Thursday, January 21, 2016


Training Log: Entry 2032


Axle bench
10x axle
5x75
5x115
5x165
3x210
3x240
10x270
17x210
Notes: Wasn't an awesome bench day, but things moved pretty well. Hands were mis-aligned on the final 210 set, so got away with what I could.

Dips (upright)
35
30
30+5 (rest pause)

3 way shoulder circuit 20lbs
3x12

NG chins (various grips)
10x25
3x20
3x15


General notes: Woke up at 187.2.  Still getting a handle on my post vacation nutrition.  Upper body was annihilated from this workout. Huge pump.  Knee pain is still there but improving.  Knee feels very strong, just crossing the leg causes some pain around the calf/knee connection on the outside.  Cutting the heel slides out of my rehab for now, as they seem to be the only movement which triggers pain.

6 comments:

  1. Reading this has really changed my opinions on ACL rehab. Really interested to see what things are like for you when you return to lower body lifting. Before, I had this idea that, okay, the Adrian Peterson freaks can recover in 9-12 months with HGH and a swarm of doctors monitoring every motion while ordinary plebs are looking at a minimum of 12 months and then the re-building time. You've proven what dedication, consistency, and, I dunno, actually trying can do for rehab. You put your finger on it in one of your other injury articles about people using it as an excuse to whine and mope about after an injury, but I think that that is encouraged by conventional medical "wisdom" that puts these long time frames and restrictions on what you can/can't do and what you should/shouldn't do. As a BS Kinesiology degree, we were taught that it was a pretty painful and long process. Maybe you're just "a freak" mentally, but I dunno, I'm a lot less worried about an ACL tear after reading this that I was before. I wasn't losing sleep over it or anything and I wasn't holding back, but I always thought it'd be much much shittier than you're making it out to be.

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    1. I also lol'd at your acrobatic lovemaking comment, also imagining you having a hard time not honestly explaining it to your PT. "No, I swear, it wasn't the squat dropsets, it was that damn Congress of the Cow position!!! Wanna see the video?"

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    2. Hey man, thanks a lot for this. It honestly meant a lot for you to write all that, and it really put me in a good mood.


      Don't get me wrong: I've had my share of downs as well as ups through this process. However, I'm a big fan of the power of positive thinking and stoicism. Things are what they are, and many times we can't control those things, but we CAN control how we react to them. I figure that the ACL is hurt, but I can either be pissed off with a torn ACL or happy I can still train with one.


      There probably are a few screws loose in my head, haha, but I think that needs to happen sometimes in order to be successful. I've often said that one of my more redeeming qualities when it comes to training is being too stupid to know that what I'm doing is impossible. A lot of times, one needs to ask the question of "why not?"


      I'm definitely excited to see how things go once I can more seriously train my healing side. Right now, I don't think it's going to take too terribly long to build back up, but I also know not to get too eager through the process. I've still got some time yet.


      Glad I could change your perspective on this process, and that I could give you a laugh with my other comment. Remember: safety first, haha.

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  2. On stoicism, one of my favorites from Dan John: http://i.imgur.com/YGb4wYd.png

    Totally agree. I always knew that that would be how I'd react to an injury, but, unfortunately at your expense, it's been fascinating to read from a physiology perspective as well. Again, it runs contrary to conventional PT science, but PT is taught as though everyone's a pussy and you rarely get to see a case study of someone who's not.

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    1. Ah yeah, that's a classic. Always one of my "go tos".

      Been happy to have you following along through the experience and getting your feedback. I try not to buy my own hype, but it has been difficult to hide my frustration when dealing with "normal" people who tried to scare me with horror stories about physical therapy. I don't bother trying to explain to them that, most likely, our very concepts of what is pain versus what is simply discomfort are fundamentally different, as it's a difficult task to accomplish without sounding arrogant, haha. But yeah, even in my limited time in PT, I've been completely blown away by the actions and mentalities of other clients. People fighting with the techs, getting huffy, coming in with a bad/defeatist attitude about the situation, etc. It's incredibly frustrating watching people who, by all accounts, don't even need PT (just there because of some sort of pain) fight the system while I'm doing everything I legally can to get back to normal.

      Everytime someone comments on how diligent I've been with the physical therapy at home or how seriously I'm taking this, it just blows my mind. I WANT to be healed...wouldn't everyone want the same for themselves?

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    2. IDK, I got my IT band graston'd in PT rehabbing a partial meniscus tear and it is one of the most painful things I've experienced.

      But really though, yeah. The ignorance of people about their own body and ability is astounding, but like you, I don't see a point of going down the road of comparing myself to normal/average people. I just don't even talk to people about this stuff.

      Oh, I'm not at all surprised about your diligence, what I'm surprised at is how far your diligence has taken you. I honestly didn't know it would be possible to do what you're doing at this stage of recovery--again, because conventional PT wisdom is so conservative in estimation of peoples' ability.

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