Thanks Anuj

When I injured my lower back, sitting around and "resting" was the worst thing I did. Trying to lift as much as I could was also a bad decision. I should've just reduced the weight and reworked everything.

No lifting during exams, everyone took an X-Box break. Apparently they did some maxing after school, but I didn't feel like waiting all day. Not an X-Box guy.

School is done, im going to take this time to rest the back completely, it still hasn't been 100%. Every other day theres some discomfort that scares me away from doing deadlifts. Its making me mad.

I'm going to look around for a good gym!

OH Press
115lbs
1 x 3
110lbs
1 x 3
110lbs
1 x 3

Pretty Poor day for OH Press

Back Squat
245lbs
1 x 5
255lbs
1 x 5
265lbs
1 x 6

Impressed myself here.

Can't workout tomorrow since im registering for University Courses, so this gives my upper body enough break so that I can do OH Squat and Whatever Else I need to do on Thursday and Friday.

This early morning working out isn't for me :-P (Missed two days) which meant…

Improvision!

Romanian Deadlifts

205lbs
3 x 5

Inverted Rows
3 X Failure

Front Squats
185lbs
3 x 3

Didn't even get to mobility drills!. I'm going to have to start doing these at home, truth be told I should be doing them everyday anyway.

OH Squat (Yea!)
95lbs
1 x 5
100lbs
1 x 5
105lbs
2 x 5

Just trying to build my way back up, definitely felt like I haven't done them in awhile

Back Squat
205lbs
3 x 5
Felt really heavy the first set, but got better each time. Legs were killing me all weak from setting PR on front squat. It hurt to walk all week so I am going to go out and say it hindered the squats a little bit.

Thats all i had time for

OH Press
115lbs
1 x 5
110lbs
1 x 6
1 x 5
1 x 5

Probably shouldn't have done pullups afterwards but did so

Pullups
1 x 3 (Then some with assistance)
1 x 2
1 x 1
A few partial reps

Still learning Romanian Deadlifts

185lbs
3 x 5

Side Planks
2 X Each Side (Should time myself sometime)

Mobility Drills

A lot more accomplished today, going to take tomorrow off and try to add OH Squats and Squats back in Friday morning.

Front Squats
Warm Up
185lbs
1 x 5
205lbs
1 x 5 (thought form was shaky at the last rep)
195lbs
1 x 5
1 x 8

Learned Romanian Deadlifts
135 3 x 5 for those who are just curious, not that it was a difficult weight or anything

And thats all i had time for, surprised that it took me a whole hour to do, I had to shower and get ready for class so I had to skip a few things, going to have to move faster tomorrow.

Romanians sound like a good idea.

Lifting now takes place in the morning now that the gym gets super hot inside and days are getting a lot nicer, going to have to adjust sleeping for that one.

I think you know what I meant :-P

You may be surprised to hear that I really don't. If you mean "chest builders" I can give you the muscle mag list but when you say chest exercises I honestly don't have a clue.

Yes I think you can start adding stuff in. Actually light Romanians would be a good start instead of conventional deadlifts. The reason being is that you are loading your back from the get go and keeping it loaded. If you start out light enough and you are okay with it then you will know you're okay because the tension is constant. No surprises. Whereas when you start from a dead start off the floor…

What's a chest exercise?

I think you know what I meant :-P

For some reason there hasn't been any lifting afterschool all week… Weird

I think im going to start adding real deadlifts, squats and OH squats to the routine again, working up slowly with deadlift and experimenting on the Squats. Good idea?

I did this thing where I would do one rep, let go, take three seconds and do another, just to see how many I could pull.

Good idea.

Any more variable chest excercises I can do?

What's a chest exercise?

Static Lunges
120lbs
4 x 10

Pullups
I did this thing where I would do one rep, let go, take three seconds and do another, just to see how many I could pull.
1 x 5
1 x 5
1 x 1
1 x 1

SGHR
1 x 10
1 x 20

Side Planks
2 X Each Side

Pushups
1 x 11
1 x 5

Mobility Drills.

OH Press (Again to finish)
115lbs
1 x 5
1 x 4

Inverted Rows (Wider grip)
1 x 7
1 x 5
1 x 5
1 x 4

Did some Squats and Dealifts at 135lbs to just to see how the back felt, I think I may start slowly working my way up next week, what do you guys think?

Side Planks
3 X Failure

Mobility Drills

Pushups
1 x 11
1 x 7

Any more variable chest excercises I can do?

Workout was stopped short today

Front Squat

185lbs
1x5

195lbs
2 x 5

185lbs
1 x 5

OH Press

95lbs
1 x 7

115lbs
1 x 5
1 x 4

Static Lunges
110lbs
3 x 10

120lbs
1 x 5

Inverted Row (Widened grip a little)
3 x Failure

SG Ham Raises
2 x 14
1 x 5

Pushups
1 x 7
3 x 5

Step Ups
Went easy on these just to make sure I don't rush in and end up losing balance or something
20lbs
1 x 5
30lbs
1 x 5
40lbs
1 x 5

My ride got at the gym early so I missed my mobility drills. It doesn't happen often so i'm not too upset about it

Front Squat

185lbs
4 X 5
Definately ready to bump this weight

OH Press
115lbs
1 x 3
95lbs
1 x 7
105lbs
1 x 3
Bad OH Press Day -.-

Pullups
1 x 3
1 x 2 and 3/4
1 x 1 and 3/4
1 x 1

Mobility Drills

Started to feel the back a bit more sore than other days, but it started this morning, feels better now.

You said you rolled on a ball. You'd do better on a foam roller. I doubt the school has them so that is something you may want to get if you don't have one. And of course the tennis ball.

Static Lunges
110lbs
3 x 10
1 x 6

SG Ham Raises
2 x 10

Side Planks
2 X Each Side till Failure

Mobility Drills

I feel that you got injured because of the abitrary jump to higher volume on deadlifts without a proper build up. Regardless of whether that is the case or not these kinds of back pulls happen to every one. We've all had them. But it's usually because we screwed up!

Birthday Edition

OH Press
135lbs
1 x 5
1 x 4
1 x 4
1 x 5

Inverted Rows
1 x 10!
1 x 5
Multiple Sets of a couple

Deadlifts
135lbs
4 x 5

Squats
45lbs
2 x 5

Just to test the back, I could still feel the pull if I went low enough on the squat.

Rolled on my back while on one of those big blue balls

Pushups
1 x 11
1 x 6
Multiple Sets Of A Couple

Side Planks
3 sets each side till failure

Mobility Drills.

Front Squats
185lbs
1 x 5
185
3 x 6lbs

Deadlifts
135lbs
4 x 5

Pullups
1 x 3 (Was pretty shocked at this)
1 x 3 and 7/8ths of the fourth
1 x 2 and 7/8ths of the 3rd

Did some partials from the top

2 Sets till failure, can see the range of motion increase but then my arms were too drained to do them from the bottom

Side Planks
2 x Failure Each Side

Mobility Drills

Pretty good workout i'd say. I know I stopped squatting and OH Squatting when I pulled the back. Should I wait a but like I am for the heavy deadlifts?

Provincials are next week.

Decided to kind of max out on squats. I hit 300lbs but it wasn't a busting my ass struggle. Didn't go as low as I normally do, it was just parallel and wore a belt. Any lower and I could feel tightness in my back. But it didnt hurt while Squatting. Hurt the next day a little more though. Once I stop noticing the back pain on a daily basis, I think I might get my OH Squats back in again if that sounds alright.

Static Lunges:

100lbs
3 x 10 Each Side

110lbs
1 x 5 Each Side

SG Ham Raises:
3 x 10

Trying to work in the side planks again, I do feel some pain while doing them.

Pushups:
2 x 7

Wen't over all my mobility drills to kill time.

Im aware I did do three days in a row, but I thought it would be better to excercise than to lay in bed.

OH Press
115 1 x 5
115 1 x 5
105 1 x 7
115 1 x 2

Inverted Rows

3 Sets to failure. Was actually getting close to 10 on my sets.

Tried Side Planks, but they hurt the back. Did not do that long.

Definately going to do SGHR tommorow, completely forgot about those until I found my scribbler again.

Mobility Drills :).

Definately do not see myself lifting at provincials Friday, but im still going for support.

We maxed out on bench today. Kinda disapointed that I was only able to do 155 and it seemed more difficult then at the competition.

Back wasn't feeling great as the workout progrossed

Front Squats:

165lbs
1x5 (Thought it was 185 -.-)

185lbs
2x5

Back wasn't bothering me during lift but felt worse afterwards. I called it a day.

OH Press

115lbs
1 x 4

110lbs
3 x 5

Static Lunges

80lbs
2 x 10 Each Side

90
2 x 10 Each Side

100
1 x 10 Each Side.

Stretched the back on the blue ball thingy and thats when the pain started to subside.

By lighter…you mean no weight, right? Because you're going to lay off the deads for a bit?

Definitely.

I think you're sweating an upcoming competition so you don't want to lay off the deads. I honestly would question whether you should even compete. It's not worth it to me at your tender training age. I'd measure one comp against a potential training career of this constantly coming back and biting you in the ass if you re-injur it again.

I suppose. I don't really see myself lifting anyway.

Definately going lighter next time.

By lighter…you mean no weight, right? Because you're going to lay off the deads for a bit?

One thing I mentioned in my journal during my recovery was that you can feel ready but really you're in a very dangerous phase of recovery where you aren't at 100% but you feel as though you are. The only thing to do is know that this happens because you have no perception of it.

Very true, As I just learned

I'm not going to nurse you through it Nathan. If you don't care listen to your Coach who obviously doesn't know that the hell he's doing or he would have told you to not load your back yet. I have spent months going back and forth with people re-injuring themselves because they don't take me seriously.

I'll take the blame for this one. He said to go light. I didn't at the time know what light meant so I listened to another lifter who even suggest I do 275 which I did do once but I was like no way. I don't think im ready for that yet.

I have spent months going back and forth with people re-injuring themselves because they don't take me seriously.

I understand and know better now. It felt a lot better today after laying on my back on those big blue ball things. Definately going lighter next time.

Pain goes away before the tissue is at one hundred percent tensile strength. Way before it. But here is the thing that really gets people in trouble. Capacity for force development is damn well 90% and above also before the tissue is ready to handle the load. So that's why you can't perceive it, like Joe says. You basically 'feel' better by subjective measures before you are better.

I'm not going to nurse you through it Nathan. If you don't care listen to your Coach who obviously doesn't know that the hell he's doing or he would have told you to not load your back yet. I have spent months going back and forth with people re-injuring themselves because they don't take me seriously.

I can't care more than you do. So if you want to not have little pulls turn into big ones you can listen but if not I'm not going to beg.

Powerlifting coach suggest I go light

I'd agree with your coaches suggestion but somewhere along the lines, somebody dropped the ball. Low intensity does not mean high volume or density. Meaning that, yes, you should have gone light (never jump right back to high intensities after an injury), and maybe even lighter than you did, but should have kept the volume and density down. I would've done 3 or 4 sets of 3, not 7,5,6. And especially wouldn't have used the highest intensity for the last set using high density. I hate to say it but you were asking for an aggrevation by doing this.

One thing I mentioned in my journal during my recovery was that you can feel ready but really you're in a very dangerous phase of recovery where you aren't at 100% but you feel as though you are. The only thing to do is know that this happens because you have no perception of it.

My advice is to stay off of the deadlifts. Stick to exercises which are inherently lower poundages (front squats as opposed to backsquats, GHR's as opposed to deadlifts, etc.) and lower volumes.

Deadlifts
(Powerlifting coach suggest I go light)
225lbs
2 x 7
245lbs
1 x 5
255lbs
1 x 6

Pulled back muscle again -.-

Front Squats
175lbs
2 x 5

Then I went home. My back wasn't bothering me much on the front squats. Not impressed about hurting the back again…

No lifting at all went on last week with us getting out on Wednesday and there were Parent Teacher Interviews that night. I have been stretching the back and using the Tennis Ball like you had mentioned. Theres no pain at all now. Bad part is that there is no School Monday, there is no lifting anymore on Tuesdays. So I can lift Wednesday and Thursday but there isn't school again on Friday…. With the Provincial Powerlifting Competition later this month.

You can start gently massaging out your back with a tennis ball now. Or some other ball but don't start with something too hard. The pain migrating like that is normal. That is it seems to happen to everyone. Sounds like you'll be fine.

OH Press

115lbs
3 x 5
1 x 2

Pushups

3 Sets till Failure

took it relatively easy because of the back.

Mobility Drills

Thursday March 18th 2010

Step Ups
Did a few sets of 5 with weights varying between (25-50lbs). I thought these were annoying and switched to Static Lunges instead

Static Lunges
45lbs
1 x 10 Each Side
50lbs
3 x 10 Each Side

Again with that lower back excercise thing that hooks onto the squat rack. I lay on my stomach while I raise my legs so that I look like im doing the superman. Im going to find out what that contrapcion is called XD

Mobility Drills

Good news is the back doesn't bother me where it use to. Now its more near the middle of my middleback but that could just be from that excercise I did. No worries.

Step ups could be a good replacement for squats since you can get great leg work with less weight on your back. But since the injury is off to the side that can be problematic because step ups cause extra tension in the side of your back the working leg is on. But if you can do step ups with no pain then do them. Otherwise do lunges or split squats. Whatever you can. Let pain be your guide.

245 Squat Set 1

245 Squat Set 2

Monday March 21 2010

Deadlift
315lbs
1 x 2
1 x 3
1 x 1

Tweaked back muscle -.-

As soon as I tried to go up for the 2nd rep. I felt something in my back. Not on the spine. But in the lower right side. The powerlifting coach immediately asked if I was alright and had me do some back relieving excercises (not sure what you would call them). Stuff like holding my knees close to my chest and rocking back and forth. Some odd floor stretch. Hanging from the pull up bar. And on this contraption that we hooked up to the squat rack where you lay on your stomach but you do like reverse leg curls? Where essentially you lift your legs as high as you can. Kinda like a superman posisition.

Its not pulled. Because I done that years ago and I could hardly move. It feels really stiff when I walk or sit down so I try not to move much.

Squat videos up soon!

OH Press

115lbs
1 x 4

110lbs
2 x 5

115lbs
1 x 4

Side Planks

3 X Each Side.

Pullups
1
1 and 7/8ths
3/4

Static Holds from the top and Bottom.

Mobility Drills

Deadlifts
295 1 x 3
315 4 x 3

Failed on the last rep of my last set. Took a 5 second break. Finished it. I had it up like 3/4 of the way for roughly 7 seconds until I locked out.

Front Squat

195 1 x 4. Pretty shocked here
180 1 x 5. Felt good
190 1 x 4.

Pushups

3 Sets to failure

Mobility Drills.

Monday March 8th 2010

OH Squat
115 1 x 5 (Felt heavy and uncomfortable. lowered the weight as not to risk it falling)
110 1 x 5 (Great)
110 1 x 5 (Felt great again
115 1 x 5 (Great)

Back Squat
245 1 x 5 (Felt like a solid weight thought it would be heavy for 3+ Sets)
235 1 x 5 (Not difficult enough)
255 1 x 5 (Did it well)
260 1 x 3 (Failed on 3rd rep. Put the weight back on the rack and pushed out a final rep)

That was it.

Deadlift

3 x 295lbs
4 x 315lbs

Great deadlift day

Front Squat

155lbs
1 x 3

165lbs
1 x 3

155lbs
1 x 7 (Felt super light this time around)

165lbs
1 x 5

OH Press

95lbs
1 x 5
1 x 6

100lbs (Felt lighter aswell)
1 x 7

Side Planks
3 X each side

Mobility Drills

No workout for today
Blizzard = No school = May be no school tommorow.

OH Press
90lbs
1 x 5
115
1 x 2 failed the third
95lbs
1 x 5
100lbs
1 x 5
105lbs
1 x 5

Will more than likely go for 110lbs for 3 x 5 next week

Back Squats
235lbs
1 x 4
1 x 4

When I do squats I usually go down as far as I can go which from what i've heard basically looks like ATG. I usually go lower than what I did at the comp. But I wasn't happy that i was only cranking 4 reps. So I went as low as I did for the comp and then did.

235lbs
2 x 8

Left leg was felt pretty tight before my squats and I could feel it when I would go to the bottom of my squat. Nothing serious, It might've happened in my sleep if I rolled on it or twisted it in some way. It may or may not have had an impact on my squat. But because of it, i was taking upwards to 5min rest periods constantly doing Squats and mobility drills to see if it was getting worse and it felt better.

Did some mobility drills, forgot a Core Excercise. I'll probobly do that and some pushups over the weekend. Realized I forgot to do Inverted rows. For core excercises I'll either do side planks or Torso Rotations or a combination of them both.

Whenever school is over. I'll finally be able to go to a gym and record my workouts and at university aswell so im looking forward to that.

I just realized you did those pullups! You snuck it in there so nonchalantly I glossed over it. Congrats. That's worth a celebration. I'm popping open a beer in your honor. Were there pullups before and I missed them?

BTW…pullups are more difficult after OH press.

Applying for University at the moment. Will respond to posts above ASAP.

Any US universities?

Deadlifts
295
3 x 5

Front Squats
165 1 x 4 (form was not well last rep)
160 1 x 5
155 1 x 6

Pushups
1 x 15
1 x 5
1 x 7

Side Planks (I enjoy these haha)
3 Sets each side. Probobly pushing 30 seconds on the left arm while 30+ on the right)

Mobility Drills
(I just do all of them or all that I can remember and hitting the ones i miss the next day. Kinda like a cool down after a workout that I can just work on mobility that will help my lifts

Tueday February 23rd 2010
Suppose to be no lifting today since Coach teaches Judo. But a Phys Ed teacher let me in ;)

OH Press
100lbs
1 x 4
95lbs
1 x 5
1 x 6

OH press has went down, not impressed, maybe im forgetting to do something with the form or its just the layoff but im not sure.

Pullups
1 Rep
2 Reps
1 Rep

Favorable rest periods inbetween 3-5minutes. But pretty impressed.

And I did a combination of Static Holds from the top and the bottom until I was completley worn out.

Side Planks
Same as Monday.

Applying for University at the moment. Will respond to posts above ASAP.

I know you cannot maintain the exact same form on each and every rep you ever do in your life but your form must fall within a range. This range is a set of rules and guidelines:

1.) Deep breath into your belly - and by deep I mean DEEP + you must tighten your core and be firm

2.) Head must be above ass

3.) Ass must be above knees and below head

4.) Shoulders ahead of the bar

5.) Everything moves together at the same time and at lockout hips and knees lockout together at the same time