It was “spring forward” and I walked a bit, after PT and deadlifts.
Full PT. Deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 190, 10 x 225 low (kind of disappointed in my position) 4 inch: 10 x 270. Felt good; still a bit too far forward. 8 inch: 5 x 300. Had more but felt myself getting sloppy. Farmer’s walk: 100 yd with 52 (44 + handle), 70 yard with 74 (44+22 + handle), two 35 yard with 87 (44+22 + 13.2 + handle).
The walk: the official map went haywire as I turned down main. Below is the course I travelled. The watch gave me 4.35 miles, which, ironically, is what the other pedometers gave me as well. That felt long; I gave myself 4.25 miles (13:30’ish pace) Some discomfort in the final mile.
PT, then a 7 mile walk; this included 2 full Cornstalk hill loops and one lower loop (done in reverse direction)
high 50’s-low 60’s…shorts! And very minimal pain; some slight discomfort at 3.5-4.5 and that is about it…some fatigue later on. I should probably roll it a bit.
Commentary: I’ve had injuries in the past: rotator cuff impingements, knee surgery, (5 of them, 4 on the right knee), achilles tendonitis, etc. I’ve “recovered to full strength” (sort of) from these.
This back issue is different: it is chronic. (vertebrae slipped forward: neurogenic claudication caused by foraminal stenosis caused by isthmic spondylolisthesis. ) That is, chronic stress fractures in my pars (back of the spine) has caused my L5 vertebrae to slip forward, narrowing the canal (stenosis) impinging my L5 nerve root (foraminal: below the spinal cord) causing pain while walking.
In February of this year, things had gotten so bad that a .2 mile walk home caused a great deal of stabbing back pain; when I tried to walk in the fall, I managed 1, .5, .4 mile segments.
What turned it around was going to the doctor, finding out it was my back, and then doing back therapy and modifying my behavior (more later); I deleted some exercises, modified many others, etc.
And so, I am doing daily walks (sometimes 2 times a day) of 1-5 miles, sometimes fast, (10:40 mpm), most of the time medium (13-14:30 mpm), some slow (hiking, 16 minute miles for commuter walks).
I am about 22-25 miles a week; I would have found this unimaginable this February.
BUT…yeah, I have a long distance walking history (marathons and beyond).
I was referred to a surgeon and surgery was discussed; what I was eventually told was “no need for it right now; you’ll know when you need me” and:
This isn’t my doctor, but this was the message I got. I have a chronic condition that may get better, but pain-free just is not my destiny. Not 100 percent pain free, 100 percent of the time. I need to aim for “low enough pain to be pleasant.” I have a condition to be managed, not something to be healed from.
And yes, I can tell when I need to bail from a walk; I did so last week. Basically, it is pain at the start that is uncomfortable and does not go away.
Today’s workout PT, pull ups (sets of 5 singles, couple of sets of 5, enough to get to 50 plus one negative), push ups (4 sets of 25 flat! That is good for me; focused on no radiating pain)
Deadlifts: low: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 228, 8 inch: 10 x 260 (felt good..all of them)
high incline: 3 sets of 10 x 94 Swiss bar, getting lower each time
bench: 2 sets of 10 x 134 legs up
Then a morning walk (2 miles), commuter walk (1 mile) Both walks were outstanding, though I was sore by 6 pm
Note: I attempted to cut from 2 naproxen two times a day, to 1, two times a day.
One of the things I do during the summer is I get ready for the fall..physically. Seriously. I try to see what works, what doesn’t work and what workout scheme is sustainable.
I will have to make modifications.
Today I was sort of efficient for the first part of the workout:
31:25 PT and pre walk stretching
28:58 for the 2 mile walk
4:41 to get a drink and transition to my porch work.
52:28 for my pull up/push up, shoulder rehab and wobble board (had to rest a bit here)
51:46 to go downstairs and finish my bench presses, deadlifts, high inclines, curls and belt squats (some inefficiencies here)
Total time: 2:49:20 which is too long for most of the academic year.
The effects: I felt fine right afterward, but when I laid down in bed and got back up..some troubling left glute tightness (back related, I am sure). The walk caused the most strain.
The actual workout
The walk wasn’t the worst but I did feel some stress ..that went away reasonably quickly.
Pull ups: 10, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 wide, 5 chin, 5 mixed, 5 mixed. These went ok
Did much of the McKenzie, Williams things, clam shell, flossing, and of course, the plank and headstand and some tree..also my “warrior series” and some down dog.
As far as the forward bend: it is a different movement than the hip hinge one does on a deadlift.
First: the weight workout: usual warm up, then pull ups: sets of singles, doubles, 3’s and 5’s..enough got get to 55 reps. shoulder presses: dumbbell: 10 x 36, then 2 sets of 10 x 40 seated, unsupported. shoulder presses: barbell, with support: 8, 7, 7 with 90 (seated) trap bar rows: 5 sets of 10 x 134 bench press: 10 x 143, pause. trap bar deadlift (deficit) 10 x 184, 10 x 204 (felt really good)
Election: Trump’s head is going to explode. This took 37 minutes..inspired me to give money. I missed the letter writing deadline.
First of all, I have not been that productive since online teaching has ended. Yes, I have stuff to grade that will trickle in, but I have to kick myself into writing up some ideas that I have.
About the workout, I do have a note about my right knee.
first, I walked a bit more than 3 miles…enough so I can count yesterday’s 6.9 at 7. So: 5, 4, 5, 7, 3 = 24 so far this week.
Then to the weights: rotator cuff, warm up squats, pull ups: 10, 5, 5, 10, 10, 5, 5,
Bench: 10 x 132, 5 x 176 (hard), 5 x 171, 5 x 171
shoulder presses with 44: 3 sets of 10 (seated, supported)
goblet squats to the chair: 3 sets of 6
trap bar dead: 6 x 184, 6 x 206, 5 x 217 (taking care of the knees)
note: I took my shoes off for the 6 x 184 and felt it in my right knee..again. So I put them back on and had no difficulty. The foot angle makes a difference
COVID-19
The painting above is called “same storm, different boat” (or “different ship”).
And I understand some of the complexity.
Yes, COVID-19 isn’t as lethal as some others, but imagine 10,000 infected people spreading it to 20,000 (r = 2). That 20,000: you’d expect perhaps 100 deaths (at 0.5 percent mortality) and perhaps again as many to suffer long term to permanent complications. Now imagine a sniper killing 100 and wounding 100: do we say “meh, most are ok?”
And so, governors give orders and, well, they really didn’t have the time to be super careful and to craft a careful bill that the state congress can vet and improve.
So, some areas might be locked down more than necessary.
Some essential businesses might take advantage (e. g. a big box store that sells groceries might sell other things that smaller, non-grocery stores cannot sell.
And among the non-essential businesses: some might have great floor plans and safety procedures whereas others might be infection hot spots waiting to happen, and both are treated the same way.
By nature, there will be unfairness and resentment…and yes, the government might be quick to impose restrictions but slow to provide help, if it helps at all.
It sucks. And good people can disagree.
Now I am NOT saying that some aren’t total idiots.
Dropped by a department store to buy a toaster oven. Mandatory hand sanitizer squirt and mask. One way aisles and if you deviate from the approved zone for customers – they sternly lecture you. The country as we know it has been destroyed. And I still don’t have a toaster.
Wednesday: I diligently assembled my pull up bar…incorrectly, but then fixed it. There is a slight rock (they recommend bolt-down) but using loaded dumbbells as counter weights really helps.
I also am doing dumbbell presses outside; our porch ceiling is high enough to allow for that, even during rain.
And I do bench presses, power cleans, curls, dead lifts, hex bar rows in the basement.
So, here is what I did, workout wise, over the past couple of days:
Wednesday: 6.4 mile run…very slowly…Cornstalk hill plus lower loop; 1:28 ish. I’ve really gotten slow…then assemble equipment (racks, pull up bars)
Thursday: yes, I got a great deal on this bench (150 dollars!)
But I did my own workout first:
rotator cuff and back exercises. (I forgot to plank…better work on that)
pull ups: 10-(5-5)-10-(5-5)-5-5 (the 5-5 sets were when I changed grip)
dips: 4 sets of 5 (getting used to it)
shoulder press with dumbbells: 3 sets of 10: 40, 44, 44, 1 of 5 (44) for photos
goblet squats: 3 sets of 6 with 58 (decent depth)
bench press: experiment: 10 x 134, 5 x 156, 5 x 167 (had the spotter)
rows: 3 sets of 6 x 134 (hex bar)
power clean: new 25 lb bumper plates: 3 sets of 5 x 94
Life of an old goat 