Pulling camp minimum age?

[mycroft188]

I'd like to have my son attend pulling camp in NY next month. I went to it in NJ a few years back and it was a great experience. My kid is finally catching up to my weights after 2 years of following the book, and now I'd like for him to have a formal session to get the form as close to perfect now that he's getting bigger and the weights are getting heavier and the chances of hurting himself with bad form are higher. So I have just a few questions:

1. Is there any particular minimum age? He is 16 and has been at it for 2 years, is serious about his programming and diet, and would be an observant student
2. Have you ever allowed someone to attend just as an observer but not a participant? I would take the camp again if I could but due to a couple of unrelated spine injuries I'm out of the deadlift game. It'd be great to be able to be there for my kid, but he doesn't need me. Just wanting to know if I can hang out there, or need to find something else to do in Woodmere for a few hours.

Thanks

[Mark Rippetoe]

What's wrong with your spine that makes you certain you can't deadlift?

[mycroft188]

I had an L5-S1 herniation that removed 15 years ago at the age of 27. It manifested as leg numbness and constant pain pre-op and as searing back pain post-op. In hindsight, the procedure was unnecessary and I probably would have had just as good or bad an outcome with a sham surgery. Two years ago I had an MRI indicating a herniation at L4-L5--no surprise--which was more severe than the one I had had at L5-S1. In addition, I have developed a pretty nice bit of scoliosis. Not sure what the measure of scoliosis is, but it is enough to have cost me an inch of height so it's not minor. That MRI was precipitated by a severe attack of back pain that left me unable to stand for about a week. This was also at a time when I was tantalizingly close to hitting a personal goal of a double bodyweight deadlift of 340 at 170, which is only relevant because it's fair to assume that I was being more aggressive and less disciplined about my lift in an attempt to hit my ego number. That said, I was religiously recording and reviewing all of my lifts for form creep and I don't think I ever had any pulls that were too ugly.

Since then, I've attempted to reintroduce DLs to my routine on a couple of occasions and ended up in pain every time at significantly lighter weights. The same goes for back squats where I could barely get to 135lb (from a prior work weight of 225) on a rehab protocol without the same issues. I have also attended squat camp and, even though I have struggled with form in the past, squats at 135 are almost textbook. I should also mention I worked with an SSC for close to a year so I really don't believe sloppy form was ever the issue, but knows.

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Getting my son to follow the program has helped him develop a discipline and self control that I don't see most kids these days having. Thanks for that.

[Mark Rippetoe]

It may be that your back will always hurt. You want a strong hurt back or a weak hurt back?

[mycroft188]

I want to be the strongest I can be. I also don't want to accumulate any more avoidable injuries. I can and do live with a variety of pain. If experience has taught me that my back has been re-injured on every attempt to DL, why would I try again? I don't want a more hurt back.