x2, 165x2, 185x2, 195x2, 205x2, 215x2, 225x2, 185x2
Notes: 225x2 isn't great, but I think it's the first time I've cleaned over 205 since the knee acted up almost 11 weeks ago. So that's good. I don't have quite as much explosion with the knee how it is, but it felt OK during and, so far, after.

Deadlift
275x5, 325x5, 365x5
Notes: All reps were fast and easy, but I've figured out why myhook grip has been bothering. I've somehow developed a callus right at the spot where the bar hugs the thumb and puts all the weight on it. It gets pinched under the entire weight of the bar when I hook, it's exactly in just the wrong spot. Guess I need to do some callus maintenance or something, because it was uncomfortable at 365. At 585x5, it'll be hell and will probably mess with me holding on to the bar.



Sled Push
1:45 rest between each
Empty Sled x 1
Sled + 70lbs - high handles down, low handles back x 4
Sled + 70lbs - high handles down and back x 4

Chins
BW x 5 x 5