Mike's Log - The Road to Recovery

Upper Body Day 1

Inverted Rows (Gymnastic Rings)
Me x 10
Me + 10 x 10
Me + 25 x 10

Dumbbell High Incline Bench
90 (45s) x 10
120 (60s) x 10
140 (70s) x 10

Shrugs
135 x 10
155 x 10
175 x 10

Cable Pushdowns
55 x 10
70 x 10

Seated DB Curls
55 (27.5s) x 10
75 (37.5s) x 12

Shoulder Rehab

Poliquin DB External Rotations
10 x 15/side

Constant Tension 1/2 Thumbs-Up Lateral Raise
20 (10s) x 20

Facepulls
70 x 20

Notes:

Decent session, I was particularly pleased that I managed the 70s for 10 in the high incline bench. No idea what PR's are for this lift as I've never really done incline anything this high before (~45 degrees while I normally stick to 30 degrees).

As the dumbbells gets a little heavier in lateral raises, I'm noticing going all the way to arms to side feels a little something something, so I'm restricting the movement to the first half (probably 45 degrees). In principle, the supraspinatus is only the primary abductor of the shoulder during the first ~30 degrees, so there is a logic here (and it's what some PT's prescribe in terms of lateral raises to target supraspinatus while avoiding working into an impinging position towards the top). I think it's important to work on pain-free range of motion, first and foremost.
 
Lower Body Day 1

PVC Squat (oly shoes)
135 x 10 (no belt)
170 x 10 (belt)
205 x 10 (belt)

Back Extensions
Me x 10
Me + 40 (20s) x 10
Me + 80 (40s) x 15

Back Extension Situps
Me x 10
Me + 20 x 10
Me + 40 x 10

1-Leg Calf Raises
Me x 10/side
Me + 35 x 10/side

Notes:

Had a session with a friend today, and actually performed the workout mostly fasted (just some black coffee and half a banana). The squats with oly shoes were borderline slightly harder, possibly due to the deeper position I achieve with those shoes. The last set of 10 was challenging and I took half a year, but doable.

By only doing sets of 10 on the way up, my back extension strength was at borderline PR levels, which is cool. Everything else also felt good enough.

Celebrated the session with a 1 lb hamburger afterwards. It's been many months since I've had beef of any kind (due to a cholesterol scare over the summer).
 
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Upper Body Day 2

Cable Rows
100 x 10
120 x 10
140 x 13

DB Bench
120 (60s) x 10
140 (70s) x 10
160 (80s) x 10

1-Arm Cable Rows
50 x 10/side
55 x 10/side
60 x 10/side

Seated Lateral Raises (reduced ROM)
10 (5s) x 10
20 (10s) x 10
30 (15s) x 15

Shoulder Rehab

Seated DB External Rotations
15 x 10/side

Facepulls
75 x 17

Notes:

Strength-wise a pretty solid session. My lower back (perhaps psoas) felt really tight during the cable rows such that I actually used a belt on the last set. It's possible the situps or back extensions are causing lingering tightness here.

My shoulder felt a little something on the lateral raises such that I may just ditch them altogether. It's not really painful, but I'm wary of feeling anything less than a totally normal-feeling movement. I may substitute facepulls in their place (which actually felt a little something after lateral raises, possibly due to slight irritation) next session, and make the "shoulder rehab" basically just the external rotations for now.

Either way, I am rather enjoying this routine. I am debating just sticking to 10's for the time being, trying to add weight or reps in the coming weeks until I stall, then perhaps deloading and resetting (I liked my setup where week 1 = 15's, week 2 = 12's, and you don't start getting into the "normal" working weights until the third week). The other option was to go down to 8's/5's, but I'm thinking higher reps might be the path of wisdom for the time being. As always, input is welcome.
 
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Another random thought...

After tinkering, I definitely found the position of pain/weakness/suck/etc. When my arm is abducted to 90 degrees my external rotation strength is extra super screwed. It's actually kind of interesting - the more transversely adducted my arm is (bringing in the arm like a fly, straight in front of me), the more my external rotation strength is fine/the same between arms. The more transversely abducted (the opposite), the bigger the disparity.

Doing external rotations with any significant amount of weight actually makes me feel the movement somewhat uncomfortably in what I think is my actual supraspinatus tendon in that abducted position. This is good and bad. Bad in the obvious, that I have to be very careful with that position as I don't want to hurt an already hurt tendon. Good in that I might have found a way to directly target the weakness/malfunction if I can find a sufficiently light entry point, even if it's literally just externally rotating my empty arm.

I'll play this very carefully but this is interesting new information about whatever the hell is exactly wrong with my shoulder.
 
mikeynov said:
Another random thought...

After tinkering, I definitely found the position of pain/weakness/suck/etc. When my arm is abducted to 90 degrees my external rotation strength is extra super screwed. It's actually kind of interesting - the more transversely adducted my arm is (bringing in the arm like a fly, straight in front of me), the more my external rotation strength is fine/the same between arms. The more transversely abducted (the opposite), the bigger the disparity.

Doing external rotations with any significant amount of weight actually makes me feel the movement somewhat uncomfortably in what I think is my actual supraspinatus tendon in that abducted position. This is good and bad. Bad in the obvious, that I have to be very careful with that position as I don't want to hurt an already hurt tendon. Good in that I might have found a way to directly target the weakness/malfunction if I can find a sufficiently light entry point, even if it's literally just externally rotating my empty arm.

I'll play this very carefully but this is interesting new information about whatever the hell is exactly wrong with my shoulder.
Click to expand...

Your supraspinitus us impinged in that position, and possibly your infraspinutus also. With the arm adducted, there is more room, less impingement.

Try side-lying laterals to target supraspinitus, and try supporting your arm on something when doing abducted external rotations, and maybe keep the abduction minimal if it hurts.
 
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mikeynov said:
Another random thought...

After tinkering, I definitely found the position of pain/weakness/suck/etc. When my arm is abducted to 90 degrees my external rotation strength is extra super screwed. It's actually kind of interesting - the more transversely adducted my arm is (bringing in the arm like a fly, straight in front of me), the more my external rotation strength is fine/the same between arms. The more transversely abducted (the opposite), the bigger the disparity.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Do things alter/improve if your shoulders are shrugged (scapulae elevated)? Also, does shifting your scapulae forward or backward (protracted or retracted) while externally rotating make any difference?

Do you mind being a human guinea pig?
 
Lol said:
Interesting. Do things alter/improve if your shoulders are shrugged (scapulae elevated)? Also, does shifting your scapulae forward or backward (protracted or retracted) while externally rotating make any difference?

Do you mind being a human guinea pig?
Click to expand...

Haha, I don't mind.

Shoulder positioning doesn't seem to matter that much. I think I might get slightly less pain with a chest up/shoulders back type posture, but that's the only real difference I notice. Another thing that feels tight/weird is if I flex at my elbow (curl my forearm) and then flex the shoulder itself. The motion feels kind of weak/limited.
 
Lower Body Day 2

Deadlift
135 x 10 (double overhand)
205 x 10 (straps)
275 x 12 (straps, belt)

Leg Rapers
115 x 10
135 x 10
145 x 10

Leg Curls
70 x 10
80 x 10

1-Leg Donkey Calf Raise
Me x 10/side
Me + 45 x 10/side

Notes:

I decided to pyramid up in deadlifts kind of like I do in squats. My logic is basically 135 x 10 as the first work set (which is really just to get some blood going to the muscles), half way between my intended working weight and 135 for my second set of 10 (e.g. 205 above), and then my intended work set for 10+. Doing it like this, with big jumps, does kind of a nice combination of thoroughly warming me up without compromising the top set all THAT much. Upper body stuff I'm pyramiding closer together, mostly because it doesn't seem to be as much of an issue. E.g. if I were to have done 225 x 10 and 245 or 255 x 10 prior to 275 in deadlifts (more similar in logic to how I do upper body stuff), I would have been creamed for the last set. This way, I'm still getting some good total volume while keeping the warmup sets light enough to go bananas on the top set, which is kind of the point (extra workload/thorough warmup and then a top set for PR's and what have you).

The downside to tonight's session is that my left hamstring/sciatic whatever was kind of back. This seems to vary week to week, and it's never that bad (right at the borderline of noticing it/slight discomfort and actual slight pain). I'm not even sure why I'm bothering to mention it at this point, perhaps I just have to live with it forever?
 
Nice vid, Mikey. Love the look of leg rapers. I may have to try a psycho set of those just for fun. They must burn like hell. Impeccable form throughout, as always. :cool:
 
Lol said:
Nice vid, Mikey. Love the look of leg rapers. I may have to try a psycho set of those just for fun. They must burn like hell. Impeccable form throughout, as always. :cool:
Click to expand...

Appreciated, sir. I internally laugh when I refer to those as leg rapers - I was trying to think of a name to call them, as "bottom half pause squats" sounded cumbersome. Then it occurred to me to call them what they do - rape your legs. I'm open to a more politically correct, easy to remember name.

On an upper/lower split (or something like 5/3/1), I think they go well on a deadlift day. They're basically the hardest possible iteration of a full squat, in my mind. I.e. no belt, the hardest part of the range of motion with pauses at both ends and no ability to rest whatsoever at any point in the set. In that sense they work well as a "light" squat in terms of systemic fatigue, however generate a **** ton of metabolic fatigue for your actual legs.
 
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I decided to join the local gym after all. I am now thinking this was wise as it opens up a lot of new exercises that, hopefully, can help bring me back to baseline over time.

Upper Body Day 1

Seated Cable Rows
120 x 10
140 x 10
147.5 x 10

DB Incline Bench
50s x 10
60s x 10
70s x 10

Pulldowns (underhand grip)
120 x 10
140 x 10
160 x 10

Seated Hammer MTS Press
40/side x 10
60/side x 10
70/side x 10

EZ Bar Curls
60 x 10
90 x 8

Hammer MTS Triceps
20/side x 10
30/side x 15

Shoulder Rehab

DB External Rotations (arm in abducted position on medicine ball)
3 x 30/side

Reverse Flies (rear delts)
30 x 10
45 x 10

Notes:

Part of today was experimentation. The benching is interesting because, while the dumbbells feel balanced, I am technically getting a little more range of motion, as the 25 lb plates on my adjustable handles at home prevent me from going deeper. The net effect was similar strength (in terms of weight moved), but I think it feels better.

I was delighted to find that pulldowns were completely pain/discomfort-free. I was further excited to find a shoulder press machine that was more or less pain/discomfort-free, too. The Hammer piece is nice because it's unilateral, i.e. each arm works independently. Perhaps the lack of stabilization is handy here, but either way, it felt nice, and in my left shoulder, a "good" deep burny sensation. I will, of course, play this by ear.

So yah, I'm pretty stoked to have access to real gym equipment again. The only downside is that, due to the time of year (new people joining, college kids on break), it's pretty damn busy, but I still didn't have much problem doing everything I wanted to do. Of course, when I try to use the one squat rack, things may get annoying. I do always have the option of doing stuff at home, as necessary.
 
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Lower Body Day 1

High Bar Squat (straps, Vibrams)
135 x 10
170 x 10 (belt)
210 x 10 (belt)

Hack Squat Machine
1 plate per side x 10
1 plate + 25 per side x 10
2 plates per side x 10

Seated Calf Raise
45 x 10
55 x 10
65 x 10

45 Degree Back Extensions
Me x 15
Me + 25 x 12

Notes:

I was pleasantly surprised to be able to squat without waiting for anybody. Using a real bar at a real gym was rather nice, for reasons unknown I literally felt more balanced. The only downside is that I couldn't really find a good angle to film at, so I'm not sure what I'll do if/when I want to snag a video. Technically, for PR's, my school gym would always be a choice as it's easy to set stuff up to film there, so that's a thought.

I initially tried to use the 45 degree leg sled, but it felt a little weird in my right hip, sort of a sensation of "catching" I sometimes got doing bulgarian split squats. Not really painful, but I figured with alternatives around, there was no point in tolerating discomfort. That said, I'm not really a fan of the hack squat machine, it feels really awkward to me. Perhaps I'll just stick to back extensions + leg extensions next week.

The other interesting thing was the back extensions at the end. The lockout felt a lot different than the flat version I have at home, actually harder. I got a ridiculous pump in my lower back, which I suppose is a good thing.

But yah, so far I'm digging the gym. The other plus side is that it's literally a ~1 minute drive from my house, so it's quite convenient.
 
Upper Body Day 2

T-Bar Rows (bar weight not included)
45 x 10 (neutral grip)
70 x 10 (neutral grip)
90 x 10 (underhand grip)

Dumbbell Bench Press
120 (60s) x 10
140 (70s) x 10
160 (80s) x 11

Machine Rows
105 x 10 (pulldowns - aborted after one set due to discomfort)
90 x 10
105 x 10

Seated Hammer Shrugs
90 (45 on each side) x 10
110 x 10
140 x 10

Triceps Pushdowns
60 x 10
70 x 10

Seated DB Curls
60 (30s) x 10
80 (40s) x 10

Shoulder Rehab

Shoulder External Rotation (Abducted)
5 x 35/side

Shoulder Transverse Abduction (rear delt machine)
30 x 25

Shoulder Abduction (lateral raise machine)
30 x 20

Notes:

A pretty good session, overall.

The T-Bar Rows were interesting. I used one of those contraptions with a platform, not really a "machine" besides having a fixed bar to which you attach the weights. I discovered that, as I went up in weight, the bar wanted to launch me off, so I was able to hold the contraption more towards the base with an underhand grip, which seemed to solve this problem. I actually really like this exercise, I can feel a good squeeze between the shoulder blades and in my lats simultaneously.

I improved the dumbbell bench by a rep this week, which is particularly good in that it's slightly increased range of motion. My left shoulder felt a little tight or something during, but nothing too bad.

Unfortunately, I discovered my ability to use a free handle (which ends up being neutral-ish grip) pulldown machine was limited as it caused some pinching in my shoulder. I was able to modify this mid-set not to really hurt but I'm not going to tolerate any exercise causing that impingement feeling, so I just did a machine row, instead. I'm actually glad I did, as this machine row really seemed to emphasize scapular retraction + depression.

As of next week, I will probably make a change or two. Given that I was more or less doing both "shoulder" work and separate rehab work, I think I may be slightly overworking my shoulder. I'm just going to create a variant of "rehab" work to do for shoulders both days, 3 rehab exercises each day for a single set a piece (so total volume is still only 3 sets for "shoulders" each day). I'll probably keep the reps at 20+ and done kind of slow-mo, as that appears to let me concentrate on the area the best with light weights.
 
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Yeah, it helps to separate "rehab" shoulder work, from the hypertrophy/strength work. I do my rehab stuff at home almost daily. Then do the heavier stuff at the gym.
 
Lower Body Day 2

Deadlifts (Sambas)
135 x 10 (double overhand)
210 x 10 (straps)
285 x 10 (straps, belt)

Leg Rapers
95 x 10
120 x 10
150 x 10

Hip Abduction Machine
50 x 10
60 x 10
70 x 10

Standing Calf Raise Machine
175 x 10,10,10

Notes:

I felt a bit winded today, but performance was still decent. Top set of deadlifts felt a little something in my left sciatic/hamstring, as per usual. Oh well. However, there was no bleedover into the leg rapers, which is good.

I decided to try the abduction machine, as there is a certain logic to abductor/external rotator dysfunction leading to "greater trochanteric pain syndrome," which in some way mirrors my constellation of symptoms on that side. Sure as **** the burn I got in my side glutes was ludicrous, so I may stick with this as a hip rehab exercise of sorts.

I started the calf raises a little ambitiously weight-wise, so just stuck at the same weight for 3 sets of 10 across. Done and done.

I notice that all my workouts are done within like ~45-60 mins now, probably because I'm not sitting around at home slacking. As a result I seem to be sweating more and getting a bit more winded, which is probably good from a conditioning standpoint.
 
Mikey you are strong at your bodyweight!

With your expierence and personal bests in some of your lifts what was your starting bodyweight?
 
Joe.Muscle said:
Mikey you are strong at your bodyweight!

With your expierence and personal bests in some of your lifts what was your starting bodyweight?
Click to expand...

I started lifting ~18-19 years old at a bodyweight of like ~130 lbs, probably just over (maybe 133?). And believe it or not I was not skinny-ripped, but probably still skinny-fat.
 
Upper Body Day 1

Seated Cable Rows
100 x 10
130 x 10
160 x 8

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
100 (50s) x 10
120 (60s) x 10
150 (75s) x 7

Seated Machine Rows
90 x 10
105 x 10
120 x 10

Shoulder Rehab/Complex

Seated DB Press
50 (25s) x 16

DB External Rotations (scapular plane)
10 x 12/side

Transverse Abduction (reverse machine flies)
45 x 18

Seated Dip Machine (triceps)
135 x 10
160 x 10
195 x 10

EZ Bar Curls
60 x 10
80 x 10

Notes:

Another fairly solid session. I decided to increase the loading on some of my lifts. Unfortunately for both cable rows and dumbbell incline, I'm not able to fine-tune the increments. Cable Rows because the least I can increment it is 10 lbs, and dumbbell incline because the dumbbells do not allow the use of my magnetic plates, i.e. I have to go up 10 lbs (e.g. 70s to 75s) here as well. This actually poses a problem I will have to ponder.

I got ambitious tonight and tried a light set of chins and dumbbell overhead pressing (seated). Both felt pain-free, which is awesome. However, I'm not sure I'm going to make a habit of either. Call it an extremely light test to see how my shoulder is holding up. So far, so good.
 
Mikey,

Are you doing a back specialization?

Just curious by glancing at your routine?

That some great gains in lean body mass over the years!
 
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