_tim's HST experiment

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Instead, I woke up with a horrific pain in my lower back that seemed to deflate me. I got it to settle a bit with some stretching, so I attempted a bit at the gym with mostly dismal results - but made the decision early on to skip my SLDLs outright.</div>

Is it just in your back, or you also feel pain in your legs, most notably your hamstrings and calves? If that is the case, then you suffer from the same kind of nerve pain that I do - the sciatic nerve. Sleep with a pillow under your knees when laying flat on the bed OR with the billow between your knees if laying on your side, and your pain should go away 90%. Deadlifting has helped nerve pain for me. I only get the pain anymore during my long SD's or if I sleep wrong.
 
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(colby2152 @ Jun. 15 2007,14:30)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Is it just in your back, or you also feel pain in your legs, most notably your hamstrings and calves?</div>
Colby - thanks for the tip! I appreciate you lookin' out for me!

It's only on the low left side of my back just above my hip, and it's isolated to maybe 3 inches across starting from the leftmost part of my back and working in. My SLDL's have all but killed the pain - I think that because I didn't get my stretching in yesterday with yoga, especially after how hard I hit everything on Wednesday, my body let me know it this morning. It could have been bad sleepin' too - who knows. After my workout, I did a couple of the yoga poses I remembered that stretched that part of my back, and voila - pain gone.

That's another lesson I need to take from this - DON'T SKIP YOGA ON OFF DAYS. I think it's sort of been my unsung hero in keeping me loose.

Again - thanks for looking out for me. I love that about the folks in this community - we're all (well, mostly all) here to help one another through thick and thin. Good stuff.
 
Week 3, Day 7: Zig Zaggin'

I started my 5's today, and had sort of a weird experience. Friday, everything felt really, really heavy. Today, everything felt really light. I dunno - I guess we'll see if my RM's are off, yet again.

Squats: 135 x 6 x 2 WU, 190 x 5 x 2
Incl. Bench: 135 x 5 x 2
Wtd. Chin: BW+10 x 5 x 2
SLDL: 135 x 5 x 2
Standing Calves: 240 x 5 x 4
Wtd. Dip: BW+35 x 5 x 2
Wtd. Wide, Netural Grip Pull: BW+7.5 x 5 x 2
Grip - barbell over-over static holds, 235 x 3 sets

We'll see how things go as the weights progress.
 
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(_tim @ Jun. 15 2007,14:58)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">It's only on the low left side of my back just above my hip, and it's isolated to maybe 3 inches across starting from the leftmost part of my back and working in.</div>
I've got the same pain in the same place. I always figured it was from an old war injury (I got me a arrowhead from the Indian Wars...). I agree with Colby that deadlifts have helped to diminish the pain noticeably.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I agree with Colby that deadlifts have helped to diminish the pain noticeably.
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<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">That's another lesson I need to take from this - DON'T SKIP YOGA ON OFF DAYS. I think it's sort of been my unsung hero in keeping me loose.</div>

Whether it is yoga, weightlifting, pilates, calistenics, or stretching, exercises that stretch the back are great for fighting the pain.

Running, contrary to first intuition, does not help alleviate back pain.
 
Yeah - I've noticed that my back and upper legs are 100% better since I started doing deads. This recent thing came out of nowhere. I kinda think it has something to do with my upper hamstring, as when I stretched my hamstrings, it felt a bunch better. My workout today was unaffected by my back, so I think all the stretching I did over the weekend really helped.

Thanks for the responses, TunnelRat and colby!
 
Week 3, Off Day

I did 20 minutes of yoga this morning and then did a bit more stretching on my own. Nothing too exciting, but seemingly necessary. I've readjusted a few of my RM's based on yesterday's workout; my last workout had all of the poundages at 75%, but they felt like 50% for some of the exercises. We'll see if I'm right.
 
Week 3, Day 8 - Good One - 5's With More Volume!
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I was inspired by sci's most recent thread to up my volume a bit through the rest of the cycle. I like it! I like it!

Squats: WU: 135 x 6, 185 x 6; 210 x 5 x 4
Incline Bench: WU: 95 x 6, 115 x 6; 155 x 5 x 4
Chins: WU: (close grip pulldowns) 110 x 6, 145 x 6; BW+15 x 5 x 4
SLDL: 160 x 5 x 4
Standing Calves: 300 x 5 x 6
Wide Neut. Grip Pull: BW+7.5 x 5 x 3
Dips: BW+60 x 5 x 2

I sorta ran out of time. So - no abs, no grip, no traps. I'll do an ab workout tomorrow before yoga. In any case, this workout felt great today - I'll just have to get there a bit earlier to get it all in. I think cutting short my dips was a good idea - my bench, while doable, was hard. Giving my tris and chest a break seemed like a good idea. My chest is one of those areas that I've never been able to strengthen properly. I believe that is changing; I've never really done incline bench, and I seem to be adjusting to it nicely as the days go. The only thing I'm slightly upset in regard to today's workout about is missing my grip work. I'll make it up somehow - holding 160 pounds for my SLDL's really wasn't a challenge at all - so my grip didn't get pounded enough.

In any case, I'll take it!
 
Another idea for grip if you ever want to try mixing it up is to hold a bar up, so your forearms are parallel with ground, and put your thumbs on top of the bar instead of wrapping it around the bar. If the bar is too easy you can add weight, but just hold this as long as you can and it really gives your grip a workout. Not having your thumb for support really kills ya.

Dips are lookin' good!
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(colby2152 @ Jun. 20 2007,10:38)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Squats: 210 x 5 x 4

Is that 210 at 5 reps for 4 sets or 210 for 5 reps, then 210 for 4 reps?</div>
4 sets of 5 reps each - sorry about that. I notate everything weight x reps x sets.
 
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(UFGatorDude30 @ Jun. 20 2007,10:42)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Another idea for grip if you ever want to try mixing it up is to hold a bar up, so your forearms are parallel with ground, and put your thumbs on top of the bar instead of wrapping it around the bar. If the bar is too easy you can add weight, but just hold this as long as you can and it really gives your grip a workout. Not having your thumb for support really kills ya.

Dips are lookin' good!
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DAMN! That sounds killer! Friday, Gator! It's on!

Thanks for the dip comment - I'm finally starting to get back to the (light) weight ranges I was in maybe 6 months ago. As I extend my 5's and 3's after that, I'll be surpassing quite a few of my old PB's

Can't wait. This experiment is going really, really well thus far.
 
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(the_dark_master @ Jun. 21 2007,03:51)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Natural companion to weights 'n' yoga
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TDM -

You ascribe to deep tissue massage, do you? Believe it or not, I have an every-other-week massage to calm my neck a bit (car accident fallout), and my therapist often checks several other key muscle groups and massages them if he feels it to be necessary.

I have to agree - deep tissue massage is perfect for bodybuilders!
 
Week 3, Off Day 2

Did my 20 minutes of yoga and a small ab workout. I really got some good stretching in for my legs during yoga today, which felt great. I used my core a bunch through the routine, so my ab workout was really just enough to tip the balance. For an off day, I did quite a bit of work!
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I'm scheduling a deep tissue for myself next week during my SD. What should I expect? From what I hear, it isn't the soothing, &quot;be one with yourself&quot;, experience that a traditional massage is. But from what I gather, the benefits of getting one greatly outweigh the pain I have in store for me.
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(UFGatorDude30 @ Jun. 21 2007,11:28)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I'm scheduling a deep tissue for myself next week during my SD. What should I expect? From what I hear, it isn't the soothing, &quot;be one with yourself&quot;, experience that a traditional massage is. But from what I gather, the benefits of getting one greatly outweigh the pain I have in store for me.
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Um, &quot;comfort&quot; definitely is not a word I would use to describe the process. From my experience, stubborn fibers are FORCED to relax - and it's the process of convincing those fibers to relax that can be downright painful. You're dead on, Gator, that it's not a feel-good process. You'll feel best when the whole thing is over and done with. Naps also (post-massage) help tremendously; you won't believe how good you feel when you wake up.
 
Week 3, Day 9 - 85% 5RM - Feelin' Goooooooooooooooooooood
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Squats: WU: 135 x 6, 185 x 6;
220 x 5 x 4

Incl. Bench: WU: 115 x 6, 135 x 6;
160 x 5 x 4

Chins: Pulldown WU: 110 x 6, 150 x 6;
BW+22.5 x 5 x 4

SLDL:
170 x 5 x 4

Calves:
320 x 5 x 6

Dips:
BW+65 x 5 x 3

Wide, Neut. Grip Pull:
BW+10 x 5 x 3

Gator grip (described by Gator above) - 40 x 3 sets - didn't watch the clock, just went 'til my fingers couldn't hold on anymore. VERY DIFFERENT FEELING! I'll throw this in the grip mix.

I didn't get to abs, and I think I'm going to make a permanent change to do those on off days for the rest of this cycle. In any case, Monday will be my 90% 5's, which promises to be interesting. This one felt really good - I love the changes I'm feeling and seeing. I hope the trend continues as I extend my 5's past my RM, and get into my 3's for the end of the cycle.
 
Dips are looking dang good. Should be hittin' 100 in no time. Haha, I like the name for the grip. Not sure how you did it, as looking back I didn't do a good job of explaining. But were your entire arms locked out from shoulder to hand, or did you have your elbow bent?

Reason I ask, is I would recommend doing this so your forearms are parallel to the ground, and your upper arms are perpendicular... so your elbow is at 90 degress. This lets you use maximum weight for your grip, while not giving your shoulders an unnecessary workout.

If you already did something like that, totally disregard that lol.
 
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