Making A Plan for 2021: Spondylo-wha?

IT HAS been an enlightening week. These last few sessions that I am posting up now will be the last of that template for a while. A number of these exercises I can still use, but I will have to scale back in terms of loading. And there's a bunch of things - things I really enjoy - that I won't be able to do for several months, it seems.

Adam Yeates of Fieldwork Physiotherapy has been working with me this last week, and has developed an intensive rehabilitation program for my current predicament. He explained in great detail the various ways in which the blind spots (my term, he used a much more technical one) and weaknesses in my strength development and mobility over the last decade and more have helped to exacerbate the Spondylosis. Combined with the loss of core strength that resulted from my Diastasis Recti (an injury sustained I know not when but noticed mid-2016, from memory), this condition will only improve if I work on my hip flexors, glutes and anterior chain.

 

And the suspected fracture could be new or old, but best to assume it's new and drop all the goddamn weight off the bar for... a while.

 

As of this Saturday session coming, there's going to be a whole lot of weird hip-thrusting and yoga moves performed on the gym floor before I am finally able to bust out with... paused box squats, with an unloaded Axle. I at least was able to swap out the standard bar here.

 

A realistic goal, Adam advises, would be returning to competition mid-2021. I had been hoping sooner than that, but fine. This really can't be rushed. Spondylosis is career-ending if it gets bad enough.

REHAB PULL+ WK2 Thursday 03/12
Stretch & Decompress spine
Reverse hyper extension:
+20 kg x 3 x 10
Seated rows:
52.5 kg x 5
75 kg x 5
97.5 kg x 5
120 kg x 5
Lateral pull downs:
60 kg x 3 x 8
DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 2 x 10
10 kg x 2 x 10
Cardio:
Assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm

REHAB PRESS+ WK2 Tuesday 01/12
Stretch & decompress spine, tendon warmup
Chest press (p/h):
20 kg x 10
Incline barbell press:
20 kg x 6
40 kg x 6
50 kg x 6
60 kg x 6
70 kg x 6
80 kg x 6
90 kg x 6
100 kg x 5
Axe swings (l&r):
31.5 kg x 3 x 10
Preacher curls w/EZ bar:
23 kg x 3 x 10
DB side raises (p/h):
10 kg x 3 x 10
Super set w/DB curls (p/h):
10 kg x 3 x 10
Face-pulls:
43 kg x 3 x 20
Cardio:
Assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm

REHAB SQUATS+ WKEND 28/11
Stretch & decompress spine
Cambered bar squats:
15 kg x 10
60 kg x 10
80 kg x 5 x 10
Cambered bar Good mornings:
15 kg x 10
45 kg x 3 x 10
Cardio:
Assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm

Training Recap & MRI Results

IT HAS been a week for compliments, from both old and new gym mates, bosses and car enthusiasts. It has also been a week for disappointing news. In retrospect, those double decker deficit deadlifts I did that day in early October, not long after recovering from the lumbar strain I sustained late August, were probably a bad idea. I used a rubber mat on top of a blue twenty kilogram bumper plate under each foot... might have been too much. My last deadlift session ended poorly. I pulled 230 for 9, as programmed, no straps or belt, and using a newish bar that tore up my hands real nice. It wasn't till I'd finished and sat down that I knew something was not right with my back. I only stayed seated for a few moments, but standing up again was excruciating. I needed the assistance of an old acquaintance to unload the bar.

I had the MRI Monday. The diagnosis is attached.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REHAB Press Thursday November 26th

stretch & tendon warmup

Incline barbell press:

20 kg x 8

40 kg x 8

50 kg x 8

60 kg x 8

70 kg x 8

80 kg x 8

90 kg x 8

Preacher curls w/EZ bar:

23 kg x 3 x 10

DB front raises (p/h):

10 kg x 3 x 10

DB front raises (p/h):

10 kg x 3 x 10

Triceps pushdowns:

90 kg x 10 wide

90 kg x 10 narrow

63 kg x 10 rope

90 kg x 8 wide

90 kg x 6 narrow

54 kg x 6 rope

Cardio:

assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm

REHAB Squats Saturday November 21st

stretch & decompress spine

Cambered bar squats:

15 kg x 10

35 kg x 5

55 kg x 5

75 kg x 5 x 10

Cardio:

assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm

 

EVENTS Saturday November 14th

(stretched, but did not decompress spine...)

Log clean-press:

80 kg x 3

90 kg x 2

Deadlifts w/barbell:

75 kg x 10

125 kg x 5

175 kg x 3

215 kg x 1

230 kg x 9 no straps, no belt, spinal injury apparent

Cardio:

assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm